Office of Media Relations at the University of San Diego
February 8, 2022 | View in web browser

USD News Connect: Connecting Expert Voices to the Stories Impacting Our Community

February 8, 2022

Good morning newsrooms!

Here's your USD News Connect — where each week the University of San Diego media relations team offers expert voices to speak on stories impacting our community. If you're interested in the stories below, or need experts for any other topic you might be working on, don't hesitate to reach out to us at press@sandiego.edu.*

Tax Season is Here: What You Need to Know Before Filing Your Taxes

Miranda Perry Fleischer, professor of law and co-director of Graduate Tax Programs, can share tips for filing taxes this year including how the advance child tax credit payments might impact a family's taxes this year.

What is Happening Between Ukraine & Russia and Why?

Philip Gamaghelyan, assistant professor at the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, can discuss why there is an escalation at the Ukraine-Russia border, how Ukraine’s push to be a part of NATO plays a part in the escalation, and why the tensions between the U.S. and Russia are also an element in today’s situation in Ukraine.

Extreme Heat is a New Normal for Oceans

According to a new study published in the journal PLOS Climate, more than half of the world’s ocean surface has surpassed historic extreme heat thresholds on a consistent basis since 2014. Michel Boudrias, associate professor of environmental and ocean sciences and chair of USD's Sustainability Task Force, can provide insight into the study and explain how warmer ocean water impacts weather patterns, ocean ecosystems and natural disasters. Boudrias can also explain how this can also have both a negative and positive effect on our local economy.

For all media inquiries, email our team at

press@sandiego.edu.

* Please note that times of availability will vary according to professors' schedules.

USD Spotlight

Report: U.S. Cannabis Legalization and its Impact on Mexican Drug Cartel Operations

Justice in Mexico, a research and public policy organization based at the University of San Diego, has released a report that looks at the effect of U.S. cannabis legalization on the production and flows of cannabis and other drugs from Mexico to the United States. Researchers found statistically significant evidence that the amounts of cannabis seized by Mexican and U.S. border authorities have decreased in relation to the percentage of the U.S. population living in states with legal access to cannabis. While cannabis seizures decreased, researchers found that flows of other illicit narcotics (i.e. heroin and methamphetamine) increased, as measured by seizures in Mexico and at the U.S. border, in relation to increased legal access to cannabis.

*Spanish Interviews Available