Latest Appearances of the University in the Media

The University Featured Around the Globe

In The News is an archive of stories from media throughout the U.S. and around the world. As such, the links to these stories may degrade over time as news websites outside of the university's control are updated. (Copyright law does not allow us to provide a 'snapshot' of someone else's website.) If you'd like to have us update a link to go to a new location for a story, just send us an email with the new address of the story in the body of the email.

Recent stories
Feb 2 2026	KHGI: Khalimonchuk advances research on mitochondria's role in diseases Oleh Khalimonchuk, Willa Cather Professor of biochemistry, has received a five-year, $2 million renewal of his Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award from the National Institutes of Health to study the role of mitochondrial failure in a host of diseases. KHGI ran a Feb. 2 article on the research.
Feb 1 2026	Lincoln Journal Star: Why UNL turned back to Ankerson during moment of crisis The Lincoln Journal Star published a Feb. 1 article on Katherine S. Ankerson, who was recently called out of retirement to serve as the university’s interim chancellor. The article also focused on what’s next for the university amid budget challenges. Ankerson and Mark Button, executive vice chancellor, were interviewed for the article.
Jan 30 2026	KHGI: Husker researchers make gains on developing synthetic 'muscle' Husker researchers are continuing to make progress on developing a new synthetic material that behaves like biological muscle, an advancement that could provide a path to soft robotics, prosthetic devices and advanced human-machine interfaces. The team includes Stephen Morin, associate professor of chemistry, and Nengjian Huang and Brennan P. Watts, both graduate students in chemistry. KHGI ran a Jan. 30 article on the research.
Jan 30 2026	KLIN: Nebraska Statewide Arboretum is now PlantNebraska The Nebraska Statewide Arboretum recently changed its name to PlantNebraska, a move that better reflects the organization’s evolving work and expanded mission and vision for the future. KLIN published a Jan. 30 article on the name change.
Jan 30 2026	Lincoln Journal Star: Undergrad exhibition opens Feb. 6 The university’s Eisentrager-Howard Gallery will host the 39th Annual Undergraduate Juried Exhibition Feb. 6-27, the Lincoln Journal Star reported Jan. 30. Sixty-four undergraduate artists are represented in the exhibition. The guest juror this year is Susan Longhenry, director of Sheldon Museum of Art.
Jan 30 2026	Midlands Business Journal: New cohort of engineering academy announced Forty first-year students in the College of Engineering have been chosen to the 2025-26 cohort of the Peter Kiewit Foundation Engineering Academy. The academy provides students with resources and support to pursue careers in engineering, computing and construction, shaping the future workforce of Nebraska. Midlands Business Journal ran a Jan. 30 article on the new cohort.
Jan 29 2026	Tri-State Livestock News: New pilot combines extension, cancer prevention efforts In an evolving role, Ashley Ahrens, assistant extension educator, will participate in a pilot partnership between Nebraska Extension and the Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center. Tri-State Livestock News ran a Jan. 29 article on Ahrens’ expanded role.
Jan 28 2026	Nebraska Public Media: More Nebraska cropland can be covered by federal farm aid programs Brad Lubben, extension associate professor of agricultural economics, and Jessica Groskopf, Nebraska Extension educator and agricultural systems economist, were interviewed for a Jan. 28 Nebraska Public Media story on Nebraska farmers being able to add base acres to qualify for further direct federal aid. A Center for Agricultural Profitability article co-authored by Groskopf was also highlighted in the story.
Jan 28 2026	AgTech Navigator: Why agtech startups failed last year — and a playbook for 2026 A recent analysis by Ankit Chandra, lecturer in biological systems engineering, and Ishani Lal, analyst in the Department of Agricultural Economics, was featured in a Jan. 28 AgTech Navigator article on why many agtech startups failed in 2025. Chandra predicted that “tight margins, slow adoption and cautious investors” will continue into 2026, but rebound signs are clear in water and energy efficiency, AI decision support, evidence-backed biologicals and low-CAPEX automation and sensing.
Jan 27 2026	MedPage Today: Are fermented foods really that food for you? Robert Hutkins, professor emeritus of food science and technology, was interviewed for a Jan. 27 MedPage Today article titled “Are fermented foods really that good for you?” “It’s important to note that many fermented foods have health benefits, independent of fermentation, associated with their nutritional quality (i.e., as sources of protein, vitamins, minerals and fiber),” he said. “And while the live microbes in fermented foods may contribute additional benefits, in the context of gut health, not all fermented foods contain live microbes (e.g., due to processing steps).”
Jan 27 2026	Aurora News-Register: A popcorn seed giant located in small-town Nebraska Samantha Daniel and Ron Seymour, both Nebraska Extension educators, were interviewed for a Jan. 27 Aurora News-Register article on Zangger Popcorn Hybrids, a family-owned business near North Loup, Nebraska. “High-quality soils; warm, sunny days paired with cool nights; and reliable irrigation make (Nebraska) well-suited for popcorn,” Seymour said.
Jan 26 2026	Lincoln Journal Star: Schnable honored by National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences has awarded James Schnable, Nebraska Corn Presidential Chair and professor of agronomy and horticulture, the 2026 NAS Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences. The award recognizes research by a mid-career U.S. scientist who “has made an extraordinary contribution to agriculture or to the understanding of the biology of a species fundamentally important to agriculture or food production.” The Lincoln Journal Star and Tri-State Livestock News have run articles on Schnable’s honor.