Category: Research
ENG’s Muhammad Zaman Addresses the Global Refugee Crisis in 2019 University Lecture
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor Muhammad Zaman and his lab collaborate with partners at BU and institutions around the world to develop cheap, easy-to-use computational tools and experimental methods to improve education, medicine, and overall quality of life in under-resourced nations and communities of people who have been displaced.
LAW’s Danielle Citron Named a MacArthur Fellow
Danielle Citron, whose pioneering and policy-shaping work in countering hate crimes, revenge porn, and other cyberspace abuses has made her one of the nation’s leading privacy and constitutional law scholars, has been named a 2019 MacArthur Fellow, an award often referred to as a “genius grant.”
BU Establishes New Data Sciences Faculty Unit
The new Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences will bolster University efforts to hire and retain faculty across all disciplines that intersect with computing and data sciences. Another aim of the new unit is to facilitate educational and research programs that attract ambitious and accomplished undergraduate and graduate students and prepare them for careers of the future.
First Woman Named BU’s Innovator of the Year
ENG’s Xin Zhang won the faculty award for “world-class research into inventions and innovations that benefit humankind”—for her work with metamaterials: small-scale structures that react to electromagnetic or acoustic stimulation. From improving the resolution of MRI scans to building better pressure sensors for oil wells to developing noise-filtering technology, Zhang’s discoveries offer real-world applications.
BU’s Rise in Rankings Powered by Innovation, Collaboration
Boston University was named one of the most innovative national universities for the first time in the 2019 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings. BU also climbed to 36th in Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education rankings. New models for education and research “are paying off in terms of novel experiences for our students and faculty, and hopefully will lead to some groundbreaking discoveries that will have an impact on society,” says Vice President and Associate Provost for Research Gloria Waters.
NEIDL Receives First BSL-4 Pathogens
Boston University’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) has begun work with its first Level-4 pathogens, the Ebola and Marburg viruses. Ebola has become a global public health threat, infecting and killing thousands during the 2014 outbreak. There is no available FDA-approved vaccine or therapy for Ebola, or the related Marburg virus. NEIDL researchers are excited to begin work with these pathogens, which could speed the development of remedies.
BU Opens Lung Cancer Center on Medical Campus
A new Johnson & Johnson Innovation Lung Cancer Center on the Medical Campus, resulting from a partnership between the University and Johnson & Johnson Innovation, is aimed at speeding development of cancer interventions and cures. BU researchers will work closely with members of Johnson & Johnson’s Lung Cancer Initiative to develop biomarker-based early-screening tests for lung cancer, as well as therapeutics to arrest or eradicate the disease in its earliest stages.
U.S. News Rankings: BU Grad Schools among Nation’s Best
Several University schools advance in nationwide rankings of the country’s best schools. Among the highlights: both the School of Social Work and School of Public Health rank at #10, and BU Law’s programs in healthcare law and tax law rank at #4 and #7, respectively.
NEIDL BSL-4 Lab Gets Green Light
The University receives final approval from the Boston Public Health Commission to conduct research at Biosafety Level 4 at BU’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories. This authorization paves the way for BU researchers to study Ebola, Marburg, and other BSL-4 pathogens at the Medical Campus facility.
University Launches $20 Million Innovate@BU
Funded by a partnership between the University and a group of alumni, BU creates Innovate@BU with support of $20 million for the first 10 years. The University-wide initiative gives all students opportunities to engage in solving real-world problems and hands-on innovation.
