pandemic

Students Emily Bonnet and Terrance Dumoulin enjoy lunch inside the Renaissance themed dining tent on the Boston campus. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Dining with Michelangelo and Raphael

The Italian Renaissance master painters provide ambience to one of six tents on the Boston campus that have undergone a total makeover. Instead of bland white walls, each tent has been outfitted with a different theme. “The whole idea is to have the tents be very relaxing, very welcoming, and to attract the community to enjoy them,” says Joseph E. Aoun, president of Northeastern.

by Peter Ramjug November 24, 2020

Courtesy photos from Shameless, Showtime; Grey's Anatomy, ABC; This is Us, NBC

How is the COVID-19 pandemic affecting storylines in TV and movies?

While the health crisis has forced studios to pause production, screen writers have used the time to think about crafting engaging stories in the era of COVID-19 and racial injustice protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd. “I believe we'll have a golden era of storytelling,” says Bobette Buster, a professor of the practice of digital storytelling at Northeastern.

by Khalida Sarwari November 20, 2020

Rachel Domb won the 2020 Demo Day grand prize. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

A sustainable solution to the plastic wrappers on snacks

The fall semester’s Husky Startup Challenge attracted a diverse group of student entrepreneurs who presented their pitches. Their companies addressed a wide spectrum of challenges, including the lack of inclusivity in the beauty industry and how to keep women safe when exercising alone.

by Peter Ramjug November 19, 2020

President-elect Joe Biden removes his face mask to speak at The Queen theater on Nov. 5, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. AP Photo by Carolyn Kaster

Will Biden’s proposed mask mandate actually force people to wear facial coverings?

Probably not, because any mandate he tried to impose would likely face court challenges. But there are other ways he can use the power of the presidency to try to get more people on board, including a direct appeal to our conscience, professors Wendy Parmet and Patricia Illingworth say.

by Peter Ramjug November 19, 2020

A big complicating factor in the distribution process is the stringent cold storage requirements of Pfizer and Moderna’s mRNA vaccine candidates. AP Photo by Wolfgang Kumm/picture-alliance

COVID-19 vaccines are nearing the finish line, but the race is far from over

Many hurdles must be overcome before the COVID-19 vaccine is available for widespread use and before we’re officially out of the woods with the pandemic, says Nada Sanders, distinguished professor of supply chain management at Northeastern.

by Khalida Sarwari November 18, 2020

Photo courtesy of University College Dublin

These N.U.in students landed in Europe in the middle of Brexit and a global pandemic—and came away the better for it

They miss their families and long to hug them again after a semester overseas. But when these N.U.in students leave Dublin and return to the United States, they will not be the same people they were when they left. In a sense, that is what studying abroad is all about.

by Peter Ramjug November 18, 2020

Healthy Husky Leaders Erin Cowden and Akosua Boateng, handout protective face masks and hand sanitizer on Centennial Common. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Never fear, the Husky Health Leaders are here (with 5,000 bottles of hand sanitizer)

Clad in yellow hoodies and equipped with face masks and other freebies, Erin Cowden and Akos Boateng greet students with a smile and a friendly reminder to stay spaced apart. They are part of a corps of student health ambassadors who are just doing their part in the midst of a respiratory virus.

by Peter Ramjug November 16, 2020

A passer-by carries a box while walking past a bookstore that displays store closing signs on Oct. 26, 2020, in Cambridge, Mass. AP Photo by Steven Senne

What does the second wave of COVID-19 mean for small businesses?

Small businesses across the United States have been decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The winter months ahead—bringing predictions of a second wave of infections—won’t…

by Khalida Sarwari and Eunice Esomonu November 12, 2020

President-elect Joe Biden speaks Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Biden's challenge will be to surround himself with 'excellent' people to manage the coronavirus

In a freewheeling political analysis of the 2020 election, Michael Dukakis, the Democratic nominee for president in 1988, said he is confident in Joe Biden’s ability to manage a surge in pandemic infections and hospitalizations because of the president-elect’s management style of surrounding himself with “excellent people who know what they’re doing.”

by Peter Ramjug November 12, 2020

Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

She's helping the hearing-impaired overcome barriers during the COVID-19 pandemic

It’s the speaker’s responsibility to talk clearly, Northeastern audiologist and speech-language pathologist Nicole Laffan says. So face the person, pronounce words precisely, and eliminate distracting background noise. Removing face masks and standing a safe distance apart works, too.

by Peter Ramjug November 12, 2020