Education (Colleges & Universities)
Here's a look at documents from public, private and community colleges in the U.S.
Featured Stories
University of Cincinnati: Geosciences Students Contribute to EPA Training on Groundwater Science and Field Methods
CINCINNATI, Ohio, April 24 -- The University of Cincinnati posted the following news:
* * *
Geosciences students contribute to EPA training on groundwater science and field methods
EPA visits UC's groundwater observatory
*
Geosciences faculty and students at the University of Cincinnati trained scientists on the latest tools to study sources of drinking water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Groundwater Forum.
UC hosted a half-day lecture session led by Professor Reza Soltanian, who studies subsurface energy and hydrogeology, followed by training at UC's Theis-Nash Environmental
... Show Full Article
CINCINNATI, Ohio, April 24 -- The University of Cincinnati posted the following news:
* * *
Geosciences students contribute to EPA training on groundwater science and field methods
EPA visits UC's groundwater observatory
*
Geosciences faculty and students at the University of Cincinnati trained scientists on the latest tools to study sources of drinking water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Groundwater Forum.
UC hosted a half-day lecture session led by Professor Reza Soltanian, who studies subsurface energy and hydrogeology, followed by training at UC's Theis-Nash EnvironmentalMonitoring and Modeling Site, a highly instrumented field site along the Great Miami River that monitors the flow and composition of groundwater.
The UC-led portion of the training focused on connecting advances in subsurface science from geologic heterogeneity to groundwater flow, contaminant transport and biogeochemical processes, together with emerging advances in geophysical imaging and AI enabled modeling workflows. The goal was to demonstrate how these concepts translate into field observations and improved predictive capabilities.
"What we are trying to do is connect how the subsurface is structured to how water, contaminants and reactions actually behave," Soltanian said. "The goal is to carry those ideas consistently from theory and modeling into the field."
At the observatory, participants engaged with the system through geophysical demonstrations, instrumentation and discussion of hyporheic exchange and redox dynamics in a river floodplain environment. The site enables researchers to observe how groundwater and surface water interact under changing river conditions and how subsurface structure controls mixing and biogeochemical activity.
"The geophysical demonstrations were critical to demonstrating the wide variety of techniques we can use to investigate the subsurface without needing to drill a well," UC Associate Professor Dan Sturmer said.
"Awareness of these geophysical methods and their individual strengths and weaknesses broadens the potential toolbox that the EPA technical staff can use to evaluate and address subsurface questions."
"(The observatory) was developed as a platform for this type of work, combining long-term monitoring, geophysical imaging and advanced modeling in a natural field setting. It serves both as a research facility and as a training environment where scientists and students can engage with complex subsurface systems in real time," Soltanian said.
Graduate and undergraduate students played a central role in the training, leading demonstrations and working directly with EPA technical staff in the field. Students showcased techniques such as electrical resistivity tomography, redox imaging, and electromagnetic induction, which are used to image subsurface structure and guide interpretation of groundwater processes.
"It is a unique experience to work alongside scientists who are applying these methods at sites across the country," said doctoral student Megan Naber. "We are not just demonstrating tools. We are discussing how to interpret them in complex systems."
The collaboration reflects a longstanding partnership between UC and the EPA, supported in part by the proximity of EPA research facilities near campus and ongoing joint research efforts.
"This kind of engagement is exactly what the Theis-Nash Environmental Monitoring and Modeling Site was designed to support," Soltanian said. "It's a platform where research, training and collaboration come together."
* * *
Original text here: https://www.uc.edu/news/articles/2026/04/epa-visits-ucs-groundwater-observatory.html
UH Manoa Earns National Recognition for Campus Beauty
MANOA, Hawaii, April 24 -- The University of Hawaii Manoa campus issued the following news release:
* * *
UH Manoa earns national recognition for campus beauty
The University of Hawaii at Manoa continues to gain national recognition for its scenic campus, most recently being in the top 35 most beautiful colleges in the country by U.S. News & World Report in March 2026.
The publication highlighted campuses that "captivate not only students and faculty but also travelers who appreciate scenic architecture, lush green spaces and unique landmarks."
The latest honor builds on previous accolades,
... Show Full Article
MANOA, Hawaii, April 24 -- The University of Hawaii Manoa campus issued the following news release:
* * *
UH Manoa earns national recognition for campus beauty
The University of Hawaii at Manoa continues to gain national recognition for its scenic campus, most recently being in the top 35 most beautiful colleges in the country by U.S. News & World Report in March 2026.
