Axios featured the historical insight of Dr. Yafeng Xia, Professor of History, in an article examining the national discourse surrounding China and how it will impact the upcoming presidential election. Xia is an accomplished author and expert on East Asian and diplomatic history. He is a former fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Pet Rabbits and a Deadly Virus
Lost in the news of the last few months is that a deadly virus that just attacks rabbits has secretly found its way into the US. Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus type 2 (RHDV-2) has been found in pet and wild rabbits in the US southwest, northwest, and NYC. Since the discovery of this virus decades ago, US veterinary health officials have been extremely vigilant and have been able to keep this virus from entering the US. Now it is here and the fear is we cannot control its spread.
My research on the wild rabbits of Tasmania included seeing the devastating effect that RHDV can have on rabbit populations. Rabbits, seemingly dying in their tracks, lay dead on open ground with blood coming from their mouth and nose. How can we prevent this from happening in the US? We need to maintain our vigilance to prevent more cases from entering the US. Do not expose your rabbit to wild rabbits or other rabbits that are sick. Effective vaccines are available in the UK and Europe but not yet in the US except by special order by a rabbit veterinarian via assistance of the USDA.
— Dr. Karen Rosenthal, Director of Veterinary Clinical Skills at the College of Veterinary Medicine
Read more here – https://news.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=210&Id=9597414
Did you know? Petfood marketing can be misleading…
Petfood marketing can come at the expense of science and safety.
Many of us have been to the petfood store where pet diets are heavily marketed and promoted; however, consumers are starting to wise-up to marketing claims that have no scientific basis.
Grain-free dog foods have grown in popularity since the early 2000s and currently constitute approximately 20% of the total US market share. This trend is partially motivated by a pet owner’s desire to avoid ingredients that they perceive as ‘cheap carbohydrate fillers’ or ones often considered to be associated with the development of adverse food responses (i.e. allergies). Currently, there is no scientific data that supports the proclaimed health benefits of grain-free diets, as grains are no more likely to cause an adverse response or promote diabetes or cancer compared with other petfood ingredients. In fact, grains provide several essential nutrients, fiber, and other beneficial compounds.
On July 12, 2018, the US Food and Drug Administration issued an announcement describing a potential association between certain canine diets, including those labeled as grain-free, and a type of heart disease called ‘dilated cardiomyopathy’ (DCM). Several of the reported cases were found to have low blood taurine concentrations, which is an amino acid. While not all dogs with diet-associated heart disease are low in taurine, it is one of the proposed mechanisms for this condition.
– Dr. Jonathan Stockman, Assistant Professor of Veterinary Nutrition
Shark Nation – NCAA’s Top 10%
Five LIU athletic programs received NCAA Division I Academic Performance Program awards. LIU baseball, men’s golf, women’s golf, men’s track & field and volleyball all scored in the top 10 percent nationally in Academic Progress Rate (APR) in their respective sports. The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams nationally.
Newsome Adds to Prodigious Résumé
Renowned saxophonist and composer Samuel Newsome, Associate Professor of Music, was awarded the 2020 Instant Award in Improvised Music. Newsome was also named a nominee for Soprano Saxophonist of the Year by the 2020 Jazz Journalist Association. His past recognitions include the New Music USA Grant, the Alpert/Ragdale Prize in Music Composition and the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship for Music Composition.
Haiti’s Minister of Foreign Affairs
Dr. Claude Joseph, ’12, is Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Haiti. Joseph previously served as Chartered Ambassador to Argentina. Prior to joining Haitian diplomacy, he served as a professor of public policy at LIU.
Star on the Rise
The new single “In a Young Person’s Body” by Kora Feder, ’17, was named one of the top “Protest songs on the Rise in 2020” by Austin 360, part of The Austin American-Statesman. Feder’s music has earned over 600,000 on Spotify, spent four months in the top albums on US Folk Radio Charts, and garnered praise from NPR, The Washington Post, The Sacramento Bee, Houston Music Review and more.
Forbes’ Best of the Year
Forbes praised the work of Marjan Moghaddam, Professor of Media Arts, naming her Mixed Reality and Augmented Reality (AR) Art project one of the best of the year. Moghaddam is a renowned digital artist and animator. Last year, she was the official AR Artist-In-Residence for Adobe and the AR Keynote Speaker for Adobe’s “Make It Immersive” conference. Click here to read more.
Karl Rove Projects Future of Presidential Elections
Karl Rove, known as “The Architect” of President George W. Bush’s 2000 and 2004 campaigns, discussed how the election process will change in the future, as part of a virtual Q&A hosted by the Theodore Roosevelt Institute at Long Island University. Rove served as Senior Advisor to President Bush from 2000–2007 and Deputy Chief of Staff from 2004–2007.
Turner Joins FBI Leadership Team
Brian C. Turner, ’98, was named Assistant Director of the Operational Technology Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC. Turner served in the U.S. Army for nearly a decade and also taught at West Point before joining the FBI as a special agent in 2002.