Professor Jack Pitney was quoted in an article on President Donald Trump’s deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles to combat the rising tension following the raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Friday, June 6. He speculates that California is being used as an example of President Trump’s indifference towards the use of military force against civilian populations.
Professor Jack Pitney provided his insights on the social implications if former Vice President Kamala Harris decided to enter the California governor’s race.
Professor Jack Pitney was quoted in an article following the success of the U.S. Congressional Representative Kevin Kiley against Governor Gavin Newsom in overturning a California Environmental Protection Agency regulation that aimed to phase out gas-powered vehicles.
Professor Jack Pitney was quoted in an article addressing the low levels of productivity and the limited success Congress has had in passing bills. Pitney sees this as a trend coming into full fruition. He said, “Instead of passing a lot of little bills, many times in recent Congressional sessions, they’ve passed a smaller number of big bills, omnibus bills.”
Professor Lars Schmitz was recognized as a featured expert for WIRED magazine’s How Eyes Evolved: A Fascinating Tour Through the Animal Kingdom. In the 36-minute video, he guides audiences through the evolution of eyes in the animal kingdom and answers questions regarding the functionality, purpose, and evolutionary advantages examined across species.
Professor Jon Shields was featured in the Chronicle of Higher Education’s podcast series “College Matters.”
Professor Jack Pitney was quoted in an article about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s exaggerated description of the condition of a person affected by autism. The article explained that the severe condition portrayed by Kennedy is only applicable to a quarter of those affected. Professor Pitney commented on how historically autism has been misdiagnosed.
Professor Jack Pitney was quoted in an article about Peter Navarro, President Donald Trump’s Chief Trade Advisor. The article reviewed Navarro’s role in advising Trump to engage protectionist actions, as well as his past work on economic policy, Covid, and the attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
Professor Ran Libeskind-Hadas is a co-principal investigator a $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation and the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Pilot (NAIRR). The grant is with a principal investigator at Grinnell College and other co-principal investigators at Swarthmore College, the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, and the Computing Research Association. The grant supports meetings of Computer Science and AI faculty to develop and share AI-related resources to support undergraduate education.
Professor Lisa Cody was awarded the Peggy Renner Award for Teaching and Curricular Innovation, Honorable Mention, Western Association of Women Historians (2024), for her new course, “The History of Reproduction in the Atlantic World, 1500 to Today.” She also received the James L. Clifford Prize, American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (2024) for the top article in any field related to eighteenth-century studies for “‘Marriage is no protection for crime’: Coverture, Sex, and Marital Rape in Eighteenth-Century England.”