The publication highlighted campuses that "captivate not only students and faculty but also travelers who appreciate scenic architecture, lush green spaces and unique landmarks."
The latest honor builds on previous accolades,including a 2025 ranking by Travel + Leisure, which placed UH Manoa among the 30 most stunning college campuses in the United States.
Natural beauty, unique setting
Spanning 320 acres in Manoa Valley, UH Manoa is home to more than 4,000 trees and more than 500 plant species. The campus is recognized as an accredited arboretum--one of only 823 worldwide--and one of just ten in Hawaii, along with UH's Lyon Arboretum. The landscape features a wide range of flora native to Hawaii as well as plants from across the Pacific, creating an environment that reflects the university's unique setting.
"This recognition reflects what our students, faculty and community experience every day at UH Manoa: a campus where natural beauty, culture and academic excellence come together in a unique way," said Vassilis L. Syrmos, interim provost for UH Manoa. "From our diverse arboretum to our historic and modern spaces, UH Manoa offers an environment that inspires learning, discovery and a deep connection to place."
U.S. News and World Report also highlighted UH Manoa's architecture as a standout feature, including the Isabella Aiona Abbott Life Sciences Building, which opened in 2020, the iconic Hawaii Hall built in 1912, and Andrews Amphitheater, which can accommodate up to 5,500 people and continues to serve as a gathering place for both UH and community events and performances.
Together, these recognitions highlight UH Manoa's combination of natural beauty, environmental stewardship and culture, strengthening its standing as one of the nation's most distinctive campuses.
* * *
Original text here: http://www.uhm.hawaii.edu/news/article.php?aId=14519
UC-Irvine: Parental Reliance on Digital Devices to Calm Youngsters is Linked to Behavior Problems
IRVINE, California, April 24 (TNSjou) -- The University of California Irvine campus issued the following news release:
* * *
Parental reliance on digital devices to calm youngsters is linked to behavior problems
UC Irvine-led study also found tie to higher maternal stress, creating unhealthy cycle
* Evidence suggests that this type of screen time might displace opportunities for 9- to 30-month-old children to cultivate self-regulation skills, leading to behavior problems.
* For mothers, higher parenting stress was associated with more frequent use of devices - and that use was, in turn, linked
... Show Full Article
IRVINE, California, April 24 (TNSjou) -- The University of California Irvine campus issued the following news release:
* * *
Parental reliance on digital devices to calm youngsters is linked to behavior problems
UC Irvine-led study also found tie to higher maternal stress, creating unhealthy cycle
* Evidence suggests that this type of screen time might displace opportunities for 9- to 30-month-old children to cultivate self-regulation skills, leading to behavior problems.
* For mothers, higher parenting stress was associated with more frequent use of devices - and that use was, in turn, linkedto continued stress over time.
* For fathers, device use was also associated with children's behavior problems, though not directly tied to reported stress levels.
*
For many parents, handing a phone or tablet to a fussy baby or toddler can feel like an easy solution in a distressing moment. But new research led by the University of California, Irvine suggests that this common strategy may come with longer-term trade-offs.
In a study published in Developmental Psychology, researchers found that using digital devices to calm or distract very young children was linked to increased behavior problems over time - and, for mothers, higher levels of parenting stress. The team, comprising scholars from six universities, followed 210 families from when children were 9 to 30 months old. The racially, ethnically and economically diverse sample offers one of the first longitudinal examinations of how parenting stress, media use and child behavior gradually interact.
Notably, while most parents reported rarely using devices to calm infants, by the time children reached toddlerhood, all parents in the study acknowledged using devices this way at least some days each week.
"Digital devices are incredibly effective at capturing children's attention, especially when they are upset or bored," said lead author Stephanie M. Reich, UC Irvine professor of education. "But when devices are used to calm or distract children, they may displace opportunities for children to develop self-regulation skills - skills that are critical for long-term social and emotional development."
The findings point to a pattern that may feel familiar to many families.
For mothers, higher parenting stress was linked to more frequent use of devices to calm or distract young children. That increased use was associated with more behavior problems in toddlerhood, which was tied to heightened parenting stress over time.
Together, the results suggest a potential cycle: stress -> device use -> behavior challenges -> more stress. While the study does not establish causation, it highlights how everyday parenting strategies and children's development may gradually influence one another.
Much of the public conversation around children and media focuses on total screen time. This study points to something different: how and why devices are used.
When children are upset, moments that might otherwise involve soothing, interaction and communication can instead be replaced by screen use. Researchers describe this as "displacement," where screens may limit opportunities for children to develop crucial self-regulation skills.
