Elon University professors, students and alumni continue to make news this winter through their research and activities. Notable in February was media coverage of the Elon University Poll, broadcast news appearances by faculty who discussed Super Bowl ads and the Watson computer on Jeopardy!, and reports on the opening of Campus Kitchen at Elon University.
The following list should not be considered exhaustive and does not include athletics news.
2/1: News 14 Carolina: “DNC 2012,” a special report on the selection of Charlotte, N.C., to host the 2012 Democratic National Convention, included observations from associate professor Hunter Bacot on the political and economic impact of the convention on North Carolina. (Bacot’s interview is not currently posted online.)
2/2: The Gazette (Montgomery County, Md.): “Traveling from Germantown to Sri Lanka” profiles Elon student Katie Dirks and her work with the Periclean Scholars Class of 2011 to host an environmental summit in Sri Lanka in January 2011.
2/2: WFMY News 2 (Greensboro, N.C.): “Social Media Helping Fuel Middle Eastern Protests” featured associate professor Brooke Barnett, who spoke about the way social media is used by citizens in Egypt to coordinate their demonstrations against the current government.
2/6: Charlotte Observer: “O’Connor to keynote 1st moot court contest” was a brief report on Sandra Day O’Connor’s involvement with Elon’s Billings, Exum & Frye National Moot Court Competition.
2/6: (Burlington, N.C.) Times-News: “Former congressman and NBC news anchor coming to Elon” reports on spring semester campus appearances by NBC’s Brian Williams and former Oklahoma Rep. J.C. Watts.
2/6: WFMY News 2 (Greensboro, N.C.): “Are Super Bowl Commercials Worth the Money?” was an extended segment on News 2’s morning show featuring assistant professor of marketing Michael Rodriguez.
2/8: News 14 Carolina: “Elon University students donate unserved food” reported on the opening of Campus Kitchen at Elon University and the Alamance County residents the program will benefit. RELATED from the (Burlington, N.C.) Times-News: “New Elon program will help feed the hungry”
2/11: WGHP Fox 8: “Elon student Skypes Egyptian family after Mubarak resignation” shared the story of Elon’s Ronda Ataalla staying in touch with her uncle via the video Internet service provider Skype.
2/11: The Business Journal (Triad/Triangle): “Among N.C. universities, Elon had best endowment growth at 23.4%” reports on the growth of investments and gifts to universities in North Carolina, and Elon’s recent successes compared to other institutions.
2/13: (Greensboro, N.C.) News & Record: “Economic Success Requires Collaboration” was the monthly guest column authored by professor emeritus David Noer. In the centerpiece spread on the front page of the Sunday Ideas section, Noer used the recent American Express closing announcement as a frame of reference to discuss the need for collaboration in a global environment. (Column not posed to the News & Record website; link goes to Noer’s personal site)
2/16: WFMY News 2 (Greensboro, N.C.): “Local professor impressed by Watson’s achievements” was a segment that followed associate professor Shannon Duvall, who has research artificial intelligence, as she watched IBM’s “Watson” computer compete against two humans on the Jeopardy! game show.
2/18: Technology Review: “HP Sees Cloudy Skies Ahead” quotes Janna Anderson, an associate professor of communications, on HP’s release of several mobile devices running WebOS.
2/21: WGHP Fox 8: “Elon Receives Grant to Study Concussions in Athletes” reports on a project led by Dr. Kenneth Barnes and four other faculty members to identify concussion effects in student-athletes.
2/24: WXII-12 (Winston-Salem, N.C.): “Local Chemical Supplier Helped Topple Terror Plot” includes an interview with professor Karl Sienerth, who explained how a chemical ordered by a Saudi student in Texas could be used to make explosives. RELATED from WGHP Fox 8: “Texas Terror Suspect Purchased Bomb-Making Materials from Burlington Company”
2/25: Associated Press (via Bloomberg Businessweek): “Elon Poll: N.C. residents oppose state job cuts” was a wire story by reporter Tom Breen on the latest Elon University Poll. The AP story also ran in the Charlotte Observer; the (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer; and on WRAL-TV (Raleigh, N.C.); RELATED from the Business Journal of the Triad: “Elon Poll: Most oppose sales tax extension” RELATED from News 14 Carolina: “N.C. residents oppose state job cuts” includes an interview with poll director Hunter Bacot.
2/27: (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer: “Couples dance in Raleigh ballroom competition” quotes Elon University freshmen Hilary Leslie and John Parker in coverage of a regional dance contest.
2/28: (Burlington, N.C.) Times-News: “Real People: Sisk is Burlington’s Detective of the Year” profiles Kelle Sisk ’03, who was honoed in February with the Steve Lynch Burlington Police Department Detective of the Year Award.
2/28: Inside Higher Ed: “Commencement Speakers Announced” includes Elon University’s 2011 Commencement speaker, Vice Adm. William Gortney.
2/28: Associated Press (via (Greensboro, N.C.) News & Record): “N.C. residents divided on health care reform” shares information on the latest Elon University Poll. RELATED from News 14 Carolina: “In Depth: Dr. Hunter Bacot, Elon Poll director”
2/28: WGHP Fox 8: “Campus Kitchen” was a segment on the Campus Kitchen at Elon University program to provide unserved food from the dining halls to charities that feed the hungry in Alamance County.
3/2: Richmond Times-Dispatch: “Sign language could be offered as a foreign language” reports on legislation in Virginia that was written in part by Elon freshman Hollis Erickson. The story also appeared on WSLS 10 out of Roanoke, Va.
3/4: Bloomberg Businessweek: “Best Undergraduate Business Schools 2011” finds Elon making its debut on the list at #60. RELATED from The Business Journal of the Triad: “Wake Forest, Elon rank among best business schools”
3/8: High Point Enterprise: “Former mall owner reports details of sale” quotes assistant professor of finance Neeraj Gupta in a story on the recent sale of the Oak Hollow Mall in High Point, N.C.