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3L Rachel Sadler Charts Path in Brain Health, Technology, and Policy Through UC Law SF’s Health Law Concentration - UC Law San Francisco (Formerly UC Hastings)
3L Rachel Sadler studies health law and policy at UC Law SF while researching the legal implications of neurotechnology and other emerging tools that may affect human cognition. 3L student Rachel Sadler shares how UC Law SF’s Health Law Concentration prepared her for a career focused on the intersection of brain health, government policy, and technology. Gained a detailed understanding of how U.S. health care is regulated and where policy reform is needed through coursework and research. Interned with state and federal agencies that regulate health care services and worked with a major health care provider’s bioethics department. Plans to pursue a career focused on protecting cognitive liberty and mental privacy as new technologies reshape healthcare. 3L Rachel Sadler: The Health Law Concentration has given me fluency in one of the most complex regulated industries and the tools to become an effective advocate for better health policy. Before coming to law school, I spent a decade teaching and working with teachers and administrators on high school programming for multilingual learners. Healthcare kept emerging as the most powerful driver of student outcomes. I wanted to understand how to make effective policy change in this area and how to use existing law to defend people’s health rights in California. Through the concentration’s coursework, I gained a sophisticated understanding of how U.S. healthcare is regulated. I also learned where the pressure points for reform exist. The courses gave me space to develop what became my central research interest: how law and policy can be built to protect human cognition and healthy brain development, particularly regarding new technologies such as generative AI and neurotechnology. The health law faculty were instrumental in that process, genuinely invested in helping me and other students define and pursue our own intellectual vision. During law school, I interned at the General Counsel’s Office for Region IX of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I also externed at the California Department of Justice’s Health, Education and Welfare Division. Additionally, I externed at Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s Bioethics Department. Alongside those placements, I conducted extensive independent research on mental privacy and emerging neurotechnology, working closely with Professors Emily Murphy and George Horvath. That research became the throughline of my law school experience and the foundation of my current policy focus. I must also credit Nicole Ozer of the Center for Constitutional Democracy (CCD), whose deep knowledge of California privacy law and the public-interest privacy landscape deeply informed my work. I currently serve a research assistant with the CCD, where I spearhead the development of K-12 educational resources in partnership with law faculty and students. I’ve found UC Law SF to be an ideal place for second-career, nontraditional students. There is a tremendous diversity of life and career experience here, and I felt fully welcomed into the community, despite returning as a student at a different stage of life. I came to law school wanting to promote equity in California’s healthcare system. I am leaving with a sharper and more specific ambition: to build a policy career focused on protecting cognitive liberty and mental privacy from technological intrusion. This is both an urgent and underserved area of law, and I want to be part of defining this landscape going forward. Whether as a practicing attorney or a policy advisor, I plan to work on these issues after law school. I strongly recommend UC Law SF and the Health Law Concentration. When I arrived in law school, I worried the concentration would be narrow and that my non-clinical background would be a disadvantage. The opposite was true. The health law faculty thinks about health expansively, encompassing social determinants of health, structural inequity, and emerging technologies alongside the regulatory mechanics of the industry. The faculty are accessible, intellectually generous, and genuinely invested in students’ development. I found my research vision here, and I deeply appreciate the concentration’s role in this. The Evidence of Success series highlights UC Law SF students as they share how the College’s opportunities equip them with the experience, skills, and confidence to excel in the legal profession.
Jay Collins blames campaign woes on 'suppression polling'
He also says Byron Donalds isn't leading the race.
Tampa property owner faces jail time over ‘absurd’ real estate dispute ruling
The city approved all building permits, but a court says it shouldn't have.
Pierce County city approves new youth sports leagues after 10+ years without
Skills clinics for basketball, volleyball and soccer will happen this summer. Flag football, volleyball, T-ball starts in winter or spring.
Integrative experiment design reveals hidden patterns in decades-old social science research
Led by MIT Sloan School of Management PhD graduate Mohammed Alsobay and associate professor Abdullah Almaatouq, the researchers demonstrate that integrative experiment design, an approach that systematically varies multiple experimental conditions within a shared design space, enables researchers to discover how factors combine to determine social and behavioral outcomes.
