2017: Year in review

by Hannah Moore

December 22, 2017

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Media
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Empowered
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AI

We envisioned the world in the age of AI

Artificial intelligence and smart machines are changing the workforce, making our lives more efficient and leading to new innovations in technology and higher education.

President Aoun underscores higher ed’s obligation to help students become ‘robot-proof’

NASA looks to students to find water on Mars

Robotics experts find inspiration from Star Wars universe

Should robots have rights?

How to create unbiased algorithms in a biased society

President Aoun: In the AI revolution, higher ed must be relevant—or risk becoming obsolete

Making moves: researchers study human movement to build better robots

09/19/17 - BOSTON, MA. - A 'Crazy Flie' drone in Taskin Padir's lab in Richards hall on Sept. 19, 2017. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

Northeastern researchers design robots to assist with disaster relief

'The end game is that we would really like for physicians sitting in their offices working with a patient to immediately have access to structured, compiled evidence from all of the trials that might be relevant to the patient’s needs,' said Byron Wallace, a machine learning expert and creator of RobotReviewer. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

Professor designs artificial intelligence to help doctors make better treatment decisions

Imagine a human-robot friendship

Robot-Proof: President Aoun outlines plan for reinventing higher ed in the AI age

For robotics and AI, great power comes with great responsibility

We analyzed the biggest news stories

From President Trump’s inauguration to the racially charged rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, Northeastern faculty experts offered insight into some of 2017’s biggest news stories.

Jones’ Senate victory: vote for morality, referendum on Trump, warning for 2018

SCOTUS case could redefine ‘reasonable expectation of privacy’

A closer look at the Uber hack, and what’s next

Northeastern report finds stricter gun laws don’t prevent law-abiding citizens from getting guns

The language of violence

Will NFL protests be seen as moment ‘the tide turned’ on race, social justice?

Harvey brings out ‘hidden capacity in civil society’ to respond

Anarchy in Venezuela

What loss of net neutrality could mean for consumers, content providers

Why politically motivated cyberattacks might be the new normal

European Union and Brexit

The ‘far-reaching’ implications of South Korean president’s ouster

Will Snapchat’s IPO flourish like Facebook’s—or tumble like Twitter’s?

There’s a giant crack in an Antarctic ice shelf. Should we be worried?

The fake news phenomenon: How it spreads, and how to fight it

We engaged in experiences around the globe

Northeastern students worked, studied, and conducted research in countless countries across the globe in 2017, exploring everything from theater to environmental health.

Co-op in Puerto Rico expands student’s interest in environmental health

Fung Scholar’s research co-op shines light on global opportunities

Co-op student creates clever sales tool for national bakery

Northeastern launches ‘Semester in Silicon Valley’ entrepreneurship program

Student goes global to explore international security, government

Students make history with Cuba co-ops

Journalist finds ‘striking’ stories, inspiring people on global reporting trip

From London to Cape Town, senior says ‘music is the global language’

Student uses theater to examine, inspire social change

Students hunt for bacteria—and amazing photos—in Chilean desert

Goldwater Scholars share passion for research, scientific discovery

Senior named Fulbright Scholar, plans cancer research in Botswana

We pioneered new research and technologies

Northeastern researchers across disciplines took innovative approaches to solving societal challenges this year.

On professor’s gaming platform, users solve puzzles to save lives

Northeastern report finds stricter gun laws don’t prevent law-abiding citizens from getting guns

Professor’s systems engineering models could save lives in rampant opioid crisis

Emma Towlson, Postdoc at the Center for Complex Network Science Research, is an author on a new paper describing for the first time researchers' ability to predict, test, and confirm with unprecedented detail how a nematode’s brain controls the way it moves. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Northeastern researchers discover fundamental rules for how the brain controls movement

Study finds 3M Americans carry a loaded handgun daily

Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

Researchers develop surgical glue that seals wounds in seconds

Future droughts will severely impact power production

Study finds organic soil captures, holds more carbon

Timothy Bickmore, Assistant Professor in the College of Science, has developed a chatbot to offer support and guidance to patients in palliative care. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Professor designs chatbot to help, comfort patients in last years of their lives

Jon Tilly's research shows unequivocally that, contrary to conventional wisdom, stem cells in the ovaries are a critical piece of the mammal fertility puzzle, allowing females to produce new eggs as adults. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

Fertility research brings death of dogma, birth of hope

Do you see what I see? Probably not.

Meni Wanunu, associate professor of physics, and his post doctoral student Robert Henley are using carbon nanotubes as a filter to desalinate water. Their new paper shows the method works better than any other existing process. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

Don’t be salty. Tiny tubes desalinate water one molecule at a time

Nian Sun, professor of electrical and computer engineering, developed a new approach for designing antennas that allows them to be made up to a thousand times smaller.

When it comes to antennas, size matters

New research reveals way to detoxify dirt: zap it with lasers

Northeastern researchers created a framework for downscaling—or zooming in—on historic climate data sets. This allows scientists to make more detailed, localized climate projections, down to the scale of local infrastructure.

Zooming in on climate predictions

The Nathaniel B. Palmer smashing through ice in the Antarctic ocean. Photo by Guy Williams, University of Tasmania.

Unprecedented Antarctic expedition maps sea ice to solve climate change mystery

07/28/17 - BOSTON, MA. - John de la Parra, PhD Candidate in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, poses for a portrait on July 28, 2017. His interest is ethnobotany and the chemistry of medicinal plants through coordination with research institutions, public education, as well as innovative and integrative scientific pursuits in the areas of economic botany, pharmacognosy, ethnopharmacology, chemical biology, biotechnology, and analytical chemistry. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Plant biotechnology

Onur Varol, postdoctoral research associate at Northeastern’s Network Science Institute, estimates that 9-15 percent of profiles on Twitter are likely social bots. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

Spotting a social bot might be harder than you think

07/24/17 - BOSTON, MA. - Swastik Kar, Associate Professor, and Arun Bansil, University Distinguished Professor, both members of the physics department, pose for a portrait at Northeastern University on July 24, 2017. The pair recently co-authored a paper that opens up a whole new field in condensed matter physics. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Physics discovery unlocks ingredients of 2-D sandwich

April 14, 2017 - BOSTON, MA. - Beth E. Molnar, ScD poses for a portrait on April 14, 2017. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

New toolkit designed to help those who help trauma victims

We hosted big names

Northeastern was the place to be in 2017. Just ask former President Bill Clinton, Venmo chief operating officer Michael Vaughan, or talk show host James Corden.