Northeastern as a
Living Laboratory
Every building, every department, every research project — mapped as a sustainability ecosystem. Click any building to see its AI energy profile and active research.
10 buildings mapped · Click any building to explore its AI energy profile
Living Lab Project Tracker
Sustainability research projects active at Northeastern — across stages from ideation to publication.
AI Carbon Baseline Study
Sustainability Incubator
Measuring AI tool energy use across 500-student sample, stratified by college.
Smart Building Energy Optimization
ISEC / Facilities
ML-driven HVAC scheduling reducing peak load — 12% energy savings in pilot semester.
Campus Food Waste ML Predictor
Computer Science
Deep learning model predicting dining hall surplus to reduce food waste by 30%.
Real-time AI Usage Dashboard
Sustainability Incubator
Live carbon tracking for AI tool usage across all seven NU campuses.
Cross-campus Solar Potential Analysis
CEE / Facilities
LiDAR analysis of rooftop solar potential across 40 campus buildings.
Student Behavior Change Study
Psychology / Sustainability
RCT testing carbon-awareness nudges embedded in AI tool interfaces.
LED Retrofit Impact Analysis
Facilities Management
Full campus lighting retrofit documentation: 31% energy reduction, $420k annual savings.
MBTA Commute Carbon Calculator
Civil Engineering
Tool estimating commute emissions for Northeastern's 18,000 undergraduate students.
Green Roof Biodiversity Survey
Biology / CSSH
Pilot green roof on Shillman Hall: 47 species identified in year one.
This map was built in hours.
Imagine what months could build.
With institutional data access — energy meters, IT traffic logs, facilities records, purchasing data — this prototype could become a real-time sustainability intelligence platform for Northeastern's entire campus ecosystem.
Every building's AI energy draw, updated hourly. Every research project's carbon budget, tracked against its findings. Every student's tool usage, anonymized and aggregated into institutional insight. That is the opportunity the Sustainability Incubator is positioned to lead.
What It Would Take
- ⚡
Facilities API access
Building-level energy meters already exist — just need IT partnership
- 🔒
Anonymized network logs
AI traffic data to AI endpoints — precedent exists at peer institutions
- 👥
One student research team
3–4 students, 1 faculty advisor, 1 semester of focused work
- 📊
Institutional endorsement
Sustainability office sign-off to make data access requests credible