September 2024

POLICY SCHOOL NEWS

2023 - 2024 Impact Report

Our new Impact Report highlights the key initiatives, achievements, and collaborations of the Policy School over the past year and reflects how faculty, students, and staff are driving meaningful change in communities from the local to the global.

The spiral symbol, interspersed throughout the Impact Report, represents the Policy School’s dynamic energy and its commitment to fostering balanced policy solutions from the local to the global scale.

New Policy School Faculty

The Policy School welcomed three new faculty in Fall 2024. Prof. Etai Mizrav is based on the Arlington campus. Prof. Fang Fang is jointly appointed with the School of Criminology & Criminal Justice. Prof. Anncy Thresher is jointly appointed with Philosophy and Religion.

Etai Mizrav, Fang Fang, Anncy Thresher

Peace, Justice, & Strong Institutions

The Policy School hosted a Sep 16 panel discussion on "Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions" in collaboration with the UN Association of Greater Boston and the Brudnick Center on Violence and Conflict.

GAP Seminar with Provost Madigan

David Madigan, Northeastern's Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, presented a Sep 17 talk entitled "A Rant About Academic Statistics," as part of the Global Action for Policy (GAP) Initiative Seminar Series.

Security and Resilience Series Seminar

Rebecca Scorzato presented a Sep 26 talk on "Crisis Management Planning in the Corporate Environment" as part of the Security and Resilience Speaker Series, a collaboration between the Policy School and the Political Science Department.

The Fight for Haiti

The Policy School co-sponsored with Northeastern's African Studies program a Sep 26 screening of The Fight for Haiti, a documentary about the Kot Kòb PetroCaribe movement, Haiti's grassroots uprising against corruption.

The Future of the UN: After the Summit of the Future

The Center for International Affairs and World Cultures hosted a Sep 26 discussion on the future of the UN. Panelists included Policy School Director Maria Ivanova, Prof. Patrícia Nogueira Rinaldi, and Prof. Denise Garcia.

Maria Ivanova, Patrícia Nogueira Rinaldi, Denise Garcia

FACULTY & STAFF IMPACT

Northeastern Delegation at Climate Week and the Summit of the Future

Northeastern's Global Environmental Governance (GEG) Project, led by Prof. Maria Ivanova, attended both Action Days and the Summit of the Future in New York City. The delegation also participated in Climate Week to engage in further discussions on climate solutions.

Accelerating the Implementation of Global Environmental Commitments

The Policy School and the Global Environmental Governance (GEG) team hosted an official side event at the Permanent Mission of Rwanda to the UN during the Action Days at the UN Summit of the Future in New York.

Leveraging Academic Perspectives to Reinvent Multilateralism

In a Climate Week session hosted by Yale University, Policy School Director Maria Ivanova conductd a fireside chat with former Costa Rican president Carlos Alvarado to discuss the imperative to reconceive the science-policy interface and ways to challenge the prevailing norms of global governance.

President Carlos Alvarado of Costa Rica, Prof. Maria Ivanova, and Dr. Philip Osano, Director of Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) Africa

Prof. Maria Ivanova's Climate Week Engagements

During Climate Week 2024 in New York City, Policy School Director Maria Ivanova engaged in multiple spaces including the Green Schools Conference, Street Art for Mankind, the Climate Action Outdoor Museum, and the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit.

Grist 50 Event During Climate Week in NYC

Policy School Director Maria Ivanova attended the 2024 Grist 50 Event at Climate Week in New York City. The School was a sponsor of the Sep 24 gathering, which supported Grist's mission to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.

Maria Ivanova, David, Cash, Charles Orgbon

Prof. Kim Lucas Appointed to Board of Early Education and Care

Prof. Kim Lucas was appointed by Gov. Maura Healey to the Massachustts Board of Early Education and Care, which sets policies and regulations related to the state’s early education and care programs and services. Kim will serve as an expert in the evaluation and assessment of successful preschool education programs.

Dr. Richard O’Bryant Appointed to New Role

Dr. Richard O’Bryant, director of the John D. O’Bryant African American Institute, was appointed as Northeastern’s Chief Inclusion and Belonging Officer. Dr. O'Bryant will maintain his leadership position at the Institute while also assuming strategic oversight of inclusion and belonging efforts across Northeastern's global network.

