WFU in the news: March 4-10, 2024

FEATURED NEWS

NC sports wagering tips off with 11 categories, eight operators
By Richard Craver | Winston-Salem Journal
Mobile sports wagering is expected to siphon some revenue from lottery tickets, said sports economist Todd McFall. “The government will meet its sports gambling projections, but there’s going to be some negative impacts on lottery ticket revenues,” McFall said. “There’s too much evidence from other states to think anything else.” – 3/10/2024

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

Research is discovering the forces behind the Great Migration
By Nicholas Vincent | One Green Planet
Over two million zebras, wildebeest, and gazelles embark on a journey that’s nothing short of miraculous, known as the Great Migration. This mass movement has puzzled scientists for years, especially given the limited food resources available to these migrating herds. However, a groundbreaking study led by Michael Anderson from Wake Forest University has finally shed light on this natural wonder. – 3/05/2024

Forest and climate scientists fear Biden delay on mature forest protection
By Justin Catanoso | Mongabay
Journalism professor Justin Catanoso writes: “More than 200 forest ecologists and top climate scientists, including Jim Hansen and Michael Mann, have written the Biden administration urging it to quickly move forward on the president’s commitment to protect old-growth and mature forests on federal lands.” Catanoso is a regular contributor to Mongabay. – 3/05/2024

Wake Forest biologist wins award for breakthrough Bullfrog Brain Hypoxia study
BNN Breaking
Lara Do Amaral-Silva, an assistant professor of biology at Wake Forest, has been recognized with the prestigious FaunaBio Translational Research Award by the American Physiological Society. Her groundbreaking research into how American bullfrogs adapt to live without oxygen for up to four hours highlights potential pathways for treating human brain disorders caused by oxygen deprivation. – 3/04/2024

WFU launches $17.1M study on osteoarthritis prevention in women
BNN Breaking
Wake Forest University embarks on a pioneering journey with a $17.1 million project aimed at investigating the effects of weight loss and exercise on slowing or halting osteoarthritis in women. This significant study, named The Osteoarthritis Prevention Study, is funded by both federal and private healthcare agencies and targets the most common form of arthritis that disproportionately affects women, particularly in the knees. – 3/07/2024

Nine ideas for student/college social media interaction
By Ashley Mowreader | Inside Higher Ed
Students often don’t read long emails, but they may watch a 60-second video. Short-form video content is also boosted in the Instagram algorithm, making that preferred by the user and the platform over other types of posts. At Wake Forest University, student leaders will go live on Instagram to share information and answer questions of their peers. – 3/07/2024

LGBTQ+ gun owners are breaching the right-wing arms bubble
By Andrew Beaujon | Washingtonian
Sociology professor David Yamane uses the term “Gun Culture 2.0” to describe this shift. His research shows that new gun owners are “more female, more racial minority, more urban.” People on the left have long had reasons to be fearful, Yamane said, but “what maybe is new is people saying, ‘Hey, how do I defend myself against this? Maybe I should get a firearm.’” – 2/29/2024

Could fake horns end illegal rhino poaching?
By Juliana Kim, Darian Woods, Julia Ritchey, Paddy Hirsch | NPR: The Indicator from Planet Money
In business, the million-dollar question is how to get people to buy stuff. But in wildlife conservation, the challenge is: how do we get people to not buy stuff? Economics professor Fred Chen shares his expertise on whether fake horns can end illegal rhino poaching. – 2/20/2024

REGIONAL & TRADE

What’s at stake for education in the NC superintendent of public instruction race?
By Amy Diaz | WUNC-FM (Chapel Hill, NC)
According to Dani Parker Moore, the director of the Schools, Education and Society minor at Wake Forest University, it’s a race to watch. “We’re in a perfect storm of thinking about public education,” she said. “A new governor, new superintendent, parents’ rights advocates bills, the expansion of vouchers to go to private schools, and our current governor has sounded the alarm that public education is under fire.” – 3/04/2024

Triad teacher development programs aim to alleviate shortage
By Lillian Johnson | Triad Business Journal
In its first year, beginning last May, WS-TEACH enrolled seven master’s level students across its partner institutions, three of which are getting licensed in elementary education at Salem College, three in secondary education at Wake Forest and one in special education at WSSU. Students at Wake Forest will graduate with a Master of Art in education, while students at Salem and WSSU will graduate with a Master of Art in teaching along with their teaching license. – 3/06/2024

