Nebraska in the national news: June 2026

University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty provided expertise on throwback parenting and political anxiety for national news stories in June. The stories were among 25-plus featuring Husker faculty, staff, students, centers and programs during the month.

• Ciera Kirkpatrick, assistant professor of advertising and public relations, was quoted in a June 4 Slate article on the growing trend of low-tech, ’90s-style parenting. She noted that many staples of a ’90s childhood simply don’t compute with today’s parenting and safety concerns. “There are a lot of parents who are not going to tell their kids to explore the neighborhood with their friends or let their kids sleep over at a friend’s house when they don’t know much about that family,” she said. “There are certain elements of the world that are just different …”
• Kevin Smith, Olson Professor of political science, was interviewed for a June 15 NJ.com article on how unpredictability under President Donald Trump is fueling political anxiety. The article also cited Smith’s research, which has found that 44% of Americans lost sleep, and one in 20 had suicidal thoughts, over politics. “This is basically a public health problem,” he said.

Additional national news coverage in June included:

• Judy Wu-Smart, entomology, was interviewed for a June 1 Grist article on the impact of neonicotinoid pesticides on pollinators and people. Wu-Smart discussed the AltEn ethanol plant near Mead, Nebraska, which processed much of North America’s surplus neonic-treated corn seed, contaminating surrounding ecosystems and causing near-total losses of nearby beehives until the plant closed in 2021. “We’re still seeing high amounts of neonics in the honey from our hives in the area,” she said. “I wouldn’t eat it.”
• Twenty-one students from across the Cornhusker State were recently selected for the newest cohort of the Nebraska Elite 11 Veterinarian Program, a highly competitive University of Nebraska–Lincoln initiative designed to address the state’s shortage of food animal veterinarians. Stories on the new cohort appeared in KHGI, the Shelton Clipper and The Fence Post.
• The national Wheat Quality Council recently selected the hard red winter wheat line NE20620, developed through the university’s Small Grains Breeding and Genetics Program, for its Miller’s Choice Award 2026. The regional award points to the variety’s exceptional quality for milling, mixing and baking. Katherine Frels, agronomy and horticulture, director of the small-grains breeding program, was interviewed about the variety for a June 2 segment on RFD-TV’s “Market Day Report.”
• The warm winter, prolonged drought and spring freezes have combined to make this a punishing year for western Nebraska wheat growers. The challenges are steep, but new wheat and triticale varieties developed by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with producer input provide hope for future seasons. Articles on the new varieties have appeared in Nebraska Farmer, The Fence Post and High Plains Journal.
• Michael Forsberg, a conservation photographer, founder of the Platte Basin Timelapse and research assistant professor in the School of Natural Resources; and Andy Caven, director of central flyway programs at the International Crane Foundation, biked the migration path of the whooping crane — known as the Whooper Highway — this summer. The ride was meant to raise awareness of wetlands habitat loss. Stories on the ride appeared in the Fremont Tribune, Grand Island Independent, Kearney Hub, Minden Courier and Council Bluffs (Iowa) Daily Nonpareil.
• Recognizing a shortage in senior healthcare options in their community, residents of Arapahoe, Nebraska, worked with the Nebraska Cooperative Development Center, a Nebraska Extension program, to form the Republican River Valley Homecare Cooperative. The worker cooperative, which is now accepting clients, aims to help elderly residents stay in their homes longer. The High Plains Journal ran a June 9 article on the cooperative.
• Jessica A. Shoemaker, law, has been named a fellow of Harvard University’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study for the 2026-27 academic year. As a Radcliffe-Salata Climate Justice Fellow, she will work on her book “Ground Rules: Property and the Making and Remaking of the American Countryside.” The Fence Post ran a June 10 article on Schoemaker’s fellowship.
• Eight Husker students are spending part of their summer immersed in Nebraska as Rural Fellows. The students are living and working alongside residents in Curtis, Hastings, York and Knox County, contributing to local projects while gaining hands-on experience. Tri-State Livestock News ran a June 11 article on the fellows.
• The Uber Blog published a June 16 article on the new Husker Late Night Ride program, a partnership among the university, Nebraska Athletics and the ride-hailing company. More than 15,200 rides have been taken by Husker students since the program started in late January.
• Kacie McCarthy, animal science, beef cow-calf extension specialist, was interviewed for a June 16 segment on RFD-TV’s “Market Day Report.” She discussed cow-calf management strategies and extension resources available to help ranchers.
• A new survey by Nebraska Extension is focusing on the challenges faced by farm and ranch families dealing with divorce, separation or child custody changes. Farms.com ran a June 16 article on the survey.
• The university’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources is aware of the confirmation of New World screwworm in Texas and is monitoring developments related to the parasite, The Fence Post reported June 16. University experts are partnering with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, the Nebraska Cattlemen and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to monitor for the pest, which has not been detected in Nebraska.
• Husker scientists led by Hiep Vu, animal science, have developed a new swine influenza vaccination technique whose low cost and adaptability can greatly strengthen disease protection. Articles on the technique appeared in Nebraska Public Media, Feed Strategy, The Fence Post, The Pig Site, Progressive Farmer and Tri-State Livestock News.
• Ashley Poust, Dr. Michael and Jane Voorhies Endowed Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the University of Nebraska State Museum, was part of an international team that recently discovered a previously unknown species of prehistoric microraptor, which they named Jian changmaensis. KETV and CNN published stories on the discovery.
• A new study led by Alex Mason, child, youth and family studies, sheds light on how parental smoking shapes adolescents’ attitudes and use of both traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes, finding that fathers’ behaviors may play a more influential role than those of mothers. Stories on the research appeared in KLKN, the Lincoln Journal Star and Scienmag.
• Robert Hutkins, professor emeritus of food science and technology, was interviewed for a June 25 New York Times article on how fermented foods affect human health. Existing studies on the health benefits are promising, he said, but many are limited by their size, duration or observational nature (meaning they can’t prove cause and effect). More research is needed to see whether eating fermented foods can directly improve people’s health, he said.
• Katie Anania, art history, was consulted for a June 25 New York Times Wirecutter article on the best art TVs — those designed to be mounted on the wall and display artwork when they’re not showing video. She shared what is needed to accurately reproduce analog media — such as a painting — in a digital format.
• The U.S. Drought Monitor — produced jointly by the university’s National Drought Mitigation Center, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture — was cited in a June 26 Successful Farming article on drought conditions in Nebraska. A June 25 news release by Eric Hunt, extension educator in agricultural meteorology and climate resilience, was also cited in the article.
• The monitor was also cited in a June 26 Futurism article on widespread drought conditions across the United States. According to the latest monitor, only five states — Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Alaska and Hawaii — are completely drought free.
• The Fence Post ran a June 29 article on the Mobile Irrigation Testing Lab, an extension of the Irrigation Water Management Lab at the university’s West Central Research, Extension and Education Center in North Platte. The mobile lab works with producers to evaluate tools such as soil moisture sensors, satellite-based crop monitoring and irrigation scheduling platforms under real-world field conditions.

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, email Deann Gayman at deann.gayman@unl.edu.