Northeastern faculty members have written at length on a wide range of topics. Here, we highlight the first batch of published works in an occasional feature on recent faculty books.
Articles
3Qs: From Tinseltown to Public Office
Having expressed an interest in running for elective office—perhaps as a Republican candidate in the 2013 New York City mayor’s race—actor Kelsey Grammer may be the latest celebrity hoping to cross over to the world of politics. We asked journalism professor Alan Schroeder to weigh in on the history of celebrities who run for office and analyze the advantages they have over traditional candidates.
3Qs: Buying into the knockoff factor?
Retail titans Apple, Nike and Ikea have to compete with impostor replicas of their retail stores that have popped up in the southern district of Kunming city in southwest China and other parts of the world. These stores hawk knockoff products to sometimes unknowing customers. Tony Gao, an assistant professor of marketing in Northeastern’s College of Business Administration, interprets the broader implications to consumer welfare, intellectual property rights protection and how these competitive behaviors affect international marketing.
3Qs: Keeping ASL at center of deaf culture
Recent budget cuts in parts of the U.S. have threatened the future of state schools for the deaf, creating worry that deaf children children will be pushed into mainstream schools where American Sign Language (ASL) takes a back seat to new “speaking and listening” technologies. Distinguished Professor of Psychology Harlan Lane, who founded the ASL program at Northeastern and recently wrote a book about deaf culture and deaf ethnicity in the U.S., addresses the debate between specialized vs. mainstream schools for the deaf.
3Qs: Tech sector ‘bubble-ing’ over?
The leading social-media news site, Mashable, recently released an infographic comparing the successes and failures of new new-venture companies today to those in the dot-com era of the late 1990s and early– 2000s, begging the question, “Are we in a tech bubble?” John Friar, an executive professor of entrepreneurship at Northeastern and an expert in technology strategy for start-up companies, explains what it means to be in a tech bubble, if the world is in fact in one, and how start-ups can avoid the worst fall-out from a bursting bubble.
3Qs: Machu Picchu’s anniversary cause for celebration and caution
Sunday marked the 100th Anniversary of the discovery of Machu Picchu — the ancient Incan city in Peru — by American archaeologist and history professor Hiram Bingham. Yanet Monica Canavan, the director of Northeastern’s Dialogue of Civilizations programs in Peru, and a native of the country, talks about the historical significance of the discovery of Machu Picchu, its impact on the economy in Peru and how modernization of the site may be causing irreversible damage.
Google algorithm links to cancer detection
Network scientists at Northeastern find that Google’s PageRank algorithm can reveal complex interactions in other kinds of networks, such as the human body.
3Qs: Campaigning in Twitter’s virtual ‘big tent’
President Obama, who’s known for his social media savvy, held the first-ever Twitter Town Hall meeting last week, where he answered the public’s questions about taxes, jobs and the economy. Dan Kennedy, an associate professor of journalism, is an expert in news reporting and social networks. Here, he discusses Obama’s choice to engage the public through Twitter, and the use of social media by presidential candidates and journalists.
Northeastern sets new fundraising record
New gifts and pledges in the 2011 fiscal year total $53.5 million, and major gifts accounted for the bulk — a positive sign for the University’s future efforts.
3Qs: Video game ruling may strengthen alignment of two industries
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a California law banning the sale of violent video games to children is unconstitutional. Here, Cynthia Baron, academic director of the digital media program at Northeastern’s College of Professional Studies, discusses First Amendment cases in the gaming industry, how the newest ruling may affect the video game rating system and whether children are capable of judging computer-generated violence.
Roving robot to the rescue
Student-researchers have created a roving robot named WiLU that may be able to locate and rescue victims of natural disasters.
3Qs: Fugitives can run, but can’t hide
On Wednesday, the FBI arrested notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger and his companion in Santa Monica, California, after the couple averted authorities for more than 16 years. We asked Jack Levin, the Brudnick Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Criminology at Northeastern University, to assess the role of tipsters in capturing fugitives, the difficulty of living life on the lam and Bulger’s place among the world’s most notorious criminals.
