Cover Story
Building on the Best of Northwestern
Michael Schill is poised to lead the University into an era of greater eminence.
Fall 2023
Voices
In recent years, deepfake videos have been used to demand ransom, distribute revenge porn and influence elections. With the clamor for AI regulation growing louder every day, professor Subrahmanian says it is time to reflect on the threats posed by deepfakes — as well as potential benefits.
Northwestern professors share how we successfully learn information — and how we can better retain it.
An assistant professor at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, George Chiampas works for some of the world’s biggest sports teams and leagues. He is also chief medical and safety officer of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, an event he looks forward to every fall.
Coined by Northwestern associate professor Moya Bailey, the word “misogynoir” gives name to the specific type of prejudice that Black women experience in today’s society. Bailey sat down with Northwestern Magazine’s Diana Babineau to discuss the origin of the word, how the phenomenon persists today and the Digital Apothecary lab’s latest research endeavors.
Discovery
Northwestern researchers are the first to discover a link between so-called “underground climate change,” or “subsurface heat islands,” and ground movements beneath urban areas. The researchers found that as the ground warms, it also moves, and this could be a ticking time bomb for urban infrastructure, which is now, quite literally, on shaky ground.
Many of us amped up our cleaning regimens during the pandemic. But now Erica Hartmann, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, and dozens of other scientists have issued a warning about the overuse of certain chemicals often found in cleaning products.
Innovation
Blair Matthews ’22 JD and Giuliana Zaccardelli ’22 MD, MBA are co-founders of Zuri Fertility, an app that serves as a personalized digital fertility clinic, with educational resources, a menstrual and ovulation tracker, access to at-home fertility testing and referrals for specialized treatment options at nearby brick-and-mortar fertility clinics.
A common pet peeve for parents became the subject of four alums’ manufacturing and design engineering capstone project. Joanne Park ’23, Callista Sukohardjo ’23, Ben Miller ’23 and Sarah John ’23 surveyed friends and family about everyday annoyances, gathering ideas for an invention.
News
From the Lima Art Museum in Peru to the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, professors share their favorite sights and experiences across the globe.
Darsan Swaroop Bellie ’22, who holds a dual degree in jazz studies and physics from Northwestern, is a fellow at the University’s Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA), where he conducts research on gravitational waves, compact objects and cosmology. Merging his seemingly disparate passions, he created the Star Eyes Initiative, a jazz group that uses original compositions to communicate scientific concepts in a digestible way, for audiences of all ages.
Now known as one of the greatest short game players in the history of professional golf, Luke Donald ’01 first made a name for himself with an all-time great collegiate run: four-time All-American, three-time Big Ten Player of the Year, two-time Big Ten Champion and 1999 NCAA individual champion. Today, more than 20 years after he turned pro, he is adding European Ryder Cup team captain to his resume.
It had been 11 years since Northwestern women’s lacrosse won the NCAA Championship, but in late May the Wildcats returned to the top of the sport, defeating Boston College 18-6 for the program’s eighth title in 18 years.
Members of Knitwestern build community while honing their knitting skills and giving back to local organizations. Open to students and community members alike, the knitting and crocheting club operates on the premise that anyone can learn to knit.
My Northwestern Direction
Heather Harding ’92, executive director of the Campaign for Our Shared Future, shares why she considers inclusive, high-quality K-12 public education a bedrock of modern democracy.
Impact
A transformative grant from the Howard and Paula Trienens Fund will advance global sustainability and energy solutions at one of Northwestern’s flagship research institutes. The grant from the Trienenses’ donor-advised fund was recommended by University Trustee Nan Trienens Kaehler ’79 MS and Thomas R.
As concern grows about climate change and its impact on the planet, scientists at Northwestern’s Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy are asking and answering urgent questions.
A generous gift from Harry J. Seigle ’71 JD will strengthen Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s immigration law clinic, which represents children, young adults and parents in immigration court proceedings.
When Esteban Bullrich ’96 MBA was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2021, he established the Esteban Bullrich Foundation to fund ALS research and help families and ALS patients access medical support, advanced research and diagnostic tools. A band of former Kellogg classmates sprang into action.
People
No work day is predictable for Alexa Carreno ’13 and her fiancé, Jeremy McKay. The Denver, Colo.–based legal partners are the co-founders of Environmental and Animal Defense (eaDefense), a nonprofit law firm providing accessible legal services focused on environmental justice and animal rights.
Racheli Galay ’07 DMA is a founding member of Quartetoukan, a Jewish-Arab quartet whose music reflects the multicultural, multilingual society in Israel. A classically trained cellist who specializes in Jewish music, Galay has toured Israel, Germany and Spain with Quartetoukan since 2012, performing songs in Arabic, Hebrew, English and Yiddish that promote harmony and peace.
As new “widowed besties,” Annie Kuo and Matthew Becker discovered unexpected commonalities as Northwestern grads and parents of young children. They started dating in February 2022 and have been together ever since, carrying the love they have for their late spouses with the new love they’ve found.
Growing up in the Bay Area, Emma Steinberg bonded with her dad over all kinds of local sports teams. And now, after a role with the San Francisco 49ers — and an Emmy win — she has joined the San Francisco Giants as a digital content producer.
In 1973, two Northwestern students assembled the cast and crew of Northwestern’s first-ever Mee-Ow Show, originally conceptualized as a new outlet for creatives who felt limited by existing campus performance options. Half a century later, the show — and its ever-growing repertoire of successful alumni, from Julia Louis-Dreyfus ’82, ’07 H to Seth Meyers ’96, ’16 H — is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a spring 2024 reunion.
Whether you know her as NPR radio host Margaret Jo on Saturday Night Live or Cady Heron’s mom in Mean Girls, odds are you know — and love — Ana Gasteyer’s work. Last May, the actor, comedian and singer returned to campus and sat down with Northwestern Magazine’s Clare Milliken to discuss her own career and tips for aspiring artists.
After booking his biggest acting role yet, Charlie Oh ’16 felt an itch to be part of something that better reflected the contemporary Asian American experience. He wrote a play about a Korean family on an all-American road trip, incorporating themes of identity, assimilation and legacy.
Kyra Kyles ’98, ’98 MS is CEO of YR Media, an educational center for aspiring music producers, podcasters, journalists and multimedia content creators. Kyles opened a new YR Media regional facility in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, offering training programs, paid internships and state-of-the-art audio and video production technology to young people from Chicago, Detroit and other Midwestern cities.
Tim Hunter ’68 MD, a retired radiologist and professor emeritus who lives in Tucson, Ariz., has written the weekly “Sky Spy” column in the Arizona Daily Star for more than 15 years. He recently compiled his columns into a book, The Sky at Night.
Kevin Hoban ‘09 and Jordan Simkovic ‘09 make music as Captain & Cat, a musical duo producing educational songs and videos for kids. The duo recently won the 2022 John Lennon Songwriting Contest Grand Prize.
