An 87-year-old great-grandmother who completed her bachelor’s degree and a study that revealed uranium taints two major U.S. aquifers dominated the list of more than 60 news stories that mentioned UNL in August.

Some highlights of the stories that featured or cited UNL faculty, staff and students during the month:

Time.com, Huffington Post and several other web news providers published articles Aug. 14 about Jean Kops, an 87-year-old great-grandmother who completed her bachelor’s degree. NewsOK in Oklahoma picked up a Lincoln Journal-Star report on Kops’ accomplishment on Aug. 17; USA TODAY printed a story in its college news column Aug. 18, the Today show carried it on Aug. 19, and, in an Aug. 21 column, New York Magazine listed it among eight good things that happened that week.

Karrie Weber, biological, Earth and atmospheric sciences and doctoral candidate Jason Nolan received national and international coverage for a new study that showed two major aquifers were contaminated with uranium. Weber found that uranium naturally occurring in the soil moved into the water supplies after being mobilized by farm-based nitrate pollution. The Associated Press reported on the study Aug. 18, which led to widespread coverage across the U.S. Discovery News carried an Aug. 20 report. It was also covered by broadcasters in Texas and Russia.

The Huffington Post talked about Husker quarterback Tommy Armstrong’s experience as a survivor of Hurricane Katrina for an Aug. 29 report.

Newsday carried a Washington Post-generated report Aug. 5 about a University of Nebraska-Lincoln study by Azzeddine Azzam, Christopher Gustafson and Sarah Rehkamp, that found Americans could reduce their average body mass index if they ate more like the Greeks or the Japanese. The Miami Herald published the report on Aug. 10.

In an Aug. 3 Inside Indiana Business report, UNL alum David Bazzoni described how he paired up with a childhood friend who is an artist to develop a NFL-licensed children’s book.

Justin Chase Brown, scholarships and financial aid, offered tips for students who didn’t get enough financial aid in an Aug. 7 article for Homeroom, the official blog of the U.S. Department of Education. Brown gave advice on the Federal Work-Study program in an Aug. 17 Homeroom blog post.

The Associated Press quoted Thien Chau, student body president, for an Aug. 30 story about a new Nebraska law that grants immunity to underage drinkers who seek medical attention for alcohol poisoning for themselves or others. The story was carried by outlets nationwide.

Jennine Capó Crucet, English, talked about her recent move to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in an Aug. 5 Miami New Times story about her debut novel, “Make Your Home Among Strangers.” Her book got a favorable review from the New York Times on Aug. 16.

Wheeler Winston Dixon, film studies, discussed how “cord-cutting” – people canceling their cable TV service in favor of internet streaming – is undermining major media stocks. His comments appeared in an Aug. 12 U.S. News & World Report article.

Popular Science quoted Frans von der Dunk, space, cyber and telecommunications law, for a Aug. 25 story on whether a Mars settlement would be independent or an Earth colony.

Reuters carried an Aug. 6 story announcing $11 million equity financing for a miniaturized robot for general surgery. It is a spinout of technology developed by Shane Farritor, engineering, and University of Nebraska Medical Center surgery professor Dmitry Oleynikov.

First Husker, UNL’s new program to help first-generation students adapt to college, was the subject of a Aug. 25 report by The Associated Press. Student Somer Gaines was interviewed for the story, which was carried by outlets across the country, including the Washington Times.

Quentin D. Geis, an alumnus who surveyed homeless students for his graduate thesis, was quoted Aug. 24 in The Chronicle of Higher Education for a report on helping homeless students. Geis earned a master’s degree in student affairs and now works at Gonzaga University.

Downbeats magazine quoted Paul Haar and Hans Sturm, music, in a story about UNL’s jazz studies program and its reliance on mentorship.

TWILA – “This Week in Louisiania Agriculture” – covered an estate planning workshop offered by Ron Hanson, agricultural economics, at Louisiana Farm Bureau Convention. The TWILA report aired in early August.

Michael Hebert, special education and communication disorders, was featured in an Aug. 31 report by the Inside IES Research blog. Hebert, who is working to improve reading comprehension among children with learning disabilities, recently received an early career development award from the National Center for Special Education Research. The blog highlights events within the Institute of Education Sciences, which is the research arm of the U.S. Department of Education.

John Hibbing and Kevin Smith, political science, and their colleague John Alford of Rice University discussed the connections between biology and political preferences in a History News Network piece that appeared Aug. 9.

Julia McQuillan, sociology, discussed couples who are “childless by choice,” during an hour-long “Maine Calling” program broadcast Aug. 17 on MPBN, Maine’s National Public Radio station.

Artdaily reported Aug. 5 that Sheldon Museum of Art had acquired and installed a hand-painted fiberglass sculpture created by Yinka Shonibare. The sculpture, which captures the movement of cotton fabric billowing from a bolt, poses questions about race, class and globalization, according to Sheldon director Wally Mason.

Elizabeth K. Niehaus, educational administration, was among experts quoted in an Aug. 12 report by The Chronicle of Higher Education. The story, on global education, compared the merits of domestic service learning projects with studying abroad.

Joel Owens, accounting, was quoted in an Aug. 10 Reuters piece about his research showing corporations tend to hire accountants willing to “manage earnings” – that is, massage the numbers to make corporate profits look better. The study was led by a University of South Carolina accounting professor.

Next Level, a series of musical journals, highlighted bassist Hans Sturm, music, in its Spring 2015 issue.

BTN’s LiveBig featured UNL music graduate Jackson Thomas in an Aug. 8 story. Thomas recently founded a new choral ensemble, the KC VITAs Chamber Choir, in Kansas City.

People magazine featured UNL alumna Gabrielle Union’s Instagram of herself in an Heisman pose, rooting for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. “Breakin tackles like Mike Rozier,” said the post.

The Daily Dot quoted Matthew Waite, drone journalism lab founder, in an Aug. 20 article about the U.S. Senate’s efforts to regulate drones. “Blanket bans rarely work,” he said. “We don’t want to wreck the chance we have to take advantage of the technology.”

Stephen Wegulo, extension plant pathologist, was featured in an Aug. 20 Agri-View story about the continuing search for disease-resistant crops.

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.