Scientists just found a hidden “drain” inside the human brain
A hidden waste-removal pathway in the brain has finally been caught in action. Using cutting-edge MRI scans, researchers discovered that fluid flows along the middle meningeal artery in a slow, lymphatic-like pattern—very different from blood. This confirms the presence of a previously unknown drainage hub in humans. The finding could transform how scientists approach brain aging, injury, and diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Democrats running for governor have common ground, differences on health care policy
Democrats running for governor have similar health care goals, but different approaches to addressing them.
Golden Entertainment takes next step toward going private
If the Gaming Commission approves later this month, the owner of the Strat, Arizona Charlies and the PT’s Pub chain will transition from being a publicly traded company.
Your DNA has a secret “second code” that decides which genes get silenced
Not all parts of our genetic code are equal, even when they appear to say the same thing. Scientists have discovered that cells can detect less efficient genetic instructions and selectively silence them. A protein called DHX29 plays a key role in this process by identifying and suppressing weaker messages. This finding reveals a hidden layer of control in how genes are used.
IT’S SCIENCE. IT’S SURREAL. IT’S THE SIBILANCE OF KIM SALMON
KIM SALMON APPEARS on my screen intact, in motion, but not, I assure him, infected by any filters adding bunny ears, cat whiskers or fish scales. Dignity is appropriate for the man who emerged from the most isolated punk scene of all in late ‘70s Perth to become a force of nature, and whose early swamp-rock take on life after punk was to spawn a decade and a half later – for better and worse – the more earnest, less thrilling grunge movement.Yes, somehow that mega selling, decade-defining scene
Nevada regulators approve Golden Entertainment going private
The CEO of Golden Entertainment told Nevada regulators that a lagging stock price and investors not properly valuing the casino operator caused them to take the company private. The Nevada Gamin...
Ben Albritton: Lawmakers won't approve budget before April 20
'We will share a schedule for that special session as soon as possible,' the Senate President wrote.
Generations Of Damage: WHO Warns Of Middle East Health Collapse Amid Funding Shortfall
“The Middle East is among the most water-stressed regions globally. The Gulf hosts approximately 400 desalination plants producing 40% of the world's
Bruce Blakeman sues state board over denying him public campaign matching funds
The state Public Campaign Finance Board recently voted 4-3 on a resolution that disqualifies Blakeman from the program over a technicality.
New Yorkers Mostly Like What They See From Mamdani So Far
Residents gave Mamdani high marks on his leadership, but his approval rating is lower than Eric Adams’s was around the same period.
VA Finger Lakes focuses on Whole Health
The VA Finger Lakes healthcare system is taking a new approach to care, which focuses not just on treating illness but healing the whole person.
Commission to consider Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center expansion
The Sedgwick County Commission could approve a $20 million expansion for the county’s Regional Forensic Science Center.
If Vermont is going to scale up primary care, health advocates say this one funding priority is crucial
The House-approved budget for next fiscal year gives scholarship and loan repayment programs more money than the governor originally proposed, but many worry it will not be enough.
Trump’s Pakistan Ties Led to Key Role in De-Escalation With Iran
As US President Donald Trump’s deadline approached for Iran to agree to a ceasefire or face “all hell,” Pakistan emerged as a key mediator to help deliver a two-week pause in fighting.
