WFU in the news: May 2-8

FEATURED NEWS

Sociology class uses 1950 Census to create work history family trees
By Cheryl V. Walker | Wake Forest News
When Gabi Overcast-Hawks searched the 1950 U.S. Census records, she found her grandfather’s handwritten name, along with his mother and father and seven brothers and sisters. Place of birth: Carroll County, Virginia. Overcast-Hawks, a sophomore, and the other 17 students in sociology professor Ana-Maria Gonzalez Wahl’s “Sociology of Work, Conflict and Change” class, used the demographic snapshots of people in their own family trees to better understand bigger picture societal trends. – 5/06/2022

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

Advance care planning for guns: Owners can help ensure safe use and transfer of weapons
By Judith Graham | Idaho Capital Sun
Because gun owners care deeply about personal protection (two-thirds of owners cite this as a major reason for having firearms), it might be hard for them to give up guns as they grow older, Yamane said. “There would have to be some way of compensating for that feeling of vulnerability,” he suggested. Possibilities include installing a home alarm system, buying a dog, and moving in with someone else or to a senior living complex. – 5/02/2022

Deborah Lipstadt vs. “The Oldest Hatred”
By Mari Cohen | Jewish Currents
Lipstadt’s views are not unique in the Jewish community; on the contrary, they place her squarely in line with much of the Jewish mainstream. As Barry Trachtenberg, a professor of European and American Jewish history at Wake Forest, put it, her scholarly research and her advocacy “reinforce popular conceptions [of antisemitism] rather than challenging them or giving us new ways to understand them.” – 4/28/2022

The history of Japanese green tea in America
By Florence Fabricant | The New York Times
History professor Robert Hellyer, the author of “Green Tea with Milk and Sugar: When Japan Filled America’s Tea Cups,” explained how Japanese green tea became popular in 19th century America at a recent talk hosted by The Culinary Historians of New York. – 5/02/2022

REGIONAL & TRADE

Where do health systems build innovation centers?
By Katie Adams | Becker’s Hospital Review
Atrium Health, also based in Charlotte, is planning an innovation initiative larger than a center: an entire district. The project will surround its future medical school, the Wake Forest University School of Medicine Charlotte, slated to open in 2024. The district will include four research towers and an education building as well as mixed office, retail and housing space, the health system said in November. – 5/06/2022

LOCAL

Van Jones to speak at Wake Forest University commencement on May 16
By John Hinton | Winston-Salem Journal
Van Jones, a CNN host and a civil rights activist, will deliver Wake Forest University’s commencement address May 16. Wake Forest University President Susan Wente said she expects Jones to deliver an inspiring and memorable speech. – 5/06/2022

LGBTQ leader and HIV advocate to appear at GLAAD media awards
Yes! Weekly
Faith leader and HIV advocate Rev. Dr. Shonda Jones appeared on stage at the 33rd annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York on May 6th. GLAAD Media Awards has grown to be the most visible annual LGBTQ awards show in the world, sending powerful messages of acceptance to audiences globally. – 5/05/2022

Local professionals recall the educators who made a difference
By Lisa O’Donnell | Winston-Salem Journal
In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, the Journal asked various folks with local ties to reflect on a K-12 teacher who made an impact on their lives. Chemistry professor Rebecca Alexander remembers Jane Person’s advanced placement biology class at East Stroudsburg High School. She credits Person with pushing her academically and serving as a role model for what a woman could accomplish in science. – 5/05/2022

Law professor says other rights could be impacted if Roe v. Wade overturned
WFMY-TV (Greensboro, NC)
Law professor Marie-Amélie George explains that, because of the way the draft is written, the challenge to Roe v. Wade brings into question other rights to privacy, like the right to contraception, non-procreative sex, and other intimate decisions. – 5/04/2022

What’s driving up gas prices?
WFMY-TV (Greensboro, NC)
The cost of gas in Greensboro jumped 19 cents per gallon in just the last week. A big question for drivers is why? Economics professor Todd McFall said the Russia-Ukraine war is still one of the main factors driving up gas prices. “As long as this conflict in Eastern Europe continues, we’ll see expensive gas.” – 5/02/2022

Local musician John Beck uses drumming to bring wellness to the community
By Joshua Ridley | Yes! Weekly
John Beck, principal percussionist of the Winston-Salem Symphony and a professor at Wake Forest, is part of a core group of people who are leading the integration of arts and healthcare. – 5/04/2022