The rare discovery of two new fatty acids by a team led by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Huazhong Agricultural University in China resulted in stories in several media outlets. The articles were among 20-plus national news stories featuring Husker faculty, administrators and programs in August.

The new fatty acids — named Nebraskanic acid and Wuhanic acid, for the sites of the two leading institutions — were found in the oil of the Chinese violet cress, a purple plant native to central China.

“People who have done these analyses have missed that the oil contains these fatty acids because they’re just so different and don’t behave the way other similar oils do,” said Ed Cahoon, George Holmes University Professor of Biochemistry at Nebraska and study co-author, in an Aug. 27 Popular Mechanics article.

The oil has the potential to replace petroleum or synthetics as an engine lubricant. It works much like castor oil, but more efficiently at high temperatures.

Besides Cahoon, the research team included senior research associate Xiangjun Li and postdoctoral researcher Lucas Busta, both of Nebraska’s Center for Plant Science Innovation; and Rebecca Cahoon, research manager in biochemistry at Nebraska; along with scientists from Huazhong Agricultural University, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and the University of North Texas.

The Popular Mechanics article was picked up by MSN News. Stories also appeared in the Dallas Morning News and several other media outlets.

Other coverage:

Chancellor Ronnie Green and other Husker representatives recently traveled across the state to discuss the university. The leaders visited Seward, Columbus, Fremont and Blair. An Associated Press article on the visits appeared in U.S. News and World Report on Aug. 1.

Byron Chaves-Elizondo, assistant professor and food safety extension specialist at Nebraska, was interviewed for an Aug. 2 Health article on foodborne-illness outbreaks. The story later appeared in Time magazine and MSN News.

A study by University of Nebraska–Lincoln economists Ann Mari May and Mary McGarvey and International Labour Organization economist David Kucera found that female economists are more likely to support environmental policies than their male counterparts. The study was featured in an Aug. 2 Truthout.org piece on why more women should be involved in creating environmental policy.

Jennifer Davidson, president of the Nebraska Council on Economic Education and assistant professor of practice in economics at Nebraska, was interviewed for an Aug. 5 Associated Press article on a bill to establish standards for teaching financial literacy in Nebraska schools. The story was picked up by the Fremont Tribune, Grand Island Independent, Holdrege Citizen, Kearney Hub, KFXL, McCook Gazette, Norfolk Daily News, Education Week and several other media outlets across the country.

The university’s new Big Red Resilience program was featured in an Aug. 5 Omaha World-Herald article on college programs to help students reduce anxiety, deal with mental illnesses and improve their quality of life. Connie Boehm and Myrianna Bakou will oversee Big Red Resilience, in which 20 or 25 students will be trained to assist classmates in need. Stories on the program also appeared in the Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil, Grand Island Independent, Hastings Tribune, Kearney Hub, Lincoln Journal Star and nearly 20 other media outlets across the country.

Brian Lepard, law, was interviewed for an Aug. 6 article in the Brazilian newspaper Zero Hora about the United States’ Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 and its implications for Brazil.

The university was ranked No. 115 on Forbes’ list of America’s 500 Best Employers. The Lincoln Journal Star ran an article on the ranking Aug. 7. The Omaha World-Herald also mentioned the university’s ranking in an Aug. 7 story.

The university launched its Canine Cognition and Human Interaction Lab Aug. 11 with the inaugural Husker DogFest. Stories appeared in the Grand Island Independent, Hastings Tribune, Kearney Hub, KFXL, KIOS, KOLN/KGIN, KSNB, Lincoln Journal Star, Norfolk Daily News, Omaha World-Herald, Scottsbluff Star-Herald, WOWT, York News-Times, Sioux City Journal and more than 20 other media outlets across the country.

A feature story on Chigozie Obioma, English, and his upcoming second novel, “An Orchestra of Minorities,” appeared in the Aug. 13 issue of Publishers Weekly.

Eric Berger, law, was interviewed for an Aug. 14 USA Today article on the execution of Nebraska death-row inmate Carey Dean Moore. The story was picked up by more than 80 media outlets across the country.

BTN.com published an article Aug. 14 on the Discover the Great Plains series, a collaboration between the University of Nebraska Press and the Center for Great Plains Studies.

Josephine Potuto, Larson Professor of Constitutional Law at Nebraska and a former member of the NCAA Division I infractions committee, was quoted in an Aug. 16 Inside Higher Ed article on a new NCAA rule that says Division I institutions must cover costs for certain basketball players who want to come back to college.

The Week ran an article Aug. 16 on the latest drought map from the university’s National Drought Mitigation Center. The map showed that about one-third of the United States was battling drought and that parts of Missouri and Kansas suffering “exceptional drought” were expanding.

The International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium recently published a detailed description of the genome of bread wheat, the world’s most widely cultivated crop, in the journal Science. Stephen Baenziger, professor of agronomy and horticulture at Nebraska and Nebraska Wheat Growers presidential chair, was quoted in an Aug. 17 Feedstuffs article on the accomplishment.

Ryan Sullivan, law, was quoted in an Aug. 17 New York Times article about retailers using aggressive legal tactics against people falsely accused of shoplifting.

Amelia Maria de la Luz Montes, English and ethnic studies, was interviewed for an article in USA Today’s Best Years magazine on women deciding whether to color their gray hair. Race and culture can influence the decision to dye, Montes said. The article appeared in more than 40 media outlets across the country.

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, 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.