Viewpoint: FP10 should remain open, excellent and secure
Europe is right to worry about research security. Foreign interference is real. So is the misuse of sensitive knowledge. Universities working in sensitive areas such as AI, quantum, semiconductors and advanced materials cannot afford to ignore the geopolitical environment around them.But Europe is in danger of drawing the wrong conclusion, one that would increase, not reduce, its strategic vulnerabilities.If the EU applies an “EU preference” logic to the next Framework Programme for research and innovation (FP10), it will weaken one of its greatest strategic assets: a research system built on openness, excellence and international collaboration. In the name of security, Europe could end up advancing science more slowly, innovating less effectively and making itself less attractive to global talent and partners in advanced science and technology.That would be a serious mistake.The EU preference included in Article 10 of the proposed European Competitiveness Fund may make sense in some industrial or deployment contexts, but is far harder to justify when applied to collaborative research in advanced science and technology, where excellence and global connectivity are crucial. Research is not procurement. It does not thrive when isolated. It advances through access to the best ideas, the best people, the best facilities and the best data, wherever they are found. This is why FP10 should not simply absorb industrial policy logic by default. Doing so would risk importing instruments that are ill-suited to research and that ultimately increase vulnerability rather than resilience.For universities of science and technology, the issue is especially acute. These institutions sit at the frontier of knowledge and technology creation in the very fields Europe sees as critical for its future competitiveness and resilience. They know better than most that security risks are real. But they also know that openness and security are not opposites. In practice, they have to be made to work together. Research security is not about closing doors. It is about building resilience through collective responsibility, trust, proportionate safeguards and better governance. That is a fundamentally different approach from default restriction.The risks of non-collaborationThe real danger in the current debate is that Europe talks too much about the risks of collaboration and not enough about the risks of non-collaboration. Those risks are strategic too. Cut researchers off from international networks and Europe loses access to knowledge, data, infrastructures and talent. Slow down global collaboration in critical technologies and Europe slows down its own progress on cutting-edge science. Make participation rules unpredictable and Europe weakens its attractiveness to researchers and investors alike.In other words, over-restricting collaboration will create strategic vulnerabilities, particularly in advanced science and technologies.This point is often underestimated in policy discussions that frame openness mainly as a value to be defended. Europe’s scientific strength, technological development and long-term competitiveness depend on remaining connected to the best research ecosystems in the world. For a continent that wants to accelerate deep tech, strengthen industrial capacity and reduce strategic dependencies, weakening the excellence base would be self-defeating. That does not mean ignoring risk. Quite the opposite. Universities are already strengthening due diligence, internal governance, awareness-raising, screening procedures and compliance support. Across Europe, institutions are working to manage risks linked to foreign interference, sanctions, export controls and the misuse of research. The right response is not complacency. It is better risk management. But that means targeted, evidence-based and proportionate measures, not blunt top-down restrictions with wide spillover effects. In the daily reality of universities, openness and restriction often coexist. The real challenge is how to apply safeguards without sliding into securitisation that damages academic freedom, open science and international cooperation. Restrict partners, not nationsMore restrictive treatment of collaborators from European Economic Area members Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, or from Switzerland and the UK, is strategically very difficult to justify. These are deeply embedded partners in Europe’s research and innovation ecosystem. Beyond that, Europe should still resist default exclusion and instead rely on case-by-case assessment. The relevant question is not nationality in the abstract. It is the actual risk profile of a collaboration: the institution, the affiliations, the field, the knowledge involved, the intended use and the safeguards available. Screening should focus on institutions and affiliations rather than nationality alone. Related articlesParliament ‘misreads’ link between Horizon Europe and ECF, Commission official saysFrustration grows at governance gap in next Horizon EuropeIf EU preference logic is imported into research without careful calibration, the likely result is a chilling effect. Researchers may step back from legitimate and beneficial collaboration, even where risks are manageable. International partners may see Europe as less predictable. And Europe may end up undermining the very excellence base it needs to compete, scale up and lead in strategic technologies, thereby increasing its dependence on others.FP10 should do the opposite. It should remain open by default, with restrictions used only exceptionally, and then on the basis of clear evidence. It should integrate research security into open science and research integrity frameworks, not set them against each other. And it should recognise that academic freedom, scientific excellence and responsible international collaboration are not obstacles to Europe’s security, they are part of it. Europe needs stronger tools to protect itself. But it also needs the discipline to avoid measures that would weaken it and increase its strategic vulnerabilities in the process. In FP10, that means staying open, excellent and secure.Louise Drogoul is senior advisor for innovation and sustainability at the Cesaer university association.
