campus reopening

Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Inside the lab that tests Northeastern for the coronavirus

Troy Ganz, a general supervisor at Northeastern’s Life Sciences Testing Center, explains what it’s like to be inside the lab that sustains a large-scale operation to test everyone working and living on the Boston campus for the coronavirus.

by Matthew Modoono and Roberto Molar Candanosa October 28, 2020

Eduardo Sanchez, a general supervisor at the Life Sciences Testing Center at Northeastern University's Innovation Campus in Burlington, Massachusetts on Oct. 15. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

In the trenches at Northeastern’s coronavirus testing center by day, hitting the books at night

By the time that Eduardo Sanchez heads to work in the morning, he’s already been up for hours, reading and preparing for the discussions, quizzes, and tests he takes as part of a master’s program in biotechnology at Northeastern. He won’t touch that classwork until after 11 at night, after he ends his shift as one of the scientists who ensures Northeastern’s Life Sciences Testing Center runs like a well-oiled machine to process thousands of coronavirus tests on a daily basis.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa October 22, 2020

Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

Northeastern relaxes some restrictions on residence hall guest policy, indoor dining

The decision to relax its on-campus rules halfway into the fall term was informed by “Protect the Pack,” an ongoing campaign to foster a shared sense of responsibility throughout the campus community. Its goal is to maintain a safe and healthy environment for everyone who works and studies on campus, as well as the surrounding communities in the Boston area.

by Khalida Sarwari October 16, 2020

Hanumant Singh,
Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, works on a drone in the ISEC building on Sept. 28, 2020. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

He's building the next generation of autonomous robots

After going into lockdown, Hanumant Singh, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, is finally back with the robots in his lab. It may not be the same, he says, but he and his team are ready to pick up where they left off and continue building the drones of the future.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa October 12, 2020

James Monaghan, an associate professor of biology, studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms that allow axolotls to regenerate and repair tissue in their bodies. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

He’s back in the lab with his salamanders

James Monaghan, an associate professor of biology, wants to find out how to improve healing therapies for people by studying the axolotl, a peculiar salamander with some of the most powerful abilities on the planet to repair and regrow injured body parts. Six months after the pandemic forced his lab to pause, Monaghan and his team are back at it. “That was the longest I'd gone without interacting with an axolotl since my first day of graduate school,” he says.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa October 1, 2020

Northeastern recreation centers to reopen on Friday

Marino Recreation Center and SquashBusters will be reopening with many changes in place to promote safety for everyone on campus and in the surrounding communities.

by Ian Thomsen September 9, 2020

Under the leadership of Jared Auclair, an associate teaching professor of biotechnology, Northeastern's Life Science Testing Center at the Innovation Campus in Burlington, Massachusetts, has been processing coronavirus tests around the clock. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

What it’s like to run a lab that churns out thousands of coronavirus test results per day

Thousands of coronavirus swabs from Northeastern’s Boston campus end up in the Life Sciences Testing Center. Jared Auclair, an associate teaching professor of biotechnology, is at the helm. “All of my efforts are turned towards maintaining quality while scaling up our effort,” he says. “If we’re not going to produce quality results, there’s no point.”

by Roberto Molar Candanosa August 28, 2020

Mollie Harreys and Maxwell Benman, who are on co-op for the Sign Shop in the facilities department of Northeastern, work on COVID-19 guideline sign orders. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Where’d all these signs come from? Meet the co-ops who distribute COVID-19 directions on campus.

Mollie Harreys and Maxwell Benmen, co-ops at Northeastern’s Sign Shop, have been working around the clock to outfit the Boston campus with signs to promote the safety of everyone on campus and in the surrounding communities.

by Emily Arntsen August 26, 2020

Samples from coronavirus tests taken at the Cabot Testing Center on the Boston campus of Northeastern. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

Here’s where to keep track of Northeastern’s COVID-19 test results

Since systematic testing for the coronavirus began Monday, Northeastern has completed 4,098 tests, with 4097 negative results and one positive. The university is launching an online dashboard to track and share the results of everyone being tested on the Boston campus.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa August 21, 2020

Here’s why Northeastern is testing everyone on the Boston campus for the coronavirus

Northeastern’s massive operation to test thousands of people regularly and quickly will be a crucial surveillance tool to promote the safety of everyone on the Boston campus and in its surrounding communities. “If we only focus on symptomatic people, we will still miss the cases that are being transmitted while asymptomatic or presymptomatic,” says Sehyo Yune, who directs the COVID-19 wellness team.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa August 19, 2020