Ian Thomsen, Author at News @ Northeastern

Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun speaks during the BC High Class of 2022 graduation ceremony held at McCoy Practice Field in Boston, Mass.

‘The world needs you,’ Northeastern president tells BC High graduates

Joseph E. Aoun delivered the commencement address at Boston College High School on Saturday, urging the graduates to embrace flexibility while exploring their futures in unexpected ways.

by Ian Thomsen May 21, 2022

Northeastern biology major Dillon Nishigaya, conducts cancer research in a Mugar lab. Nishigaya was inspired to student science after overcoming scoliosis.

These identical twins launched research careers – as freshmen

“It was a revelation” that he and his brother were able to participate in research in their first year at Northeastern, says Dillon Nishigaya. Dillon aims to become a doctor, based in part on his personal experiences with medicine.

by Ian Thomsen May 20, 2022

This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virions, left, and spherical immature virions, right, obtained from a sample of human skin associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. Monkeypox, a disease that rarely appears outside Africa, has been identified by European and American health authorities in recent days.

Experts weigh in: Is monkeypox the next COVID-19? Here's what we know.

The virus has unexpectedly spread to Europe, Australia, and North America, with the first U.S. patient undergoing treatment in Boston. “But it’s not something to panic about at this point,” says Brandon Dionne, an associate clinical professor in Northeastern’s department of pharmacy and health systems sciences.

by Ian Thomsen May 20, 2022

nato foreign ministers sit in a conference room

In the new Europe ‘neutrality is no longer an option’

The war in Ukraine has crystallized a remarkable transformation of Europe that has been building since World War II, says Northeastern expert Mai’a Cross: Nations that historically had been in conflict are now realizing they need each other.

by Ian Thomsen May 18, 2022

People walk by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on May 12, 2022 in New York City.

How long will inflation last? And will it trigger a recession?

The causes of inflation were hard to anticipate, says Robert Triest, chair and professor of economics at Northeastern. But he is optimistic that the outcome of the current wave of rising prices is predictable—and that it will result in a relatively favorable ending.

by Ian Thomsen May 17, 2022

Graduate students fling their caps in the air.

Northeastern graduate Commencement: Leila Fadel tells Class of 2022 to ‘write the rest of your story’

Themes of perseverance and hope elevated the Commencement ceremony for graduate students on Friday morning at Fenway Park. Fadel, a 2004 graduate of Northeastern’s School of Journalism, and a host of Morning Edition at National Public Radio, urged the graduates to respond to their fears with strength and self-belief.

by Ian Thomsen May 13, 2022

Northeastern graduates take photographs in the Cabot Center.

Cabot Center transformation gives Northeastern graduates reason to celebrate

The large indoor space at Cabot Physical Education Center is serving this week as a hospitality area for students, family and friends. The transformation has created welcome moments of perspective for graduates.

by Ian Thomsen May 11, 2022

Adwoa Sefah, class of 2022 undergraduate commencement speaker, poses for a portrait.

Inspired by her mother, Adwoa Sefah approaches her Commencement speech with empathy

Life lessons of her mother enabled the cell and molecular biology major to deepen her sense of understanding during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her student speech May 13 at Northeastern’s undergraduate Commencement ceremony at Fenway Park will celebrate the gains that she and her classmates have made over the past four years.

by Ian Thomsen May 5, 2022

Aniyah Smith, an MBA graduate, poses for a portrait.

With an eye for cosmetics, Aniyah Smith fashions a Commencement address

Smith, who is receiving an MBA, comes from a background in fashion and was nervous about fitting in with the business community. That perspective changed when she started an award-winning business.

by Ian Thomsen May 5, 2022

Abortion rights advocates and anti-abortion protesters demonstrate in front of the Supreme Court of the United States Supreme Court of the United States in Washington, DC.

Plain and simple: Abortion rights is a healthcare story

Coverage of the Supreme Court’s reported decision to strike down abortion rights should deal with the effects that will be borne by women and other people who need reproductive healthcare, says Meg Heckman, a Northeastern assistant professor who researches journalism from a feminist point of view.

by Ian Thomsen May 3, 2022

Posts by Ian Thomsen