WFU in the news: July 10-16, 2023

FEATURED NEWS

Literacy program empowers Triad black, brown students through positive books that reflect them
By Louie Tran | WXII-TV (Winston Salem, NC)
“Over the years, we’ve seen as much as 12 months of instructional reading gains over the summer and having that opportunity is huge for kids. Not only that, the program offers a whole-child approach. There’s parenting engagement, civic engagement, healthy nutrition,” said Dani Parker Moore, executive director of Wake Forest University Freedom School. The program not only benefits Black and brown students but also provides value to students of all backgrounds. – 7/13/2023

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

Timber harvests to meet global wood demand will bring soaring emissions
By Justin Catanoso | South Africa Today
Journalism professor Justing Catanoso writes about a groundbreaking new study by World Resources Institute scientists published in the journal Nature. “At a time when the world desperately needs to reduce its carbon emissions, global timber harvests to meet soaring demand for wood products — including paper and biomass for energy — could produce more than 10% of total global carbon emissions over coming decades.” – 7/11/2023

Arrests have been made in a human remains trade tied to Harvard Medical School
By Sabrina Ullman | Associated Press
Law professor Tanya Marsh calls the sale of human remains “a gray market.” There are laws in many states against grave robbing, but “the vast majority of states don’t have any law that has to do with human remains that haven’t been buried yet,” she said. – 7/16/2023

Christian schools won’t let Supreme Court ruling end quest for diversity
By Steve Rabey | Baptist News Global
Wake Forest University School of Divinity said it “will not waver in its commitment to creating and sustaining inclusive, diverse learning communities” as it weighed in on both the court’s affirmative action decision. “In an age of a resurgence of white Christian nationalism, virulent anti-Black racism and antisemitism, denial of the reproductive rights of women, denigration of the lives, rights and dignity of LGBTQ citizens, and an open embrace of authoritarianism, today’s ruling reminds us that matters of law cannot be separated from matters of values,” the statement said. – 7/12/2023

REGIONAL & TRADE

The potential and peril of using Generative AI for people analytics
By Lin Grensing-Pophal | SHRM HR News
Physics professor Jed Macosko said Generative AI could help HR practitioners “glean operationally defined variables and conclusions from HR datasets that might be less intuitive to human analysts.” This is because AI is less likely to make the common mistake of confusing correlation with causation. In addition, Macosko said, generative AI can help HR managers mitigate the risk of personal bias. – 7/11/2023

Law schools defying expectations with high Bar Exam pass rates
JDJournal
Wake Forest School of Law makes this list of 25 law schools that have demonstrated exceptional performance on the bar exam according to the latest research. – 7/12/2023

LOCAL

At this new Greensboro thrift store, the price is always right
By Connor McNeely | Winston-Salem Journal
“Major retailers position themselves as only selling first-quality goods,” said marketing professor Roger Beahm. “Liquidators represent a fast way to ‘divert’ product from the normal distribution channel to ones where the products can be purchased without diminishing the brand’s or the usual retailer’s quality reputation.” – 7/14/2023

Feds fine Winston Weaver for failing to disclose chemical releases
By John Deem | Winston-Salem Journal
Government officials and agencies quickly became familiar with the name Winston Weaver. “It would not surprise me that the fire brought additional scrutiny to all of Weaver’s environmental compliance obligations,” said Stan Meiburg, former acting EPA deputy administrator who now directs Wake Forest University’s graduate program in sustainability, adding that “this is not an action directly related to or a consequence of the fire itself.” – 7/12/2023

Fishing for garbage: ‘Trash Trout’ to trap Silas Creek litter
By John Deem | Winston-Salem Journal
The Yadkin Riverkeeper found a willing partner in Wake Forest University, which owns the Reynolda property, for the Trash Trout – a device designed to trap plastic and other human-made litter carried along the waterway. – 7/10/2023

‘Trash Trout’ installed in Reynolda Village to help keep Yadkin River clean
By DaVonté McKenith | WXII-TV (Winston Salem, NC)
The Yadkin Riverkeeper organization installed a litter collection device called a “Trash Trout” in Silas Creek in Reynolda Village. Local partners on this project include Wake Forest University and Asheville GreenWorks. Installation of the Trash Trout will reduce litter entering the Yadkin River and make clean-up and removal easier, organizers of the project say. – 7/10/2023

Standing water and debris from a railroad drainage pipe may be causing problems
By John Hinton | Winston-Salem Journal
“The subdivision coming after the drainage system was in place may be a problem,” said law professor Scott Schang, director of the environmental law and policy clinic at Wake Forest. “The homeowner may be charged with knowledge that there was a drain there when they bought the property. That said, talking with the railroad about a solution and encouraging the city to help might be the best.” – 7/16/2023