Education (Colleges & Universities)
Here's a look at documents from public, private and community colleges in the U.S.
Featured Stories
Texas A&M University: Can Officials Say What They Need To Say About A Health Emergency In 280 Characters?
COLLEGE STATION, Texas, Aug. 14 (TNSjou) -- Texas A&M University issued the following news:
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Can Officials Say What They Need To Say About A Health Emergency In 280 Characters?
Study of Chicago Department of Public Health tweets during the COVID-19 pandemic and mpox outbreak finds mixed results.
By Ann Kellett
Public health officials had an unprecedented tool for near-instant, widespread communication during the COVID-19 pandemic and mpox epidemic: social media.
Now, one of the first studies of its kind, led by a health policy expert with the Texas A&M University School of Public Health,
... Show Full Article
COLLEGE STATION, Texas, Aug. 14 (TNSjou) -- Texas A&M University issued the following news:
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Can Officials Say What They Need To Say About A Health Emergency In 280 Characters?
Study of Chicago Department of Public Health tweets during the COVID-19 pandemic and mpox outbreak finds mixed results.
By Ann Kellett
Public health officials had an unprecedented tool for near-instant, widespread communication during the COVID-19 pandemic and mpox epidemic: social media.
Now, one of the first studies of its kind, led by a health policy expert with the Texas A&M University School of Public Health,has found that X (Twitter at the time of the events) brought advantages -- as well as disadvantages -- in getting the word out.
"For the year that the COVID-19 pandemic and mpox outbreak overlapped, we wanted to understand how health authorities in Chicago used X: the nature of the posts, what information was shared, how it was presented to the public and how all of that impacted public engagement," said Matthew Boyce. "We also looked at the relationship between the number of reported mpox cases and the messages shared on social media."
For their content analysis, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, Boyce and colleagues from Georgetown University and CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy analyzed 1,105 original, health-related X posts by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) from May 2022 to April 2023.
After giving each post an identifier, the team looked at the post's date, time, topic, media (image or video) and language (English, Spanish or bilingual), and noted whether the message was proactive or reactive. Health topics included communicable disease, environmental health and maternal and child health, among others.
On Dec. 15, 2022, X implemented a new policy allowing users to see the number of times communications posted after that date were viewed, and the researchers added this information to track public engagement. They then used a coding system to categorize health topics and the intent of the posts related to mpox, followed by two measurements of intercoder reliability to ensure consistency and accuracy.
To assess the relationship between mpox-related communications and reported mpox cases, the team got data on the weekly reported mpox cases from the CDPH website and used a timeframe of four weeks before the first mpox case was reported and four weeks of no reported cases.
"In terms of COVID-19, four broad findings stand out," Boyce said.
First, the analysis found that the CDPH -- like most local and state health departments -- used X to engage only in one-way communication during the study period. Two-way dialogues are the essence of social media, however, and this approach could not only enhance public trust levels in these health officials, Boyce noted, but also help counter the spread of misinformation and disinformation.
Next, findings suggested that communications with additional images or videos received significantly higher levels of engagement compared to communications without media. Boyce said health officials might want to include these additional media -- although judiciously -- for maximum public engagement.
Third, although this study was conducted during two public health emergencies, it found that communications related to COVID-19 or mpox were not the primary topics of X users. Instead, maternal and child health, mental health and substance use received significantly higher levels of public engagement, underscoring the need for strategies to combat "pandemic fatigue" during prolonged public health emergencies.
Finally, the CDPH X posts were only in English and Spanish, while major U.S. cities are home to speakers of many other languages. Boyce noted, for example, that the Houston Health Department's X posted the same messaging in Arabic, Chinese, English, Spanish and Vietnamese. Furthermore, the CPDH Spanish-language posts received significantly lower levels of public engagement, highlighting the need for outreach efforts in languages other than English.
The mpox analysis found moderate, positive correlations between mpox-related communications and reported mpox cases. It also found that a majority of the CDPH communications related to mpox sought to inform the public, as opposed to manipulating or coercing people to change behaviors.
