WFU in the news: Dec. 5-11

FEATURED NEWS

Building bridges: China invests in more than infrastructure
By Kim McGrath and Chris Amaral (’23) | Wake Forest News
President Biden is hosting a U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit on December 13-15 that will be an opportunity for the U.S. to re-evaluate its position in the continent and re-energize its investments, said professor Lina Benabdallah, an expert in international relations theory, international development and China-Africa relations foreign policy. In this Q&A, Benabdallah discusses the power of building people-to-people connections between developed and developing nations. – 12/11/22

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

Whistleblower: Enviva claim of ‘being good for the planet… all nonsense’
By Justin Catanoso | Mongabay
Enviva is the largest maker of wood pellets burned for energy in the world. The company, has from its inception, touted its green credentials. It says it doesn’t use big, whole trees, but only uses wood waste, “tops, limbs, thinnings, and/or low-value smaller trees” in the production of woody biomass burned in former coal power plants in the U.K., EU and Asia. A major recent scientific study finds that Enviva is contributing to deforestation in the U.S. Southeast, writes journalism professor Justin Catanoso, a regular contributor to Mongabay. – 12/05/2022

The data you need to prepare for change
By Allison McWilliams | Psychology Today
There’s been a lot of talk recently about a recession: if we’re in one, if one is coming, if organizations are about to lay off people and implement hiring freezes, or if they’ve already started. Change can be hard, scary and disorienting, especially when it’s not by our own choice. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get ready and be prepared for when it inevitably shows up, writes Assistant Vice President of Mentoring and Alumni Personal and Career Development Allison McWilliams.– 12/06/2022

The no-nonsense mayor leading Chile’s right
By Emilie Sweigart | Americas Quarterly
Matthei emphasizes issues of law and order that appeal to conservatives, but she has moderated some of her stances over the years. She supports same-sex marriage and pushed for the decriminalization of abortion when medically necessary. “She’s the perfect package of policy options that Chileans are looking for these days,” said politics professor Peter Siavelis, who has published widely on Chilean politics. – 12/06/2022

Human composting should be an option for New Yorkers
By Caitlin Doughty | The New York Times
Law professor Tanya Marsh, a leader in human remains law, said that in the New York bill the final product is defined as soil, with no restrictions placed on its use. – 12/05/2022

As EU finalizes renewable energy plan, forest advocates condemn biomass
By Justin Catanoso | Mongabay
The EU hopes to finalize its revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED) soon, even as forest advocates urge last-minute changes to significantly cut the use of woody biomass for energy and make deep reductions in EU subsidies to the wood pellet industry, writes journalism professor Justin Catanoso, a regular contributor to Mongabay. – 12/07/2022

The great White House merch war
By Eli Stokols, Alex Thompson | West Wing Playbook Newsletter
“Trademark owners have to do this – it’s called policing your trademark,” said law professor Keith Robinson, an expert on intellectual property law. “In order to keep their rights, they have to actually go after infringers.” Typically a trademark owner would send a letter informing the second party that they’re infringing on a trademark and requesting that they take it down. But that didn’t happen in this case. – 12/06/2022

REGIONAL & TRADE

10 of Charlotte’s most powerful people in 2022
Axios Charlotte
Gene Woods, CEO of Atrium Health, was named to this list of 2022’s most powerful figures in Charlotte. Atrium, the largest hospital system in the Carolinas, and Wake Forest broke ground this year on its innovation district called The Pearl, which will house the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Charlotte. – 12/10/2022

Entrepreneurial librarianship is alive and well: The Entrelib Conference 2022
By Dave Shumaker | Information Today
Summer Krstevska, research and instruction librarian – business & economics, said that libraries have undertaken to support social entrepreneurship; that is, the application of entrepreneurial tactics to realize social, rather than commercial, objectives. But supporting social entrepreneurs is just one way that librarians engage with entrepreneurship. – 12/05/2022

LOCAL

Senior Tal Feldman awarded Schwarzman Scholarship
Winston-Salem Journal
Wake Forest senior Tal Feldman has been named to the 2023-24 class of Schwarzman Scholars. Scholars selected from around the world will complete a one-year, fully-funded Master’s degree program in Global Affairs at Schwarzman College on the campus of Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. The program aspires to build a global network of young leaders that are prepared to confront the pressing challenges facing the world. –12/11/2022

Wake the Arts at WFU to celebrate the launch of ‘ArtCities’
Yes! Weekly
Wake the Arts, an initiative of Wake Forest University, is collaborating with Guilty by Association (GBA), an organization dedicated to raising visibility for underrepresented artists nationwide, on a new project called ArtCities. WFU Acquavella Curator of Collections Jennifer Finkel served as a scout for the project, with undergraduate Naia Vincent (’24) as co-scout and writer. A 10-minute documentary featuring the stories of Winston-Salem’s and Greensboro’s ArtCities artists, created by students in the University’s Documentary Film Program, will be shared during the event. – 12/06/2022