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.*
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Economic Impact of a Watered-Down Comic-Con
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In a few days, San Diego will play host to one of the biggest weekends on the pop culture calendar, but this year could be different. With a writers’ strike stretching into its third month, and actors joining the picket line, this year’s Comic-Con may not pack the same punch. What could that mean for San Diego? Alan Gin, associate professor of economics, is available to talk about how the prospect of a scaled-back convention could impact the local economy.
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Excessive Heat Warning and South Bay Beaches Water Quality
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With parts of the county under an excessive heat warning, many people may be trying to find relief at our local beaches. However, South Bay residents continue to be impacted by beach warnings and closures from Border Field State Park to Coronado due to sewage contamination spilling over from Tijuana. Tessa Tinkler, Director of Research at USD’s Nonprofit Institute, is available to speak about the research being done by the institute which looks into the quality of life for residents in San Diego County and how these beach closures are impacting what access some residents have to our oceans.
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The Role of Deepfakes in Upcoming Elections
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While we're still more than a year away from the 2024 elections, technology surrounding A.I. and deepfakes is improving. Deepfakes create fake images/videos, for example of celebrities and politicians, that look and sound realistic -- and could lead to confusion or misinformation during the elections. Colin Campbell, associate professor of marketing, can discuss the impact of deepfakes in elections and what we're seeing already in this space. Campbell can also discuss how deepfakes have the potential to be positively used to create more personalized ads for consumers and could enable campaign ads to be more quickly translated and adapted for different minority groups.
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* Please note that times of availability will vary according to professors' schedules.
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Ethiopian Diaspora Peace Conference
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USD's Kroc Institute of Peace and Justice, in partnership with Horn of Africa Community, is hosting an event Friday to give a platform to the Ethiopian diaspora in San Diego, allowing them to discuss issues affecting their home country of Ethiopia. Congresswoman Sara Jacobs will deliver brief remarks, and U.S. Special Envoy for Horn of Africa, Ambassador Mike Hammer, will be speaking and holding discussions as well. Hammer will be available for interviews.
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Office of Media Relations
University of San Diego
5998 Alcalá Park, San Diego, CA 92110
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