Emily Arntsen

Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

TikTok won’t be banned from US app stores. Here’s why.

TikTok doesn’t pose a national security threat to the U.S. any more than some of our most beloved apps such as Facebook and Twitter, says David Choffnes, associate professor of computer science. Banning the app would require a vote from Congress and massive changes in net neutrality.

by Emily Arntsen September 23, 2020

Assistant Professor Ameet Pinto researches SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks in wastewater inside the Mugar Life Sciences Building. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Are there COVID-19 cases in your community? The answer may be in your sewer.

Researchers from Northeastern are now using wastewater to determine whether COVID-19 cases are present in a population. While this type of monitoring won’t replace coronavirus testing, it could warn city officials when the virus appears and help them prepare for outbreaks.

by Emily Arntsen September 15, 2020

Alessandro Vespignani is the Sternberg Family Distinguished University Professor of physics, computer science, and health sciences, and director of the Network Science Institute at Northeastern. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

If rich countries monopolize COVID-19 vaccines, it could cause twice as many deaths as distributing them equally

Researchers from Northeastern’s Network Science Institute have partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to predict COVID-19 deaths based on two different ways of distributing vaccines.

by Emily Arntsen September 14, 2020

Northeastern joins the Trinity Challenge as founding partner to stop the next pandemic before it starts

The Trinity Challenge, a global public health initiative and competition, is bringing together partners such as Microsoft, Google, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, research universities, and organizations in the public and private sectors, with the united goal to get ahead of the next pandemic.

by Emily Arntsen September 13, 2020

Matteo Rinaldi, the director of Northeastern SMART, uses Evatec equipment for the deposition of piezoelectric thin films for different kinds of micro/nano devices. Northeastern is the only academic institution in the country with this nano manufacturing capability. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

He’s cooking up thin film pizzas to create cutting-edge inventions

Ever wonder how your phone connects to Wi-Fi or GPS? Inside each smartphone, there are tiny devices that vibrate like guitar strings to create electricity, says Matteo Rinaldi, professor of electrical and computer engineering. And now the technology needed to make them, which resembles a miniature pizza oven, is at Northeastern.

by Emily Arntsen September 10, 2020

Mollie Harreys and Maxwell Benman, who are on co-op for the Sign Shop in the facilities department of Northeastern, work on COVID-19 guideline sign orders. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Where’d all these signs come from? Meet the co-ops who distribute COVID-19 directions on campus.

Mollie Harreys and Maxwell Benmen, co-ops at Northeastern’s Sign Shop, have been working around the clock to outfit the Boston campus with signs to promote the safety of everyone on campus and in the surrounding communities.

by Emily Arntsen August 26, 2020

James Halverson, an assistant professor of physics in the College of Science, uses artificial intelligence to untangle knots and uncover the secrets of the universe. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Why you need a computer to understand strings and knots

Some questions are simply too big for humans to answer alone. “How does the universe work?” is a good example. James Halverson and Brent Nelson, physicists at Northeastern, are getting a little extra help from artificial intelligence to uncover the secrets of why we exist.

by Emily Arntsen August 26, 2020

Members of the Northeastern facilities team sanitize and clean the International Village Dining facility. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

How Northeastern is creating a healthy dining environment for students to eat and socialize

“We know that dining is an incredibly important time to meet new people, to make friends, to connect,” says Madeleine Estabrook, senior vice chancellor for student affairs at Northeastern. To promote gathering in a healthy way, dining services is introducing additional outdoor seating, physical distancing, and constant cleaning, among other safety measures.

by Emily Arntsen August 18, 2020

Medical worker in South Korea disinfects single-person COVID-19 testing facility

To deal with COVID-19, the US should look to countries in Asia and Africa

Compared to the US, some countries have experienced only a fraction of the number of COVID-19 deaths relative to their population, despite having significantly fewer resources. Ravi Ramamurti, distinguished professor of international business, outlines how the U.S. can adopt these life-saving innovations from other countries.

by Emily Arntsen August 12, 2020

Quincy Ray, who studies physical therapy, and Ramana Houseman, who studies neuroscience, socialize from a safe distance on Krentzman Quad. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

Wear a mask. Get a test. Wash your hands. Protect the pack.

“Protect the Pack” is Northeastern’s new mantra for encouraging healthy behaviors throughout the university community. A campaign titled the same will launch soon on the university’s campuses, and across its digital platforms.

by Emily Arntsen August 4, 2020

Posts by Emily Arntsen