Office of Media Relations at the University of San Diego
September 3, 2024 | View in web browser
|
|
|
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.*
|
What to Know About COVID and Flu Vaccines
|
Over the summer, California has seen a surge in COVID cases. Now, as the fall approaches, a new COVID vaccine is being rolled out throughout the state and across the country. The CDC recommends people get the updated COVID shot and a flu vaccination. Dr. Razel Milo is a family nurse practitioner and professor at USD. She’s available to talk about the new COVID vaccine and what people should know about it, why it’s important to get vaccinated coming off the summer surge, and how to schedule the COVID and flu vaccines.
|
San Diego County Board of Supervisors Takes Steps to Combat Social Media Harm on Local Kids
|
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors recently passed a proposal to look into suing social media companies over its negative impact on young people. In addition, Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer's policy for the County to help support school districts with mental health experts -- as cell phone access in classrooms is limited -- will also go into effect. Jessica Heldman, Fellmeth-Peterson Associate Professor in Child Rights at USD's School of Law, has worked on policies through USD's Children's Advocacy Institute to crack down on social media platforms. Heldman can discuss what the County's changes could look like for local students and the negative impacts of social media on kids.
|
AI's Impact, or Lack Of, On the Upcoming Election
|
In the lead up to the 2024 election, we've seen examples of deepfakes and false claims that AI technology altered photos for campaign crowd sizes, however, is AI being used to help campaigns? Some election offices can use AI to help with their voter registration database or verify voter signatures, for example. Or even make robocalls to voters. But are we seeing more of this technology in political campaigns this year like we're seeing more AI in our workplaces? Darby Vickers, professor of philosophy and AI ethics expert, can discuss which sort of negative tactics we may see with AI during this election season and why there may be hesitancy for using AI technology by candidates.
|
* Please note that times of availability will vary according to professors' schedules.
|
|
|
|
|
NASA Astronaut and USD Alum Jonny Kim Assigned to First ISS Mission
|
Congratulations to USD alum Jonny Kim! He was recently assigned to his first mission to the International Space Station and will serve as a flight engineer and member of the upcoming Expedition 72/73 crew. Kim will launch on the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft in March and spend about eight months at the space station. Kim graduated from USD in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics.
|
|
|
Office of Media Relations
University of San Diego
5998 Alcalá Park, San Diego, CA 92110
|
|
|
|
|
