Jingle bells have been replaced with school bells for the start of the spring semester. Its a new year, and 51勛圖窪蹋 isnt taking any breaks from getting right back into the academic swing of things.
From the wildfires in Los Angeles to the new political administration in the White House, our experts have frequented the headlines, covering a wide gamut of topics. Do air purifiers help prevent sickness? Are some video games grooming kids for gambling? Does it make a difference if a stop sign is red or blue?
Were starting the new year off right, with a healthy smattering of knowledge fit for any curious reader in January Newsmakers.
LA Wildfires
As wildfires burned in Los Angeles, 51勛圖窪蹋s experts have provided balance and nuance to a continually evolving set of circumstances. A wide range of topics included impacts to the housing market, air quality, climate change, fuel availability, and more.
- Public policy expert Ben Leffel talked about the struggles of balancing climate change action with sustainability from a government perspective, as well as resource management.
; ; (twice) - Lied Center for Real Estate economists Nic Irwin and Shawn McCoy primarily explained why developers build in wildfire-prone areas, and the ramifications the fires could have on the housing market:
; ; ; ; Salt Lake City Sun; ; ; (twice) (thrice); (); (); ; ; - Hospitality professor Amanda Belarmino spoke about the fires effect on tourism in Las Vegas in both and the .
- Ecologist Drew Peltier spoke about recent drought conditions and standing dead trees as contributing factors to the severity of the fires with .
- tapped public health professor Lung-Wen Antony Chen for a primer on the wildfires impact on air quality.
- Aviation historian Dan Bubb discussed the challenges in flying an aircraft that dumps water over wildfires with .
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, 51勛圖窪蹋 hosted an educational community event on campus.
The event complemented a temporary exhibit, The Holocaust: Reconstructing Shattered Humanity, featuring artifacts, images, and texts from the 1920s through the 1940s, thats on display at the Las Vegas office of Governor Joe Lombardo through March.51勛圖窪蹋 history students curated the exhibit in partnership with Heidi Straus and the Nevada Center for Humanity as part of a graduate class. History professor Gregory Brown and Straus were featured in a number of outlets to discuss the significance of the exhibit, Holocaust Remembrance Day, and why its necessary to remember the past.
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Health & Science
- interviewed infectious disease expert Brian Labus about the best time to get a flu shot. He was also featured in a piece on air purifiers ability to prevent sickness, and answered questions from , and about the safety of consuming or freezing eggs in light of concerns about rising bird flu cases.
- Astronomer Jason Steffen joined to talk about the trajectory of an asteroid heading toward Earth.
- Kinesiologist Janet Dufek provided tips on how to walk backward on a treadmill safely in .
- Astronomer Bing Zhang appeared in a piece that discussed the origins of fast radio bursts in space.
- received a primer on atmospheric water harvesting research from mechanical engineering expert H. Jeremy Cho.
- s article about the popularity of zero-alcohol products among youths featured insights from public health professor Timothy Grigsby and psychologist Lisa Durette.
- Hospitality expert Mehmet Erdem commented on robots and upcoming technology in the hotel space in the .
Culture
- Psychologist Shane Kraus shared his thoughts on the normalization of sports betting in kids lives in the .
- wrote about the influence of movies and shows on popular travel destinations with help from tourism expert Marta Soligo.
- Historian Elizabeth Nelson went over the origins of Christmas with .
- Gaming expert Kasra Ghaharian talked about an A.I. startup thats automating regulatory documents, generating breaking news articles, and now gambling in a story with .
- also discussed the rediscovery of buried towns with insight from historian Michael Green.
- Communication studies professor Donovan Conley explained why people most look forward to the food on Super Bowl night, rather than the game or halftime show, in .
- Hospitality expert Bill Werner appeared in a story about technologys threat to union jobs at hotels.
- TikTok ban news loomed large in January. included social media expert Benjamin Morse in a panel discussion about the potential impact on Nevada small businesses that rely on it for advertising, while turned to marketing professor Marla Royne Stafford.
Politics
- Law professor Benjamin Edwards commented on Finra, the financial industrys regulation body, making possible changes to its ability to remove members with both and .
- pinged public policy expert Ben Leffel for his thoughts on Elon Musks Boring Company drilling under Las Vegas with minimal oversight.
- Political scientist David Damore was a guest in the , discussing a North Carolina childrens hospital project and its various positive impacts on the community. Damore also had comments in regarding the outcome of the presidential election.
- Economic researcher Andrew Woods expressed his concerns around no tax on tips legislation in the .
- Immigration law experts Alissa Cooley Yonesawa and Michael Kagan appeared in several stories concerning immigration legislation and law: ; (); ; ; ; ; ,
University News
51勛圖窪蹋 State of the University
President Keith E. Whitfield delivered his fifth annual State of the University address on Jan. 30. He outlined the universitys path and accomplishments over the last year, discussed new and emerging programs and partnerships, and shared his vision for both the short and long-term growth of 51勛圖窪蹋. . Several projects were teased, such as the Freshman Tower Complex, while more immediate topics such as security improvements were detailed. The event was covered in the news by outlets such as the , , and .
U2 Scholarship Donation
The rock band U2 has donated $300,000 to the 51勛圖窪蹋 College of Fine Arts, creating the U2: UV Music Scholarship and Experiential Fund. This will provide support for music education and hands-on opportunities, such as travel and music performances, for School of Music majors.
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ESPNs New Responsible Gambling Campaign
was among outlets that reported on ESPNs latest partnership with 51勛圖窪蹋s International Gaming Institute to advance the networks responsible betting practices through education and research. The collaboration also includes research fellowships for faculty and students to study responsible gaming in sports media.
Sands Institute for Chinese Language and Culture
The Las Vegas Sands $15 million donation to 51勛圖窪蹋 fueled the launch of the Sands Institute for Chinese Language and Culture. It offers Mandarin language classes for both students and the community, plus a variety of other cultural exhibitions, student and faculty exchange experiences, and workforce development opportunities for professionals looking to succeed in an increasingly interconnected world.
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Experts Roundup
- spoke to 51勛圖窪蹋 student Sean Karaman and finance chair J. Daniel Chi about the proliferation of financial literacy tools on college campuses. Chis expertise was also featured in regarding the top stocks to buy in 2025.
- Airline historian Dan Bubb explained what the oft-peculiar SSSS means on boarding passes with . On a similar topic, Bubb talked to about the mistakes people make with boarding passes. sought his insights on the growth of the luxury retail market at airports. He also joined Newsweek for a pair of stories on the and for fliers.
- Bubb was heavily relied upon for stories related to the tragic midair collision between a commercial plane and an Army helicopter in Washington, D.C. His comments were featured in outlets such as: , (), , , , ; ; ; .
- and featured comments from architecture professor Glenn Nowak concerning a recent trend of repurposing old railroad stations into hotels and restaurants.
- Readers Digest posted a pair of stories the significance of and with help from transportation researcher Shashi Nambisan.
