WFU in the news Feb. 7-13

FEATURED NEWS

FBI, cybersecurity experts warn about QR code privacy and security concerns
By Ford Hatchett | WXII-TV (Winston Salem, NC)
“The QR code is a ‘quick response’ code which is similar usually to the bar codes we see on products,” computer science professor Sarra Alqahtani said. “Some users you could just scan the code and it will ask you to open your banking app and ask you to enter your username and password,” Alqahtani said. “But in reality, it’s a fake app. It’s not your real app so they are going to steal your information and credentials.” – 2/07/2022

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

When is it time to do couples therapy? Experts reveal the telltale signs
By Natalia Lusinski | The Zoe Report
You’re dating someone, partnered up, or married and everything seems to be going well … except you keep having some recurring arguments. “Couples seek therapy for a range of reasons,” said Robert Casares, an assistant professor in the Master’s in Counseling online program at Wake Forest. “Some report feeling stuck and are tired of arguing about the same unresolved issues.” – 2/09/2022

Fight crime or reform policing? As homicides spike, mayors nationwide insist they can do both.
By Holly Bailey, Mark Berman, Shayna Jacobs, Griff Witte | The Washington Post
Some critics of liberal prosecutors have sought to link their policies to more crime and violence, but Ronald Wright, a law professor at Wake Forest, said the evidence is lacking. “Homicide rates are up everywhere,” Wright said. “They’re up in jurisdictions that have very traditional prosecutors. They’re up in jurisdictions that have more progressive prosecutors.” – 2/12/2022

What the killing of Amir Locke says about anti-Blackness and gun ownership in America
By N’dea Yancey-Bragg, Tami Abdollah | USA Today
Sociology professor David Yamane, who has been studying American gun culture for the past decade, noted that as concealed carry weapons have become more normalized in American society, that struggle has also played out in terms of who is or isn’t granted a permit. – 2/11/2022

Where mathematics and a social perspective meet data
ScienceDaily
Community structure, including relationships between and within groups, is foundational to our understanding of the world around us. New research by mathematics and statistics professor Kenneth Berenhaut, along with former postdoctoral fellow Katherine Moore and graduate student Ryan Melvin, sheds light on some fundamental statistical questions. – 2/10/2022

A divinity school steps up to fight the HIV epidemic in the South
By Monique Parsons | Religion News Service
The Gilead COMPASS Faith Coordinating Center at Wake Forest School of Divinity is part of a $100 million, multipronged effort to bring down HIV infection rates and destigmatize the disease throughout the American South. It launched last year with a $5 million grant from Gilead Sciences. – 2/07/2022

REGIONAL & TRADE

White House recognition
By Trevor Mason | National Jurist
The White House and the Department of Justice have announced that 99 law schools in 35 states and Puerto Rico have answered the Attorney General’s call to action and help their communities by volunteering, helping courts implement eviction diversion programs, and more. At Wake Forest law school, 64 students dedicated over 820 hours to partner with medical providers and connect families in need. – 2/09/2022

As the Great Resignation continues, professionals turn to affordable adult education for career pivots and growth
Charlotte Business Journal
“The job market in Charlotte was booming before the pandemic,” said Charles Iacovou, dean of the School of Professional Studies and vice provost for Charlotte Programs. “As more major companies have moved into the area in the last few years, there’s an even greater demand for qualified professionals…workers can capitalize on this crucial opportunity they’ve been given during the Great Resignation to reflect on and prioritize their careers and see the possibilities continuing their education can provide.” – 2/09/2022

LOCAL

Experts share why we’re seeing a spike in gas prices
WFMY-TV (Greensboro, NC)
“Everything is just so fragile right now and weather or geopolitics or whatever can really disturb things in ways that we’ve never really experienced,” said economics professor Todd McFall. – 2/11/2022

Reynolda House highlights the cultural movement of the 60s with exhibition
By Chanel Davis | Yes! Weekly
The Reynolda House Museum of American Art in Winston-Salem is highlighting the works of critically-acclaimed photographer Kwame Brathwaite. “The Black is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite” exhibit began Saturday and will run through May 8. Organized by Aperture, the exhibition originally opened in Los Angeles before making its way to Austin, TX, and then Winston-Salem on its way to the New York Historical Society in Manhattan. – 2/09/2022

Sherrill Roland: The Odds Opens at SECCA March 10
Yes! Weekly
In 2021, Wake Forest University’s School of Law students, part of the Society for Criminal Justice Reform and the Art Law Society, conducted research that unearthed court documents and media coverage for 92 of these individuals, resulting in over 4,500 pages of documents. The artist has used these documents to create sculptures for the exhibition at SECCA. – 2/11/2022

How inflation is impacting the cost of living in Greensboro
By Tom Santaniello | WFMY-TV (Greensboro, NC)
“In the next six months, I would be surprised to see conditions in the housing market look like they do now because of credit market tightening,” economics professor Todd McFall said. – 2/10/2022