Drought center kicks off $1 million defense project to predict unrest
Weather and climate can contribute to civil unrest, especially in countries with little to no social safety nets, where people depend on subsistence farming to feed themselves and their families. The question is, can civil unrest be predicted along with the weather? To begin answering that question, researchers at the National Drought Mitigation Center, based in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's School of Natural Resources, received $1 million in funding from U.S. Air Force Weather this spring for the first phase of a bigger project.
Project earns funding to study book distribution in Africa
The African Poetry Book Fund at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln has earned a $343,750 grant from the Poetry Foundation to study poetry book distribution in Africa. The African Poetry Book Distribution Project, led by Kwame Dawes, George W. Holmes University Professor of English, will improve the understanding of poetry book distribution — examining bookseller networks, international trade, literary venues and programming and more — on a continent made up of multiple nations. The three-year project began this summer.
Reeves leads Nebraska teachers on Fulbright to Korea
Having been delayed two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Fulbright Hays Group Projects Abroad project is in its third week of travel study in South Korea. Jenelle Reeves, professor of teaching, learning and teacher education, was awarded the grant in 2019 for the project, "Education Fever: Lessons for Nebraskan K-12 Teachers in Korea's Education System," and the travel study portion of the trip started June 10 and continues through July 8.
Vu to lead research project in fight against African swine fever
As a teenager decades ago on his family's swine farm in Vietnam, Hiep Vu saw firsthand the benefits of vaccinating livestock. His parents had gradually increased the size of their operation, and when they inoculated their animals, the positive results struck Vu. He earned a degree in Vietnam to become a veterinarian, but his scientific interests broadened into animal-focused immunology. Now, Vu is embarking on a collaborative, federally funded project to fill in a major knowledge gap that has hindered development of a vaccine for African swine fever.
Nebraska U hosts international Fulbright scholars for degree prep
This summer, Nebraska’s Programs in English as a Second Language will host up to 25 international scholars as they prepare to begin their academic degree programs through the Fulbright English for Graduate Studies Program. The pre-academic program, administered by the Institute of International Education, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs as part of its flagship Fulbright Program.
Bingham’s global work promotes food security, health protections
Can a girl living in a rural village grow up to use science to promote global progress in health, economics and agriculture? Georgina Bingham's life story shows that the answer is yes. Bingham, a research associate professor with the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's Department of Entomology, grew up in a rural English village of only 90 people. But she developed a global sensibility at a young age, encouraged by her desire to travel and by the example of her father, a horticulturalist who traveled extensively to share ideas with other farmers.
Photo of the week: Huskers Abroad in Namibia
Huskers on a study abroad experience in Namibia gather round to study a shade-seeking, web-footed palmetto gecko. The trip, which is led by Larkin Powell, professor of natural resources and interim associate director of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, and his wife, Kelly Powell, focuses on wildlife conservation in the southern Africa nation. University of Nebraska–Lincoln students have been learning about conservation in Namibia since the trip was launched in 2005 by Mark Pegg. The 2022 trip marks the sixth time Larkin Powell has led or co-led the study abroad experience.
Pilkington earns Fulbright award
Adrian Pilkington, a senior software engineering and French major at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, has earned a Fulbright award to teach English in France. Pilkington is a Lincoln native and University Honors Program member who will graduate May 14. With this creative, interdisciplinary mindset, he began to recognize the similarities between teaching fledgling programmers and language learners and realized that he could make a unique contribution as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant.
26 students begin Rural Fellows experiences
Twenty-six students begin their 10-week internships in 16 Nebraska communities on May 24. They are the newest cohort of Rural Fellows, an experiential learning program organized through the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources' Rural Prosperity Nebraska initiative. These students will work with mentors and leaders in their assigned communities to plan and execute community-improvement projects. Designed by the communities themselves to meet the needs of local residents, some of these projects include increased civic engagement, tourism development, social media marketing, and improved mental and physical health capacities.
Nebraska team studying how social ties may boost health outcomes of Latinos facing discrimination
A University of Nebraska–Lincoln researcher is leading a team using National Institutes of Health funding to investigate how interpersonal discrimination gets "under the skin" for Latinos, creating wear and tear on the body that may ultimately lead to chronic health conditions like cardiovascular disease.