"Those everyday interactions are how young children learn to manage their emotions," Reich noted. "If those moments are consistently replaced, it may shape development in ways we're only beginning to understand."
The study also highlights the importance of including both mothers and fathers in research on early childhood and media use. While patterns differed, fathers' use of devices to calm or distract children was also linked to children's behavior problems over time - despite not being directly tied to reported stress levels.
"Understanding how families use media requires looking at the full family system," Reich said.
* * *
About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation's top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UC Irvine has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It's located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UC Irvine, visit www.uci.edu.
* * *
Original text here: https://news.uci.edu/2026/04/23/parental-reliance-on-digital-devices-to-calm-youngsters-is-linked-to-behavior-problems/
Rutgers-Newark Marks 80th Anniversary With Jazz, Celebration of History
NEWARK, New Jersey, April 24 -- Rutgers University issued the following news:
* * *
Rutgers-Newark Marks 80th Anniversary With Jazz, Celebration of History
By Carrie Stetler
In 1908, 30 students attended the first class of New Jersey Law School, which decades later would become part of Rutgers-Newark. The course was held at night to accommodate the ambitious working- and middle-class students who enrolled--many of whom were the children of immigrants in Newark and nearby towns.
Classes were held on the fourth floor of the Prudential Home Insurance Company offices on Broad Street.
By 1936,
... Show Full Article
NEWARK, New Jersey, April 24 -- Rutgers University issued the following news:
* * *
Rutgers-Newark Marks 80th Anniversary With Jazz, Celebration of History
By Carrie Stetler
In 1908, 30 students attended the first class of New Jersey Law School, which decades later would become part of Rutgers-Newark. The course was held at night to accommodate the ambitious working- and middle-class students who enrolled--many of whom were the children of immigrants in Newark and nearby towns.
Classes were held on the fourth floor of the Prudential Home Insurance Company offices on Broad Street.
By 1936,the makeshift law school found a home at the former Ballantine Brewery, joining a constellation of small schools and colleges to become the University of Newark.
Ten years later, on April 30th, 1946, it merged with Rutgers University, furthering Rutgers' statewide mission.
Since then, Rutgers-Newark has grown into an institution that fuels economic development and cultural vibrancy in the city, state and beyond. With 88 percent of its student body from New Jersey, RU-N produces internationally regarded, real-world research, often in collaboration with city residents and grass-roots organizations.
Today, Rutgers-Newark is ranked #36 among public universities nationwide. For two years in a row U.S. News & World Report has rank ed it #5 nationwide -- and #1 in New Jersey -- for Social Mobility, which measures students' success in moving up the economic and professional ladder. That's been a key part of RU-N's mission since day one.
On April 30th, Rutgers-Newark will celebrate its 80th anniversary at an event held on International Jazz Day and showcasing the Institute of Jazz Studies- the world's largest public jazz archive-which celebrates its 60th anniversary at RU-N. The day will be capped by a live performance at Clement's Place, an on-campus lounge that hosts up to 100 jazz shows a year, free and open to the public.
"As Rutgers University-Newark marks 80 years as part of Rutgers, we're honoring a legacy built on opening doors and staying deeply connected to the city,'' said Chancellor Tonya Smith-Jackson. "That history shapes how we move forward. We celebrate this moment not just to reflect, but to reaffirm our purpose: to expand opportunity, to do research that matters, and to serve New Jersey in ways that lift communities and change lives,''
The chancellor, who arrived in August, has no doubt that RU-N has exceeded the expectations of Richard Meder, Rutgers Dean of Administration, who in 1946 predicted great things for RU-N.
"I see in the Newark colleges the great possibility of becoming a leading urban center of urban education equal to, indeed surpassing, any such center in the country,'' he proclaimed. "The joining of the Newark Colleges with Rutgers to form a State University is an important milestone in the history of New Jersey education."
Since the merger, Rutgers-Newark has evolved into a "cornerstone of opportunity for our residents,'' said Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who listed RU-N's many contributions to the city.
"Our partnership with RU-N extends way beyond enrolling and graduating generations of Newark students, many of them first-generation, and creating clear pathways to careers,'' he said. "It fosters critical public health initiatives, small business development, youth mentorship and scholarships, and millions of dollars of research investment into our neighborhoods, advancing solutions in housing, criminal justice reform, and environmental justice. RU-N truly represents the best in academic institutions that rise up from deep roots in their community and yield fruit that truly is sustenance for the people of our city and beyond."
