Ian Thomsen - News @ Northeastern

A family interest in blood donation led her to the world of medical devices

Before she came to Northeastern, mechanical engineering student Arunika Makam, was able to develop a non-profit service that enabled people in India to donate blood while preserving their privacy. She just finished a co-op in Germany focused on implants that hold fractured bones together while they are healing.

by Ian Thomsen July 31, 2019

People walk past the Capital One Café on Boylston Street. Capital One suffered one of the largest banking data breaches, federal prosecutors revealed this week. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

Your Capital One account was hacked. There was nothing you could have done about it.

The personal information of more than 100 million banking customers was stolen by a software engineer in Seattle. Capital One has fixed this problem, but a solution to the epidemic of online breaches remains out of reach, says William Robertson, an associate professor in the Khoury College of Computer Sciences.

by Ian Thomsen July 30, 2019

‘Broscience,’ dehydration, and costly wardrobes: a student bodybuilder’s odyssey

Northeastern senior Julianne Mayville lifts weights six times a week, drinks two gallons of water daily, and weighs her food on a scale. There turned out to be more to competitive bodybuilding than she ever imagined.

by Ian Thomsen July 29, 2019

Here’s why Brexit just became more complicated

The stunning rise of Boris Johnson to prime minister has polarized people on both sides of Britain’s divorce from the European Union, says Anthony Grayling, founder and master of NCH at Northeastern in London. “The country is divided so deeply as a result of this, that it seems terribly difficult to find its way back.”

by Ian Thomsen July 26, 2019

Robert Mueller was a reluctant witness. It really showed in his testimony to Congress.

For more than two years, voters and political leaders alike had been waiting to hear Robert Mueller speak. Throughout his congressional testimony on Wednesday, however, the special counsel appeared as though he wanted no part of the political spectacle.

by Ian Thomsen July 24, 2019

Amazon is retraining 100,000 employees. What about the rest of the US workforce?

Amazon’s investment in maintaining a competitive workforce comes as a Northeastern-Gallup poll exposes a troubling paradox among American employees: They know artificial intelligence will revolutionize the global economy, but they aren’t quite ready to adapt.

by Ian Thomsen July 11, 2019

How a new approach to capitalism could rescue America’s inner cities

The average poverty rate of urban centers is 32 percent, which is more than double the national U.S. rate. In a new book, Northeastern law professor Rashmi Dyal-Chand argues that lawmakers should encourage collaboration among locally-operated businesses.

by Ian Thomsen July 10, 2019

This famous 20th-century novelist vanished into obscurity. Why is he important now?

Nelson Algren was one of America’s most famous writers of the 1950s, before his ties to the Communist Party brought him down. Algren’s themes resonate with modern-day issues in Never A Lovely So Real, an acclaimed biography by Northeastern graduate Colin Asher.

by Ian Thomsen July 8, 2019

Are immigrants good for the economy?

Communities and nations that are welcoming to immigrants are more likely to realize the benefits of immigration, says Luis Dau, a Northeastern professor of international business and strategy. History, he believes, is on his side. But a new Northeastern-Gallup poll shows a deep ideological divide among respondents in the U.S., U.K., and Canada on whether immigration causes job losses.

by Ian Thomsen July 1, 2019

People want to keep up in the artificial intelligence age. Employers, educators, and governments are letting them down.

A first-of-its-kind international poll conducted by Northeastern and Gallup finds that majorities of people in the U.S., U.K., and Canada are optimistic about the future of artificial intelligence. They also fear that institutions are failing to provide lifelong learning in the new era of automation.

by Ian Thomsen June 27, 2019

Posts by Ian Thomsen