Kevin Smith, political science, was a guest on the May 12 episode of NPR’s “Here and Now.” He discussed some of the key races in Nebraska’s primary election.
Smith was interviewed for a May 13 Newsweek article on the U.S. Senate and 2nd Congressional District races in Nebraska. “A big deal for (Senate candidate Dan Osborn) will be maintaining the perception that he is a true independent,” Smith said. “If he ends up being seen as getting too cozy with the Democrats, that could be a problem, regardless of how the issues and the events of national politics play out.”
Smith was also interviewed for a May 28 Newsweek article on a new Democratic internal poll pointing to a close gubernatorial race in Nebraska between Republican Gov. Jim Pillen and Democratic challenger Lynne Walz. “Republicans are facing some stiff headwinds going into the fall elections, and Pillen is almost certainly going to feel that breeze, too,” Smith said. “That said, Walz has to be considered a pretty heavy underdog, and it would be a huge upset if she pulled off the win.”
Eileen Hebets, biological sciences, was interviewed for a May 13 National Geographic article on a recent study by University of Georgia and Valdosta State University researchers examining why joro spiders often spin their webs in noisy locations. Research by Hebets and her team was also highlighted in the article. “It seems like spiders are actually able to adjust their webs in some ways to accommodate noise,” she said. “And we know almost nothing about that.”
Backed by a $4 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health, Eric Weaver, biological sciences, director of the Nebraska Center for Virology, will advance a vaccine to protect against future flu pandemics by providing strong, long-lasting immunity across multiple high-risk avian strains. Articles on the research appeared in KFAB, Nebraska Public Media and National Hog Farmer.