An Urban University Becomes Part of Rutgers
Rutgers University merged with the University of Newark to broaden its geographic footprint a year after being named the State University of New Jersey. Newark was the state's largest industrial center, and many students were laborers who aspired to enter white collar professions, especially business and law.
Rutgers recognized the need for a higher education among city-dwellers, most of whom couldn't afford to live on a college campus, and the value of an educated workforce and citizenry.
"Urban education is rapidly increasing in importance.... Students attending an urban education center live in their own homes and either give full time to study in day classes or part time to study after the day's work," according to the legislation that established the merger.
"This form of education... enables young men and women to obtain the benefits of higher education who otherwise could not do so. ..and serves to raise the general education,'' stated the legislation.
From its earliest days, Rutgers-Newark and its predecessors have made higher education accessible to students who are not much different than that first New Jersey Law School class. Long before the 1946 merger, the institutions that would become Rutgers-Newark were already pushing the boundaries of who could earn a degree.
In 1916, the Newark Institute of Arts and Sciences--one of RU-N's precursor schools--became the first college in New Jersey open to women.
"One thing I've been struck by is how much of a commitment to making higher education accessible for more and more people precedes the Rutgers part of the history," said Rutgers-Newark Professor Mark Krasovic, who has researched Newark history.
Although it wasn't until the 1960s, when student activists successfully pushed for a campus reflecting the city's diverse demographics, RU-N has always been dedicated to enrolling students who were often excluded from higher education.
Some of its most well-known alumni came from Newark's emerging working and middle class, such as legendary Newark authors Amiri Baraka - the father of Mayor Ras Baraka - who found fame as a Beat Generation poet and returned to the city to pioneer the Black Arts movement. Another literary giant, Philip Roth, who also enrolled in the 1950s, was from the predominantly Jewish Weequahic section, which figures heavily in his fiction.
Other high-profile alumni include U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (Rutgers Law, '76), actor and writer Ramy Yusef, RU-N's 20205 commencement speaker, and Judith Viorst (Class of '52), a native Newarker and author of the children's book classic Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible No Good Very Bad Day. Actor and bandleader Ozzie Nelson, of the 1950s television show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet was also an alumnus (Rutgers Law '36).
A 1960s Turning Point
Newark changed dramatically in the late 1950s, when the expansion of Rutgers-Newark intersected with federal urban renewal policies. Entire neighborhoods were leveled, prompting calls for the school to include the residents who were displaced and renew its investment in the city, said Krasovic.
By the late 1960s, students were openly challenging the university's role in Newark. Alumnus Richard Roper, who graduated in 1968, recalls the era's stark imbalance.
"It was predominantly a white institution. The Black student population was less than one percent," said Roper, who went on to hold a leadership position in the U.S. Department of Commerce under President Jimmy Carter.
Roper described the physical and symbolic separation between campus and city. "Rutgers-Newark was encircled by a metal fence. It made itself clear it was not a part of Newark,'' recalled Roper.
In 1969, a group of activists, the Black Organization of Students, which Roper founded before graduating and led as president, took over Conklin Hall. They successfully demanded a more diverse student body and faculty.
"That activism resulted in Rutgers-Newark becoming more aware of its responsibility as an urban campus to increase the enrollment of minority students," said Roper, who participated in the creation of the New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF), a groundbreaking program launched in 1968.
Newark's Latine youth, many of whom were Puerto Rican and organizing as activists throughout the city, also lobbied for change. As a result, their presence at RU-N increased, too.
"The Conklin Takeover was fundamental also for Puerto Rican students,'' said Jason Cortes, Rutgers-Newark Chair of the Spanish and Portuguese Studies Department and Dean of the Honors Living-Learning Community.
Changes resulting from the takeover were reflected in the curricula, leading to the creation of an Africana Studies Department. Rutgers-Newark also created courses and minors in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, said Cortes.
Today, RU-N is a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), where 35 percent of students are Hispanic.
By the late 20th-century, Rutgers-Newark was one of the most diverse campuses in the U.S., paving the way for a more inclusive university and helping to change the higher education landscape in New Jersey. "Rutgers-Newark led in this regard," said Roper, who participated in the creation of the New Jersey Equal Opportunity Fund (EOF). "Others realized this was not destructive -- that it had a positive impact."
An Anchor in the City
Over time, Rutgers-Newark became increasingly embedded in the civic, cultural, and economic life of the city.
RU-N's anchor institution mission includes several efforts completed under former Chancellor Nancy Cantor, who arrived in 2014. At cultural hubs like Express Newark, established in the old Hahne Department Store building in 2016, faculty and students collaborate with community artists and others.