"The most notable result was that -- while all correlations were positive, of moderate strength and statistically significant -- the strongest correlation existed when communications and cases occurred at the same time," Boyce said. "One would expect communications to increase following increases in cases, and the CDPH should be commended for providing accurate information during a critical period of time in the outbreak response."
Boyce noted four limitations in the research. First, it looked only at text in image-based -- not video-based -- media. Second, ever-changing algorithms make social media difficult to study. Third, the team did not assess the influence of these communications on public behavior. And finally, the findings might not apply to other public health departments, social media platforms or time periods.
"Still, the bottom line is that social media platforms are valuable tools -- but should not be the only tool," Boyce said. "Other communications tools and approaches might be more appropriate for communicating nuanced information, convincing people to change their behavior and reaching certain demographic groups during public health emergencies."
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Original text here: https://stories.tamu.edu/news/2025/08/13/can-officials-say-what-they-need-to-say-about-a-health-emergency-in-280-characters/
National Book Award-winner Jesmyn Ward to Present 2025 Levy Lecture
LAFAYETTE, Louisiana, Aug. 14 -- The University of Louisiana Lafayette campus issued the following news:
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National Book Award-winner Jesmyn Ward to present 2025 Levy Lecture
Jesmyn Ward, two-time National Book Award recipient and the youngest winner of the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction, will present the 2025 Flora Plonsky Levy Lecture at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Ward's literary work reflects the culture of the rural Mississippi Gulf Coast, where she grew up and still resides. Her acclaimed 2011 novel, "Salvage the Bones," draws from her experience evacuating
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LAFAYETTE, Louisiana, Aug. 14 -- The University of Louisiana Lafayette campus issued the following news:
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National Book Award-winner Jesmyn Ward to present 2025 Levy Lecture
Jesmyn Ward, two-time National Book Award recipient and the youngest winner of the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction, will present the 2025 Flora Plonsky Levy Lecture at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Ward's literary work reflects the culture of the rural Mississippi Gulf Coast, where she grew up and still resides. Her acclaimed 2011 novel, "Salvage the Bones," draws from her experience evacuatingher flooded home during Hurricane Katrina. Now 20 years later, her fictional narrative transcends the tragedies wrought by the storm.
UL Lafayette will host Ward at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 24, in the Angelle Hall auditorium on campus. The free event will open to the public at 6:30 p.m. and books will be on sale in the lobby, courtesy of Cavalier House Books.
The author will read from her 2023 historical novel, "Let Us Descend," an Oprah's Book Club pick and instant New York Times best seller. The story follows an enslaved woman from the Carolinas to a Louisiana sugar plantation. Oprah Winfrey called the novel, "a vital work for our culture."
Dr. David Squires, an associate professor of English and director of Graduate Studies for Continuing Students, said the lecture committee was especially interested in bringing another outstanding regional author to the stage after hosting Mississippi native Kiese Laymon last year.
"We started thinking about Gulf Coast writers and how they represent the region and what that means for us all," said Squires.
Ward, a Vanity Fair contributing editor and creative writing professor at Tulane University, received the prestigious MacArthur Foundation Fellowship in 2017 for "exploring the enduring bonds of community and familial love among poor African Americans of the rural South against a landscape of circumscribed possibilities and lost potential." Her 2018 Tulane commencement speech was adapted into a book, "Navigating Your Stars." That same year, Time magazine named her to its list of 100 Most Influential People.
In 2024, The New York Times included three of her books; "Men We Reaped," "Salvage the Bones," and "Sing, Unburied, Sing" among the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.
The annual Flora Plonsky Levy Lecture Series is hosted by the University's Department of English through a UL Lafayette Foundation endowment.
For more information, contact english@louisiana.edu.
