Jingle bells have been replaced with school bells for the start of the spring semester. It’s a new year, and UNLV isn’t taking any breaks from getting right back into the academic swing of things.

From the wildfires in Los Angeles to the new political administration in the White House, our experts have frequented the headlines, covering a wide gamut of topics. Do air purifiers help prevent sickness? Are some video games grooming kids for gambling? Does it make a difference if a stop sign is red or blue? 

We’re starting the new year off right, with a healthy smattering of knowledge fit for any curious reader in January Newsmakers.

LA Wildfires

As wildfires burned in Los Angeles, UNLV’s experts have provided balance and nuance to a continually evolving set of circumstances. A wide range of topics included impacts to the housing market, air quality, climate change, fuel availability, and more. 

Public policy expert Ben Leffel talked about the struggles of balancing climate change action with sustainability from a government perspective, as well as resource management.

Forbes; KCBS Radio; KSNV: News 3 (twice)

Lied Center for Real Estate economists Nic Irwin and Shawn McCoy primarily explained why developers build in wildfire-prone areas, and the ramifications the fires could have on the housing market:

Wired; Whole Foods Magazine; The Real Deal: Real Estate News; Public News Service; Salt Lake City Sun; Las Vegas Review-Journal; KVVU: Fox 5; KTNV: ABC 13 (twice) (thrice); KLAS: News 8 (twice); KSNV: News 3 (twice); KCBS Radio; City Cast Las Vegas; Deseret News

Hospitality professor Amanda Belarmino spoke about the fires’ effect on tourism in Las Vegas in both Travel and Tour World and the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Ecologist Drew Peltier spoke about recent drought conditions and standing dead trees as contributing factors to the severity of the fires with KSNV: News 3.

Yahoo! News tapped public health professor Lung-Wen Antony Chen for a primer on the wildfires’ impact on air quality.

Aviation historian Dan Bubb discussed the challenges in flying an aircraft that dumps water over wildfires with Newsweek.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, UNLV hosted an educational community event on campus. 

The event complemented a temporary exhibit, “The Holocaust: Reconstructing Shattered Humanity,” featuring artifacts, images, and texts from the 1920s through the 1940s, that’s on display at the Las Vegas office of Governor Joe Lombardo through March.UNLV history students curated the exhibit in partnership with Heidi Straus and the Nevada Center for Humanity as part of a graduate class. History professor Gregory Brown and Straus were featured in a number of outlets to discuss the significance of the exhibit, Holocaust Remembrance Day, and why it’s necessary to remember the past.

Las Vegas Review-Journal; Las Vegas Sun; KSNV: News 3 (twice); KLAS: News 8

Health & Science

• Parade interviewed infectious disease expert Brian Labus about the best time to get a flu shot. He was also featured in a Parade Home and Garden piece on air purifiers’ ability to prevent sickness, and answered questions from KNPR, Food & Wine and Delish about the safety of consuming or freezing eggs in light of concerns about rising bird flu cases.
• Astronomer Jason Steffen joined Mashable to talk about the trajectory of an asteroid heading toward Earth.
• Kinesiologist Janet Dufek provided tips on how to walk backward on a treadmill safely in Everyday Health.
• Astronomer Bing Zhang appeared in a CNN piece that discussed the origins of fast radio bursts in space.
• Tech Briefs received a primer on atmospheric water harvesting research from mechanical engineering expert H. Jeremy Cho.
• Medscape’s article about the popularity of zero-alcohol products among youths featured insights from public health professor Timothy Grigsby and psychologist Lisa Durette.
• Hospitality expert Mehmet Erdem commented on robots and upcoming technology in the hotel space in the Las Vegas Sun.

Culture

• Psychologist Shane Kraus shared his thoughts on the normalization of sports betting in kids’ lives in the Washington Post.
• Forbes wrote about the influence of movies and shows on popular travel destinations with help from tourism expert Marta Soligo. 
• Historian Elizabeth Nelson went over the origins of Christmas with Today.
• Gaming expert Kasra Ghaharian talked about an A.I. startup that’s automating regulatory documents, generating breaking news articles, and now gambling in a story with Business Insider.
• Business Insider also discussed the rediscovery of buried towns with insight from historian Michael Green. 
• Communication studies professor Donovan Conley explained why people most look forward to the food on Super Bowl night, rather than the game or halftime show, in Newsweek.
• Hospitality expert Bill Werner appeared in a Hotel Dive story about technology’s threat to union jobs at hotels.
• TikTok ban news loomed large in January. KNPR included social media expert Benjamin Morse in a panel discussion about the potential impact on Nevada small businesses that rely on it for advertising, while KLAS-TV: 8 News Now turned to marketing professor Marla Royne Stafford.

