From romance to research and everything in between, UNLV experts were prominently featured in news headlines this February.

They shared expertise on Black history and culture both locally and nationally, and were honored for their accomplishments. Some experts delved deep into global conversation about environmental and health issues, while others focused on the impact of technology and economic changes on our lives. Media outlets also covered new courses and programs at UNLV aimed at enhancing our educational offerings and surrounding communities.

Just a few examples are highlighted in the latest installment of UNLV Newsmakers:

Black History Month

• ABC News talked to Oral History Research Center director Claytee White and gaming historian David G. Schwartz about the history of iconic Black entertainers in Las Vegas. White also chatted with KSNV-TV: News 3 about the Historic Harrison Guest House, where Black entertainers stayed during the days of segregation; KSNV-TV: News 3 again about Sarann Knight-Preddy, the first African American to hold a Nevada gaming license; USA Today about ways travelers can brush up on Las Vegas Black history and culture. She also hosted an African fashion show, per Las Vegas Weekly.
• African American and African Diaspora Studies professor Tyler D. Parry spoke with Seventeen Magazine about the meaning of Black History Month colors; HuffPost about Black greeting gestures; Essence Magazine about the Black wedding tradition of jumping the broom; KCRW about police dogs; KNPR about food insecurity on the Historic Westside; and KNTV-TV: ABC 13 about the importance of teaching Black history. He also chatted with KLAS-TV: 8 News Now about barriers that keep the Black community from seeking help for mental health and with KLAS-TV: 8 News Now again about Black dentist James B. McMillan, the namesake of a local school, who helped fight segregation in Las Vegas.
• Minority Nurse recognized School of Nursing dean Angela F. Amar as a prominent healthcare leader who’s making impacts in her field.
• KTNV-TV: ABC 13 highlighted President Keith E. Whitfield’s community impact for Black History Month.
• KTNV-TV: ABC 13 also covered an exhibit in Lied Library that explored the natural hair movement and CROWN Act.
• Former UNLV Football assistant Autumn Lockwood became the first Black woman to coach in the Super Bowl: KSNV-TV: News 3, PopSugar, Yahoo

Love In the Air

• History professor Elizabeth Nelson is an expert on marketing surrounding holidays. She chatted about the origins and evolution of Valentine’s Day with The History Channel, Newsweek, and NPR, and dozens of outlets also picked up her Associated Press interview on the topic.
• Relationship therapist Katherine M. Hertlein was quoted by the New York Times about couples with conflicting sleep schedules and Glam about reverse catfishing. She and fellow Couple and Family Therapy Program professor Vaida Kazlauskaite answered KNPR listeners’ questions about navigating looking for love in Las Vegas.
• Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine adjunct professor Cortney S. Warren wrote an essay for Psychology Today on loving your body in the bedroom.

Climate/Environment

• Economic geologist Simon Jowitt commented on cobalt mines via Seeking Alpha; electric vehicle batteries via Communications of the ACM; Indian and European lithium mining via Global Finance Magazine and EuroNews; and China’s impact on the mineral supply chain via A Rock and a Hard Place.
• Following deadly earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, Vox interviewed crisis communication expert Rebecca Rice about natural disaster response.
• Scripps (twice) interviewed hydrologist David Kreamer about federal intervention surrounding the Colorado River water usage dispute and Las Vegas measures to cut water use.
• School of Life Sciences professor Jef Jaeger was quoted in a Wall Street Journal piece about the uptick in short-term rentals located in the desert.
• Brookings Mountain West researcher Mary Blankenship spoke to The Ukrainian Review about Russian disinformation surrounding a grain transportation deal.