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Original text here: https://louisiana.edu/news/national-book-award-winner-jesmyn-ward-present-2025-levy-lecture
DMC Hosts Texas Workforce Commission's JET Grant Presentation to Seven South Texas Schools on Aug. 8
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, Aug. 14 -- Del Mar College issued the following news:
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DMC hosts Texas Workforce Commission's JET grant presentation to seven South Texas schools on Aug. 8
Over $1.6 million combined in Jobs & Education for Texans grant funding awarded to DMC, Victoria College and five ISDs for career and technical education training
By Melinda Eddleman
On Friday, Aug. 8, Del Mar College (DMC) hosted the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) during a check presentation event recognizing Jobs & Education for Texans (JET) grant recipients to support career and technical education (CTE)
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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, Aug. 14 -- Del Mar College issued the following news:
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DMC hosts Texas Workforce Commission's JET grant presentation to seven South Texas schools on Aug. 8
Over $1.6 million combined in Jobs & Education for Texans grant funding awarded to DMC, Victoria College and five ISDs for career and technical education training
By Melinda Eddleman
On Friday, Aug. 8, Del Mar College (DMC) hosted the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) during a check presentation event recognizing Jobs & Education for Texans (JET) grant recipients to support career and technical education (CTE)training for South Texas high school students. Among the two community colleges and five independent school districts (ISDs) that received oversized checks representing a combined $1,692,417 were Del Mar College, Victoria College and Banquete, Calhoun County, Corpus Christi, George West and San Diego ISDs (read Office of the Texas Governor release).
The oversized check awards from the commission were signed and then presented to each school by TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Joe Esparza.
DMC received a $313,833 JET grant for its Automotive Applied Technology Program with the Department of Architecture, Aviation and Automotive. The college also partners with four of the five ISDs that received the TWC's grant to train their students in health care (Banquete, George West and San Diego) and in electronics (Corpus Christi).
The JET grant funds DMC received were used to purchase high-tech training equipment to prepare students as technicians for modern vehicle repairs and maintenance in the automotive industry. That equipment includes:
* Consulink Cruze 1.4L Engine Trainer includes new GDI and start/stop technology that allows students to perform a basic "road test" and engine diagnostics within the classroom. This trainer also teaches engine diagnostics.
* Consulab Fuel Injection & GM Engine Management System is used to teach engine management technologies found in modern day vehicles.
* Consulab Ohm's Law and DC Circuit Trainers (Classroom Set) is a self-contained education learning system designed to assist instructors with teaching basic electrical and electronic theory and Ohm's Law basics, covering fundamentals using the latest electrical components found in modern vehicles.
* Consulab Engine Starting Test Traction, which is a bench used for teaching mechanical engine repair using OEM components that provide students with additional skills in engine diagnosis.
* AC System Trainer with H-block is a complete A/C system with unique features designed to enhance the instruction of air conditioning physics.
* Double-sided Automotive Lighting Trainer is a totally functional vehicle CAN bus trainer based on a Honda vehicle platform and includes all operational OEM vehicle systems, such as a functional multiplex and CAN Bus system, with a total of 11 system modules.
* Consulab Advanced Electronics Moduponent Kit is a versatile, adaptable advanced electrical/electronic training series that allows student to build complex electronic circuits and provides instruction covering the use of multimeter and other testing equipment.
The need for skilled automotive technicians and mechanics continues to grow and will exceed 60,000 nationally by 2032 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Texas' Coastal Bend region shows high demand among employers to fill local positions in part due to a growing population generating increased vehicle registrations, along with a growing number of experienced technicians retiring from the field.
DMC's Automotive Applied Technology Program not only trains college-age students but also currently partners with three ISDs in CTE training--Corpus Christi (Miller High School), Calallen and Gregory-Portland--to fill the area's employment gap in this field. The collaboration to prepare these future technicians is part of the college's Dual Enrollment Program through Memorandums of Agreement.
Students earn college credits toward the Suspension, Driveline, Brake Specialist Level I Certificate, which are stackable credentials that allow them to proceed with earning the Automotive Applied Technology Program's Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree.
For employers, finding automotive repair and maintenance technicians with the right skill sets is a growing challenge as vehicle complexity increases. The equipment purchased using the JET grant has allowed the college to upgrade its program's training lab to meet the highest standards and produce well-trained technicians that industry employers seek for repairs and maintenance among today's vehicles.
Recently, the Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Education Foundation awarded its nationally recognized Program Training Accreditation to DMC's Automotive Applied Technology Program. Students who earn their ASE certification are considered prime candidates for hire in the automotive repair industry.
