Faculty Experts & Current Events Archives

Here’s how to make sense of the new guidance on booster shots. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

Why the Biden administration now says we need booster shots for COVID-19

New research reveals that COVID-19 vaccine protections began to decline in the middle of the summer when the delta variant was sweeping through the nation. “As we get new information, as the data provides new clues and a new direction in terms of what we need to do, we have to then respond accordingly,” says Neil Maniar, professor of public health practice at Northeastern.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki August 18, 2021

Firefighters search for survivors inside a collapsed building, after Saturday´s 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti. AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn

Earthquake that rocked Haiti could trigger COVID-19 spike as assistance rushes in

Haitians, facing structural and political instability after the Aug. 14 earthquake, could face a deadly COVID-19 surge due to low vaccination rates and potential exposure from outside agencies, say Northeastern experts.

by Hillary Chabot August 17, 2021

Afghan citizens gather near the airport in in Kabul as the Taliban close in

What just happened in Afghanistan? And what comes next?

A humanitarian crisis is brewing in Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the government, Northeastern political science experts say. The United States may end up taking in thousands of Afghan refugees, possibly opening the U.S. to more criticism if it doesn’t accept enough of them, the professors add.

by Peter Ramjug August 16, 2021

Migrants in the slums of the capital Mogadishu are seen trying to survive in makeshift tents in Mogadishu, Somali. Photo by Sadak Mohamed/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Refugees often face violence, mental health issues in the cities where they had sought safety, study says

Refugees who experience violence in the North American cities where they’ve sought asylum suffer from devastating, long-lasting mental health issues—and those issues can impact them just as deeply as the violence they faced in their home country, says Carmel Salhi, assistant professor of health sciences.

by Hillary Chabot August 13, 2021

Chris Cuomo, CNN face ethical questions following his brother’s political demise

The CNN star is scheduled to return to the airwaves Monday evening, days after his brother resigned as governor of New York. Northeastern journalism experts say CNN management and Chris Cuomo himself share blame for the “messy situation” involving Gov. Cuomo’s sexual harassment scandal.

by Peter Ramjug August 13, 2021

Large crowds of people with and without masks fill Times Square in New York City.

It could be too late to stop the Delta variant–and to achieve ‘herd immunity’; Here’s why

Now that cases are rising across the country again because of the high transmissibility of the Delta variant, even with more than half of the U.S. population fully vaccinated, it’s time that health authorities rethink the pandemic “endgame,” says Neil Maniar, professor of the practice and director of the Master of Public Health in Urban Health program at Northeastern.

by Tanner Stening August 13, 2021

Could there be an even more effective vaccine? This professor thinks so.

Existing COVID-19 vaccines have far surpassed public health officials’ expectations. But could they be improved upon even further? Yes, says Sidi Bencherif, assistant professor of chemical engineering at Northeastern. Here’s how.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki August 12, 2021

People use a boat to bring man out of home following a severe storm in 'Rue de Tilff' in Angleur, a district from Liège, Belgium. A severe storm and heavy rainfall has caused the Meuse River to flood, damaging thousands of homes and businesses. According to local reports, 23 people have died. Photo by Thierry Monasse/Getty Images

Some experts see UN climate change report as urgent but not dire

A U.N. report shows that negative effects of climate change are undeniable, but the news isn’t actually all bad, says Matthew Nisbet, professor of communication, public policy, and urban affairs at Northeastern. And, says Steven Flynn, director of the Global Resilience Institute, sometimes it takes a crisis to find innovative ways out of it.

by Molly Callahan August 12, 2021

Why resigning won’t end Cuomo’s problems

Resigning likely takes impeachment off the table, say Northeastern legal experts, but does nothing to stop the criminal or civil lawsuits that may arise from Cuomo’s alleged harassment of women. “This story is only the beginning,” says Rose Zoltek-Jick, a law professor whose expertise includes civil lawsuits related to sexual abuse cases.

by Peter Ramjug August 10, 2021

‘Holy grail discovery’ in solid-state physics could usher in new technologies

The findings, published recently in Nature, center mostly on the discovery of a so-called topological axion insulator, a unique state of quantum matter that researchers previously only theorized the existence of, according to Northeastern physicist Arun Bansil. “It’s like discovering a new element,” Bansil says. “And we know there’s going to be all sorts of interesting applications for this.”

by Tanner Stening August 9, 2021

Faculty Experts & Current Events