The Honors Living-Learning Community (HLLC) , an intergenerational learning and residential program, enrolls half of its students from Newark. They range in age from 18 to 60-something. Nationally recognized for reimagining honors programs, it uses an in-depth holistic admissions process to identify exceptional students from many different backgrounds and experiences. There is also the Honors College, a multi-disciplinary effort, which doesn't include a residential component but matches a diverse and promising group of students with faculty mentors.
Rutgers-Newark's relationship with the city shapes its distinctive approach to research, which often includes partnerships with Newark residents and organizations.
"Publicly engaged research is part of what makes RU-N exceptional,'' said Joel Caplan, Senior Vice Chancellor for Research and Collaborations. "It is uncommon for a public research university to combine this breadth and depth of community-engaged scholarship across so many disciplines,'' he said.
Research work spans law, public policy, business, the humanities, and STEM fields, often in direct collaboration with government agencies and community organizations.
"We have innovative research and scholarship across all of our schools," Caplan said. "That includes cutting-edge work in natural and applied sciences, math, brain health, and beyond."
Well-known faculty have included Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who taught at the law school from 1963 to 1972, and many professors from Rutgers-Newark's Creative Writing MFA program, founded by author Jayne Anne Phillips in 2007 and regarded as one of the best in the nation.
Present-day faculty include Salamishah Tillet, a 2022 Pulitzer Prize winner for her New York Times work as critic-at-large, poet John Keene, who won the National Book Award for poetry that year, and author Rigoberto Gonzales, who last year won the Poetry Foundation's Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize for Lifetime Achievement, one of the most prestigious honors awarded to poets. Acclaimed author Alice Elliot Dark is also a faculty member, along with other well-known writers.
In STEM fields, notable faculty members include neuroscientist Denis Pare, who is known for his research on fear and anxiety disorders. Fei Zhang of the Chemistry Department, who, along with Jean-Pierre Etchegaray of the Biological Sciences Department, developed an RNA nanotechnology that shows promise as a cancer cure.
Neuroscientist Mark Gluck, who heads the Aging & Brain Health Alliance, was awarded a $7.4 million federal grant for research on Alzheimer's risks in African-Americans, who have a greater chance of developing the disease.
Real-World Research
Rutgers-Newark's reputation, particularly its focus on community-centered scholarship and research, attracted two alumni who now serve as deans and credit RU-N with their career trajectories.
"I felt it was the best school I could have gone to,'' said Kaifeng Yang, Dean of the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA), who arrived at RU-N from Beijing as an international student and received his Ph.D. from SPAA in 2003.
He remembers the close-knit, supportive culture of Rutgers-Newark, something that hasn't changed.
"People here were so welcoming and considerate,'' recalls Yang, an internationally known scholar of government performance management and citizen engagement. "They supported you however they could and it's still the same.''
Research at SPAA includes NSF-funded initiatives that support digital literacy among older adults, as well as collaborations with the City of Newark to improve public services through data-driven analysis.
"That's the type of thing that is original: first-rate research that affects a community's life. We are very important to the community. We are indeed in Newark, of Newark,'' said Yang.
That same ethos inspired alumna Nancy La Vigne to enroll in the School of Criminal Justice in 1993, where she is now dean. La Vigne, who received her PhD in 1996, returned last year after directing the National Institute of Justice, the U.S Department of Justice's science agency, which funds research informing measures to reduce crime, assist victims, and advance justice.
The school was established by the New Jersey State Legislature over 50 years ago to build knowledge on effective public safety strategies. "It's in the school's DNA to do research that informs policy," said La Vigne.
La Vigne cites efforts such as the Newark Public Safety Collaborative, which is recognized internationally for its work in analyzing and sharing data with city government and community groups to co-develop solutions to crime control and prevention.
"Our reputation is sterling, and it opens doors and opportunities,'' she said. "I trace my career success to my education at the School of Criminal Justice."
Both Yang and La Vigne praised the energy and dedication of Rutgers-Newark students, many of whom come from humble backgrounds.
"They are very intellectually curious and passionate and very collaborative and supportive of each other,'' said La Vigne. "The faculty are some of the best scholars in the field, but they are very collaborative and grounded, too.''
Smith-Jackson is counting on that energy to help Rutgers-Newark achieve R1 status, the top classification for academic research. It's currently classified R2, which designates a school with a high level of research.