The college's Automotive Applied Technology Program offers Level I and II Certificates in addition to the AAS degree. Curriculum and hands-on lab skills training provide for entry-level employment and prepares students for Automotive Service Technology entry-level ASE certifications.
More details about the college's Automotive Applied Technology Program are available online at www.delmar.edu/degrees/automotive-applied-technology/index.html.
Del Mar College empowers students to achieve their dreams. We offer quality programs, individual attention, outstanding instruction through faculty with real-world experience and affordable costs to credit and noncredit students in Corpus Christi and the South Texas Coastal Bend area. Nationally recognized while locally focused, we're ranked in the top two percent of community colleges in the country granting associate degrees to Hispanic students (Community College Week). Del Mar College focuses on offering our students programs that match current or emerging career opportunities. Whether students are interested in the fine arts, sciences, business, occupational or technical areas, students get the education they need for the future they want at Del Mar College.
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Original text here: https://vikingnews.delmar.edu/dmc-hosts-texas-workforce-commissions-jet-grant-presentation-to-seven-south-texas-schools-on-aug-8/
Columbia School of Public Health: Team Creativity Can and Should Play a Key Role in Primary Care
NEW YORK, Aug. 14 (TNSjou) -- Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health issued the following news:
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Team Creativity Can and Should Play a Key Role in Primary Care
Team creativity can be measured in primary care, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Primary care teams are essential to high-quality, patient-centered care yet face persistent challenges despite growing recognition of their operational expertise. Their role as a source of creative ideas for improving care is underleveraged while empirical tools for assessing and supporting
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, Aug. 14 (TNSjou) -- Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health issued the following news:
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Team Creativity Can and Should Play a Key Role in Primary Care
Team creativity can be measured in primary care, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Primary care teams are essential to high-quality, patient-centered care yet face persistent challenges despite growing recognition of their operational expertise. Their role as a source of creative ideas for improving care is underleveraged while empirical tools for assessing and supportingcreativity in primary care teams also remained scarce. The findings are published in Health Care Management Review.
"In other industries, team creativity is well-studied and is gaining traction in health care, where it may foster innovation and improvement," said Yuna Lee, PhD, assistant professor of Health Policy and Management (link is external and opens in a new window)at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, and first author.
"Our goal was to adapt and refine the concept of team creativity for primary care."
Over the past two decades, primary care in the United States has undergone a wave of innovation in response to persistent challenges, including new models of financing, delivery, and workforce design. At the forefront of these efforts are primary care teams--comprising physicians, nurses, medical assistants, and other staff--who work together to solve problems and adapt care on a daily basis.
The researchers used a three-stage empirical design. First, team creativity dimensions were identified through a review and thematic analysis of management literature. The second stage of the study involved consulting an expert panel of 15 scholars and professionals with experience in primary care who adapted these dimensions for primary care. Third, a survey of 648 primary care team members in a large health system was followed by an analysis to identify core dimensions.
Five dimensions of primary care team creativity emerged:
* Team orientation to creativity
* Team creative processes
* Job-required creativity
* Team creative outputs
* Leveraging team creativity
"Primary care teams can apply these five dimensions to generate creative ideas in their daily work," said Lee. "Managers can support this by allocating resources, implementing supportive practices, and recognizing their creative contributions."
With primary care teams increasingly operating in complex environments shaped by burnout, staffing shortages, care coordination challenges, and complex patient needs, this work offers a foundation for making creativity a core capability in high-performing primary care teams, Lee observed.
"Despite many innovations in primary care, the creative capacity of frontline teams remains underexplored," Lee points out. "The findings from our study suggest that with supportive dynamics and infrastructure, these teams can generate solutions to persistent challenges--contributing to care quality and operational efficiency."
Co-authors are Nancy LaVine, Northwell Health and Department of Medicine, Lenox Hill Hospital; Yulia Kogan, Population Health Analytics, Northwell Health; and Lusine Poghosyan, Columbia University School of Nursing and Department of Health Policy and Management, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.
The study was supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, grant 5R03HS027502-02.
