Laura Castañón - News @ Northeastern

How can we stay safe as coronavirus restrictions are lifted?

Is the mask really necessary? What is the safest way to see my friends and family? Can I get a haircut or go to a restaurant? Do I still have to be careful if I'm young and healthy? Neil Maniar, director of Northeastern's Master of Public Health program, has the answers you need.

by Laura Castañón May 29, 2020

People in the US started moving around more before stay-at-home measures were lifted

Even before most states began loosening the measures intended to keep people physically distant and slow the spread of the coronavirus, people were starting to travel further and see each other more, according to research from Northeastern’s Network Science Institute.

by Laura Castañón May 26, 2020

The bacteria in the clam that sank a thousand ships

Shipworms are long, thin mollusks famed (and feared) for their ability to eat wood. They rely on bacterial partners to break the wood down into nutrients they can use. Studying these bacteria could reveal more efficient ways to use the wood and plant waste generated on land, says marine biologist Dan Distel.

by Laura Castañón May 19, 2020

‘A network is crucial to describe how infectious disease spreads, and this is what we do’

On Thursday, Joseph E. Aoun, president of Northeastern, joined Alessandro Vespignani, who directs the Network Science Institute, to discuss where we are now in the COVID-19 crisis, where we’re headed, and what policymakers can do to prepare for the next pandemic.

by Laura Castañón May 14, 2020

Models can predict how COVID-19 will spread. What goes into them, and how can we use what they tell us?

On Thursday, Joseph E. Aoun, president of Northeastern, will sit down for a conversation with Alessandro Vespignani, the director of Northeastern’s Network Science Institute, who is leading one of the major efforts to model this disease.

by Laura Castañón May 13, 2020

‘This need is not going to be going away.’ Neither are Northeastern’s blood drives.

On Monday, Matthews Arena hosted its second blood drive in less than a month as part of a continuing collaboration with the American Red Cross.

by Laura Castañón May 4, 2020

US public is 'firmly opposed' to reopening the economy immediately

A majority of people in the U.S. want to continue physical distancing measures, even as the federal government and some state governors are pushing to re-open the economy, according to a new national survey led by researchers from Northeastern, Harvard, and Rutgers.

by Laura Castañón April 30, 2020

The coronavirus was in the US in January. We need to understand how we missed it.

SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, was circulating in major U.S. cities as early as January, says Alessandro Vespignani, director of Northeastern’s Network Science Institute. And if we want to keep our communities safe going forward, we need to understand how we missed a virus that was right under our noses.

by Laura Castañón April 26, 2020

Herd immunity won’t come anytime soon for COVID-19

Herd immunity is the idea that a disease can’t spread through a population once a large enough percentage is immune, either because they’ve recovered from an infection or received a vaccine. But that won’t work with SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, said Samuel Scarpino, an assistant professor who runs the Emergent Epidemics lab at Northeastern.

by Laura Castañón April 23, 2020

The man behind the machine behind the masks

Ben Macalister, a senior machinist in the department of mechanical and industrial engineering, is using Northeastern’s facilities to manufacture parts for machines that will build protective gear for hospital workers.

by Laura Castañón April 21, 2020

Posts by Laura Castañón