As we rapidly approach spring, the campus community is pushing forward with a renewed focus on recovery and resilience. With world events continuing to whiz by, UNLV has remained in the headlines for both its efforts to heal and university experts’ insights.
How did Las Vegas do as a Super Bowl host? Have the prolonged rainy skies been enough to get us out of the megadrought? How is the political game stacking up for Nevada, in a year busy with elections? And what are the ethics of blending AI with pornography?
Keep yourself up-to-date on the latest local and national rumblings in the freshest installment of Newsmakers.
Rebel Recovery
President Keith E. Whitfield’s Rebel Recovery program has been integral to navigating the path forward following the shooting tragedy on campus Dec. 6. A Native American healing ceremony, mental health resources for students and staff, and campus-wide security initiatives are just a few measures that have helped comfort the Rebel family.
- Mental Health:
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- Healing Ceremony:
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- Rebel Recovery/Safety:
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Super Bowl
In a move that would shock the Las Vegas of years past, Super Bowl 58 took over the Strip as the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs battled it out at Allegiant Stadium. More than 350,000 guests celebrated the occasion in the Valley, helping to cement this city’s place as the sports capital of the world. But how did Las Vegas get into this position? And at what cost?
Tackling topics of economics, history, pollution, advertising, air travel, pop culture, sports betting, and so much more, UNLV’s experts were called upon by media all over the country for some of the Big Game’s best stories.
- History and the ‘how we got here’ featuring Michael Green, Bo Bernhard, Lynn Comella, Steffen Lehmann, Nancy Lough, Brett Abarbanel, Andrew Woods, and Constancio Arnaldo Jr.:
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- Media exposure, hospitality, and sports betting with Amanda Belarmino, Nancy Lough, Brett Abarbanel, Gregory Moody, David Vinturella, Shane Kraus, Marla Royne Stafford, and Michael Green:
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- Air traffic and pop culture with Benjamin Leffel, Dan Bubb, and Michael Ian Borer:
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Politics
Primaries, caucuses, and presidential elections – oh, my! UNLV’s political science, legal, and psychology experts were heavily featured in stories from outlets near and far. Immigration, voting options, age stigmas, and how Nevada’s preparing for the upcoming presidential election were some of the most eye-grabbing topics.
- Primaries vs. caucuses with Kenneth Miller, Rebecca Gill, Dan Lee, David Damore:
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- Presidential election insight with Dan Lee and David Damore:
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- Immigration law with Michael Kagan; also ageism and mental health in politics with Brenna Renn:
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Experts Roundup
- UNLV's College of Engineering held a grand opening ceremony unveiling its new Advanced Engineering Building: , , , ,
- Geoscientist and climate expert Matthew Lachniet covered the impact the rainy weather has had on the Southwest megadrought with .
- checked in with gender and sexuality professor Lynn Comella about the ethics of AI sexbots.
- Claytee White (oral history researcher), Michael Green (historian), and David Schwartz (gaming history) were featured in a documentary about the evolution of Las Vegas from the 1930s to present.
- Economist Stephen Miller gave his thoughts on Nevada’s high unemployment rate with .
- Law expert Benjamin Edwards joined ’s discussion about Tesla’s apparent exit from Delaware.
- Geneticist Martin Schiller talked about the cheaper costs of operating his lab in Las Vegas with the . Schiller also talked about his lab work with and the .
- covered the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino with the help of gaming historian David Schwartz.
- Aviation expert Dan Bubb explained the sleeping conditions for pilots with .
- Historian Michael Green shared some of the Tropicana’s most memorable moments in , ahead of the hotel’s closure in April.
- The featured historian Elizabeth Nelson’s insight on how Valentine’s Day is changing.
- asked physicist Michael Pravica what would happen if a human traveled at the speed of light.