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Original text here: https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/news/team-creativity-can-should-play-key-role-primary-care
Carnegie Mellon: New Robotic Agricultural Sensor Could Revolutionize Farming
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, Aug. 14 -- Carnegie Mellon University issued the following news:
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New Robotic Agricultural Sensor Could Revolutionize Farming
By Byron Spice
Farmers might be able to get help tending and harvesting crops using a new sensing technology from Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute (RI).
Researchers invented a tool called SonicBoom that can find crops like apples based on the sound they make. The novel technology, still in the early stages of development, may someday be used by farm robots for tasks like pruning vines or locating ripe apples hidden among
... Show Full Article
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, Aug. 14 -- Carnegie Mellon University issued the following news:
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New Robotic Agricultural Sensor Could Revolutionize Farming
By Byron Spice
Farmers might be able to get help tending and harvesting crops using a new sensing technology from Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute (RI).
Researchers invented a tool called SonicBoom that can find crops like apples based on the sound they make. The novel technology, still in the early stages of development, may someday be used by farm robots for tasks like pruning vines or locating ripe apples hidden amongthe leaves.
"Even without a camera, this sensing technology could determine the 3D shape of things just by touching," said Moonyoung (Mark) Lee, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in robotics.
The device might be the answer to a manipulation problem that has long befuddled agricultural robotics researchers. Farm workers can simply thrust their hands through the leaves toward what looks like an apple and use their sense of touch to grasp the fruit. But robots depend solely on cameras to guide their arms and manipulators, said Lee.
"One of the reasons manipulation in an agricultural setting is so difficult is because you have so much clutter -- leaves hanging everywhere -- and that blocks a lot of visual inputs," Lee said. In an orchard, "the fruit itself can be partially occluded and the path the arm must take to reach it can be very occluded."
More durable, cheaper technology
SonicBoom solves a problem that existing farming robots face -- delicate and cumbersome sensors. Tiny, camera-based tactile sensors, encased in protective gel, can quickly wear out or suffer damage when in frequent contact with plants. Pressure sensors, another current option, have to be applied to large areas of the robot arm, making the approach impractically expensive.
By contrast, SonicBoom relies on contact microphones, which sense audio vibrations when they are in contact with an object rather than through the air like a conventional microphone.
Contact microphones aren't top-of-mind for most robotics researchers, Lee said, but his adviser, RI Associate Professor Oliver Kroemer, used the devices to perform classification tasks, such as identifying the properties of materials.
How it works
The research team used an array of six contact microphones placed inside a piece of PVC pipe. When the pipe touches an object, such as a tree branch, the microphones detect the resulting vibration. By analyzing the differences in the sound waves, the researchers were able to triangulate where the contact took place. SonicBoom can localize contacts with a precision between 0.43 and 2.2 centimeters.
The PVC pipe protects the contact microphones from damage. It also gives the appearance of a microphone boom, inspiring the name SonicBoom. Ultimately, the microphones could be installed inside a robot arm.
The researchers used a data-driven machine learning module to develop the ability to map the signals from the microphones. To do so, they collected audio data from 18,000 contacts between the sensor and a wooden rod.
Using the audio data, SonicBoom determines the location of hard or rigid objects. Changing its configuration should enable it to also sense less rigid objects, such as soft fruits and vegetables, Lee said. He has also led subsequent research that explores the arrays' ability to identify the object, not just its location.
Though SonicBoom was developed for agricultural use, Lee can imagine it in other applications, such as safety devices when robots are used near people or in robots explicitly designed to interact with humans. It also could be used for applications in dark places.
In addition to Lee and Kroemer, the research team included Ph.D. student Uksang Yoo and RI faculty members Jean Oh, Jeffrey Ichnowski and George Kantor.
