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Our collaborative, real-world approach in action

Airport security made safer and efficient

Northeastern Innovation Campus / Burlington, MA

Problem

Hospitals need better models for anticipating negative outcomes to help doctors and nurses intervene earlier, while also reducing readmission rates and costs.

Solution

Researchers—including a world-leading expert in computational medicine—are deploying AI and predictive algorithms in real time to uncover patterns in patient data that could alert caretakers to complications and prevent adverse cardiac events.

Partnership

DHS-backed security research centers spur crucial detection technologies

ALERT (Awareness and Localization of Explosives-Related Threats), a multi-university center led by Northeastern that leads transformational research on explosive detection

Learn more about ALERT

SENTRY (Soft Target Engineering to Neutralize the Threat Reality), a multi-university effort also led by Northeastern to build a versatile surveillance system designed to protect so-called “soft targets” like public transportation hubs, schools, and stadiums 

Learn more about SENTRY

Experts

Leading these two Centers of Excellence

Michael Silevitch / Robert D. Black Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and COE Distinguished Professor

An expert in subsurface sensing and imaging systems and explosives detection, Silevitch directs both the ALERT and SENTRY Centers of Excellence.

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Carey Rappaport / COE Distinguished Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering; Deputy Director of ALERT and SENTRY Centers of Excellence

An expert in electromagnetics, antennas, and sensing technology, Rappaport serves as deputy director for both the ALERT and SENTRY Centers of Excellence.

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Innovation

Developing next-gen body scanners

Traditional metal detectors were unable to detect weapons made of plastic and other non-metals, and existing full body-scanners can have high false-alarm rates. The latter problem inspired Rappaport to develop a scanner that deploys more sensors snapping images at a much quicker rate—so passengers can get scanned from various points of view in a single moment.

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Research Institute

Focused on accelerating security tech

Northeastern’s campus in Burlington, Massachusetts, which co-locates researchers in academia, government, and industry, is also home to the university’s Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security where a mock airport checkpoint enables researchers to test video data-tracking software to track passengers and their items in real time.

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