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The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University

The Daily Free Press

The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University.

The Daily Free Press

The Daily Free Press

The feed in the Sway app. Sway is an app where each day users post one song and can view, like and dislike the songs posted by their friends, allowing users to discover new music.

‘BeReal for music’: BU student develops song sharing platform to ‘Sway’ your music taste in new directions

By Lauren Albano, Campus Co-Editor May 2, 2025
Boston University senior Zane Mroue considers his music taste “very niche” compared to his friends. He tried to search for other users online who share his preferences, but he found them difficult to find using Spotify and other existing platforms.
Volunteers pick up trash along the Charles River during the Charles River Watershed Association’s national Earth Day cleanup April 20, 2024. Despite the rain, over 3,500 people gathered April 26 to clear trash and invasive plants from green spaces surrounding the Charles River and its tributaries.

Volunteers find accomplishment, connection during Charles River Cleanup

By Brian Chan April 29, 2025
Despite the rain, over 3,500 people gathered April 26 to clear trash and invasive plants from green spaces surrounding the Charles River and its tributaries.  The Earth Day Charles River Cleanup, hosted annually since 1999, is one of the largest river cleanups in the county. 
Nahid Bhadelia speaks at an introductory conference at Boston University Center for Computing and Data Sciences. Biothreats Emergence, Analysis, and Communications Network officially launched April 24 during the conference. COURTESY OF CENTER ON EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES

A new BEACON for global health set to launch in Boston

By Samantha Genzer, City Co-Editor April 29, 2025
As diseases spread faster across borders, a team of scientists, engineers and public health experts launched a first-of-its-kind, open-source global surveillance platform to detect emerging biothreats. The Biothreats Emergence, Analysis and Communications Network, or BEACON, officially launched April 24 during an introductory conference at Boston University Center for Computing and Data Sciences. The platform is based at Boston University’s Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases and developed in partnership with the Hariri Institute for Computing and Data Sciences at BU and HealthMap at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Trash near the Charles River. BU Sustainability’s Earth Day 365, which runs for the entire month of April, is a series of events throughout BU’s campuses that promote the preservation of the planet.

Sustainability through community: BU organizations unite for Earth Day 365 event series

By John Tatum April 17, 2025
For Boston University Sustainability, Earth Day is a year-round event.  BU Sustainability’s Earth Day 365, which runs for the entire month of April, is a series of events throughout the BU community that promote the preservation of the planet.
An entrance to the Harvard Red Line station. The Red Line will be closed for track maintenance and replaced with shuttle bus and train services during April.

Red line shutdown causes disruption to student commutes, MBTA looks for new solutions

By Nicholas Nebiolo April 15, 2025
It can take Trisha Shenoy, a third year at Northeastern University, two to three hours on an MBTA Shuttle to visit her hometown in Lexington — only 14 miles away from Back Bay.  Despite last year’s Red Line shutdown, MBTA announced that it will be temporarily closing the line again to perform “critical track renewal work” and necessary repairs throughout April, according to its website. 
Kenneth Lutchen. Lutchen was recently recognized as an American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow. COURTESY OF KENNETH LUTCHEN

BU’s renowned Kenneth Lutchen honored as an American Association of Science Fellow

By Julian Garcia April 15, 2025
When Kenneth Lutchen first received his PhD in biomedical engineering, the field was still emerging. Lutchen, who is currently the senior advisor to President Gilliam, was recognized as an American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow for his achievement and advancement in respiratory mechanics.
Boston University College of Fine Arts Color Garden. The team behind the garden aims to investigate the use of plants for artistic use, cultivate outdoor education and encourage sustainability at BU. ANH HUYNH/DFP PHOTOGRAPHER

New CFA Color Garden grows art supplies sustainably, serves as community green space

By Brian Chan March 27, 2025
As an urban university, Boston University can sometimes feel devoid of green space. A new 92-by-45-foot garden located east of the College of Fine Arts aims to change that.  However, the team behind the garden has a broader objective in mind— investigate the use of plants for artistic use, cultivate outdoor education and encourage sustainability at BU.
Litter near the Charles River. For 10 to 15 days, Nelia Gross, a PhD candidate studying materials science and engineering, and other researchers incubated several types of microplastics with E. coli, a bacteria found in the human digestive tract that can produce toxins. JOSIE KALBFLEISCH/DFP PHOTOGRAPHER

BU researchers discover microplastics fuel antibiotic resistance

By Charlie Dippolito, Business & Science Editor March 21, 2025
In our food, clothes and even bodies exists a threat that is invisible to the naked eye — microplastics. As research on these tiny plastic particles advances, its hazardous nature becomes more apparent. Nelia Gross, a PhD candidate studying materials science and engineering, began her first year at Boston University in 2022 researching how environmental contaminants influence how our bodies fight off diseases. 
Emma Clement | Graphics Editor

New BU Politics and Health Lab monitors the influence of politics on public health decisions

By Sophia Bartlett March 1, 2025
The intersections between politics and health have become blurred between fact and political opinion. A new research lab at Boston University’s School of Public Health is exploring the relationship between the two.  The Politics and Health Lab, led by co-directors Timothy Callaghan and Matt Motta, officially went live Jan. 27, but planning began spring 2023. 
Science Missions tab on the NASA website. The Lunar Environment heliospheric X-ray Imager, a telescope designed at Boston University’s Center for Space Physics aboard NASA’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 spacecraft, went into lunar orbit on Feb. 13. SARAH CRUZ/DFP PHOTOGRAPHER

BU faculty reach new horizons through NASA-funded projects

By Jack Schwed February 19, 2025
Safely landing a human on the moon in 1969 and launching the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990 are only a few of the accomplishments that have established NASA as one of the leading space agencies of the world.  Now, over 80 science missions and countless other projects are under development at NASA, some led by teams of faculty and students at Boston University. 
A protestor speaks during a walkout against mass deportation at Marsh Plaza on Jan. 24. Since Trump began his second term, marginalized communities throughout the country have worried his plans will hinder their ability to receive proper healthcare. JOHN DOWNES/DFP PHOTOGRAPHER

Trump’s mass deportation plans place undocumented immigrants at major risk for mental, physical harm

By Kavitha Koshkarian February 16, 2025
Since President Donald Trump began his second term, immigrants throughout the country have worried his plans will hinder their ability to receive proper healthcare. Undocumented immigrants have begun to see effects in their lives. 
A bird perches on a tree branch in Boston Public Garden. A recent increase in bird flu cases in Massachusetts has both residents and scientists concerned about the disease spreading to other mammals and humans. SARAH CRUZ/DFP PHOTOGRAPHER

Massachusetts faces surge in bird flu cases, officials explain concerns for limiting exposure

By Samantha Genzer, City Co-Editor February 12, 2025
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, fears of another widespread outbreak occurring linger — and a recent surge in bird flu cases in Massachusetts is adding to those concerns. 
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