Dear Faculty, Staff, Students, and Friends of CSSH:
I hope this newsletter finds you well. As we prepare for a holiday break with family and friends, I’d like to acknowledge some exciting updates.
An Eventful Fall
In October, CSSH hosted the Center on Race, Crime, and Justice’s 5th annual Race & Community Dialogue Series, which addressed public safety, potential threats to the Mass and Cass community, and the intersection of mental health and substance abuse in criminal justice. Speakers included Boston Police Deputy John Brown; Abigail Judge, a clinical and forensic psychologist and Co-Founder and Director of Boston Human Exploitation and Trafficking (HEAT); Sandra Andrade, Co-Director of Boston HEAT; Bisola Ojikutu, Commissioner of Public Health and Executive Director of the Boston Public Health Commission; and Jada Y. Vaughan, a PhD student studying Criminology and Justice Policy and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
November was a particularly busy month for events at CSSH. The English Department welcomed Amy S. Kaufman, PhD English ‘06, for a talk on her recently published historical reimagining of Robin Hood, The Traitor of Sherwood Forest.
The Center for International Affairs and World Cultures (CIAWC) hosted their annual State of the World event, with panelists Xiaoxiao Shen from Northeastern, Kaija Schilde from Boston University, Jennifer L. Erickson from Boston College, and moderator and CIAWC Director Mai’a Cross. The conversation centered around international security and strategy across China, the EU, and the U.S. with Russia’s war in Ukraine and the growing implications of Al.
Also in November, I was honored to participate in CSSH’s ongoing Faculty-Works-In-Progress (FWIP) lecture series. FWIP provides faculty with a platform to share their research with colleagues and gather feedback through thoughtful conversations. I enjoyed presenting my research on surveillance and platform authoritarianism in China.
In December, the Early Digital Caribbean Archive hosted The Caribbean Digital, an annual gathering of scholars, artists, archivists, librarians, technologists, and activists working at the intersection of Caribbean Studies and digital humanities. Speakers included Professor of English and Africana Studies Nicole Aljoe; Distinguished Professor of English Elizabeth Maddock Dillon; and Reba Dickson, English PhD student.
And finally, the Jewish Studies Program hosted the annual Ruderman Lecture, featuring comedian and actor Alex Edelman. Students, faculty, and members of the community enjoyed his conversation with Emerson College Professor and longtime friend and mentor Charles Steinberg.
Research Updates
CSSH faculty continue to be awarded major grants to support their research in the social sciences and humanities. From the Political Science Department, Professors David Lazer and Rebekah Tromble are collaborating with Professors John Wihbey (jointly appointed in CAMD) and Laura Edelson from Khoury on the recently established Institute for Information, the Internet and Democracy (IIID), with support from the Knight Foundation. IIID works to understand how technology influences global democracies and how powerful tools can support democratic values and institutions. With research ranging from the algorithms in charge of curating our news feeds to AI systems that mediate our access to information, IIID’s work is timely and will extend to research in London and Dublin.
Associate Professor of Sociology and Health Sciences Taylor Cruz received a grant from the Institute for Advanced Study for her work on “Digitizing Disease: Technological Transformations of Diabetes Care and Inequality.” Her research examines the societal dimensions of emerging technologies in United States biomedicine, specifically in the realm of diabetes.
Megan Denver, Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, is working on “Planning Phase Grant to Examine the Impact of Tablet-Based Educational Programming on Improved Outcomes and Desistance Signals for Incarcerated Individuals” thanks to support from Arnold Ventures. This project examines digital education, and how educational programming can affect in-prison and post-release outcomes with incarcerated individuals.
Associate Professor of Philosophy John Basl received a grant from the National Science Foundation for his work on “IUCRC: Phase I: Northeastern University: Center on Responsible AI and Governance (CRAIG).” This center seeks to ensure that artificial intelligence is deployed responsibly and ethically in industries across the board. The main tenant of the organization is allowing private industry partners to identify problems they face within their work and then proposing research projects to address those specific challenges.
