Spotlight Stories
Mar 06, 2026
A Commitment to Accessibility and Community with Fatima Mumtaza Tourk
Fatima Mumtaza Tourk, MS’25, PhD’27, mechanical engineering, focuses her research on improving accessibility to assistive medical devices. With two current research projects that include exoskeleton devices for the hip and ankle, Toruk is committed to give access to novel mobility aids to everyone.
Mar 05, 2026
Making His Research Matter: From Lab to Practical Applications
Francesco Pessia, PhD’27, electrical engineering, develops machine learning systems for autonomous antenna calibration at the Mentis Lab in collaboration with the Institute of Intelligent Networked Systems. After graduation, he plans to transform his research into practical applications—either through industry or by launching his own startup in wireless communications technology.
Mar 04, 2026
Improving Lives by Exploring Urban Mobility and Transportation
Nail Bashan, PhD’26, civil and environmental engineering, graduates this March ready to bring his transportation research expertise to industry, where he aims to translate complex data science into practical solutions that improve how people move through their communities.
Mar 04, 2026
Beyond the Comfort Zone: An Undergraduate’s Journey to Quantum Research
Through co-ops and research, Evan Clifford, BS’26, electrical engineering, discovered his passion for quantum computing—a realization that is now shaping his path to graduate school and led to his first publication in the Journal of Optics.
Mar 02, 2026
One Step Closer to Reducing Emissions with the Help of a Northeastern Co-op
Cameron Little, E’26, mechanical engineering, completed a co-op at CargoKite last year. He worked with the company with creating wind-powered container ships that uses large kites to propel them over the water, with his main role being to collect data during testing,
Feb 27, 2026
The Boom of AI is Behind the Surge in RAM Prices
Matteo Rinaldi, professor of electrical and computer engineering, helps explain the reason behind the recent surge in RAM prices. Due to the high memory usage AI data centers require, most RAM manufacturing streams feed directly to AI cooperations instead of consumers, driving up the market price.
Feb 26, 2026
New Biomimicry Technology Can Increase Safety in Autonomous Vehicles
New research from Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor Ravinder Dahiya has the potential to make self-driving cars safer. This new technology mimics how a human retina analyzes images by using synaptic transistors, devices used to simulate neural pathways, that significantly reduces processing time to machines like autonomous vehicles.
Feb 26, 2026
Shalini Agrawal’s Journey in Robotics from “Scratch”
Shalini Agrawal, MS’26, robotics, works as a robotics software engineer co-op at Orpheus Ocean, where she’s applying the state estimation and sensor integration skills she developed at Northeastern’s Field Robotics Lab. After graduation, she plans to bring her hands-on experience to industry, advancing autonomous robotics systems at scale.