A report explaining SonicBoom appeared in the July issue of IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters. The research was supported by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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Original text here: https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2025/august/new-robotic-agricultural-sensor-could-revolutionize-farming
Carnegie Mellon: Meditation Apps Deliver Real Health Benefits, Research Finds
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, Aug. 14 -- Carnegie Mellon University issued the following news:
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Meditation Apps Deliver Real Health Benefits, Research Finds
By Jason Bittel
Backed by emerging research, digital mindfulness tools are proving to be more than just a wellness trend. Studies show they can lower blood pressure, ease repetitive negative thinking and even influence gene expression related to inflammation. With thousands of options available worldwide, the top 10 meditation apps have been downloaded more than 300 million times, and early findings suggest that even short, regular use
... Show Full Article
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, Aug. 14 -- Carnegie Mellon University issued the following news:
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Meditation Apps Deliver Real Health Benefits, Research Finds
By Jason Bittel
Backed by emerging research, digital mindfulness tools are proving to be more than just a wellness trend. Studies show they can lower blood pressure, ease repetitive negative thinking and even influence gene expression related to inflammation. With thousands of options available worldwide, the top 10 meditation apps have been downloaded more than 300 million times, and early findings suggest that even short, regular usecan reduce depression, anxiety and stress while improving sleep.
"Meditation apps, such as Calm and Headspace, have been enormously popular in the commercial market," said J. David Creswell, a health psychologist at Carnegie Mellon University and lead author of a review paper on meditation apps, published in the journal American Psychologist. "What they're doing now is not only engaging millions of users every day, but they're also creating new scientific opportunities and challenges."
Apps make meditation accessible to many people, Creswell said.
"You can imagine a farmer in rural Nebraska not having many available opportunities to go to traditional group-based meditation programs, and now they have an app in their pocket which is available 24/7," said Creswell, who is the William S. Dietrich II Professor in Psychology and Neuroscience.
Meditation apps also provide scientists with opportunities to scale up their research, such as work Creswell did with patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
"Historically, I might bring 300 IBS patients into my lab and study the impacts of meditation on pain management," said Creswell. "But now I'm thinking, how do we harness the capacity of meditation apps and wearable health sensors to study 30,000 irritable bowel syndrome patients across the world?"
Combined with products that measure heart rate and sleep patterns, such as Fitbit and the Apple Watch, meditation apps now also have the capacity to incorporate biometrics into meditation practices like never before.
The biggest takeaway, though, is that meditation apps are fundamentally changing the way these practices are distributed to the general public. Scientific studies of use patterns show that meditation apps account for 96% of overall users in the mental health app marketplace.
"Meditation apps dominate the mental health app market," said Creswell. "And this paper is really the first to lay out the new normal and challenge researchers and tech developers to think in new ways about the disruptive nature of these apps and their reach."
Meditation apps challenge users to train their minds, in small initial training doses
As with in-person meditation training, meditation apps start by meeting users where they are. Introductory courses may focus on breathing or mindfulness, but they tend to do so in small doses, the merits of which are still being debated.
According to the data, just 10 to 21 minutes of meditation app exercises done three times a week is enough to see measurable results.
"Of course, that looks really different from the daily meditation practice you might get within an in-person group-based meditation program, which might be 30 to 45 minutes a day," said Creswell.
The a la carte nature of meditation through a smartphone app may appeal to those pressed for time or without the budget for in-person coaching sessions. Users may also find it comforting to know that they have access to guided meditation on-demand, rather than at scheduled places, days and times.
"Maybe you're waiting in line at Starbucks, and you've got three minutes to do a brief check-in mindfulness training practice," said Creswell.
Finally, as meditation apps continue to evolve, Creswell believes integration of AI, such as meditation-guiding chatbots, will only become more common, and this will offer the option of even more personalization. This could mark an important development for meditation adoption at large, as offerings go from one-size-fits-all group classes to training sessions tailored to the individual.
"People use meditation for different things, and there's a big difference between someone looking to optimize their free-throw shooting performance and someone trying to alleviate chronic pain," said Creswell, who has trained Olympic athletes in the past.
The elephant in the room
Of course, with new technology comes new challenges, and for meditation apps, continued engagement remains a huge problem.
"The engagement problem is not specific to meditation apps," said Creswell. "But the numbers are really sobering. Ninety-five percent of participants who download a meditation app aren't using it after 30 days."
If the meditation app industry is going to succeed, it will need to find ways to keep its users engaged, as apps like Duolingo have. But overall, Creswell said the market demand is clearly there.
"People are suffering right now. There are just unbelievably high levels of stress and loneliness in the world, and these tools have tremendous potential to help," he said.
