In the Media

Engineers have found a way to track 3D-printed guns back to their source

Digital Trends -- 11/01/2018

Fortunately, researchers at the University at Buffalo, Rutgers University, and Northeastern University have been working on a solution. They’ve created a system, called PrinTracker, which is able to trace 3D-printed objects to their source, based on each 3D printer’s unique fingerprint. They hope that this could help law enforcement and intelligence agencies to track the source of 3D-printed guns, alongside counterfeit products, and other objects.

Is Your Phone Listening To You?

Refinery29 -- 11/01/2018

A year-long study conducted by Northeastern University monitored over 17,000 of the most popular apps to see if they were secretly using the phone’s microphone to capture conversations and found no evidence of these apps using the microphone or sending audio out under the radar. The scientists involved in the study did not claim that this proved our phones aren’t listening, just that they didn’t catch them listening.

Meet the INDEPENDENTS — A ‘LIAR’ and a ‘FAKER’ — SO WHAT if Moulton is ambitious? — WORLD SERIES game 1

Politico -- 11/01/2018

Gov. Charlie Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Rep. Joe Kennedy and Northeastern University President Joseph E. Aoun announce a $4.4 million grant to the Northeastern Associates to Masters program from the National Science Foundation.

An information scientist talks media literacy, political memes, and the value of librarians

Pacific Standard -- 11/01/2018

Partnering with Northeastern University journalism professor John Wihbey; Northeastern historian Dan Cohen; Takis Metaxas, a computer science professor at Wellesley College; and PIL senior researcher Margy Macmillan; Head followed up on her instincts: She and her co-authors released a study last week on the media consumption habits of almost 6,000 college students.

Stop Trying to Guess What the Mail Bomber Wants

The Atlantic -- 11/01/2018

Some blame right-wing extremism; others blame left-wing extremism. There isn’t even a suspect yet, says Northeastern professor Max Abrams. …

Baker hoping stem week will become an annual thing

State House News Service -- 11/01/2018

The three appeared alongside Gov. Baker on Tuesday afternoon to spotlight the week’s events with the announcement of a $4.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant will fund scholarships for low-income and under-represented minority students who are in associate’s and master’s degree programs in biotechnology. Northeastern University and Middlesex Community College are partners in the initiative, known as “A2M.”…

Marijuana legalization in 5 charts: A 2018 midterm report

PolitiFact -- 11/01/2018

“It removed the most formidable barrier: wholesale illegality,” said Daniel Medwed, a law professor at Northeastern University. “I think that paved the way to taking a closer look at legalization more broadly.”…

Efforts mounting to bar gun possession by those convicted of animal cruelty

Salon -- 11/01/2018

Animal abusers are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against people than non-abusers, according to a study published in 1997 by Northeastern University and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Facing Tomorrow’s High-Tech School Surveillance

Motherboard -- 11/01/2018

“The mechanisms that perpetuate such systemic inequalities do not magically disappear when a new technological system like facial recognition is introduced into classrooms and therapeutic environments,” said Meryl Alper, an assistant professor of communication studies at Northeastern University. “History shows that they actually tend to amplify them.”…

Massachusetts residents agree traffic is getting worse, poll finds

Mass Live -- 11/01/2018

Research from Northeastern University in Boston and elsewhere has targeted ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft as contributing to congested cities. And while there have been improvements like new train cars and a balanced budget from the MBTA, the system has struggled.

Higher Halloween crime rates make it a real fright night

CBS News -- 11/01/2018

One university professor believes Halloween brings out the Freddy Kruegers of the world, possibly because of its association with paranormal psychology and urban legends. “The evening violent crime count on Oct. 31 is about 50 percent higher than on any other date during the year, and about twice the daily average,” said Northeastern University professor James Alan Fox.

Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting Puts Spotlight on Fringe Platforms and Their Partners

Wall Street Journal -- 11/01/2018

David Lazer, a computational social scientist at Northeastern University who has studied social networks and misinformation on the internet, says any company that is helping to keep the lights on at a site trafficking in hate content, including web hosts and payment processors, will face difficult questions. “Each company has some potential control,” he says. “Which are the ones we decide should be held accountable?”…