The Future of Healthcare Innovation

Prof. Timothy Hoff engaged in an International Business Podcast in which he discusses why healthcare innovation is essential to continue providing quality primary care.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

Cara Michell at the Royal Geographical Society Conference

Prof. Cara Michell represented Northeastern and C2C at the annual Royal Geographical Society (RGS) conference in London, UK, on a panel entitled "Intellectual Gaslighting: Mapping the Decolonial Erasures and Recovery of Global Black Geographies in Europe."

Prof. Camila Hawthorne of UC Santa Cruz, Dr. Agostino Pinnock of Royal Holloway University of London, Dr. Nathaniel

Télémaque of Kings College London

Prof. Serena Alexander Receives Grant

Prof.Serena Alexander has been awarded a $339,000 grant titled "Planning for Sustainable and Resilient Rail and Freight: Developing a Novel Tool for Analysis of Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategies in State and Regional Rail and Freight Plans."

C2C Updates

The C2C Summer Youth Jobs Program has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Stupski Foundation. Prof. Alicia Modestino’s multi-year research-practice partnership with the City of Boston to advance summer youth employment has been awarded $350K. And C2C has launched a new cohort of funded scholars, including six new policy fellows and ten seed grant winners from Boston, Oakland, Portland, and Toronto.

C2C Celebration Lunch for Summer Interns

Policy School Summer 2024 Intern Aylin Ozdemir, a student at Boston Latin School, attended the Community to Community (C2C) Impact Accelerator Summer Youth Jobs Program completion celebration event in August.

Lynn Sanders, Michele Rosenthal, Aylin Ozdemir, Leslie Prime

The Value of Higher Education

Michele Rosenthal, a member of Board of Directors of the Higher Education Networking Collective, participated in a Sep 17 seminar on "Unlocking Opportunties: The Lasting Value of Higher Education in Today's World."

STUDENT IMPACT

Youth Forum at Summit of the Future

At the Summit of the Future, PhD Student Olga Skaredina organized a Youth Forum that that stressed the importance of intergenerational collaboration for a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.

Katrin Albaz, Inger Andersen, Abdullah Al Amri, Olga Skaredina, Gyubin Hwang

United Nations Co-ops

In Fall 2024, three students are engaged in co-ops affiliated with the United Nations. Manushi Sharma and Nidhi Polekar are at the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR) in New York. Daniella Tesfaye is at the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Manushi Sharma, Nidhi Polekar, Daniella Tesfaye

Fall 2024 Capstone Projects

In Fall 2024, 25 Policy School students are working with community partners including the City of Boston Disabilities Commission, City of Boston Mayor’s Office of LGTBQ+ Advancement, City of Boston Streets Cabinet, Fenway Community Development Corporation, MA Cannabis Control Commission, NU Climate Justice & Sustainability Hub, and Technologists for the Public Good.

PhD Student Maddie Craig-Scheckman at SOM3 in Peru

PhD Student Maddie Craig-Scheckman attended the Third Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM3) and Automotive Dialogue in Lima, Peru, where she presented "Driving the Future: Leveraging Regional Cooperation for Inclusive, Sustainable, and Resilient Electric Vehicle Battery Supply Chains."

READ THE POLICY BRIEF

Vaishali Kushwaha Defends Dissertation

Vaishali Kushwaha successfully defended her PhD thesis "Innovative Frameworks for Urban Water Security: Bridging Gaps in Planning, Management, and Governance.”

Unveiling of Human-Environment Digital Narratives

PhD student Vaishali Kushwaha launched a pilot workshop aimed to integrate digital proficiencies into environmental education and education for sustainable development through collaboration with community members.

London Play

With support from the CSSH Dean’s Office for Undergraduate Research Initiative, a team of students is conducting a quality assurance evaluation for London Play to explore the impact of their annual “Go Kart Build & Race” program. Faculty advisors include Profs. Emily Mann and Lori Gardinier.

Emma Lapena, Finn Seifert, Kaelyn Silva, Antonio Wessinger

PEAK Ascent Award

Eleanor (Ellie) Steele received a PEAK Ascent Award for Fall 2024 to work as a research assistant with Profs. Emily Mann and Lori Gardinier to evaluate the impact of a harm reduction training program in four schools of social work.

