A man stocking shelfs at the food pantry

UNLV Newsmakers 2021: November

A collection of news stories featuring research and accomplishment at UNLV.

November is a busy time of year for many. It’s filled with final exam prep, holiday shopping, and excitement for the end of the year.

November proved to be a groundbreaking month with a UNLV researcher unearthing a newly discovered mineral known as davemaoite. Over in the legal world, a UNLV professor was chosen by President Biden for judgeship, while UNLV experts in other disciplines continued to monitor COVID-19 repercussions. Experts also discussed a variety of issues affecting school systems, and economists analyzed the current state of the casino industry and how it’s affecting Las Vegas’s economy. Finally, experts talked about this year’s holiday season. 

Read on to learn more in the newest edition of UNLV Newsmakers.

Check Your Diamonds

UNLV geochemist Oliver Tschauner and colleagues reported in the journal Science in November the discovery of a new mineral on the surface of the Earth. There’s just one catch: it shouldn’t be here. The mineral — entrapped in a diamond and now named "davemaoite" — rose up to the surface from deep within the Earth’s lower mantle. It’s the first time that lower mantle minerals have ever been observed in nature because they usually fall apart when they reach the Earth’s surface, unable to retain their structure outside of a high-pressure environment.

Biden Taps Law Professor For Judgeship

UNLV professor Anne Rachel Traum was nominated by President Biden to fill a Northern Nevada federal court seat that has been vacant since 2016. Traum had been previously nominated by Barack Obama during his presidency, making this her second nomination to a federal courtship.

COVID, Almost Two Years Later

As we round the corner on the second full year of the COVID-19 pandemic, university experts have continued to do their part in the recovery process. Big topics university experts discussed vary from the anti-mask and anti-vax debate to the impact of shelter-in-place mandates on working parents. 

Schools, Universities Facing Teacher Shortage

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, a number of K-12 and higher education institutions around the country are seeing sparse faculty numbers — which observers fear could be exacerbated by increased vaccine mandates. University experts offered insight on what steps schools could take next.

Holiday Season Kicks Off

As the holiday season kicked off in November with Thanksgiving, many Las Vegans were left wondering what to expect for this year’s holiday season. University experts addressed consumers’ swirling uncertainty about growing food shortages, supply chain issues, and COVID’s repercussions on the holidays.

Business Booming Almost Too Well

November proved a dizzying month for Las Vegas economists and gaming analysts. The Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) hosted its end-of-year economic Outlook conference early in the month. Casino experts observed all-time high profits for casinos across the board, while two hospitality researchers explored the potential influence of gamblers’ habits on casino revenue. Meanwhile, economists noticed Las Vegas was on-trend to experience inflation and, as the Las Vegas market saw itself in high demand, university experts analyzed the ups and downs of this shift.

General Expert Round-Up

Campus Units:

Department of Anthropology,  School of Architecture,  Lee Business School,  Department of Communication Studies,  Couple and Family Therapy Program,  Department of Criminal Justice,  Department of Economics,  College of Education,  College of Fine Arts,  Department of Geoscience,  Department of History,  William F. Harrah College of Hospitality,  Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies,  William S. Boyd School of Law,  College of Liberal Arts,  Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV,  Department of Political Science,  Department of Psychology,  School of Public Health,  College of Sciences,  Greenspun College of Urban Affairs,  Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering,  Office of Economic Development,  Brookings Mountain West,  Center for Business and Economic Research,  International Gaming Institute,  The Lincy Institute,  Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine,  Transportation Research Center,  UNLV Food Pantry

Related Experts:

Stephen Bates ,  Amanda Belarmino ,  Erin Breen ,  David Copeland ,  Dr. Jeffrey L. Cummings ,  David Damore ,  Alan Feldman ,  Ruben Garcia ,  Danica G. Hays ,  Tamara D. Herold ,  Katherine M. Hertlein ,  Dr. Marc J. Kahn ,  Deborah Kuhls ,  Brian Labus ,  Steffen Lehmann ,  Anthony F. Lucas ,  Bradley Marianno ,  Ian McDonough ,  Stephen Miller ,  Shashi Nambisan ,  Edwin Oh ,  Natalie Pennington ,  David G. Schwartz ,  Jamie Schwartz ,  Stowe Shoemaker ,  Ashok Singh ,  Austin Horng-En Wang ,  Andrew Woods

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