A University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty member’s discovery of biofluorescence in birds-of-paradise generated dozens of national and international headlines in February. The stories were among 40-plus national news stories featuring Husker faculty, staff, students, centers and programs during the month.
By investigating specimens at the American Museum of Natural History, Rene Martin, assistant professor in the School of Natural Resources, discovered that 37 of the 45 known species of birds-of-paradise use biofluorescence. The research was published Feb. 12 in the Royal Society for Open Science.
“I think people like flashy things, and that’s what a bird-of-paradise is, and now we know they’re also glowing,” Martin told Nebraska Today. “As more of these studies come out, often due to the availability of more advanced technology, I think we’re going to find out (bioluminescence or biofluorescence) is more prevalent than we thought.”
Stories on the research appeared in Ars Technica, CNN, Earth.com, Forbes, The Guardian, The New York Times, Science News, Smithsonian Magazine and 100-plus other media outlets.
Additional national news coverage in January included:
- Silicon Prairie News published a Feb. 5 article on the first cohort of Robotics Fellows at Nebraska Innovation Studio. The four fellows — Amlan Balabantaray, Brooke Bode, Teresa Monsees and Riley Reynolds — aim to develop cutting-edge products and improvements in cattle ranching, surgery, language development and precision agriculture. The 20-week fellowship began Jan. 1 and continues through May 31. The fellows, program coordinator John Strope and mentor Brian Ardinger were interviewed for the story.
- Bing Wang, food science and technology, was interviewed for a Feb. 6 FOX News story on a recent study showing a high prevalence of microplastics in seafood samples. She said this prevalence does not automatically mean that consuming seafood poses an immediate health risk. “‘Safe’ is a relative term in toxicology,” she said. “Toxicity depends on dose and exposure duration — and currently, we lack a definitive understanding of linkage between the oral intake of microplastics and nanoplastics and the adverse effects in human health.”
- Dean Sicking, professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering, received the Landmark Award for outstanding contributions to stock-car racing during the NASCAR Hall of Fame ceremony Feb. 7. Sicking and colleagues at the university’s Midwest Roadside Safety Facility invented the SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barrier, which has saved countless lives over the past 20 years. Articles on Sicking appeared in Essentially Sports, NASCAR.com, Racer, Speedway Digest and 130-plus other media outlets.
- A decade-long study on putting greens by Roch Gaussoin, now professor emeritus of agronomy and horticulture, was featured in a February 2025 Golf Course Management article. The study revealed valuable information on the greens’ changing physical properties.
- The university is partnering with the village of Niobrara, Nebraska, on a special project that focuses on climate resiliency in rural communities. Rural Confluence, a National Science Foundation-supported initiative, explores how rural communities can build resilience to climate change by leveraging local knowledge and collaboration. The Yankton (South Dakota) Daily Press and Dakotan published a Feb. 12 article on the project.
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has awarded a $260,000 grant to the university’s Department of Biological Systems Engineering to work with Nebraska’s small-scale irrigators to research the best options to improve the efficiency of their low-volume, low-pressure water application structures, such as drip emitters, spaghetti tubes and mini sprinklers. Farms.com ran a Feb. 14 article on the project.
- The impacts of Nebraska 4-H were celebrated in February following a proclamation by Gov. Jim Pillen. Surrounded by 4-H members and Nebraska Extension professionals, Pillen declared February as Nebraska 4-H Month in a Feb. 4 ceremony at the State Capitol. During the proclamation signing, Pillen recognized the program’s positive influence on youth development, leadership and community engagement statewide. The Fence Post ran a Feb. 17 article on the proclamation.
- Roger Mandigo, professor emeritus of animal science, died Jan. 24 at Eastmont Living in Lincoln. He was 85. Mandigo invented a process to bind meat together into different shapes, leading to creations such as chicken nuggets and McDonald’s McRib sandwich. The Wall Street Journal published a Feb. 20 article on Mandigo. (This article requires a subscription.)
- Eric Hunt, a climatologist with Nebraska Extension, was interviewed for a Feb. 24 Harvest Public Media story on more landowners using prescribed burns to reduce wildfire risk. He said that due to drought conditions over the past few years, the fire risk has extended eastward, to eastern Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. He said communities in this region should think about fire prevention, such as having well-staffed fire departments and rural volunteer squads
- Santosh Pitla, biological systems engineering, was interviewed for a Feb. 25 segment on RFD-TV. He discussed how the university is helping develop the next generation of autonomous solutions to assist ag producers.
- The Nebraska Women in Agriculture program recently launched Agri-Essentials, an online learning community designed to provide agricultural women across the state with a platform for education, support and networking. Farms.com and Tri-State Livestock News have run articles on the platform.
Faculty, administration, student and staff appearances in the national media are logged at http://newsroom.unl.edu/inthenews. If you have additions to the list, contact Sean Hagewood at shagewood2@unl.edu or 402-472-8514. If you have suggestions for national news stories, contact Leslie Reed at lreed5@unl.edu or 402-472-2059.