"As Rutgers University-Newark commemorates its 80th anniversary, we are also commemorating a far-sighted decision made by the State of New Jersey in 1946--to establish a public university in Newark that could expand access, cultivate talent, and strengthen the state's economic future,'' said the chancellor.
"Eighty years later, that vision has been realized, and the institution now stands at a pivotal moment--prepared to deliver the next level of academic excellence, research and innovation, and workforce leadership for Newark and for New Jersey. Rutgers University-Newark is, quite simply, a university whose time has come,'' she said.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.newark.rutgers.edu/news/rutgers-newark-marks-80th-anniversary-jazz-celebration-history-0
Michigan Medicine: Opioids for Dental Pain Still More Common in U.S.
ANN ARBOR, Michigan, April 24 (TNSjou) -- Michigan Medicine, the academic medical center of the University of Michigan, issued the following news release:
* * *
Opioids for dental pain still more common in U.S.
Despite a recent 27% drop in patients filling dental opioid prescriptions, the rate is still higher in United States than in Puerto Rico and six other developed countries
*
People getting their teeth pulled or drilled by dentists in the United States are still much more likely to get powerful opioid medications than dental patients in other developed countries or even the U.S. territory
... Show Full Article
ANN ARBOR, Michigan, April 24 (TNSjou) -- Michigan Medicine, the academic medical center of the University of Michigan, issued the following news release:
* * *
Opioids for dental pain still more common in U.S.
Despite a recent 27% drop in patients filling dental opioid prescriptions, the rate is still higher in United States than in Puerto Rico and six other developed countries
*
People getting their teeth pulled or drilled by dentists in the United States are still much more likely to get powerful opioid medications than dental patients in other developed countries or even the U.S. territoryof Puerto Rico, a new study finds.
That's despite steep drops in dental opioid prescription fills in recent years in the U.S., according to the findings from a team from the University of Michigan Medical School and University of New South Wales published in the journal JAMA Network Open.
Dentists worldwide have worked in recent years to move away from prescribing opioids for routine dental procedure pain.
Newer dental care guidelines encourage them to advise patients to use other types of pain medication because of the risk that prescription opioids can lead to long term use, the form of addiction called opioid use disorder, accidental poisoning or overdose.
From 2021 to 2024, the new study shows, there was a 27% drop in the rate of patients in U.S. states filling prescriptions from dentists for opioids, and a 10% drop in Puerto Rico.
There were also double-digit decreases in four developed countries the researchers analyzed: Canada, France, Australia and Germany.
But by the end of 2024, the U.S. still had the highest rate of such prescription fills, though it had closed the gap with Canada, the country with the next-highest rate.
By contrast, the Netherlands had a dental opioids prescription fill rate that was 24 times lower than the U.S. rate.
In the Netherlands in 2024, just 83 prescriptions for dental opioids were filled for every 100,000 inhabitants.
In the U.S., 2,022 such prescriptions were filled for every 100,000 people.
Kao-Ping Chua, M.D., Ph.D., the lead author of the new study, has tracked dental opioid prescribing patters in the U.S. and other countries for years.
"Our study shows that the US dental opioid dispensing rate is decreasing but remains high by international standards," said Chua, who is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the U-M Medical School and of Health Management and Policy at the U-M School of Public Health.
"This finding suggests that some U.S. dentists are still overprescribing opioids."
Chua is also director of the Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research Center or CHEAR.
In 2023, Chua and colleagues showed that the rate of prescribing in the U.S. had dropped 45% between 2016 and 2022, though the progress slowed after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even so, the 2022 rate in the U.S. was four times the 2016 rate in the United Kingdom. The new study does not include UK data.
The senior author of the new paper, Chad Brummett, M.D., is a Professor of Anesthesiology at U-M and co-director of the U-M Opioid Research Institute and the U-M-based opioid guideline and education effort called OPEN.
OPEN offers guides and educational materials for opioid-sparing pain care for dental and oral surgery patients. They're available for free and have been updated several times.
Chua and Brummett are members of the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation; Romesh Nalliah, D.D.S., a co-author, was also a member during his time on the U-M faculty. Other authors are three members of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia: Claudia Bruno, Ph.D.; Sallie-Anne Pearson, Ph.D., and Jonathan Brett, MBBS, Ph.D., and Siljia He, M.S., a CHEAR statistician.
The study was funded by the Benter Foundation, with additional funding by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health (R01DA056438, R01DA057284, and R01DA057943), and the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (1196900, 1196560).
