Hopkins study examines return to in-person schooling

The Parents And Communities as Experts (PACE) study seeks to understand how caregivers and community members view the return to in-person school during the COVID-19 pandemic. The team hopes to use the results to develop a public health campaign to support families. 

Hopkins lab unravels the secrets of the spider web

Hopkins researchers have uncovered the complex mechanisms by which spiders build their webs, revealing a host of intricate steps and dynamic complexes that belie the supposed lack of cognition present in “lower level” organisms.

A look at the four individuals giving their names to campus buildings

Future undergraduate students at Hopkins will know the Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories (UTL) and Charles Commons by other names. In an effort to recognize and elevate historically marginalized and underrepresented people in the institution’s history, Hopkins will rename these campus buildings and the Hopkins Outpatient Center in their honor. 

Hopkins lab advances research on vestibular implants to treat loss of balance

Labyrinth Devices, a medical device startup based in Baltimore, is the sponsor of an early clinical trial of implants for those suffering from ailments of the vestibular labyrinth in the inner ear, a complex and dynamic system made up of twisting canals and end organs that helps to maintain the body’s sense of balance and vestibulo-ocular reflex.

School of Public Health faculty discuss benefits of COVID-19 vaccine approval for children

The pediatric COVID-19 vaccine for children from age 5 to 11 years old was approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Nov. 2 and has since been distributed in hospitals and pharmacies nationwide. The News-Letter interviewed School of Public Health faculty Dr. Kawsar Talaat and Tamar Mendelson to discuss the impact this will have on children's wellbeing.  

SPIRAL Center uses artificial intelligence to make solar energy cheaper

The newly launched Synthesis and Processing Informed by Rational Algorithmic Learning (SPIRAL) Center, one of 10 projects receiving Department of Energy funding, aims to use artificial intelligence to optimize the creation of materials needed for solar power.

Bloomberg spotlights maternal mortality research in Sub-Saharan Africa

Childbirth is often associated with joy, but for women, pregnancy is often a time of vulnerability. A pregnant woman or newborn dies around the world every eleven seconds. Around 810 preventable deaths occur every day from pregnancy and childbirth, according to World Health Organization data from 2017. In Sub-Saharan Africa, maternal mortality rates are almost 50 times higher for women compared to in high-income countries. In 2020, Sub-Saharan Africa had a maternal mortality rate of 302 deaths per 100,000 live births, a stark contrast to the United States’ rate of 35 deaths per 100,000 live births. 

Urbanization is impacting the biodiversity of birds

Hopkins researchers suggest that increasing natural spaces and tree canopy while reducing impervious surfaces (hard areas that prohibit water dissipation) has significant effects on improving biodiversity, specifically of birds.

Hopkins receives grant for psychedelic research from NIH

Hopkins Medicine has been given a grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the potential medicinal properties of psychedelics; specifically, the impact of psilocybin on tobacco addiction.

HYPER-Melt develops new technology for ovarian cancer screening

HYPER-Melt, a biotech startup founded by postdoctoral researcher Chrissy O’Keefe, enables physicians to detect ovarian cancer in early stages, improving patients’ survival rates. The device works through detection of tumor-specific DNA methylation.

Ten Hopkins faculty members elected to the National Academy of Medicine

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) announced its election of 100 new members on Oct. 18, 10 of whom are Hopkins faculty members. Election to the NAM is considered one of the most significant awards in health and medicine, as it honors individuals for their professional achievements and commitment to service. This class is the NAM’s most diverse to date.

Who was the plastic bag ban designed for?

If the rise in canvas totes around campus is any indication, the Baltimore City Comprehensive Bag Reduction Act, better known as the plastic bag ban, has been in full swing for over a month now. 

PETA holds fourth protest against Hopkins owl lab, urges state and federal officials to ban lab

Protesters representing People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) gathered on Keyser Quad Nov. 3, the same day that PETA sent letters to state and federal officials in opposition of Shreesh Mysore’s barn owl experiments. This protest marks the thirteenth protest PETA has held at Hopkins, following protests at Commencement in 2020 and 2021 and during Orientation Week this year. 

Hopkins researchers determine new method of determining immunotherapy eligibility

Hopkins study looks at preventing back pain in space travelers

Since Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first space traveler in 1961, space travel has become more and more popular. As more private companies, such as SpaceX and Virgin Galactic, plan on delivering commercial space flights in the future, the health effects of space travel on astronauts and others has become a concern. 

School of Public Health spotlights generational trauma in Indigenous communities

Melissa Walls is an associate professor of American Health at the School of Public Health and director of the Great Lakes Hub for the Center for American Indian Health. Being a direct descendant of Bois Forte and Couchiching First Nation Anishinaabe fueled Walls’ interest in bettering the health of Indigenous communities across North America. 

Wilmer Eye Institute establishes Sanford and Susan Greenberg Center to End Blindness

According to a Research!America poll conducted in 2016, 88% of respondents perceived healthy vision as crucial to their life and 47% responded that losing their vision would have a serious impact on their day-to-day lives. 

It’s okay not to be okay: athlete perspectives on mental health

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, and 33% of all college students experience significant symptoms of mental illness. Among that group, 30% seek help. Of college athletes with mental health conditions, however, only 10% seek help. Among professional athletes, studies have shown that around 35% of athletes experience a mental health crisis ranging from stress to eating disorders, burnout, depression and anxiety.

First-year seminar explores the relationship between physics and poetry

It was a consideration of the intersection between the humanities and sciences as Nobel Laureate and Bloomberg Distinguished Professor Adam Riess from the Department of Physics and Astronomy took the stage with former U.K. Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, a professor in The Writing Seminars department.