NC sheriffs’ ICE bill may ride coattails of Texas immigration debate
By Richard Craver | Morganton News Herald
The N.C. House Republican quest to place the state on the side of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in the divisive immigration border dispute may carry a coattail effect for a controversial bill that would force all sheriffs to cooperate with federal ICE officers. The House letter may be to stoke the embers of immigration concerns among voters, potentially making it a front-burner election issue, said politics professor John Dinan. – 3/04/2024

Voters have ultimate say today
By Paul Johnson | High Point Enterprise
“We are very likely to see some primary races going to a run-off,” said politics professor John Diana. For example, there are 11 candidates running in the GOP statewide primary for lieutenant governor and 14 candidates seeking the Republican nomination in the 13th Congressional District primary east of the Piedmont. “There are some high-profile candidates running in each race.” – 3/04/2024

Wake Forest University to open on-site child care center for employees
By Lillian Johnson | Bizwomen
One of North Carolina’s notable employers is recognizing the increased need for child care as parents return to the office. Wake Forest University – which employs nearly 3,000 people – will launch an on-site child care and early education center in September for faculty, staff and students. It will also be open for community enrollment as space is available. Partnering with KinderCare Learning Companies for Employers, Wake Forest will house its child care center at its University Corporate Center. – 3/05/2024

LOCAL

Political experts weigh in on North Carolina’s biggest primary races
By Justyn Melrose | WGHP-TV (High Point, NC)
Politics professor John Dinan participated in a discussion on “Swing State” a program hosted by FOX 8 senior political reporter Bob Buckley. “Republicans have the advantage in North Carolina in national elections. Republicans do not have the advantage in gubernatorial elections. It shows that you can still have a split electorate,” Dinan said. – 3/05/2024

Analysts break down GOP primary upset in race for NC superintendent of public instruction
By Joshua Davis | WXII-TV (Winston Salem, NC)
Politics professor John Dinan said Michele Morrow defeating Catherine Truitt for the nomination isn’t just an upset. It could be a signal of shifting priorities for voters. “That was the biggest surprise of the evening,” he said. “There are a lot of surprises last night, but that was the biggest surprise of all. Morrow was outspent in a way that there was not an expectation going in that Truitt was in any electoral risk.” This story was also featured on MSN. – 3/06/2024

NC Chamber worries about GOP Council of State primary upsets
By Richard Craver | Winston-Salem Journal
“One lesson from Tuesday’s primaries is that voters did not put much value on governing experience, in the sense that in a number of races, candidates lacking governing experience outpolled candidates with a lot of governing experience,” said politics professor John Dinan. “In all of these races, candidates without governing experience prevailed over candidates who have held public office, perhaps signaling more generally that public office-holding is not valued by primary voters in the way that once was the case.” – 3/08/2024

Carolina Panthers chooses FanDuel as sports wagering partner
By Richard Craver | Winston-Salem Journal
Sports economist Todd McFall said the sports wagering operators should benefit from the 10-day window for creating an account.“These initial visits will be habit-forming, and the more bettors an operator can attract initially, the better they’ll be in the near term,” McFall said. – 3/05/2024

Wake Forest opens enrollment for osteoarthritis clinical trial for women
By Richard Craver | Winston-Salem Journal
Wake Forest University has launched a global five-year clinical study with the goal of determining whether weight loss and exercise can work to slow or halt the development of osteoarthritis in women. The university’s Department of Health and Exercise Science has received $17.1 million in funding from federal and private-sector healthcare agencies. The project, known as The Osteoarthritis Prevention Study, targets the degenerative joint disease on women, particularly impactful on the knees. – 3/07/2024

WAKE FOREST NEWS

Computer scientist wins NSF CAREER Award to advance Alzheimer’s research using AI
By Keri Brown | Wake Forest News
In her groundbreaking work as a computer scientist, assistant professor Minghan Chen is using artificial intelligence to create new techniques to better understand the mechanisms behind Alzheimer’s disease and predict its progression across brain networks. Chen was recently awarded a five-year, $500,000 National Science Foundation CAREER Award for her research project entitled: “Towards a Living Neuron Twin for Improving Human Cognitive Health”. – 3/05/2024