Reference: "International Trends in Dental Opioid Prescriptions," JAMA Network Open. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.7824
* * *
Original text here: https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-lab/opioids-dental-pain-still-more-common-us
Cybersecurity Training Returns for Second Year at LU With Hands-on ICS Focus
BEAUMONT, Texas, April 24 -- Lamar University issued the following news:
* * *
Cybersecurity training returns for second year at LU with hands-on ICS focus
By April Thompson
Cybersecurity professionals, researchers and industry partners gathered at Lamar University for a hands-on Industrial Control Systems cybersecurity training workshop, bringing together participants from across Texas and several states to strengthen defenses for critical infrastructure.
The 2nd Annual ICS Cybersecurity Hands-on Training Workshop was hosted by the Center for Data Analytics and Cybersecurity in collaboration
... Show Full Article
BEAUMONT, Texas, April 24 -- Lamar University issued the following news:
* * *
Cybersecurity training returns for second year at LU with hands-on ICS focus
By April Thompson
Cybersecurity professionals, researchers and industry partners gathered at Lamar University for a hands-on Industrial Control Systems cybersecurity training workshop, bringing together participants from across Texas and several states to strengthen defenses for critical infrastructure.
The 2nd Annual ICS Cybersecurity Hands-on Training Workshop was hosted by the Center for Data Analytics and Cybersecurity in collaborationwith Idaho National Laboratory, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Region 6, and academic partner Sul Ross State University.
The three-day program included intensive, eight-hour courses covering Intermediate Cybersecurity for Industrial Control Systems (ICS201 and ICS202), as well as CyberStrike NEMESIS, a simulation-based exercise designed to test participant response to evolving cyber threats.
Organizers also demonstrated a live in-house midstream testbed developed by the CDAC team, simulating real-world industrial operations, cyberattacks and detection systems to give participants hands-on exposure to complex cybersecurity scenarios.
Dr. Helen Lou, professor of chemical engineering at Lamar University and director of the U.S. Department of Energy-funded Center for Data Analytics and Cybersecurity, noted the broader significance of the event.
Lou said the workshop has become a key training platform for professionals working to protect critical infrastructure systems.
"The recurring ICS cybersecurity workshop is a resounding success. It is a pivotal event for professionals seeking both foundational and advanced skills to secure critical infrastructure," Lou said. "As the cyber threat landscape evolves, so too does the program, ensuring participants are equipped to meet emerging challenges."
She also noted increased participation this year, with attendees traveling from Texas, Louisiana, Colorado and Florida, reflecting the workshop's expanding regional reach.
Support for the program came from the U.S. Department of Energy, along with corporate sponsors including ExxonMobil and Valero Energy Corporation.
The workshop was also made possible by trainers Russell R. Gold, Eric M. Mickelsen, Chris Johnson and Kelly Johnson, along with guest speaker Jeevan Sakti of ExxonMobil, whose contributions helped shape the hands-on training experience.
To learn more about the Center for Data Analytics and Cybersecurity at Lamar University, visit https://www.lamar.edu/center-data-analytics-cybersecurity/index.html.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.lamar.edu/news-and-events/news/2026/04/cybersecurity-training-returns-for-second-year-at-lu-with-hands-on-ics-focus.html
Barnard Seniors Research: Infectious Disease and Reconstruction Era Politics
NEW YORK, April 24 -- Barnard College issued the following news:
* * *
Barnard Seniors Research: Infectious Disease and Reconstruction Era Politics
Barnard seniors are finalizing their theses, the independent research project that completes the college education. Here, we take an in-depth look at some of the topics students chose to dive into -- across departments, in their own words.
*
The senior thesis is often one of the most memorable parts of the college experience: an independent research project that enables students to become subject matter experts in the topic of their choice.
For
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, April 24 -- Barnard College issued the following news:
* * *
Barnard Seniors Research: Infectious Disease and Reconstruction Era Politics
Barnard seniors are finalizing their theses, the independent research project that completes the college education. Here, we take an in-depth look at some of the topics students chose to dive into -- across departments, in their own words.
*
The senior thesis is often one of the most memorable parts of the college experience: an independent research project that enables students to become subject matter experts in the topic of their choice.
Forsome, this means hundreds of hours in a lab, learning first-hand how to design and execute research on an open scientific question. For others, this involves traveling to another state to sift through government archives, uncovering new details about an area of the past that has gone unexplored.
In the first edition of our three part series, seniors in the Class of 2026 share what they're researching, where it's taken them, and how their final projects got done.
* * *
Amelia Rice: Biology
Evolution of U.S. drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment guidelines (1983-2019): a dual case study of HIV and pregnancy
What's your thesis about?
