The first public test of a fire-starting drone was one of the top national stories involving the University of Nebraska-Lincoln during the month of April.
The drone, to be used to set fires in rangeland and forest for conservation purposes, is under development by researchers Sebastian Elbaum and Carrick Detweiler, computer science and engineering and co-founders of the co-founders of the Nebraska Intelligent Mobile Unmanned Systems (NIMBUS) Laboratory. The drone test at Homestead National Monument near Beatrice was among at least 40 UNL-related stories covered by media outlets outside Nebraska during the month. The Associated Press report on the test at Homestead National Monument of America was carried by more than 300 outlets across the country and around the world.
Other members of the research team include Brittany Duncan, computer science and engineering; Dirac Twidwell, agronomy and horticulture; and Craig Allen, Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research. A number of their students also are part of the team. Conducted in conjunction with the National Park Service and other federal agencies, the successful test also was covered by Popular Mechanics, Engadget and several technology and firefighting news sources. It also was extensively covered by Nebraska news outlets.
Other national reports involving UNL from April:
High Plains Journal and News-Medical.net carried stories in mid-April about the Noviplex card developed by Jiri Adamec, biochemistry. Adamec is working with Brazilian authorities to use the device to speed up testing for the Zika virus in Amazonian areas.
In addition to the extensive coverage of his work with the fire-starting drone, Detweiler was mentioned in an April 3 New Republic report describing cutting-edge drone research. The story, which originally appeared on “The Conversation” website for academically oriented news, described drones developed by Detweiler and others to wirelessly recharge batteries for electronic sensors located in remote areas and to retrieve measurements from those sensors.
A story about swallowing disorders that highlighted research by Angela Dietsch, special education and communications disorders, appeared in numerous outlets across the country after it was distributed by The Associated Press. The story originated in the Lincoln Journal Star.
The world’s largest independent gaming website, Fraghero, interviewed Wheeler Winston Dixon, film studies, for an April 12 report on why video game movie adaptations are almost always duds. Dixon explained that with video games, the player is the star of the show, directing the actors, choosing plot lines and, often, deciding whom to shoot to get to the next level. “When this aspect of the game is missing, viewers no longer feel like they are part of the action,” Dixon observed.
Higher education news outlets Inside Higher Ed, The Chronicle of Higher Education and Diverse: Issues in Higher Education all carried reports that Ronnie Green had been selected to be UNL’s next chancellor. Green was Harlan vice chancellor of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and interim senior vice chancellor of academic affairs. Green’s selection also was reported in the High Plains Journal.
The Wall Street Journal interviewed Kenneth Kiewra, educational psychology, for an April 4 report on recent studies that show students who take notes by hand generally outperform classmates who type their notes on a laptop computer. Kiewra, a nationally recognized expert on note-taking and successful study methods, also was mentioned in follow-up coverage by Fox News, Fortune Magazine and Entrepreneur Magazine.
Xu Li, environmental engineering, was interviewed for a story that aired April 7 on Iowa Public Radio on whether farmers do enough to control antibiotic resistance. The story originated with Harvest Public Media. Li measures antibiotic resistance in farm fields where livestock manure is spread as fertilizer.
Brad Lubben, agricultural economics, noted growing interest in agricultural careers among his students in an April 6 story about young Nebraska farmers that appeared in Farm Journal. The story originated with the Lincoln Journal Star and was distributed by the Associated Press.
The Daily Express in London and Republika in Indonesia carried reports in early April about a study led by Mark Mills, psychology, on how political ideologies are connected with emotion. The study found that politically conservative people have a better memory for negative information.
STAT, a health and medicine news site produced by Boston Globe Media, quoted Dennis Molfese, psychology, in a report on Ira Casson, a New York neurologist who was forced to step down as an NFL concussion specialist in 2009. Casson subsequently published a study concluding there’s little evidence linking pro football and chronic brain damage. Molfese described the study as “basically a waste of paper.”
Photographer and MFA student Zora J. Murff was featured in the Huffington Post’s Arts and Culture blog on April 6. The story highlighted Murff’s photos of youth in the juvenile justice system. Murff published his first monograph, “Corrections,” in winter 2015.
When the Nebraska Legislature debated whether to return to a “winner-take-all” approach to electoral college votes, the Washington Post interviewed Kevin Smith, political science, for an April 12 report in its political blog, “The Fix.” Smith drew a connection between President Obama winning a Nebraska electoral vote in 2008 and the GOP’s desire to change the system. The proposal failed by one vote.
High Plains Journal featured agronomy doctoral candidate Zach Stewart in an April 19 article describing his study of plant nutrition and human health to improve food security. Steward was recently honored with a fellowship and was named 2016 outstanding graduate student at the Great Plains Soil Fertility Conference.
Ann Tschetter, history, was featured by The Chronicle of Higher Education in a April 4 report on professors who are incorporating students’ desire for “graspable” skills while still fueling creative inquiry. Tschetter talked about her efforts to incorporate career development into her History 250 class, “Introduction to Historical Methods.”
The Daily Kos was among outlets across the country that reported on a study of homeless youth conducted by UNL researchers on behalf of the Administration for Children and Families with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The study of 873 homeless youth in 11 cities provided sobering details about life on the streets. It was conducted by Les Whitbeck, Melissa Welch-Lazoritz, Devan Crawford and Dane Hautala, sociology.
Faculty, administration, student and staff appearances in the national media are logged at http://newsroom.unl.edu/inthenews/ If you have additions to this list or suggestions for national news stories, contact Leslie Reed at lreed5@unl.edu or 402-472-2059.