Tech/Space

• A new frontier of space travel could lead to health risks, as physicist Francis Cucinotta talked to The Daily Mail about the dangers of space radiation on our eventual journey to Mars.
• Journalism professor Stephen Bates joined Gizmodo for a conversation about the First Amendment’s place in social media, and the role of censorship as corporations try to maximize profits on their platforms.
• Psychology professor David Copeland looked at ways technology is actually slowing intellectual stimulation down in a story with Medium.
• The New York Post covered the massive flight disruptions the country experienced at the start of the year with commercial aviation and airport history expert Dan Bubb.
• Afraid of needles? Psychology department chair Christopher Kearney discussed the links between pain and anxiety in a Healthline article about virtual reality being used as a distraction aid.

Sports Betting and Economy

• International Gaming Institute executive director Brett Abarbanel walked SportsHandle and KLAS-TV: 8 News Now through the ways increased sports betting might impact the Super Bowl. Travel Weekly also featured her comments in a story about record airport traffic numbers.
• The sports-betting conversation continued with SportsHandle, who this time talked to Alan Feldman from the International Gaming Institute about misleading terminology in “risk-free” gambling ad campaigns.
• Marketplace tackled the topic of the federal government’s COVID relief and stimulus checks with financial law expert Francine Lipman, and its ability to tax those payments.
• As employers struggled to find and retain workers in the wake of the pandemic, hospitality professor Amanda Belarmino joined The Food Institute with advice for employers to stand out and create a desirable workplace.

Health

• AARP interviewed biochemist Ernesto Abel-Santos about the dirtiest areas of our homes and how to clean them.
• Yahoo! talked to child psychologist Chris Kearney about navigating school refusal.
• Kinesiology professor John Mercer chatted with LiveScience about the role and importance of cadence in establishing a running routine.
• Brain health researcher Jeffrey L. Cummings was featured in a Drug Discovery News piece about the amyloid hypothesis and Alzheimer’s disease.
• UPI and Science Magazine highlighted a study by School of Integrated Health Sciences professor Arpita Basu into the heart health benefits of eating strawberries.
• Do you know the silent signs of anemia? Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine dean Marc J. Kahn chatted with Reader’s Digest Canada about them. He also weighed in on the rising popularity of weight loss drug Ozempic via KSNV-TV: News 3 and the health toll of shift work via the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
• Manoj Sharma, chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Health, spoke to The Sunday Guardian about growing waistlines. He also spoke to New India Abroad about the contribution of Indian-origin doctors to American healthcare.
• School of Public Health infectious disease expert Brian Labus’ expertise was highlighted in a Healthline article about the effectiveness of the flu shot, a Giddy piece about the evolution of mpox and its name change, and an HPS Magazine story about COVID-19 safety on cruise ships.
• Giddy interviewed couple and family therapist Brandon Eddy about preparing for a “rainbow baby” — a child born after the loss of another one.
• Neuroscientists Rochelle and Dustin Hines explained the importance of increasing resources and innovative treatments for mental health to Desert Companion readers. 

University News

• President Keith E. Whtifield delivered his annual State of the University Address: KSNV-TV: News 3, KLAS-TV: 8 News Now
• Debate surrounding student loan debt forgiveness encouraged the UNLV Lee Business School to launch financial literacy courses, reported KSNV-TV: News 3.
• KSNV-TV: News 3 also highlighted how lecturer Molly Sullivan’s journalism class is giving students access to Southern Nevada’s growing sports scene.
• KLAS-TV: 8 News Now attended the School of Medicine’s most recent white coat ceremony. The outlet additionally highlighted a collaboration with the Clark County Coroner’s Office on a new forensic fellowship program.

General Roundup

• Bankruptcy law expert Nancy Rapoport chatted with Bloomberg about financing woes at Party City, and the story was picked up by Yahoo!.
• Insider spoke to sociology professor Lillian Jungleib about the changing financial and emotional nature of sex workers’ jobs amid the economic downturn.
• Nursing professor Jennifer Kawi was featured in an Authority Magazine piece about alleviating chronic pain.
• History professor and 19th-century pop culture expert Elizabeth Nelson shared insight with Mashed about common cowboy favorite foods.
• Wildlife ecologist David Choate talked to City Cast Las Vegas about recent coyote sightings in residential neighborhoods.