Roberto Molar Candanosa - News @ Northeastern

Northeastern’s Life Sciences Testing Center secures certifications to process the university’s coronavirus tests

With state-of-the-art laboratory equipment to conduct the complex tests that can determine whether someone has contracted the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and a growing team of medical, clinical, and other laboratory technicians with specialized training, the new facilities are designed to process up to 5,000 samples a day, and turn around results in about 24 hours.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa and Matthew Modoono August 5, 2020

picture of northeastern graduate student

Northeastern’s new testing and quarantine guidelines promote the safety of the Boston campus and its surrounding communities. Here’s how.

To prevent the transmission of the coronavirus, the university will require all students to be tested immediately upon arrival at the Boston campus and then immediately enter quarantine. Students will also be required to be tested two more times, on the third and fifth day after the initial test.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa July 31, 2020

Face masks help prevent you from spreading the coronavirus. But can they prevent you from catching it?

The scientific evidence is growing about the importance of masks in fighting COVID-19. But one important question is whether homemade masks can protect people wearing them. The answer depends on the fit of a mask and the materials within it, research by Northeastern engineers suggests.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa July 29, 2020

Scientists still don’t have all the answers about the coronavirus–and that’s a sign of progress

As researchers study SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 at breakneck speeds, one key aspect to keep in mind is that the research is happening while everyone watches. “The public is getting front-row seats to the scientific method, probably in a way they never imagined they would’ve experienced,” says Samuel Scarpino, who runs the Emergent Epidemics Lab at Northeastern.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa July 27, 2020

Students walking on campus with moving bins.

Massachusetts has announced a new COVID-19 travel order. Here’s what it means for college students.

The executive order, which will require travelers from out of state to fill out a travel form and quarantine upon arrival, will also apply to Northeastern students, faculty, and staff planning a return to the Boston campus for the fall semester.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa July 26, 2020

The CDC is no longer in control of COVID-19 hospitalization data. Here’s what that means.

Under a new federal mandate, healthcare professionals will bypass the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when they report data on COVID-19 patients. “What this means is that a process that should be as largely apolitical as possible is being politicized as so many other things around this pandemic have been,” says Samuel Scarpino, who directs the Emergent Epidemics Lab at Northeastern.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa July 21, 2020

These new sensors can detect coronavirus particles on your breath, instantly

Instead of sticking swabs up our noses, what if we could instantly detect viral particles we breathe out? That is precisely the kind of technology that Nian Sun, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, is working on.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa July 17, 2020

image of person holding anterior nasal swab kit

Here’s how Northeastern intends to test all Boston students, faculty, and staff for the coronavirus

The university is planning a number of measures to conduct free coronavirus testing of students, faculty, and staff who will be returning to the Boston campus in the fall. “This testing is for everyone,” says David Luzzi, senior vice provost for research and vice president of Northeastern’s Innovation Campus. “The goal here is to keep fully on top of what’s happening on campus.”

by Roberto Molar Candanosa July 13, 2020

Are these uncertain times keeping you up? The solution might be personal.

Advising people on how to improve their sleep is oddly difficult, says Lichuan Ye, an associate professor of nursing who studies sleep disorders. “Most times we forget that we should give compassion to ourselves,” she says, adding that there is no single remedy to help everyone relax.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa July 7, 2020

Our drinking water was always full of microbes. Are the wrong ones thriving in the pandemic?

It’s been months, and life has changed dramatically across the planet. Zooming in where only a microscope can see, Northeastern researchers are trying to determine how the lifestyle changes caused by COVID-19 might be helping harmful bacteria grow in our drinking water.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa June 25, 2020

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