With the mercury finally hitting a little higher, it’s really starting to feel like the finish line for the semester is in sight (along with plenty of additional bird chirps around campus).

A lengthy March is now behind us, and a colorful assortment of news stories featuring UNLV experts are ready to fill up the next basket of Newsmakers. What do all of the tariffs mean for Nevada? Did you know St. Patrick wasn’t actually Irish? Does it really matter what shoes you wear for a workout? And what’s the deal with paper straws?

So, grab some chocolate eggs and holster your handkerchief because March Newsmakers is all the allergy relief you’ll need this season.

Health & Science

• Infectious disease expert Brian Labus was a hot commodity with the media in March. He spoke to multiple outlets about topics ranging from pockets of measles outbreaks and vaccination rates to egg preservation: Parade, Men’s Health, Food & Wine, Yahoo (twice), MedPage Today, Las Vegas Sun, Nevada Current
• Pediatric infectious disease expert David DiJohn also discussed the measles virus in Parade.
• KNPR and Vegas PBS reflected on the 5-year anniversary of COVID-19 lockdowns with Brian Labus, education professor Megan Rauch Griffard, and business researcher Andrew Woods. (PBS also checked in with geoscientist Libby Hausrath regarding her latest NASA study involving Mars.) Meanwhile, family medicine professor David Weismiller also commented on the millions of people still living with long COVID in a KSNV: News 3 interview. 

• The Washington Post (also picked up by Yahoo) spoke with behavioral health professor Manoj Sharma about vaccine hesitancy research being impacted by federal cuts.
• The Daily Mail and EWTN chatted with physicist Michael Pravica regarding a pair of astronauts recently rescued after spending months stranded in outer space.
• Wise & Well interviewed registered dietitian nutritionist Samantha Coogan about some of the worst mistakes you can make regarding your caloric intake.
• Are you into running or lifting? Kinesiologist John Mercer spoke of the importance of picking the right shoe for the job in SELF.
• HuffPost asked physical therapist Kai-Yu Ho for advice on improving bone density, and the story was picked up by Buzzfeed.
• Physical therapist Jennifer Nash offered advice on avoiding falls as we age in a story from The Guardian.

Culture

• Tourism researcher Marta Soligo discussed the popularity of quiet travel destinations in Next Avenue, and the importance of encouraging respectful tourist behaviors in Las Vegas Weekly. Her insight was also featured in a Boston Globe piece about arid tourist destinations’ increasing popularity over beach vacations, and in the BBC regarding the importance of the hospitality sector in the U.S. economy as international tourists boycott travel to the country.
• African American history expert Tyler D. Parry helped TODAY find the origin of a slang phrase seeing a rise in popularity.
• CBS News explored why we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and included comments from historian Cian T. McMahon.
• Economist Eric Chiang detailed the “bundling strategy” for fast food value meals in Quartz.
• Communications professor Emma Frances Bloomfield talked about the psychology behind climate-friendly choices in Grist (also picked up by Yahoo).
• Neuroscientist Dustin Hines explained the psychology behind perceived beauty with Newsweek.

Politics

• Immigration law expert Michael Kagan commented on the president’s use of the Alien Enemies Act in USA Today.
• Public health researcher Jace Flatt and public policy expert Benjamin Leffel talked about federal funding cuts impacting university research in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, STAT News, The 19th, and the Las Vegas Sun.
• Aviation historian Dan Bubb commented on the FAA’s recent troubles with the National News Desk. Bubb’s expertise was also featured in a Smithsonian Air & Space Quarterly Magazine article about making emergency landings on bodies of water, and the growing retail market within airports in Simple Flying.
• Following arson at a collision repair facility targeting Teslas, historian Michael Green joined the National News Desk for discourse about violent political protest. 
• KSNV: News 3 called upon UNLV experts to help parse through several federal changes. The outlet spoke with economists Ian McDonough and Stephen Miller about tariffs’ potential impact on local grocery stores and energy costs. News 3 also interviewed finance department director Daniel Chi for an overview on tariffs, and Rebecca Gill regarding the proposed dismantling of the Department of Education.

University News

• Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine dean Marc J. Kahn discussed Nevada’s doctor shortage and how UNLV aimed to help via its most recent “Match Day” ceremony. Sixty future doctors learned where they had secured residencies, and 41% will stay in the Silver State for their specialty training.
  
  KLAS: 8 News Now, Las Vegas Sun, Vegas PBS, KSNV: News 3 (twice), KVVU: Fox 5, Las Vegas Review-Journal, KTNV: ABC 13, Las Vegas Weekly
• Gaming expert Kasra Ghaharian appeared in a pair of stories from CDC Gaming and Gambling Insider regarding a donation to the International Gaming Institute. 
• The Portland Business Journal, Green Market Report, and the Las Vegas Sun covered a Cannabis Policy Institute panel discussion on the national landscape and potential impact of interstate trade on the industry’s future.
• The UNLV Skatin’ Rebels clinched their first national hockey championship in program history: KVVU: Fox 5, KSNV: News 3, KLAS: 8 News Now, NHL.com, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Experts Roundup

• The New York Times interviewed gaming expert Brett Abarbanel about the growth of women’s basketball, and why it hasn’t popularized with sports bettors. Her advocacy efforts to promote safe gambling were also featured in CDC Gaming.
• The Washington Post’s chronicle of Hard Rock Cafe loyalists included comments from hospitality professor Amanda Belarmino. 
• Law expert Benjamin Edwards discussed a market-regulating organization, and how its invalidation could disrupt financial markets in Investment News, Bond Buyer, and Wealth Management.
• PGA program director Chris Cain explained how a new study hopes to revolutionize the golf practice round in CDC Gaming.