The Washington Post broke the news March 9 that a volunteer with the National Archives had found a letter penned by Walt Whitman while reviewing a Civil War widow’s pension file. Whitman scholar Kenneth Price, English, confirmed that the letter was written by Whitman. While the poet’s journal indicates that he wrote letters on behalf of injured and dying soldiers as part of his hospital volunteer work during the Civil War, this was only the third such letter to be identified. The Associated Press version of the story was carried by hundreds of outlets around the world, including the New York Times and each of the major TV networks. The Guardian, the Christian Science Monitor, Smithsonian Magazine and National Public Radio also reported on the discovery.
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Alissa Anderson and Elaine Hebets, biological sciences, continued to get coverage in March about their study of why male nursery web spiders tie up females while mating. National Geographic ran a story on March 11. The New York Times included research video in a story published March 14. CBS News carried a report March 15.
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Wildfire Today reported March 31 that a fire-starting drone designed by Carrick Detweiler and Sebastian Elbaum, computer science and engineering, would be tested via a prescribed burn at Homestead National Monument.
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Wheeler Winston Dixon, film studies, commented on the clash of values for a March 27 Los Angeles Times story about filmmakers and actors who threaten to stop filming in Georgia if that state passes legislation that would allow faith-based institutions to deny services to gay people. The story was carried by several other outlets, as well.
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David Gosselin, environmental studies, and students Matan Gill, Justin Solomon, and Reed Brodersen were quoted in a March 20 article about UNL’s student-led Environmental Studies Committee. The story, which originated with the Lincoln Journal Star, received nationwide coverage after it was picked up by the Associated Press.
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A study led by Mark Mills, psychology, that found political conservatives have a better memory for negative stimuli was picked up by Science Daily on March 31.
