Students

From penguins to plastic forks, she’s tackling sustainability

As a young teenager, Janet Cheung helped make Northeastern’s finance office run a bit more sustainably. Now an incoming freshman at the university, Cheung will use her passion to study the environment in earnest.

by Kaitlyn Budion August 4, 2020

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

Are your coworkers too close? This device will let you know.

Northeastern students Jignesh Jadhav and Yiqiang Wang are developing what they describe as wearable beacons—small digital devices that help coworkers stay physically distant, and enables contact tracing.

by Kaitlyn Budion July 22, 2020

He adapted to life with low vision. Now he wants to make it easier for others.

Incoming freshman Christopher Suplice has Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy, a condition that has left him mostly blind. The experience has motivated him to use computer science to create technology for people with visual impairments, like himself.

by Kaitlyn Budion July 21, 2020

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

Families still need help during the pandemic. She makes sure they get what they need.

Asking, instead of assuming, what people need is a key mantra for the staff at St. Stephen’s Youth Programs, says Latasha Scott, the middle school coordinator for the youth leadership corps and a student at Northeastern. It’s become especially important as St. Stephen’s provides supplies and support to families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

by Kaitlyn Budion June 26, 2020

In the middle of Boston, he’s growing food for good

Every morning during the week, Northeastern student Yasser Aponte navigates the tight, densely-packed streets of Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood until the streets suddenly, almost without warning, give way to a lush, two-acre farm. It’s there that Aponte (literally) rolls up his sleeves, and gets to work weeding, watering, harvesting, and planting food for his community.

by Molly Callahan June 24, 2020

To amplify Black voices, the Nor’easters sang a message–and celebrities are listening

The Nor’easters are helping raise money for Black Art Futures Fund, which provides small grants to organizations that highlight the voices of Black artists, with a cover of MUNA’s “I Know A Place.” Members of the band, as well as other performers, have shared their support on social media.

by Irvin Zhang June 24, 2020

Black people are underrepresented in medical research. She wants to change that.

For as long as Shellaina Gordon can remember, her understanding of ‘research’ has conjured images of white laboratory coats and test tubes. But she never saw anyone who looked like her. Gordon, a biochemistry student at Northeastern, has won a Goldwater Scholarship to support her pursuit of a career in medicine and science.

by Khalida Sarwari June 24, 2020

Yes, there’s racial discrimination in health care. Students are trying to fix it.

Racial disparities in medicine will require untold millions of dollars to address. Northeastern students are the driving force behind several initiatives to get the money flowing.

by Peter Ramjug June 18, 2020