Anniston approves deal for Orlando Health to acquire Regional Medical Center
A major change is coming to healthcare in Anniston after city leaders approved an agreement for Orlando Health to acquire Regional Medical Center, a move offici
Swalwell campaign denies online claims that congressman behaved inappropriately with staffers
A spokesman for Rep. Eric Swalwell, a leading Democratic gubernatorial candidate, on Tuesday denounced online claims that the congressman had inappropriate relationships with young congressional staffers.
NovaBridge Reports Full Year 2025 Financial Results and Provides Business Update
Successful transformation to global biotech platform with two mid-stage potential best-in-class/first-in-class programs, givastomig and VIS-101, with compelling proof-of-concept dataGivastomig, a potential best-in-class/first-in-class Claudin 18.2-directed bispecific antibody for gastric cancer, has shown robust and durable responses with broad CLDN18.2 activity, favorable safety, as well as potential eligibility for FDA’s Accelerated Approval Pathway with potential initiation of a registrationa
Maine business community opposes millionaires’ tax
The proposal approved by Democrats on the budget committee includes a 2% tax on income over $1 million for single filers and on income over $1.5 million for married couples. It’s expected to impact about 2,600 filers and generate $150 million over the next two years.
When The Boardroom Wakes Up To Climate Risk In Health Care
Over the past five years, I have watched a remarkable shift in how healthcare executives approach the impact and risk of a warming world and extreme weather.
Is Mental Health in Schools Skewing Toward the Dystopian?
When it comes to dystopian stories – tales that tell of failed societies marked by disaster, suffering and oppression – perhaps the most well-known is George Orwell’s 1984. The famous novel has led to…
Immunic COO highlights the importance of science-led innovation to mark World Health Day
Immunic Inc (NASDAQ:IMUX, FRA:10VA) chief operating officer Jason Tardio talked with Proactive's Stephen Gunnion about the importance of science-led innovation in tackling neurological diseases, particularly multiple sclerosis, on World Health Day 2026. Tardio highlighted that the biotech industry is fundamentally grounded in scientific research and data, noting that “everything we do is rooted in science.” He explained that Immunic is focused on developing innovative therapies designed to improve patient outcomes and address significant unmet medical needs. The discussion centred on multiple sclerosis (MS), a complex neurological disease that continues to present challenges despite decades of progress. Tardio pointed out that while advancements have been made, “the disease is not solved for,” with many patients still experiencing disability progression and requiring safer, more tolerable treatments. He emphasised the urgent need for innovation, particularly in progressive forms of MS where treatment options remain extremely limited. Immunic’s lead asset, vidofludimus calcium, is being developed as a novel approach aimed at addressing the full spectrum of the disease. Tardio also reinforced the broader mission of the healthcare and biotech sectors, stating that the ultimate goal is to help individuals “live a better quality of life” and “a healthier life longer.” Watch the full interview to learn more about Immunic’s approach to advancing MS treatment through science. For more videos like this, visit Proactive's YouTube channel, like this video, subscribe to the channel, and enable notifications so you never miss an update. #Immunic #MultipleSclerosis #BiotechInnovation #Healthcare #MSResearch #DrugDevelopment #ClinicalTrials #Neurology #WorldHealthDay #ScienceDriven #VidofludimusCalcium #PharmaNews #BiotechNews
Scientists map the brain’s hidden wiring using RNA barcodes in major breakthrough
Researchers have developed a cutting-edge technique that uses RNA “barcodes” to map how neurons connect, capturing thousands of links with single-synapse precision. The method transforms brain mapping into a sequencing task, making it faster and more scalable than traditional approaches. In mice, it revealed surprising new connections between brain cells that were previously unknown. This could open the door to earlier detection and targeted treatment of neurological diseases.
How ‘One World, One Health’ can move beyond a slogan to become a shared reality
A trans-disciplinary, multisectoral approach that includes environmental health can help manage the threat of infectious disease in a globalized world.
Two charged with stealing appliances from Wilkes-Barre Township business
WILKES-BARRE TWP. — Two men from New York City were apprehended by Wilkes-Barre Township police burglarizing a business and stealing appliances early Monday morning.
After governor approves, Idaho health agency announces restored Medicaid mental health programs
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced it would start reimbursing providers for Assertive Community Treatment and peer support.
