A group of four UNLV nursing students work on a manikin at the Clinical Simulation Center of Las Vegas.

UNLV Newsmakers 2019: Summer Edition

A collection of news stories capturing the excitement of UNLV’s campus in June, July and August.

When the fall semester arrives each year, UNLV’s campus comes to life as thousands of students and faculty return to their classrooms, lecture halls, and research labs. But does it ever really slow down? Not at UNLV. 

While some students and faculty traveled off campus for vacations, or to visit their hometowns this summer, the university still found a way to teem with accomplishments and breakthroughs.

Throughout the summer, a few notable health care achievements rose to the top. In August, UNLV’s School of Nursing was one of just 10 programs nationwide to be named a National Center of Excellence, and the UNLV School of Medicine named Dr. John Fildes, a nationally recognized trauma surgeon, as its interim dean. And earlier this summer, UNLV researchers finished a five-year-long study focused on a timely topic for Las Vegans: pavement burns. 

Across campus, university scholars kept busy by lending their expert insight into important news stories, and as the summer came to a close, UNLV welcomed a record number of students into on-campus housing units.

These stories and more capture the excitement that can be found on UNLV’s campus even in the summer months. 

Nursing Excellence

Summer was a busy time for UNLV’s School of Nursing. The school was one of just 10 programs nationwide named a 2019 Center of Excellence by the National League for Nursing — the leading professional organization for nurse educators. The distinction came just as the school expanded its competitive undergraduate program to accept more students.

In July, a group of high school juniors, seniors, and recent graduates got an inside look at the nursing profession during UNLV’s first-ever summer Nurse Camp.  

Blistering Burns

Las Vegas is known for having incredibly hot summers, with temperatures soaring beyond 115 degrees. With that kind of heat comes scorching hot pavements. This summer, a team of UNLV School of Medicine surgeons completed a five-year-long study focused on pavement-related burn cases in Southern Nevada. 

School of Medicine Appoints Interim Dean

Dr. John Fildes was appointed interim dean of the UNLV School of Medicine in early August. A nationally recognized trauma surgeon, Fildes stepped into the position as Founding Dean Barbara Atkinson transitioned into an advisory leadership role within the school. Among his many achievements, Fildes received a Trauma Achievement Award in 2018 from the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma for his work during the medical response after the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting in Las Vegas.

Sugar, Not so Nice

Sugar is found in a lot of foods, and although ice cream or a cool lemonade may sound refreshing on a hot summer’s day, UNLV dietitian Samantha Coogan gives an overview of what happens when you eliminate these sweet treats from your diet.

California Earthquakes Shake Las Vegas

Did you happen to feel the ground move a couple of times in early July? If you did, that’s because multiple strong earthquakes in California caused two temblors in Las Vegas. Geology professor Wanda Taylor has everything you need to know about earthquakes in southern Nevada and how to prepare for them.

Move-In Day at UNLV

The start of the fall semester at UNLV is an exciting time for new and returning students. But this year, UNLV celebrated a milestone by welcoming 4,300 first-time students to the university — a campus record. In addition, UNLV welcomed more than 3,000 students into campus housing, another record. A new apartment-style housing project — The Degree — debuted in August, and added more than 750 beds to the previous residence-hall population. 

Match-Fixing in Esports

The market size of the esports industry is growing exponentially and is expected to reach $1 billion this year. Brett Abarbanel with UNLV’s International Gaming Institute recently published a study on match-fixing — the purposeful intent to lose a competition, such as a soccer match or even an esports competition — which is considered by some the most serious risk to the legitimacy and growth of the nascent esports industry. According to Abarbanel, though fans of esports do not appear to be particularly bothered by the practice, she believes that match-fixing and other forms of corruption could chip away at the integrity of professional video game play.

History Detectives

A group UNLV history students spent the summer working to preserve and highlight an important part of Nevada and Hollywood history. The students learned how to become 'history detectives' — using seemingly mundane clues such as paint colors, clothing materials and styles to decipher and catalog details of artifacts at Walking Box Ranch. The historic ranch in Searchlight was built in 1931 by legendary silent film stars Rex Bell and Clara Bow and served as an escape destination for some of the couple's famous Hollywood friends.

Expert Roundup

  • Brian Labus lends his expertise on Legionnaires’ Disease (Popular Science) and flesh-eating bacteria in warm coastal waters (The Conversation)
  • Christopher Kearney on when school jitters turn into school refusal
  • Jennifer Roberts weighs in on the new California sports betting bill (Forbes) and the possibility of legalized gambling in Georgia (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
  • Dak Kopec lends his expertise into how living spaces can be sources of anxiety
  • Benjamin Burroughs explains the lack of a correlation between violence and video games
  • Anjala Krishen explains how online reviews can help businesses build relationships with their customers
  • Deirdre Clemente gives insight into women in the workplace fighting back against sexist dress codes
  • Allen Gibbs lends his expertise to the media regarding the grasshopper swarm in Las Vegas 
  • David Damore lends his expertise as the 2020 presidential election draws near
  • Austin Wang gives insight into the ongoing protests in Hong Kong
  • Shawn Gerstenberger weighs in on increasing mercury levels in fish

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newsmakers 2019,  newsmakers

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