In a post-antibiotic world, we are comforted to know that, if prescribed the right medicines, tuberculosis won't kill us. But individuals have been getting cases of tuberculosis that are harder and harder to treat due to antibiotic resistance; we have a finite number of antibiotics available, and we have been observing tuberculosis strains with resistance to more antibiotics. Some patient populations are more likely to get active tuberculosis infections and are at increased risk for drug-resistant tuberculosis. In my paper, I focused on two of these groups: pregnant people and HIV+ individuals.
What do doctors do when a pregnant person and/or someone with HIV is very sick with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis? How has this changed since antibiotic resistance became more of a problem? Using a "jigsaw puzzle" approach, I went backwards in time to look through CDC recommendations from 1983 to 2019 for tuberculosis treatment to find where and why the guidelines changed.
Is there a finding that surprised you?
I was shocked at how little research has been done on pregnant people for tuberculosis treatment, particularly antibiotic-resistant TB, which poses a particular threat. Every 10 years, when the CDC publishes its updated treatment guidelines, the authors reiterate how further clinical studies and clinical trials needed to be done on pregnant patients due to a large gap in understanding.
Without this evidence, physicians are left to weigh difficult potential consequences when prescribing pregnant patients tuberculosis medications: Are they sick enough? What might happen to the patient and the fetus because of the prescribed antibiotics? What might happen without them?
Where did the project take you?
This project was heavily influenced by my work in the Weil Lab at the University of Washington School of Medicine. There, I focused on Vibrio cholerae, the bacteria that causes cholera disease. I extracted DNA from over one hundred human stool samples that came from cholera patients in Bangladesh and their families. I remember wondering how physicians made decisions about the treatment of cholera, and what evidence supported those decisions--with the senior thesis, I wanted to learn about something new within the field of infectious disease while keeping those questions in mind.
What was your go-to research spot on campus?
I spent a lot of time on the fourth floor of Milstein as I scoured PubMed and Google Scholar for peer-reviewed articles dating back to the 1940s. I also did a lot of brainstorming by staring off into space from my desk at home and chatting with my roommates around our dining room table.
* * *
Katelyn Floyd: History
Red Shirts Redeemed: Violence and Politics in South Carolina, 1865-1882
What's your thesis about?
My thesis explores white supremacist paramilitary violence during and after Reconstruction in South Carolina. It begins from the fact that Black political power in the state reached an unprecedented level during Reconstruction, and it traces the reactionary movement that emerged in response, including the ways it was forced underground, reorganized, and reshaped over time in the face of federal intervention and Black resistance.
I track the evolution of that movement from the Ku Klux Klan to the Red Shirts, who successfully overthrew the democratically elected state government in 1876 in what they deemed 'Redemption.' However, the main historical intervention I'm making is tracking how the Red Shirt movement endured beyond 1876. Historians of white supremacist violence in South Carolina often stop there, for obvious reasons, but my project follows the story into the 1880s. I argue that those later elections were also violent, deeply contested, and central to the broader work of rebuilding white supremacy and laying the foundations of Jim Crow.
Is there a finding that surprised you?
What surprised me most was how long the political life of this movement lasted, and how relevant it still feels. This project actually grew out of an earlier paper I wrote on the rise of the Red Shirt movement leading up to 1876, and even then I was surprised to find Red Shirt activity continuing into the 1880s. But the deeper I got into the research, the clearer it became that the movement remained politically and symbolically powerful well beyond the nineteenth century.
Actual Red Shirt associations survived into the New Deal era, and the memory of the movement continued to shape South Carolina politics for decades. 'Redemption' has been invoked on the floor of the South Carolina legislature up to the 1990s, and many of the men I study are still commemorated in monuments and public memory across the state. The movement was central to South Carolina political culture for nearly a century and mobilized broad segments of white society, including women (which was also a big surprise!).
Where did the project take you?
This project took me across South Carolina! I spent the most time at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History in Columbia, where I worked with the letters of Reconstruction governors, criminal court records, election records, and other state documents. I also did research at the South Caroliniana Library at USC, where I looked through personal letters and papers connected to Red Shirt leaders, and visited museums and historic sites like Oakley Park Museum and the Confederate Relic Room.
What was your go-to research spot on campus?
The green chairs on the third floor of Milstein... that became my regular writing spot, usually with a coffee and pastry from Liz's nearby.
* * *
Original text here: https://barnard.edu/news/barnard-seniors-research-infectious-disease-and-reconstruction-era-politics
