Department of Chemical Engineering 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

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

She wants to make more efficient batteries without exploiting cobalt miners

Sydney Morris, a fourth-year chemical engineering major at Northeastern, studies how to make batteries last longer, perform better, and cause less harm to the environment, as well as the people who mine the materials needed to make them.

by Emily Arntsen - contributor May 10, 2021

Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

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

Doctoral students Devyesh Rana and John Biswakarma are part of a team of Northeastern researchers who recently reported new findings on how well several types of common fabrics block coronavirus particles. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

How to make a homemade mask that is as good as an N95

A team of Northeastern researchers used virus-like nanoparticles to test more than 70 combinations of fabrics that can stop the coronavirus from getting through. The best combinations, they say, consist of layers of materials that can trap viral particles and repel water.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa June 11, 2020

Abigail Koppes, assistant professor of chemical engineering, is isolating cell groups on tiny plastic chips, enabling her team to observe the specific roles of cells that have gotten lost in the noise of the body. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

If cells could talk… Actually, they do. But what are they saying?

How our cells talk—and what they say—is complicated, and it’s different body to body. To boil down this performance to its characters, assistant professor Abigail Koppes is letting them play out on a chip, clarifying both their roles and how sensitive they are to a set change.

by Aria Bracci January 31, 2020

Northeastern student Vidhan Bhaiya got the idea for orthopedic shoes for people with diabetes who have walking impairments while watching his uncle at a family wedding in India. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Easy on the eyes. Easier on the feet.

Northeastern students Vidhan Bhaiya and Danny Jooyoung Kim founded Dr. Brinsley, a footwear company for people who have trouble walking because of diabetes, because they found the existing choices on the market “ineffective, unsophisticated, and expensive.”

by Khalida Sarwari January 10, 2020

Cryogels created by Northeastern assistant professor Sidi Bencherif can be compressed down to 90 percent of their original volume and injected with a needle. Once they’re under the skin, they swell back to their original shape. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

These sponge-like gels can help grow new tissue, train immune cells, and deliver medication

Seven years ago, Sidi Bencherif, an assistant professor of chemical engineering at Northeastern, announced a breakthrough technology that could hold cells or treatments, and be injected under the skin through a needle. Now these cryogels are being used for immunotherapy, biosensors, tissue engineering, and cosmetic surgery.

by Laura Castañón December 12, 2019

Joshua Gallaway, DiPetro Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering, and undergraduate student Sofia Catalina run an experiment using a vanadium redox flow battery in the Egan Research Center. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

‘Literally just go for it and talk about it to a professor’

More than 100 research groups from across Northeastern will present their work on Wednesday night from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Curry Student Center on the Boston campus. It’s one great way for students to find a field of study they’re passionate about.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa September 24, 2019

Sidi Bencherif, an assistant professor of chemical engineering, recently received a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation to develop biomaterials that generate oxygen. These materials could help researchers understand how low oxygen environments affect the immune system and potentially be used to supply oxygen to help train immune cells to fight cancer. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

How jello-like cubes can help fight cancer

Sidi Bencherif, an assistant professor of chemical engineering at Northeastern, recently received a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation to develop biomaterials that generate oxygen. These materials could help researchers understand how low oxygen environments affect the immune system and potentially be used to supply oxygen to help train immune cells to fight cancer.

by Laura Castañón April 4, 2019