School is back. Pumpkin spice is back. UNLV Newsmakers is back. It’s the time of year when the oppressive heat eases off of the gas pedal, but our students and experts floor it even harder when it comes to making headlines.
Are our Halloween costumes too crude and crass? Should former president Donald Trump be disqualified from reelection? And is it just me, or are flights getting more and more turbulent? These questions and more are answered by our experts. All you have to do is read on…
Cyber Attack
Without a doubt, the most talked about story of September was the string of reported cyber attacks on MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment. The attacks disrupted operations and resulted in revenue impacts that several properties on the Las Vegas Strip and others around the nation continue to recover from.
UNLV cybersecurity experts Yoohwan Kim and Greg Moody, as well as hospitality security expert Mehmet Erdem, were featured in media outlets all over the country to answer questions about this rapidly increasing line of crime.
Associated Press, Washington Post, New York Times, NBC News, ABC News, Business Insider, NewsNation, Yogonet, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Investing.com, HostingAdvice.com, KNPR, Las Vegas Sun (twice), KSNV-TV: News 3, KVVU-TV: FOX 5
Sphere to Stay
The latest addition to the Las Vegas Strip’s skyline is the Sphere – a ball of light that intends to change the game in live music performances (and ad space). The technological triumph is a first of its kind, drawing gawkers from all over the world. It took quite a lot of architectural ingenuity to bring such a structure to life, and professor Glenn Nowak helped piece together precisely how they did it.
CoStar, Associated Press, KTNV-TV: ABC 13, KLAS-TV: 8 News Now, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Las Vegas Sun, Vegas PBS
Nowak additionally talked to KSNV-TV: News 3 about the iconic venue at the Venetian Resort, alongside marketing professor Marla Royne Stafford who chimed in on the hefty advertising price tag.
Historian Michael Green and architecture professor Joshua Vermillion also commented on the Sphere with the Los Angeles Times, calling it a continuation of Las Vegas’ tradition of extravagant attractions.
University Business
University and community members remembered Carol C. Harter, UNLV's first woman and longest-serving president, who passed away this month at age 82: Las Vegas Review-Journal, KTNV-TV: ABC 13, Nevada Independent, KLAS-TV: 8 News Now, KSNV-TV: News 3, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
The Las Vegas Review-Journal, Las Vegas Sun, KSNV-TV: News 3, and KLAS-TV: 8 News Now talked to science professor Alison Sloat about UNLV’s $5 million federal grant to create an urban forestry initiative that combats extreme heat.
UNLV’s Greenspun College of Urban Affairs launched an interdisciplinary Tourist Safety Institute to research, document, create, and work with community stakeholders to implement new techniques and policies for safe, large-scale events in Las Vegas and throughout Nevada: KSNV-TV: News 3, KLAS-TV: 8 News Now, KTNV-TV: ABC 13, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Travel Weekly.
The Nevada Forward Initiative, a teacher prep program housed within UNLV’s College of Education, was approved by the Nevada Office of the Labor Commissioner’s Apprenticeship Council as the state’s first teacher training apprenticeship program: KVVU-TV: Fox 5 (twice)
Boyd Gaming is moving its innovation lab to UNLV's Black Fire Innovation building, giving students opportunities to learn and work alongside industry professionals to turn ideas into real technology, products, and businesses: Nevada Independent and Las Vegas Review-Journal
The Las Vegas Sun wrote a feature piece on the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine's new cadaver lab.
Wealth of Health
UNLV teamed with KSNV-TV: News 3 to host a community-wide mental health town hall. The PRACTICE executive director Michelle G. Paul and Student Counseling and Psychological Services director Shauna Landis served as panelists.
UNLV medical student Samantha Mujica was featured in the Las Vegas Sun, and explained how she manages her work-life balance.
Infectious disease expert Brian Labus twice spoke to Men’s Health about the lasting effects of COVID-19 and the symptoms of new variants. He also spoke to Health.com about RSV vaccine side effects.
Registered dietitian Samantha Coogan told Parade.com what happens to your body if you suddenly stop consuming alcohol.
Neuroscience researcher Jeffrey Cummings headlined work that saw treatments change for Parkinson's patients, and was quoted in NeurologyLive and Psychiatric Times.
College of Education professor Heather Dahl-Jacinto and dean Danica G. Hays had their comments featured in Counseling Today regarding suicide rates within marginalized groups.
In a guest column for Psychology Today, hospitality professor Stowe Shoemaker explained how progressive healthcare providers have begun to incorporate hospitality principles — such as the design of more welcoming arrival environments and pre-registration — into their operations.
There's a psychology reason you fancy your best friend's partner, psychology professor Stephen D. Benning told IFL Science.
Playing Politics
The research of graduate student Tanner Bates and political scientist Kenneth Miller was featured in the Washington Post, regarding corporate PAC contributions to Congress. Miller also chatted with Al Jazeera about longshot candidates sticking out the presidential race.
Law professor David Orentlicher’s opinion piece in CNN looks at the future of Donald Trump’s presidential bid and if the 14th amendment will play a role.
The Los Angeles Times spoke with political scientist Dan Lee in a discussion about the GOP’s presidential nominations.
Voice of America utilized the expertise of political scientist Austin Wang in a story about the upcoming Taiwanese presidential election.
Labor expert Ruben Garcia joined Bloomberg Law in a conversation about farmworker ‘self-advocacy’ and union protections.
Garcia — along with hospitality professor Bill Werner, gaming historian David G. Schwartz, and economics professors C. Jeffrey Waddoups and Stephen Miller — also chatted with multiple outlets about the local Culinary Union strike: USA Today, KNPR, Las Vegas Review-Journal (twice) (thrice), KTNV-TV: ABC 13 (twice), KSNV-TV: News 3
The Hill sought debate expert Jacob Thompson's insights ahead of the second GOP debate.
Travel and Culture
Aviation historian Dan Bubb talked to Reader’s Digest about worsening turbulence, while telling Travel + Leisure and CNN about best boarding practices, along with Newsweek about the meaning behind some of the chimes we hear on our flights.
Fast Company quoted railroad engineering expert Harry Teng in a piece on the future of U.S. train travel.
Astrophysicist Jason Steffen explained the prototypical ‘Steffen Method,’ the airplane boarding process of tomorrow, to CNN and USA Today.
TODAY ran through the most gaudy and inappropriate Halloween costumes for kids, with comments by psychologist Rachael Robnett.
Hospitality professor Anthony F. Lucas looked at Station Casinos’ forward-thinking land acquisition strategy for its properties, including the forthcoming Durango Casino and Resort, with Travel Weekly.
Historian Michael Green wrote a featured article for the Las Vegas Review-Journal chronicling Charles Vanda’s influence on the Las Vegas arts scene.
Fashion historian Deirdre Clemente penned an essay for The Conversation and spoke to CNN about the controversy in Congress about dress codes. She also helped Snopes fact check a vintage image showing women wearing 'blizzard cones,' and appeared on the Iconic podcast to talk about the history of the now-political fashion piece known as the hoodie.
Finance professor Daniel Chi shared tips with KCBS Radio listeners on how to become a millionaire without winning the lottery.
UNLV financial aid director Zachary Goodwin explained ways to make the student loan payment process easier to KLAS-TV: 8 News Now viewers, and the story was picked up by Yahoo!.
Law professor Benjamin Edwards talked options trading and stock speculation risk gambling with the Wall Street Journal. He was also interviewed by Bloomberg and Wealth Management about fiduciary rulemaking.
