Traditionally, speechwriters have tested out ideas on either colleagues or in-person focus groups, who would listen to a part of a speech and report on how much they liked it, and whether it improved their opinions of the politician giving the address. It is, according to Northeastern University political scientist Nicholas Beauchamp, pretty much trial […]

Founded by Ben Kneppers—a Massachusetts native and Northeastern University graduate—and his friends David Stover and Kevin Ahearn, the company launched Net Positiva, a program that collects and recycles discarded nets from artisanal fishing communities, in 2013. “We know it’s a burden, and we take it off their shoulders,” says Kneppers. After being gathered by local […]

Skeptics told the Globe the lawsuit was a “political move.” Peter D. Enrich, a professor at Northeastern University School of Law, said it was “extremely improbable” the cap would be struck down in court.

While a court could find that some traditional public schools are failing to properly educate students, it would be “extremely improbable” for the court to strike down the charter cap, said Peter D. Enrich, a professor at Northeastern University School of Law. Courts, he said, are generally reluctant to set education policy, since that is […]

“Who are they debating? Are they debating each other? Are they debating the [leading GOP] candidates in absentia? Are they debating the Democrats?” said Alan Schroeder, a professor at Northeastern University who has written several books about presidential debates. “The normal dynamic of comparing and contrasting yourself with your competitors is out the window. There’s […]

The Reverends Emmett G. Price III and Irene Monroe were back on Boston Public Radiofor their regular Monday feature, “All Revved Up.” Price and Monroe discussed Bernie Sander’s relationship with Cornell West, Black Lives Matter and the black vote, their opinions on Straight Outta Compton, the Pope’s planned visit to Cuba and the United States, […]

As sensors – a common category of IoT devices – become embedded in larger systems, such as cars, liability of the manufacturers looms larger, says Andrea Matwyshyn, a professor of law at Northeastern University. If software in IoT devices in cars is exploited to create catastrophic accidents, the liability disclaimers that software developers have been […]

“I hate myself, and my brain,” Pam Tusiani wrote in her journal while under 24-hour watch on the fourth-floor psychiatric ward of Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins Hospital. “Nothing is worse than this disease.” When Tusiani wrote those words in 1998, doctors had little understanding of the disorder that was troubling her, and all these years later […]

Seeing a variety of benefits, some towns have joined in the nascent farm revival, moving to preserve open space for agricultural use, and setting up community farms like the Medway farm where Overshiner works. Overshiner said her desire to farm was born in the classroom. She studied environmental science at Northeastern University, and one seminar […]

The war of words between China, Russia and the US has escalated recently with the White House declaring its intention to apply sanctions in response to what the US sees as state-sponsored cyberattacks from the east. So far in 2015, Russia been implicated in hacks of the IRS, the the White House, the Joint Chiefs, […]

Alan Clayton-Matthews, a Northeastern University economist, said the drop in heating oil prices may provide a small boost to the state’s economy — assuming prices hold through the winter — as people spend more on products and services. “For most households, 800 to a thousand bucks is a big deal,” he said. “It will free […]

“There’s no fool like an old fool” runs the ancient saying. While Baby Boomers have always done a little bartering on the neighborhood level, the thought of participating in a sharing economy on a global level is not easy for them to either accept or understand. They’ll need to be softened up by some major […]