Khalida Sarwari

Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Can technology reduce racial inequity? Build for Black Lives could help.

Build for Black Lives helps connect people who have technology and design skills with activists, organizers, and Black-owned businesses that need services such as website creation, mobile applications, and digital marketing. The founders are hoping to address racial discrimination in technology by including diverse viewpoints in the development of products.

by Khalida Sarwari August 10, 2020

Clockwise from tom left, mayor Yvonne M. Spicer, town manager Steve Bartha, Marc Draisen, executive director of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, mayor Martin J. Walsh, mayor Dan Rivera and moderator Sid Espinosa, director of philanthropy and civic engagement at Microsoft, speak during the BARI closing keynote “What Cities and Towns Need Now”. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

Imagine leading a city through a pandemic and mass protests. Now imagine doing it from home.

Three mayors and one town manager in Massachusetts have had to do just that since February. Now, these leaders are thinking about ways to strengthen their communities after COVID-19.

by Khalida Sarwari August 3, 2020

Clockwise from top left, Alisa K. Lincoln, Rachel Rodgers, Dean Carmen Sceppa, and Suzanne Garverich. Screenshots by Northeastern University

How has COVID-19 affected mental health and well-being?

During a panel on mental health, Northeastern researchers discussed the impact of COVID-19 on people’s emotional well-being and the effects of the pandemic on people with serious mental illness and disordered eating.

by Khalida Sarwari July 30, 2020

Vyshnavi Karra is a doctoral student in chemical engineering who has just published a book that examines the intersection of science and government and how that relationship has evolved over the years. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

She wants to restore the public’s confidence in science

In a forthcoming book, Vyshnavi Karra, a doctoral student in the chemical engineering program, explores the intersection of science and government—a relationship that is critically important as the world contends with issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and the anti-vaccine movement.

by Khalida Sarwari July 30, 2020

Is contact tracing enough to slow the spread of COVID-19?

As schools, businesses, and organizations prepare to reopen, efforts to trace contacts and provide COVID-19 testing will need to be amplified to prevent a new wave of infections, said a panel of current and former Northeastern public health students who are working as contact tracers.

by Khalida Sarwari July 24, 2020

Akash Dubey and his hackathon teammates developed SkillUp, a learning platform targeted at students who can’t afford access to the internet or who live in parts of India with low internet penetration. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

They want to make it easier for all students to learn online

A group of international students at Northeastern are developing a mobile application targeted at students who can’t afford consistent access to the internet or who live in parts of the world with low internet penetration.

by Khalida Sarwari July 23, 2020

Hector Plaza, co-owner of Red City Fitness, sanitizes equipment in the fitness studio. The law students at Northeastern’s Community Business Clinic helped him create a plan to reopen safely. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

They’re helping small businesses reopen responsibly

The law students at Northeastern’s Community Business Clinic are helping small business owners in disadvantaged communities navigate the complex legal and regulatory policies to operate responsibly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

by Khalida Sarwari July 21, 2020

Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

She’s helping women and minorities get their businesses off the ground

A startup co-founded by Northeastern student Eliana Berger is offering an eight-week program this summer to help connect diverse founders with veteran entrepreneurs and investors.

by Khalida Sarwari July 10, 2020

A person wearing a mask to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus walks past a U.S. flag displayed in a window in Boston on July 7, 2020. AP Photo/Steven Senne

New survey shows ‘systematic decline’ in domestic approval for US leaders

Amid a record-breaking increase in new cases of SARS-CoV-2, which prompted some states to pause reopening plans, a new survey by Northeastern and other researchers shows that public approval of U.S. governors as well as President Donald Trump has dropped over the last couple of months.

by Khalida Sarwari July 9, 2020

The Mon(IoT)r Lab run by David Choffnes, an associate professor in the Khoury College of Computer Sciences, is an apartment outfitted with cutting-edge smart devices, where researchers study how data is collected and shared online. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

We know companies are collecting and sharing our data. Is there anything we can do about it?

Northeastern researchers David Choffnes, Woodrow Hartzog, and Alan Mislove are teaming up on a five-year project that is anticipated to produce new technologies that safeguard personal data collected over the internet, as well as inform policy development around personal data privacy.

by Khalida Sarwari July 1, 2020

Posts by Khalida Sarwari