October 7, 2013

UNL in the national news: September 2013


National media outlets featured and cited UNL sources on a number of topics in September. Appearances included:

The Center for Digital Research in the Humanities and its co-directors, Katherine Walter, University Libraries, and Kenneth M. Price, English, were touted in a Sept. 3 Chronicle of Higher Education column that reflected upon the digital humanities conference held on campus in July. Stephen Ramsay, English and a fellow at the Center, was quoted in a Sept. 3 Fast Company article about using algorithms to analyze literature.

Matthew Schaefer, law, discussed the legal ramifications of NASA’s proposed asteroid-capture mission, in the Sept. 3 edition of the Oregon Herald. http://go.unl.edu/xrdc

The Rev. Robert Matya, Newman Center chaplain, was quoted in a Sept. 3 Wall Street Journal about a trend toward more religious-based housing on campuses nation-wide. UNL opened a faith-based fraternity house this academic year. http://go.unl.edu/j9kt

In a Sept. 4 Christian Science Monitor article, Wheeler Winston Dixon, film studies, helped explain why Hollywood’s “disappointing” summer actually set a box office record. http://go.unl.edu/94nj

A 2012 study co-authored by Courtney Hillebrecht, political science, was quoted By The Atlantic on Sept. 4 on the reasons why Americans are reluctant to intervene in Syria. http://go.unl.edu/69vq

Linda Major, student affairs, discussed strategies to reduce high-risk drinking on campus in a Sept. 6 Yale Daily News article. http://go.unl.edu/pj0u

A Sept. 6 Associated Press article about the water-collecting drones under development by Carrick Detweiler and Sebastian Elbaum, computer science and engineering, was published in numerous media outlets nationwide. http://go.unl.edu/4y6b

UNL graduate Nicole Kelly, who represented Iowa in the Miss America pageant, was featured in an Associated Press article Sept. 9 about her efforts to advocate for people with disabilities. Though she was born without her left forearm, Kelly participates in sports, dance and pageants. http://go.unl.edu/imyd

Josephine Potuto, a law professor and immediate past president of a group of faculty representatives for NCAA Division I institutions, was quoted in The Chronicle of Higher Education Sept. 11 about her support for changes that would provide more money to some student athletes. http://go.unl.edu/rxny

Linda Schwartzkopf, Greek Affairs, was quoted in the Sept. 18 Daily Iowan about this year’s large class of women pledging UNL sororities. http://go.unl.edu/kc6p

Discoveries made by the archeology team led by Michael Hoff, art and art history, were featured in a Sept. 20 LiveScience article. The team, which uncovered a large mosaic in southern Turkey in 2012, found the head of an Aphrodite sculpture and a smaller temple mosaic in 2013. The story was featured in outlets around the world. http://go.unl.edu/h4tc

A study co-authored by Ann Mari May and Mary McGarvey, economics, was quoted in a Sept. 20 Wall Street Journal blog article about the scarcity of women in economics. http://go.unl.edu/qjx2

“The Selected Letters of Willa Cather,” co-edited by Andrew Jewell, libraries, was reviewed in the September issue of The American Spectator. http://go.unl.edu/0oq6

Kwame Dawes, English, was interviewed Sept. 25 on PBS NEWSHOUR about the death of his family friend and fellow Ghanaian poet Kofi Awoonor in the terrorist attack on a shopping mall in Kenya. Dawes was in Nairobi to meet with Awoonor at a literary festival at the time of the attack. The University of Nebraska Press is to publish a new collection of Awoonor’s poetry in 2014, kicking off the new African Poetry Book Series. Dawes also published several Wall Street Journal blog articles about the man he regarded as an uncle. http://go.unl.edu/89xz

UNL climate and water experts made the news several times during the month: the National Drought Mitigation Center reported worsened drought in a Sept. 12 article by The Associated Press; climatologist Al Dutcher predicted a wet harvest in the Sept. 19 Farm Journal; and Vitaly Zlotnick, earth and atmospheric sciences, talked with LiveScience Sept. 19 about Nebraska’s risk as Colorado flood waters poured into the state. On Sept. 27, CNBC cited the Drought Mitigation Center while reporting rain had come too late to improve corn and soybean yields. http://go.unl.edu/ddda

Cody Hollist, Child, Youth and Family Studies, was quoted Sept. 25 in Nature World News about a long-term study that showed a positive connection between marital happiness and physical health. Hollist co-authored the research published in the Journal of Marriage and Family. http://go.unl.edu/dvop

John Hibbing and Kevin Smith, political science, talked about their newly released book Predisposed: Liberals, Conservatives and the Biology of Political Differences in several venues, including the syndicated radio program For Your Ears Only and the Down with Tyranny blog. http://go.unl.edu/9pze

This is a monthly column featuring UNL faculty, administrators and staff in the national news. National media often work with University Communications to identify and connect with UNL sources for the purpose of including the university’s research, expertise and programming in published or broadcasted work. 







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.