WFU in the news: April 18-24

FEATURED NEWS

Seniors are ready to say goodbye pandemic, hello workforce
By Maria Carrasco | Inside Higher Ed
A large majority of college seniors say they are prepared to enter the workforce and feel hopeful about the future, according to a new survey from TimelyMD. Andy Chan, vice president for innovation and career development at Wake Forest, said he was especially surprised that only 7% of seniors with job offers said they were hired for a lower rate of pay than they expected. – 4/19/2022

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

Questions of character with Christian Miller
PBS
Philosophy professor Christian Miller has been studying the notion of character for the past 15 years. Here, Christian shares insights into how we often require more character development than we realize as we are both equally flawed and equally wonderful. – 4/22/2022

Scientists win grant to create better drought-prediction tool
Mirage News
Aiming to increase the accuracy and timeliness of drought predictions in the United States, a team of environmental researchers at Wake Forest has received a grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a new method for predicting drought. The end goal, said math professor Rob Erhardt, is to create a statistical model that can better pinpoint developing droughts across the country. – 4/18/2022

Selfish for a reason
By William Fleeson | Thrive Global
A student once told me he wanted to be a doctor so that he could help others. But getting into medical school meant being ultracompetitive in college, and he didn’t want to hurt others in the process. How could he become a generous doctor without first being a selfish careerist? Psychology professor Will Fleeson explores integrated motivational profiles in this piece. – 4/20/2022

How did archerfish learn to shoot down their prey? A new study has an idea
By Tom Metcalfe | NBC News
Amid the many methods that animals have devised for hunting their prey – the sticky webs that spiders use to catch insects or the fake tasty morsel some turtles display in their mouths – the shooting technique of archerfish stands out. Biology professor Miriam Ashley-Ross has studied the behavior of archerfish but wasn’t involved in the latest research. “It would be great to know if there are similar mouth morphologies in the widely separated fish taxa that can all make underwater jets,” she said. – 4/24/2022

LOCAL

Wake Forest, Appalachian State gain federal funding for AmeriCorps initiative
By Richard Craver | Winston-Salem Journal
Appalachian State and Wake Forest universities have been selected to participate in a Public Health AmeriCorps community initiative. The nonprofit group’s primary mission is to assist with developing volunteer community public health leaders, particularly among young adults. Participants’ service begins in the fall and goes through the summer of 2023. – 4/24/2022

WAKE FOREST NEWS

Wake Debate sophomores win national championship
By Cheryl V. Walker | Wake Forest News
As he celebrated Wake Forest’s first-ever win in the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) National Championship, sophomore competitor Dimarvin Puerto said Wake Debate’s strength comes from the community its coaches and teammates have created. – 4/20/2022

WFU students abroad in Austria help support Ukrainian refugees
By Kim McGrath | Wake Forest News
Students studying in Wake Forest’s Flow House are volunteering through the nonprofit “Train of Hope“ to help refugees from Ukraine. The activity is part of psychology professor Will Fleeson’s class on personality, change and immigration. Fleeson is the faculty director at the University’s study abroad house in Vienna, Austria, during the spring semester. – 4/21/2022