(Video and transcript) UVA landscape architect Julie Bargmann, a woman who has made a career of turning toxic and industrial sites into usable, community spaces, has won the first prize of its kind in landscape architecture.
The University of Texas men’s team and University of Virginia women are ranked first in the College Swimming Coaches Association of America Division I preseason poll, released Thursday. Both teams won national championships in 2021, with the Virginia women claiming their first title and the Longhorns their 15th. (The UVA men are ranked No. 9.)
Katherine “Kitty” Dudley Garner, founder of The LoveBolt, a Charlotte-based nonprofit committed to eliminating systemic racism, died on Oct. 7 after a seven-month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 57. [She was a graduate of the UVA School of Law.]
(Commentary) Every young American is entitled to a K-12 education. Mostly, we have Thomas Jefferson to thank for that. He championed his idea of tax-funded general education for all children of citizens. Nearly the entire world has since adopted his concept. Literacy, once reserved for aristocracy, makes social mobility and the middle class possible. … I wonder what Jefferson would say about how America has implemented his concept?
UVA’s women’s and men’s teams are both listed among the contender for the NCAA championship.
It’s a tight race for governor in Virginia, and a political expert says the Republican Party is currently doing better at getting people to vote. Larry Sabato, political analyst and founder of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, says winning this race isn’t a matter of changing minds. It’s a matter of motivating voters.
(Audio) Next month Virginians will decide who will replace outgoing Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat. Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic candidate, is running for a second non-consecutive term. Polls show the race tightening between him and businessman Glenn Youngkin on the Republican side. “Here & Now’s” Scott Tong speaks with Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a nonpartisan election forecasting newsletter published by the UVA Center for Politics.
(Commentary) Once we notice the different ways nature can benefit us without our even knowing, it’s easier to understand why the subconscious may be drawn to it. If feeling connected to nature can reduce stress and increase happiness, then how can we expand on that to benefit our everyday lives? It reminds me of a professor at the University of Virginia, Tim Beatley, who introduced me to the concept of biophilia. He encourages students to look for ways to “bring the outdoors in.”
(Commentary) A very clear and compelling statement of the case for preserving every single Civil War monument is made by one of the most distinguished historians of the Civil War, Gary Gallagher, the John Nau Professor of Civil War History at the University of Virginia. He recounts how he uses Confederate monuments to teach about the Civil War, and he makes the equally important point that Confederate memorials like the Talbot Boys are artifacts that record not only memories about a war fought 160 years ago, but also the points of view of those who put them in place roughly 110 years ago.
(Commentary) As it turns out, several of the Confederate officers in question were not highly respected military leaders. Bragg, Polk and Hood, for example, “were widely deemed failures both during and after the war,” says Gary W. Gallagher, a UVA professor emeritus of history. “Did someone in Washington have a sense of humor?”
Diving deeper into employing AI as an assisting technology, I first asked Rich Ross, who is an assistant professor at the University of Virginia, for his thoughts. He told me what I’ve heard time and time again from faculty. “While many are developing ways to have AI replace interactions, I think that AI should be viewed through the lens of maximizing each interaction: students interacting with each other, and instructors interacting with students.”
(Subscription may be required) Reaction from college educators was what might be expected. Siva Vaidhyanathan, the Robertson Professor of Media Studies and director of the Center for Media and Citizenship at the University of Virginia, tweeted, “Have you no shame? Seriously. What is wrong with you people?”
Siva Vaidhyanathan, a professor of media studies at the University of Virginia, also argues that we would be better to focus on reducing Facebook’s ability to surveil and target us rather than relying on antitrust and other mechanisms to solve our problems.
The investigators found that about 22% of the injuries were associated with a caregiver falling, noted Dr. Rachel Y. Moon, who was not involved in the study. “Carrying a baby changes your center of gravity – and can also obscure your vision of where you’re walking, so adults who use these devices should be cognizant of this,” said Dr. Moon, with the University of Virginia.
University of Virginia autism researcher Kevin Pelphrey said other studies have shown that giving oxytocin by nose may lead to changes in brain regions involved in social behavior. He said the study’s use of a behavior checklist to assess the hormone’s effectiveness may have limited its findings.
University of Virginia School of Nursing Dean Pamela Cipriano was elected as the 29th president of the International Council of Nurses at the group’s Council of National Nursing Association Representatives on Oct. 6.
The Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize was founded in 2019 to celebrate the late, great designer’s often-overlooked field, as well as honor her influential and pioneering work. Aiming at continuing her legacy, the prize will be given every two years and the inaugural award has just been announced: crowning American landscape architect Julie Bargmann as the 2021 Oberlander Prize winner.
(Co-written by Kyle Kondik, political analyst and the managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at UVA’s Center for Politics) With less than three weeks to go before Virginia’s nationally watched gubernatorial election, we couldn’t blame anyone for getting flashbacks to the last gubernatorial race in the Old Dominion four years ago.
UVA Health honored National Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day by lighting up the south tower. Green, blue, and pink lights illuminated the top of the building on Wednesday night.
The University of Virginia is addressing how social media is contributing to the coronavirus pandemic. During the University’s Medical Center Hour, Dr. Danny Avula with the Virginia Department of Health spoke to the importance of getting trustworthy and reliable information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine on social media.