Spotlight Stories
May 13, 2021
Creating Synthetic Bone Graft Materials
Biochemistry student Morgan Pfaff is working with MIE Associate Professor Randall Erb and Post-Doctoral Researcher Jessica Faust to create synthetic materials for bone graft applications. She’s building better bones while encouraging diversity in science Main photo: Morgan Pfaff, who studies biochemistry, conducts biomaterial research for bone graft applications in Egan Research Center. Pfaff recently received […]
May 13, 2021
Creating a Cobalt-free Battery
Chemical engineering student Sydney Morris, E’21, is researching ways to make an efficient, powerful battery that doesn’t require the rare earth mineral cobalt.
May 12, 2021
He’s Traveled the World, from the North Pole to Antarctica—and Still Dreams of Landing on the Moon.
In 1956, during one of Ken Bronstein’s first engineering classes at Northeastern, a professor made predictions about what might change by the year 2000. The Space Race was on, and personal jet packs and regular trips to the Moon were a couple of the possibilities that sparked Bronstein’s imagination. He dreamed of embarking on a lunar journey, and today, he’s disappointed that technology hasn’t made it a reality for himself or many others—but other travels awaited him.
May 12, 2021
Contributing to a Plant-Based and Climate-Friendly World
Jane Patterson and Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni, who are parents of Northeastern student Orlando Cossia Castiglioni, E’23, mechanical engineering, have combined their professions in design and business with their passion for animal welfare and an animal-free food supply. Their recent gift to the College of Engineering will help establish two co-op positions in the Sherman Center for Engineering Entrepreneurship Education focused on plant-based and climate-friendly food systems.
May 12, 2021
A Pledge of Support
While 2020 was a challenging year, it did result in some positive impacts. Among these was an increased awareness of systemic racial inequalities in the U.S., which led many businesses and private individuals to commit to supporting social change. “In asking ‘What can we do to help correct this situation?’, I think many people began to recognize that access to educational opportunities plays a critical role,” says Richard Harris, assistant dean and director of the Northeastern University Program in Multicultural Engineering (NUPRIME) and special advisor for Educational Pathway Programs in the Office of the Provost.
May 12, 2021
A Legacy that Lives On
The College of Engineering was sad to learn of the recent passing of alumnus John R. Nelson. He will be remembered for his scientific achievements during a nearly 40-year career and also his commitment to philanthropy, including a recently endowed engineering scholarship fund at Northeastern. John grew up on Fairview Street in the Roslindale neighborhood of Boston. One of nine children and the son of a Boston Police Department patrolman, he loved building and fixing things and was destined for an engineering career―but funds for college were limited. At the time, Northeastern’s coop program offered the perfect means for John to finance his education. He graduated in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, and then earned an MBA in 1978 from Northeastern’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business.
May 05, 2021
Curious Childhood Leads to Building Next Generation Toys
Always driven to see how things worked, mechanical engineering student Amanda Vasconcelos, E’22, now uses those talents to build better toys while working on co-op at Hasbro.
May 04, 2021
Research Co-op in Switzerland Despite the Pandemic
Hannah Boyce, E’22, chemical engineering, and president of Northeastern’s chapter of the AIChE, is researching potential new methods of biological drug delivery. As a high school graduate, Boyce knew that she wanted to study chemical engineering and go abroad for a semester. She chose to attend Northeastern, a university well-known for both its engineering program […]