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Surviving the walk home
Associate Professor of Latino/Latina Studies Jeff Duncan-Andrade commented for a May 16 KPIX-TV/CBS San Francisco report on the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on the health and education of students living in areas of deep poverty, such as East Oakland. "You could take anyone who is experiencing the symptoms of PTSD, and the things we are currently emphasizing in school will fall off their radar. Because frankly it does not matter in our biology if we don’t survive the walk home," Duncan-Andrade said. "Kids are unsafe, they're not well-fed. And when you start stacking those kinds of stressors on top of each other, that’s when you get these kinds of negative health outcomes that seriously disrupt school performance."
Charging the aquifers
Assistant Professor of Geosciences Jason Gurdak was featured in a May 21 Environmental Monitor article about the benefits to groundwater of low-impact development that uses wetlands and landscaping in lieu of pavement. "We’re trying to get a detailed picture of how much water is flowing in, how much water’s flowing out, and the change in storage. It was surprising for me to see such high recharge rates. A thousand, 2,000, 3,000 millimeters per year is substantial. It’s a large rate," Gurdak said. "That’s telling us that these systems aren’t really engineered properly to catch some of the more extreme precipitation events that happen during the El Niño years. So this can help us better design low-impact design features for more extreme events."
Putin on the line
Professor of International Relations Andrei Tsygankov was quoted in a May 22 Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty report on the impact of Western economic pressure over Russia's Ukraine policies. "Will they maintain essentially the non-working mechanism, the non-functioning state that Putin has developed today or will they lead to a more Chinese-style modernization where it would be possible to build certain areas, certain industries strategically with an eye to the future?" Tsygankov said. The shift in state spending "makes sense from a military-strategic standpoint because if Russia compares itself to China, for instance, or even to the United States then it needs to invest in its military. But economically, it can't really afford it."
Labor suit
Associate Professor and Chair of Labor and Employment Studies John Logan commented for a May 24 Salon article about a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruling that Wal-Mart violated workers' rights. "This trial is historic and will have implications for workers nationwide when they speak out for better jobs. … The government’s charges against Walmart are sweeping:Tthis is the largest ever NLRB complaint against the company in both size and scale," Logan said. "Walmart acted illegally when it systematically fired workers, and the company must end the illegal retaliation now."
Racing for an edge
A May 28 San Francisco Examiner report on the Assembly primary race between David Campos and David Chiu included commentary by Political Science Lecturer David Lee. "It could be as few as a few thousand votes that will decide who comes in first and second, so any kind of mobilization and surge in turnout would make a big difference, even though numerically it might be a small number," Lee said. "People on the sidelines (waiting to make endorsements) will be watching to see what happens in June. That's why this primary matters."
Whatever it takes
Assistant Professor of Public Administration Jennifer Shea talked about Silicon Valley groups that use technology to combat poverty and illiteracy abroad for a May 28 Metro Silicon Valley (San Jose) article. "What differentiates social enterprise from typical nonprofits is that they're more open to business principles and partnering with corporations, and are looking for a creative solution without worrying about the questions of whether it should be a government, nonprofit or business doing it," Shea said. "They're very problem-focused, innovative risk takers."
Car heat
Lecturer Jan Null was interviewed for a June 1 WRVO radio report about his research into the rapid interior temperature rise in cars that occurs even on relatively cool days. "It gets very warm, but it also gets warm very fast. Most of that heating is in the first 20 minutes or so," Null said. "Never leave children or pets in cars unattended for any amount of time."
An oversight sparks interest
A June 1 InsuranceNewsNet.com article about the lack of attention paid to Filipino farm workers in the new biopic Cesar Chavez included commentary by Associate Professor of History Dawn Mabalon. "Filipinos had been organizing, not just that year, but for decades. The growers had always divided Mexicans and Filipinos. What was so powerful about that moment in Delano, Calif., was that those two groups defied this. But the way they came together was downplayed. The filmmakers didn't understand what made the strike so powerful," Mabalon said. "As disappointed as some of us may be, I think the movie has given us this amazing opportunity to dialogue, and to continue to be involved in farmworker justice. It's made young Filipinos go, 'Why aren't we in it?' and 'I want to know more.' I think that's amazing."
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