Cultivating Engagement and Morale

Policy School Associate Director for Academic Operations Michele Rosenthal was one of several members of the Staff Engagement Task Force that won the 2025 Staff Team Award at the annual CSSH Faculty and Staff Celebration on April 1. The Task Force was honored for producing a comprehensive report on various initiatives designed to enhance staff engagement. 

Giving Thanks for Giving Day Generosity



The Policy School received 43 individual donations and raised a total of $18,105 on Giving Day 2025. The School is deeply grateful to Bob and Glenda Fishman, whose challenge grant released $15,000 when the School reached 25 donors, the Advisory Council, and all donors who helped unlock this remarkably generous gift!

Taking Hats off to Policy School Graduates

Policy School students, faculty, staff, and guests gathered at the Cabral Center for a joyous End of Year celebration, an event that recognized new graduates and student accomplishments. Policy School alumni David Halbert '16 (MPA) and Heather Hume '13 (MS in Urban and Regional Policy) delivered keynote addresses.

Making an Impact at BARI Conference 2025

On April 11th, BARI Conference 2025: Greater Boston’s Annual Insight-to-Impact Summit was held at Roxbury Community College in partnership with its Center for Economic and Social Justice. More than 400 members of the civic research community gathered to engage in action-oriented discussions based on a wide array of research projects.

Priotitizing Farmworker Health and Safety

Prof. Kaitlyn Alvarez Noli has launched a new initiative within the Social Science and Environmental Health Research Institute (SSEHRI) called the Worker Protection Lab. It focuses on occupational health in agriculture by studying the structural and regulatory conditions that shape pesticide safety and influence the health of immigrant farmworkers.

Leading the Fight for Environmental Justice

Brian Swett, Chief Climate Officer for the City of Boston, delivered a guest lecture in Prof. Joan Fitzgerald's class, open to the Northeastern community, on Boston's strategic approach to climate action, sustainability, and environmental justice. Mr. Swett oversees Boston’s Environment, Energy, and Open Space Cabinet (EEOS) and leads the implementation of the Mayor’s climate agenda.

Celebrating Final Milestones with Community Partners

In April, the Policy School hosted three Capstone symposia (Boston, Arlington, and online) at which students presented their final projects to faculty, community partners, and guests. The Capstone project represents the pinnacle of the School's master's degree programs, where graduating students collaborate with public service and non-profit partners to apply their expertise toward creating meaningful policies and practices that strengthen local communities.

Strategizing Climate Action at Yale

On April 21st, Policy School Director Maria Ivanova participated in the prestigious George Herbert Walker Lecture event at Yale University's MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies. Prof. Ivanova joined former Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado Quesada to explore how regional collaboration offers a more nimble and effective path forward for meaningful climate action.

Crafting Creative Solutions to Gender-Based Violence

Prof. Nishith Prakash presented his paper at the Keough School of Global Affairs (University of Notre Dame) on "Debiasing Law Enforcement Officers: Evidence from an Expressive Arts Intervention in India." The study evaluates a novel, theatre-based training intervention designed to reduce gender bias and improve gender-based-violence response among police officers in Bihar, India. The intervention was delivered to over 1,800 officers across 217 treatment police stations in a randomized controlled trial covering 42 million people. 

Promoting Citizen Science Around the Globe

Chinese Social Sciences Today interviewed Prof. Damon Hall about his work on citizen science and its evolving role in knowledge production. The Chinese-language article, titled “公众科学为知识生产提供新动能” (“Citizen science provides new impetus for knowledge production”), was published in March and highlights how citizen science is shaping the future of collaborative, inclusive, and impactful research across borders.

Navigating the Policy Landscape in Transylvania

Prof. Cristina Stanica will lead a five-week Dialogue of Civilizations program in Romania beginning May 11, 2025. The "Community Living Labs: Co-Creating Policy Solutions in Romania" program will bring students to Cluj-Napoca, known as the "Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe." Based at Babes-Bolyai University, the students will develop policy analysis skills, engage with government officials and community organizations, and explore Transylvania's rich cultural heritage.

Building Intergenerational Equity

Prof. Sharmila Murthy participated in a panel discussion on "Capacity to promote equity both within and among generations" hosted by the Harvard Kennedy School's Sustainability Science Program at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, as part of the "Building capacity for sustainable development" virtual seminar series.

Disrupting as an Act of Seeking Justice

Prof. Sharmila Murthy was invited to give a lecture through the Hall Center for Law and Health Virtual Grand Rounds at the Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Indiana University Indianapolis. Her talk, "Disrupting Utility Law for Water Justice" was based on her Stanford Law Review article of the same title. It was selected for inclusion in the 2024-2025 Environmental Law and Policy Annual Review and was also one of three selected for presentation at the Environmental Law Institute in Washington, D.C.

Blending Cultural Geography and Photography

At the American Association of Geographers (AAG) annual meeting in Detroit, PhD student Yimeng Yang placed as a runner up in the AAG Best Papers in Geography and Entrepreneurship Award received Honorable Mention in the Urban Geography Group’s Student Paper Award and was a Judge’s Choice Winner in a photography competition of the Cultural Geography Group. Yimeng’s photo will be published in the Journal of Material Culture.

Exploring Livability in Bangladesh

PhD student Istiakh Ahmed was awarded an American Institute of Bangladesh Studies (AIBS) fellowship, which will support the initial phase of his fieldwork in Bangladesh in Summer 2025. Istiakh also presented his paper “Livability for Whom: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of Livability in Regional Cities in Bangladesh” at the AAG Annual Meeting.

Making a Policy School Splash in Laurel and Scroll 100

Manushi Sharma '25 (MPP) was one of 100 graduate and professional students inducted into the inaugural Laurel and Scroll 100 Society of Distinction — a Northeastern graduate school equivalent of the university’s Huntington 100. Laurel and Scroll 100 and Huntington 100 collectively are known as Northeastern University Societies of Distinction that honor outstanding students for achievements aligning with the university’s mission, ideals, values and academic plan.

Circling Up the Online Student Community

Whitney McVeigh '27, who is pursuing a MPP fully online from Knoxville, Tennessee, has assumed responsibility for coordinating the Policy School’s Virtual Circle, which provides online students a space for connection, collaboration, and support. By engaging in the Virtual Circle community, remote students can feel less isolated, stay motivated, and share the resources and experiences that are important for their learning journeys and professional networks.

Making a Difference from the Local to the Global