News
Marine and Environmental Sciences
Northeastern student researches dolphin behavior for a Greek marine conservation nonprofit during Mediterranean Sea co-op
Whether it was kayaking to small inlets in the northeastern part of the Mediterranean Sea or spending overnight on a boat all in the pursuit of tracking the local dolphin population, Northeastern University marine biology major Francesca Russell was living — and working — the dream. Russell, now a fourth-year student, spent last spring on […]
April 11, 2024
Physics
What is ‘Fallout’? Physicist breaks down the science of Amazon’s sci-fi show and the horrifying reality of nuclear radiation
The world ends on Oct. 23, 2077, in a series of radioactive explosions –– at least in the world of “Fallout,” a post-apocalyptic video game series that has now been adapted into a blockbuster TV show on Amazon’s Prime Video. The literal fallout that ensues creates a post-apocalyptic United States that is full of mutated […]
April 11, 2024
Six undergraduate scientists travel to a national meeting in San Antonio to present their research
Howdy! Y’all ever seen huskies swap their snowshoes for cowboy boots? In the heart of San Antonio, Texas, a vibrant cohort of scientists from Northeastern University’s College of Science rocked the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology’s #DiscoverBMB annual conference. Among them were undergraduates Guillermo Antunez Tierney, Linden Burack, Migue Darcera, Soumili Dey, Diana […]
April 10, 2024
Marine and Environmental Sciences
This student spent co-op on an island helping protect sea turtles and other endangered species
A semester on an island in the Indian Ocean sounds glamorous. But Hans Van Der Sande’s co-op in the Republic of Seychelles, an archipelago nation over a thousand miles off the coast of Africa, was a lesson in conservation. Van Der Sande, a senior ecology and evolutionary biology major, has been interested in conservation work […]
April 10, 2024
Northeastern co-op goes bananas with Santa Rosa Primate Project in Costa Rica
Leah Orman has some particularly unruly co-workers. They are small, fast and love climbing trees — and no, they’re not children. They are capuchin monkeys living deep in the tropical dry forest of Costa Rica’s Santa Rosa National Park. For Orman, a biology student at Northeastern University, this is her office, and there are no […]
April 10, 2024
Science and religion can get along, says former director of the National Institutes of Health
Science and religion are typically thought to be at odds with one another, but Francis Collins doesn’t see it that way. The former director of both the National Institutes of Health and National Human Genome Research Institute, Collins is also a man of devout faith. Looking at the distrust and increasingly fractious divide between scientific […]
April 09, 2024
16 Easy Ways to Support the College of Science This Giving Day
Prepare for 24 hours of excitement and philanthropy at Northeastern University’s Giving Day—an event dedicated to rallying alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff, and friends in support of the university and the College of Science. This year marks the 7th annual celebration of Giving Day at Northeastern. What sets this day apart? Giving Day is a […]
April 08, 2024
Physics
You’ve heard of a leap year, but what about a leap second? A physicist explains what is messing with the Earth’s rotation
The effects of climate change can be seen everywhere, in the global refugee crisis, an even worse allergy season and, now, even in the very concept of time. Scientists have recently pinpointed how meltwater from the polar ice caps is throwing off Earth’s rotation to the point that those who really care about precision timekeeping […]
April 02, 2024
Can AI find extraterrestrial life? NASA’s Steve Chien delivers keynote to kick off AI in Action Week.
Steve Chien’s contributions to space exploration started relatively close to home. In the early 2000s, the distinguished researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory helped develop weather satellites that used artificial intelligence to track wildfires, monitor volcanoes and allocate relief aid for natural disasters. Now, his greatest ambition is to take AI beyond our solar system […]
April 01, 2024
Can pottery be therapy? This psychology student thinks so.
The Create ceramics studio in Boston’s Roslindale neighborhood is a tapestry of gentle, sturdy neutrals. Earthenware pots, bowls and teacups awaiting paint jobs rest on light gray shelves; white drop cloths and stone potter’s wheels take up most of the wood floor, all of it bathed in low afternoon sunlight gushing through storefront windows. But […]
March 28, 2024
Five decades after his graduation, a legendary general returns to Northeastern as an inductee into the ROTC Hall of Fame
Salvatore Cambria, a retired U.S. Army major general, had not visited Northeastern University since he graduated with a biology degree in 1976. On Friday, he made his return while receiving an unprecedented honor. Maj. Gen. Cambria was inducted into the United States Army Cadet Command Hall of Fame — the first Northeastern graduate to be […]
March 28, 2024
Physics
What is the ‘3 Body Problem’? Astrophysicist explains concept behind hit Netflix show
“3 Body Problem,” Netflix’s new big-budget adaptation of Liu Cixin’s book series helmed by the creators behind “Game of Thrones,” puts the science in science fiction. The series focuses on scientists as they attempt to solve a mystery that spans decades, continents and even galaxies. That means “3 Body Problem” throws some pretty complicated quantum […]
March 26, 2024
Get to know Alicia Wagner, the 2024 Robert M. Scarborough Postgraduate Award Recipient
The Robert M. Scarborough Award for Excellence in Medicinal Chemistry is a national award presented to two graduate students or postdoctoral researchers annually. Candidates must have “demonstrated a key role in and contribution to a research project with direct medicinal chemistry applications and relevance.” This year, Northeastern’s very own Alicia Wagner was the recipient for […]
March 25, 2024
Parrots love playing tablet games. That’s helping researchers understand them.
Touchscreens have long been integral to our everyday life — humans use them to work, play, talk with loved ones and snag Lightning Deals on Prime Day. In recent years, they’ve shown potential for the animal kingdom as well, leading to a growing body of academic researchand a proliferation of consumer products promising to leverage […]
March 20, 2024