University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty played a part in two Washington Post stories in June. The articles were among 30-plus national news stories featuring Husker faculty, staff, students, centers and programs during the month.
Lily Wang, Charles W. and Margre H. Durham Distinguished Professor and director of the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction, was featured in a June 2 Post article exploring noise levels in restaurants. She recently dined with the Post’s Bishop Sand and Tom Sietsema to help them better understand restaurant soundscapes. She said she thinks aesthetic changes — such as more industrial design — contribute to restaurants getting louder.
Yiqi Yang, Charles Bessey Professor of textiles, merchandising and fashion design, and biological systems engineering, was interviewed for a June 8 Post article on whether linen or cotton keeps one cooler in the summer heat. “Your comfort is determined by how much body moisture is being released,” he said.
Additional national news coverage in June included:
Kate Lyons, biological sciences, was interviewed for a June 3 Science article on a new study suggesting that the woolly rhinoceros went extinct about 10,000 years ago due to a combination of climate change and human hunting. “The really important part of what they’re showing is the role of habitat fragmentation in the extinction of species,” she said. “That is, in my opinion, the main thing that humans do today that is going to make it really hard to save a lot of species.”
Husker scientists have taken a major step forward in identifying the function of corn genes. Their findings, recently published in The Plant Journal, could lead to faster creation of more resilient corn varieties and broader producer access to improved crops. Articles on the research appeared in Nebraska Ag Connection, Farms.com and Seed World.
Barney McCoy, broadcasting, was interviewed about his new documentary, “Running Towards the Fire,” for Straight Arrow News’ “Weapons and Warfare” program. The film, which was directed, produced and narrated by McCoy, captures the pivotal role war correspondents played during the Allied forces’ 1944 D-Day invasion of Europe and subsequent defeat of Nazi Germany and the Axis Powers in 1945.
Advanced ag technology has gained important momentum in recent years, and Nebraska is playing a key leadership role. A panel of entrepreneurs and business analysts spoke in detail on that theme during the May 29 Heuermann Lecture at Nebraska Innovation Campus. Rural Radio Network and Tri-State Livestock News ran articles on the lecture.
The first North American tour of “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” is coming to the Lied Center for Performing Arts for a two-week run, Feb. 4 to 16, 2025. Stories on the show appeared in KLIN, KLKN, KOLN/KGIN, the Lincoln Journal Star and Broadway World.
Kyle Koch, assistant extension educator with Nebraska Extension, was consulted for a June 15 Snopes fact check on a social media post purporting to be a Demodex mite that is actually a silkworm moth caterpillar. He pointed out that the specimen’s mouth doesn’t resemble the needle-like chelicerae or beak-like rostrum found across the many Demodex species and that they wouldn’t have hairlike bristles. Yahoo! News picked up the article.
Jay Parsons, director of the university’s Center for Agricultural Profitability, was interviewed for a June 18 segment on RFD-TV. He discussed a new report by U.S. Department of Agriculture, University of Nebraska–Lincoln and other researchers suggesting that integrating cover crops into livestock operations offers environmental benefits that also have the potential to boost profits.
Beef magazine published a June 19 article on Marcus McCaskill, a senior veterinary science, pre-veterinary medicine and fisheries and wildlife major whose research aims to reduce the impact of pinkeye in the beef industry. “People like me, my adviser Dr. (Dustin) Loy (and) other researchers are trying to mitigate the spread of pinkeye,” McCaskill said. “We are just trying to keep our cattle healthy to keep Nebraska economically healthy.”
The university is nearing completion of its Klosterman Feedlot Innovation Center at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Education and Extension Center near Mead, Meat and Poultry reported June 21. The university broke ground on the $7.4 million project in November 2022.
Ari Kohen, political science, director of the Harris Center for Judaic Studies, was interviewed for a June 26 Associated Press article on Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen signaling for the state’s winner-take-all elections to be addressed in an upcoming special session on property tax relief. Kohen noted that Pillen had not campaigned on or even publicly discussed the winner-take-all issue until loyalists to former President Donald Trump called for it. The article was picked up by ABC News, Breitbart, the Daily Mail, MSN, Newsday, the Washington Times, Yahoo! News and 30-plus other media outlets.
Kevin Smith, political science, was the featured guest on the June 27 episode of RadioMD’s HER podcast for women. He discussed his research on the impact of politics on mental health.
University of Nebraska Regent Barb Weitz recently suggested building a columbarium under Memorial Stadium where departed Husker fans could have their ashes inurned. Stories on the idea appeared in The Associated Press, KETV, Lincoln Journal Star, Omaha World-Herald, ABC News, Huffpost, Newsday, Washington Post and 200-plus other media outlets.
Jack Beard, associate professor of law and director of the Space, Cyber and National Security Law program, was interviewed for a June 28 Forbes article on Russia escalating its nuclear brinkmanship. If Russia were to explode a nuclear warhead near the International Space Station, killing its American and European astronauts and destroying a swath of U.S. satellites, the act of aggression could quickly cascade into a superpower confrontation, he said.
Faculty, administration, student and staff appearances in the national media are logged at http://newsroom.unl.edu/inthenews. If you have additions to the list, contact Sean Hagewood at shagewood2@unl.edu or 402-472-8514. If you have suggestions for national news stories, contact Leslie Reed at lreed5@unl.edu or 402-472-2059.
