Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology Archives

lab technician holding a pool of covid tests

Pooled testing can make COVID-19 surveillance more efficient. But is it accurate?

Many coronavirus testing labs combine samples for faster, less costly results. But the pooled testing approach doesn’t mean the same thing in all labs. Jared Auclair, who runs Northeastern University’s COVID-19 testing facility, explains how pooled testing works and what results mean.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki February 16, 2022

Professor Penny Beuning, chair of the chemistry and chemical biology department; Elizabeth Mynatt, dean of the Khoury College of Computer Sciences; and Hazel Sive, dean of the College of Science, have all been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University, Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University and Courtesy Photo

Three Northeastern leaders receive lifetime honor for prolific scientific contributions

Elizabeth Mynatt, Hazel Sive, and Penny Beuning have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science—a lifetime honor awarded to scholars for their exceptional contributions and leadership in their scientific fields.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki January 27, 2022

Understanding how viruses evolve can help us understand what future variants of the coronavirus we might see—and whether or not we should fear them. Getty Images

Do viruses such as the coronavirus become less deadly?

Understanding how viruses evolve can help us understand what future variants of the coronavirus we might see—and why they might not necessarily be a specter of doom. “What’s the virus trying to do?” says Jared Auclair, associate teaching professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Northeastern. “If it kills the host, it dies with the host.”

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki December 13, 2021

Neel Joshi, associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology, and Avinash Manjula-Basavanna, a postdoctoral researcher, work on programmable microbial ink for 3D printing of living materials, in the Mugar Life Sciences building. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

With this new technology, 3D printing comes to life … literally.

In a scenario fit for Star Trek, these Northeastern scientists are 3D printing shapes with an ink that is alive. The microbial gel could one day be used for drug delivery, sequestering toxins, or building habitats on Mars.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki November 23, 2021

silhouettes of two firefighters standing in front of massive wilfdire

Is wildfire soot leaving a mark on the world’s oceans?

When clouds of smoke and ash billow out over the ocean, stretching away from the wildfires that are their source, they might not just affect the air quality, according to research by Aron Stubbins, associate professor of marine and environmental sciences at Northeastern.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki September 17, 2021

Here’s how Northeastern is keeping an eye on possible COVID-19 variants on campus

When the Northeastern community returns to weekly surveillance COVID-19 testing in the fall for everyone, regardless of vaccination status, the COVID-19 wellness team won’t just be monitoring positive or negative cases. They’ll also be keeping track of which variants of the virus are popping up in our community—and they’ll know quickly which ones are responsible.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki August 10, 2021

Our plastic pollution problem may have more significant consequences than we think

Plastics are a pervasive source of pollution. And they might also be significantly altering the Earth’s carbon cycle and our ability to monitor it, according to research by Northeastern’s Aron Stubbins.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki July 6, 2021

She’s building better bones while encouraging diversity in science

Bone is the second-most commonly transplanted tissue, and yet current bone graft procedures come with significant drawbacks. One option is to take bone…

by Allie Nicodemo - contributor May 11, 2021

Faculty Expert

Jared Auclair

Director of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Associate Teaching Professor, Director of Biopharmaceutical Analysis Training Laboratory

Shellaina Gordon, a biochemistry student at Northeastern, is the recipient of a Goldwater Scholarship to support her pursuit of a career in medicine and science. Photo courtesy Shellaina Gordon

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