In the National News, April 2015

Photo Credit: Newspapers
Fri, 05/08/2015 - 13:39

These people in the college generated national news coverage for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln during April.

Bedross Der Matossian, history, was quoted in publications around the world in days leading up to the April 24 centennial anniversary of the start of the Armenian genocide. The Armenian Mirror-Spectator published an April 9 report on UNL’s academic conference marking the centennia. l of the Armenian genocide. Seventeen scholars from seven nations participated in the conference organized by Der Matossian. The Armenian Weekly carried a similar report on April 10. Der Matossian's April 15 speech at Emory University in Atlanta about the origins of the genocide was covered by the Emory Wheel student newspaper. He authored an April 21 article in the Stanford University Press Blog about role the Young Turks of the Ottoman Empire played in the genocide. His observations were quoted in Today's Zaman, an English-language newspaper in Turkey, on April 22. On April 24, the German press agency, DPA International, interviewed him for a story about the Armenian quarter of Jerusalem, where he was born.

Wheeler Winston Dixon, film studies, talked about Hollywood’s love affair with superhero movies for an April 22 article in the San Jose Mercury News. The story was carried by several other outlets in the Bay Area News Group. Dixon also was quoted in an April 29 Arizona Republic piece on why movie studios are rebooting beloved '80s movies like "Vacation" and "Mad Max."

Amanda Gailey, English, wrote an April 26 piece published by The New Republic calling for a change in societal attitudes toward fatal gun accidents. Gailey is director of Nebraskans Against Gun Violence.

The Columbia Journalism Review quoted Ari Kohen, political science, in an April 2 article about how the media covered a state senator who compared police violence against black people to ISIS terrorism. Kohen maintained the reports omitted important context to the remarks by State Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha.

Nanowerk.com reported April 20 that the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center had been awarded a $9.6 million grant for nanotechnology research through 2020. The multidisciplinary center, directed by Evgeny Tsymbal, physics, allows physicists, chemists and engineers to collaborate in the study of nanostructures and materials that could lead to more energy-efficient electronic devices.

The debut novel of Chigozie Obioma, a Nigerian author soon to join the creative writing faculty, was given a glowing review in The New York Times Sunday Book Review on April 14. Other favorable reviews came from NPR on April 14 and The Chicago Tribune on April 23.

Stories published April 28 by ScienceDaily.com and Nanotechnlogy Now described new nanoscale “blueprints” that would result in more stable gold nanoclusters. The research is led by Xiao Cheng Zeng, chemistry and Yi Gao, a former visiting professor.


Adapted from UNL Today.