Northeastern Food Policy Expert Honored for 30 Years of Advocacy
In the time since an E. coli outbreak took his son’s life, CPS Associate Teaching Professor Darin Detwiler has advised USDA and FDA leaders, spoken at conferences, and taught, all with one goal–to prevent more families from experiencing the same tragedy.
The Shackles of the United Nations Security Council Veto, Explained
The Russian Federation is one of five nations that hold unilateral veto power on the U.N. Security Council–a group known as the “P5” that also includes the US, China, France, and the UK. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and others argue that permanent members’ ability to obstruct resolutions has rendered the international organization irrelevant. Is it time to reform the veto power? CPS Associate Teaching Professor Fiona Creed, a U.N. scholar, explains this complex situation.
Northeastern’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society Teams Up with AG and School Leaders to Address Hate and Bias in School Athletics
In response to the recent rise in hate-based incidents in Massachusetts, Attorney General Maura Healey announced a new partnership with state and school leaders that aims to create positive change and a safe and healthy environment for young people in school sports throughout the Commonwealth.
The collaborative initiative, whose members first convened in April 2022, will expand programming and provide additional resources for school and athletic leaders at an in-person conference in late August / early September 2022 to help prevent hate and bias on the field and in locker rooms. During Fall 2022, Northeastern’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society will deliver 12 regional trainings across Massachusetts as part of the project. The interactive two-day sessions, with at least one held in each of the nine sports districts organized by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, will aim to empower attendees to bring what they learnt back to their schools and communities and train others.
“Sport is an impact engine of inclusion. It has the power to elevate conversation, inspire individual and collective change agency, and create true, sustainable change. AG Healey, her office, and all the committed stakeholders in this initiative, see and embrace sport as a pathway to positive youth engagement, social-emotional development, and the collective community inherent in teamwork. Hate and hurt have no place in sport, and we remain grateful to AG Healey for her responsive proactivity in creating such an intentional program of hope and healing. We are honored to contribute and be part of the team,” said Dan Lebowitz, Executive Director of The Center for the Study of Sport in Society.
Founded in 1984, and based at the College of Professional Studies, The Center for the Study of Sport in Society specializes in non-degree education and training that “connects the world of sport with social-justice-driven research, education, and advocacy through programming and global community engagement”. The Center developed curriculum and delivered training to hundreds of high schools, police departments, Major League Baseball, the NFL, and at the South African World Cup, among many others.
Novel Biomanufacturing Apprenticeship Program Helps Diversify Talent Pipeline for Life Sciences Industry
The MassBioEd Apprenticeship Biomanufacturing Program, launched in 2021, meets a significant industry demand by connecting unemployed or underemployed people to high paying, stable jobs in a growing field that is in need of diverse talent.
Northeastern’s College of Professional Studies has collaborated with MassBioEd to be the educational partner, teaching apprentices basic content in biology, chemistry, biotechnology, lab math, and more. “This innovative workforce development program pays learners to participate and guarantees a job at the end of the apprenticeship,” explains Liz Zulick, Associate Teaching Professor and Associate Dean, Research, Innovation, Development and Entrepreneurship. “Learners can continue their studies and enroll into our bachelor’s degree in biotechnology with eight credits from the apprenticeship program.”
How to Cope with Constant Bad News
The past two years have presented what feels to many to be a constant onslaught of heavy news.
“It’s just been one thing after another. We’ve been sitting with challenges that most of us in our lifetime haven’t necessarily seen before. It’s a lot to process, make sense of and adapt to,” says Kristen Lee, teaching professor of behavioral science at Northeastern’s College of Professional Studies.
But, she says “healing is within our reach. We can heal through atrocity.”
Please Don’t Eat Raw Meat, Warns Food Safety Expert
A former TV star was walking around the streets of Los Angeles with a peculiar snack recently – a raw bison heart in a plastic bag.
While there may be some health benefits to eating raw meat, CPS assistant teaching professor and food policy expert Darin Detwiler warns that mitigating risk is a lot more complicated than “throwing it in a bag and walking around town eating it like it’s a pretzel.”
From Kabul to Campus: Afghan Students Retrace Their Harrowing Journey to America
Lala Osmani, Mashal Aziz, Khadija Arian, and Sara Sherindil are newly arrived Afghan refugees to Northeastern’s Boston campus. They first met as finance and accounting majors at the American University in Afghanistan, the country’s first private university.
Through tears and laughter, they describe the pain of leaving family behind coupled with the joy of continuing their education at Northeastern’s College of Professional Studies.
Phil McTigue, a Marine Who Spent Time in Afghanistan Cracking Down on the Taliban, Wonders about the Friends Left Behind
Philip McTigue has trained Afghan police officers to raid Taliban-run compounds embedded in Afghanistan’s rocky terrain; to handle specialized machine guns; and to exit a dangerous mission without leaving any team members behind.
He forged friendships with interpreters and business owners in Kabul during the late 2000s as he worked for the U.S. intelligence community. It’s those faces that McTigue, who graduated Northeastern in 2019 with a master’s degree in homeland security, has been haunted by as he watches the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and the rapid collapse of the Afghan government.
The COVID-19 Outbreak in India Hit Hard in His Hometown. So He Built a Hospital There.
CPS Project Management student Jason Peter worked through the night the past few weeks to develop a COVID-19 hospital in his native Bangalore, India — an inspiration that took form from his capstone project.
The hospital, which will be called the Rapha Care Center, will open on July 1. The five-floor building will provide 130 beds and at least four ventilators. Peter’s team hopes to treat 400 patients per month.
CPS Student Helps Create Website to Thank Frontline Workers
The COVID-19 pandemic has thrust healthcare workers, first responders, and other essential employees to the front lines. In response, people have come up with many creative ways to express their gratitude, such as lighting iconic buildings in bright blue and showering workers with flower petals.
Ariella Sharf, who graduated from Northeastern with a Bachelor’s in Psychology in 2015 and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Project Management from CPS, has helped develop another way to thank those on the front lines: 6FTCloser, a website that collects nominations and delivers personalized thank-you messages to essential workers.