An interdisciplinary team at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln is using state-of-the-art eye-tracking technology to pinpoint the physical characteristics of spiders that may contribute to arachnophobia. The team includes Emma Brase, a graduate student in psychology; Eileen Hebets, biological sciences; Mike Dodd, psychology; Kevin Smith, political science; Heather Akin, agricultural leadership, education and communication; Brandi Pessman and Laura Segura Hernández, former graduate students in biological sciences; and Harley Boutard, undergraduate student in psychology. Stories on the research appeared in KHGI, KOLN/KGIN, the Lincoln Journal Star, Earth.com and Phys.org.
Kevin Smith, political science, wrote a March 2 op-ed for The Conversation on how mass incarceration in the United States has likely influenced election outcomes. “Mass incarceration has led to a fast-growing bloc of citizens who either are legally barred from voting or have just stopped bothering,” he said. “Under the right circumstances, this slice of the electorate is large enough to tip an election.”
Hillary Schwarb, psychology, was interviewed for a March 9 Science News Explores article on a new study from the University of Cambridge suggesting that the human brain doesn’t reach its adult form until about age 32. Schwarb said the study is important but only looks at one part of the brain, called white matter. What it doesn’t do, she said, is explain how thinking or behavior changes over time.
Rick Bevins, director of the university’s Rural Drug Addiction Research Center, was interviewed for a March 16 Public News Service article on the center’s work to combat addiction in rural Nebraska. Rural areas face unique challenges, he said, including available treatment options, transportation, substance use patterns and stigma.
Bedross Der Matossian, history, wrote a March 16 op-ed for Armenian Weekly on the controversial firing of Edita Gzoyan from her position as director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute. He wrote that the firing “raises a deeply troubling issue about the institute’s dependence on the Armenian government.”
Dona-Gene Barton, political science, was interviewed for a March 26 HuffPost article on how politicians on both sides of the aisle have taken advantage of Americans’ short attention spans to sway public opinion in their favor. When a topic feels more “cognitively demanding,” she said, voters are quick to grab onto shortcuts they are offered. “It’s easier for voters to turn to trusted political elites to condense the information for them,” she said.
A translation of Marie Ndiaye’s novel “The Witch” by Jordan Stump, modern languages and literatures, has been shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2026. Stories on the shortlist appeared in Book Riot, The Bookseller, The Guardian, Literary Hub, The New York Times, NPR and other media outlets.