“Cultivating Robust AI and Society Research Capacity and Community,” led by Professor Katie Creel and John Basl, has been funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. This grant supports a summer graduate training program in our Philosophy and Religion Department as well as a summer field school that brings together Sloan Foundation Metascience & AI Postdoctoral Fellows, CRA Trustworthy AI Fellows, and participants in the summer program to develop interdisciplinary research capacity across epistemological, scientific, social and ethical issues raised by AI.
Finally, Director of the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, Professor Maria Ivanova, is working in collaboration with Professor Aaron Stubbins from the College of Science on “Recycling Single Use Vinyl Across Boston Healthcare Systems.” They are supported by The Vinyl Institute.
We are thrilled to have so many exciting projects and collaborations receive funding and are immensely proud of our faculty’s research accomplishments.
Recognizing Students
At our annual Co-op Poster Expo, students shared their workplace experiences and achievements, while inspiring others to stretch out of their comfort zones. Though all of the posters and presenters were impressive, our winners were truly exceptional. In the undergraduate category, Jack Aldrich took 1st place with his co-op at JCDecaux. Cara Gioacchini landed in 2nd place with a poster of her time spent with the Cambridge Police Department, and Gianna Giordano took 3rd place with her poster from co-op at the Institute for Economics & Peace. In the Masters category, Disha Kamlesh Pansuriya took 1st place with her co-op poster on Mckinsey & Company. To all the students involved, great work! You can take a look at all the posters on our website.
Recognizing Faculty and Staff
I would also like to recognize some significant faculty and staff achievements. Professor of Public Policy and Political Science Christopher Bosso published Why SNAP Works: A Political History – and Defense – of the Food Stamp Program in 2023, butthetopic is highly relevant today. Professor Bosso spoke with numerous news outlets, providing expert information on the effects of the government shutdown on SNAP. The @NUCSSH Instagram account did a giveaway for this book in November, and one lucky student won a free copy. Keep an eye on our Instagram account for more timely and relevant giveaways of books from our faculty.
Professor Bosso will also be retiring in 2026. We are sad to see him go and will deeply miss his expertise in the college, but we wish him a happy retirement and hope this new journey is an exciting one!
Dean’s Professor of Criminology Brandon Welsh’s book Between Medicine and Criminology: Richard Cabot and the Making of the Cambridge-Somerville Youth Study won the 2025 Book of the Year Award from the American Society of Criminology’s Division of Historical Criminology. We are incredibly proud of the work Professor Welsh put into this book and couldn’t be happier that he is getting formally recognized for it. Congratulations!
Associate Dean of Research and Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice Natasha Frost was recently inducted as the president of the American Society of Criminology. Her induction marks the second Northeastern faculty member to serve as president of the society.
The CSSH Sustainability Committee welcomed the first class of Sustainability Champions this semester. The Champions create change on a local level by promoting environmental initiatives within their units. This year’s Champions are:
- James Dana, Professor of Economics and Strategy
- Hua Dong, Principal Lecturer in Chinese
- Kathleen Downey, Program Coordinator
- Kimberly Lucas, Professor of the Practice in Public Policy and Economic Justice
- Meica Magnani, Associate Teaching Professor of Philosophy and Computer Science
- Bailey McAlister, Postdoctoral Teaching Associate
- Danita Mends, College Events Manager
- Tania Muiño, Principal Lecturer in Spanish
- Maxim Olivier, Administrative Assistant
- Leslie Prime, Academic Administrative Assistant
- Kiki Samko, Program Manager
- Pamela Simmons, Program Coordinator
This group has already done so much important work within the college, and I look forward to seeing what comes next.
Looking Ahead
As we rest and recharge for the upcoming semester, I encourage you to keep your eye on the CSSH events calendar, where we will be posting some exciting upcoming speaker events and gatherings. We’ve also announced the location for the 2026 CSSH Celebration: Monday, April 27, at 9am at the Leader Bank Pavillion in the Boston Seaport.
Though this semester had its challenges, it speaks to CSSH’s resilience and fortitude that we were able to come together for memorable events and to push our mission forward. I look forward to seeing you in the coming year.