Politics

• Law professor Benjamin Edwards commented on Finra, the financial industry’s regulation body, making possible changes to its ability to remove members with both Bloomberg Law and Forbes.
• ProPublica and City Cast Las Vegas pinged public policy expert Ben Leffel for his thoughts on Elon Musk’s Boring Company drilling under Las Vegas with minimal oversight.
• Political scientist David Damore was a guest in the Triangle Business Journal, discussing a North Carolina children’s hospital project and its various positive impacts on the community. Damore also had comments in The Hill regarding the outcome of the presidential election.
• Economic researcher Andrew Woods expressed his concerns around “no tax on tips” legislation in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
• Immigration law experts Alissa Cooley Yonesawa and Michael Kagan appeared in several stories concerning immigration legislation and law: Las Vegas Review-Journal; Las Vegas Sun (twice); Nevada Current; KVVU: Fox 5; KSNV: News 3; KTNV: ABC 13; Tucson.com, Nevada Independent

University News

UNLV State of the University

President Keith E. Whitfield delivered his fifth annual State of the University address on Jan. 30. He outlined the university’s path and accomplishments over the last year, discussed new and emerging programs and partnerships, and shared his vision for both the short and long-term growth of UNLV. . Several projects were teased, such as the Freshman Tower Complex, while more immediate topics such as security improvements were detailed. The event was covered in the news by outlets such as the Las Vegas Sun, KSNV: News 3, and KTNV: ABC 13.

U2 Scholarship Donation

The rock band U2 has donated $300,000 to the UNLV College of Fine Arts, creating the U2: UV Music Scholarship and Experiential Fund. This will provide support for music education and hands-on opportunities, such as travel and music performances, for School of Music majors. 

Las Vegas Review-Journal; CDC Gaming; KMOR: Rural Radio; The Spokesman-Review; Lakes Media; Clutch Points

ESPN’s New Responsible Gambling Campaign

SBC Americas was among outlets that reported on ESPN’s latest partnership with UNLV’s International Gaming Institute to advance the network’s responsible betting practices through education and research. The collaboration also includes research fellowships for faculty and students to study responsible gaming in sports media.

Sands Institute for Chinese Language and Culture

The Las Vegas Sands’ $15 million donation to UNLV fueled the launch of the Sands Institute for Chinese Language and Culture. It offers Mandarin language classes for both students and the community, plus a variety of other cultural exhibitions, student and faculty exchange experiences, and workforce development opportunities for professionals looking to succeed in an increasingly interconnected world.

Casino.org; KNPR; Las Vegas Review-Journal; KLAS: News 8; KSNV: News 3; KVVU: Fox 5

Experts Roundup

• The New York Times spoke to UNLV student Sean Karaman and finance chair J. Daniel Chi about the proliferation of financial literacy tools on college campuses. Chi’s expertise was also featured in Benzinga regarding the top stocks to buy in 2025.
• Airline historian Dan Bubb explained what the oft-peculiar “SSSS” means on boarding passes with CNBC Indonesia. On a similar topic, Bubb talked to HuffPost about the mistakes people make with boarding passes. Airport Industry Review sought his insights on the growth of the luxury retail market at airports. He also joined Newsweek for a pair of stories – on the most turbulent and most dangerous airports for fliers.
• Bubb was heavily relied upon for stories related to the tragic midair collision between a commercial plane and an Army helicopter in Washington, D.C. His comments were featured in outlets such as: Reuters, Australia Broadcasting Corp. (twice), Yahoo! News, Vox, Bored Panda, The National News Desk; Consumer Affairs; KSNV: News 3; KLAS: News 8.
• BBC and The Week featured comments from architecture professor Glenn Nowak concerning a recent trend of repurposing old railroad stations into hotels and restaurants.
• Reader’s Digest posted a pair of stories – the significance of blue stop signs and pink traffic signs – with help from transportation researcher Shashi Nambisan.