ALUMNUS SPOTLIGHT

Paul Fletcher, MS in Law and Public Policy '19

Paul Fletcher earned an MS in Law and Public Policy from the Policy School in 2019 and currently serves as Head of Marketing for Galderma.

READ THE INTERVIEW

FALL 2024 PROGRAMMING

Career Thursdays|every Thu (1:00 pm - 3:00 pm)|appointment required

PhD Happy Hour|Thu, Oct 3rd (5:00 pm - 6:30 pm)|The Westland

Fall Meet and Greet|Thu, Oct 10th (4:00 pm - 5:30 pm)|310 RP

Director's Dialogue|Tue, Oct 15th (4:00 pm - 5:00 pm)|310 RP

Capstone Info Session|Tue, Oct 29th (4:00 pm - 5:00 pm)|310 RP

Academic Planning Discussion|Tue, Nov 5th (4:00 pm - 5:00 pm)|310 RP

Election Day Program|Tue, Nov 5th (details forthcoming)|310 RP

Post-Election Day Progam|Wed, Nov 6th (details forthcoming)|310 RP

Networking Simulation|Thu, Nov 7th (4:00 pm - 5:30 pm)|310 RP

Coffee & Conversation|Tue, Nov 12th (3:00 pm - 4:00 pm)|310 RP

Co-op Info Session|Wed, Nov 20th (3:00 pm - 4:00 pm)|310 RP

End-of-Year Celebration|Thu, Dec 5th (6:00 pm)|Cabral Center

Northeastern Association of Public Policy Students (NAPPS)

The Northeastern Association of Public Policy Students (NAPPS) is (re)forming! Congratulations to Joseph Koroma, President, Vamini Jain, Treasurer, and Georgiana Swan, who will serve as Scheduling Coordinator. Joseph, Vamini, and Georgina will work closely with the NAPPS board and NAPPS Advisor Michele Rosenthal to plan programs and opportunities for engagement over the course of the academic year.

A Career/Transportation panel, a Professional and Public Presentation Speaking workshop, and Election and post-Election Day programs are in the works.

Information will also be forthcoming about the Policy School Virtual Circle.

For more information about joining the NAPPS weekly meetings and/or sharing programming ideas, please contact Michele Rosenthal at m.rosenthal@northeastern.edu

EVENTS

GAP Seminar Series|(click on link for full schedule and registration info)

Xi Song|Tue, Oct 8 (1:00 pm -2:30 pm)|220 Dockser Hall

Hyuk Son |Tue, Oct 22 (1:00 pm -2:30 pm)|220 Dockser Hall

C2C Fall Research Seminar Series|every Thu (click on link for full schedule)

"Research Resource Panel"|Thu, Oct 3 (12:00 pm EST)|310 RP (Boston) and virtual

"Gotta Love Some Human Connection: Humanizing Data Expression in an Age of AI"|Thu, Oct 10 (3:00 pm EST)|GSB 240 (Oakland) and virtual

"Resurrecting Black Spatial Imaginaries: Participatory Mapping at the Flatbush African Burial Ground"|Thu, Oct 17 (12:00 pm EST)|310 RP (Boston) and virtual

"Bay Area Black Voices: An Investigation of Black Workforce Experiences in the San Francisco Bay Area"|Thu, Oct 24 (3:00 pm EST)|GSB 240 (Oakland) and virtual

"Out-of-state travel for abortion in New England: Identifying support strategies"|Thu, Oct 31 (12:00 pm EST)|310 RP (Boston) and virtual

NEUDC|Nov 2nd - 3rd|ISCE AND EXP (click on link for details)

Northeastern will host the 2024 convening of The North East Universities Development Consortium (NEUDC) Conference, a major forum in development economics that welcomes academics from around the world.

ARTICLE PUBLICATIONS

Sara M. Constantino

Community benefits can build bipartisan support for large-scale energy infrastructure

Shantanu Khanna

An Indian Enigma? Labour market impacts of the world's largest livelihoods program

Laura Kuhl and Gabriela Garcia

Intrinsic yield fluctuations interact with environmental shocks to threaten the socio-ecological resilience of perennial crop systems

Dan O'Brien and Kim Lucas

How to Foster a Civic Research Community: Lessons from Greater Boston's Annual Insight to Impact Summit

Mary Steffel

How academics and policymakers can collaborate effectively: Lessons from using behavioral science to improve U.S. federal government policies

MEDIA MENTIONS