"I don't think there is ever going to be a complete replacement for a good, in-person meditation group or teacher," said Creswell. "But I think meditation apps are a great first step for anyone who wants to dip their toes in and start training up their mindfulness skills. The initial studies show that these meditation apps help with symptom relief and even reduce stress biomarkers."
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Original text here: https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2025/august/meditation-apps-deliver-real-health-benefits-research-finds
As Dragon Bravo Fire Burns, NAU Team Shields Grand Canyon's Sole Water Source
FLAGSTAFF, Arizona, Aug. 14 -- Northern Arizona University issued the following news:
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As Dragon Bravo Fire burns, NAU team shields Grand Canyon's sole water source
When lightning struck the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, setting the Dragon Bravo Fire in motion, talk revolved around the precious resources under threat: thousands of ponderosa pine trees, campsite and visitor infrastructure, the beloved Grand Canyon Lodge. But NAU professor Abe Springer's mind was fixed on another precious resource: Roaring Springs, the sole source of water for Grand Canyon National Park.
"Roaring Springs
... Show Full Article
FLAGSTAFF, Arizona, Aug. 14 -- Northern Arizona University issued the following news:
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As Dragon Bravo Fire burns, NAU team shields Grand Canyon's sole water source
When lightning struck the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, setting the Dragon Bravo Fire in motion, talk revolved around the precious resources under threat: thousands of ponderosa pine trees, campsite and visitor infrastructure, the beloved Grand Canyon Lodge. But NAU professor Abe Springer's mind was fixed on another precious resource: Roaring Springs, the sole source of water for Grand Canyon National Park.
"Roaring Springsprovides water to more than 4 million visitors and more than 3,000 park and concessionaire employees and families," said Springer, a professor in NAU's School of Earth and Sustainability. "The springs support critical riparian corridors and ecosystems in Bright Angel Creek and its tributaries. These streams contain threatened and endangered species."
In other words, Roaring Springs is really, really important--and as the Dragon Bravo Fire continues to move across the North Rim, it's under threat.
That's why, with rapid-response funding from the National Science Foundation, Springer and his colleagues will work with the science resource management team at the national park to understand exactly how the fire will affect its water supply and how the world-famous destination can minimize harm to workers and visitors.
Springer explained that when wildfire burns through the North Rim's ponderosa forest, the charred soil that's left behind is less absorbent than soil that hasn't been disturbed by fire. Instead of sinking into the ground, a greater percentage of water from this summer's monsoon rain and next spring's snowmelt might tumble down into the area's 6,000 sinkholes, faults and fractures, taking some of the burned, fire-retardant-treated soil with it. Eventually, that water will make its way to Roaring Springs, where Springer predicts the water will be much more turbid this year.
How can Springer and his colleagues address the problem early? By setting up gages and cameras at sentinel springs and sinkholes, where water passes through before traveling down the canyon to Roaring Springs.
"This sentinel spring can be used as an early detection system for water with increased turbidity that's approaching Roaring Springs," Springer said. "We will install a system of gages that are connected to satellite telemetry so that Grand Canyon National Park can receive alerts of increases in pressure and turbidity. If they know what's happening at the sentinel spring, they can manage the turbid water before it hits Roaring Springs."
To support water monitoring efforts, students at NAU will work with scientists, technicians and volunteers at the national park and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to capture and analyze daily water samples during significant rainfall events and during snowmelt season. They'll also install cameras at a handful of sinkholes along the Kaibab Formation, allowing them to glimpse turbid water early in the runoff process. They'll also work with the park's Burned Area Emergency Response team and the USGS to analyze samples of soil across the North Rim, potentially shielding certain areas from rain if the soil contains harmful contaminants.
Springer said the project won't just keep people safe at the Grand Canyon--it'll also help inform future research and response in other important natural areas that are affected by wildfire.
"Forested lands provide most of the drinking water for the western U.S., so it's extremely important to understand what happens when wildfires come to those forests and firefighters respond with chemical retardants," Springer said. "We're demonstrating how to use technologies, partnerships and methods to manage our water and our lands in the 21st century."
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Original text here: https://news.nau.edu/roaring-springs-dragon-bravo/
