What to Watch For

#MeToo, #BlackLivesMatter, #NoBanNoWall: Social movements likely to dominate 2018

Issues of sexual misconduct, social and racial justice, and immigrant and refugee rights likely have enough momentum—and are deeply-enough steeped in mainstream conversation—that they’ll continue to develop in 2018, says assistant professor Sarah Jackson, a scholar of social movements.

by Molly Callahan January 12, 2018

Where healthcare innovation may lead in 2018

This story is part of our multi-part series looking at some of the big stories and bright ideas primed to make headlines in 2018.

by Greg St. Martin January 11, 2018

Reading genes and growing body parts: Science trends in 2018

If you got a DNA test kit in your stocking this year, you’re not alone—they were big this holiday season. Now all we need is an easy way to interpret their results. Filling that need is one of the science trends Northeastern professor Donald O’Malley is forecasting for the upcoming year.

by Allie Nicodemo January 10, 2018

Bitcoin, wage stagnation, and geopolitics: the global economy in 2018

Bitcoin’s bubble could burst in 2018, according to associate professor and labor market expert Alicia Sasser Modestino. “For many economists,” she says, “the question is not whether the bubble will burst but when.” Here’s what else she foresees for the economy in the new year.

by Jason Kornwitz January 8, 2018

In the sky, on the roads, and in the home: Robotics and AI in 2018

New year, new tech. Northeastern experts in robotics and artificial intelligence say the trends to watch for in 2018 include more sophisticated drones, progress toward self-driving cars, and home robots.

by Allie Nicodemo January 5, 2018

High stakes for politics, SCOTUS in 2018

Faculty experts explain why the midterm elections, the Mueller investigation, and the Supreme Court are among the biggest political stories they’ll be following in 2018.

by Greg St. Martin January 4, 2018

What to watch—and watch for—in 2018

There’s a lot at play that could change what we’re watching and how we’re watching it this year, said visual journalism professor Alan Schroeder. Series revivals, an “explosion in documentary filmmaking,” and the rollback of net neutrality all stand to impact what we see in 2018.

by Molly Callahan January 3, 2018

Don’t expect ‘fake news’ to disappear in 2018

In the first installment of our multi-part series looking at some of the big stories and bright ideas primed to make headlines in the new year, faculty experts in the School of Journalism predict that machine learning tools will help reporters break huge stories, but “fake news” is here to stay—at least for now.

by Jason Kornwitz January 2, 2018