MAGA Is Winning Its War Against U.S. Science
Source: NBER With all the other terrible news right now, you may not have noticed that Donald Trump is in the process of killing American science. OK, that’s an exaggeration — but not that much of an exaggeration. The Trump administration’s latest budget proposal calls for a gigantic increase in military spending combined with severe cuts to social programs. But as the chart above shows, it also calls for debilitating reductions in research funding. Furthermore, Trump appointees have already been strangling science by sharply reducing the rate at which research grants are approved. Here, for example, is the number of new grants approved by the National Science Foundation: Source: Nature Large numbers of existing grants have also been frozen or terminated, especially in the study of infectious diseases. Add to this a sharp drop in visas issued to foreign students, who often play a direct role in research and who help support academic departments that do research: Put all of this together, and much U.S. scientific research is set to come to a screeching halt — not a few years from now, but over the course of the next year or two. This new assault on U.S. science is taking place at a time when the role of American science in the world has already been greatly eroded. The chart below, based on research recently reported by the National Bureau of Economic Research, measures national strength in science by the share of publications in highly ranked journals. In the 1990s the United States had more such publications than the rest of the world combined. Since then we’ve dropped into third place — well behind China and slightly below the European Union. And this was before the Trump administration’s attack on science had time to take its full effect. Source Some erosion in U.S. scientific preeminence was inevitable given China’s growing sophistication and wealth. But we’ve also fallen behind Europe, even though everyone says that Europe is lagging economically and technologically. Claims about Europe’s underperformance are, in fact, dubious if one looks hard at the data. But it’s still striking to see America lagging. What’s going on? There are presumably multiple factors behind America’s scientific lag. But even before Trump II the growing hostility of the U.S. right to science surely had some negative effect. And since the rise of MAGA G.O.P. attitudes toward science in general have become overwhelmingly hostile. This is true even for the Republican rank and file: And while I haven’t been able to find good survey data, it’s obvious that the anti-science turn has been even more pronounced — and began earlier — among the Republican political elite. Chris Mooney published The Republican War on Science in 2005, and even then was describing a longstanding trend. Why have Republicans turned so anti-science? Part of the answer is that they believe that scientists don’t support them. And they’re right! A study of who scientists give money to shows that only a small percentage gave money to Republicans even 20 years ago, and that almost none of them donate to Republicans now: Social scientists have always been strongly pro-Democratic, while there used to be a significant number of physical, “hard” scientists supporting the GOP. But these days physicists are almost as uniformly Democratic, or at least non-Republican, as sociologists. Why are there almost no Republican scientists? It’s not a mystery. GOP political orthodoxy includes positions that are at odds with the scientific consensus on multiple issues, ranging from the validity of the theory of evolution, to the reality of climate change, to the efficacy and safety of vaccines. In each case the scientific consensus is solidly grounded in evidence. But even before the rise of MAGA the U.S. right was increasingly hostile to evidence-based policymaking — especially, of course, where the evidence is unfavorable to fossil fuel interests or quack medicine, both financial mainstays of right-wing politics. So scientists don’t support Republicans, and the feeling is mutual. Today’s Republican Party doesn’t like science or scientists. It doesn’t like having its preconceived views challenged by appeals to evidence. It knows that very few scientists are on its side electorally. In general, it sees scientific research as a threat to its grasp on political power. Add in MAGA’s combination of rabid anti-intellectualism and allergy to any hint of criticism, and one has the makings of a drastic anti-science turn in policy. “Ignorance is strength” might was well be an official MAGA motto. And as I said, we aren’t talking about something that will happen over the course of multiple years: The U.S. scientific enterprise is threatened with severe damage, even collapse, over just the next year. There are many reasons to find this prospect horrifying: Think of all the beneficial advances, affecting almost every part of life, that won’t happen because U.S. science — still crucial to the world — has been eviscerated. But think, also, of America’s international standing. Can a nation that has forfeited its role as a leader, or even a contender, in global science, still be a Great Power? No. MUSICAL CODA
After howls from clubs, Syracuse cuts the red tape choking music venues
The Syracuse Common Council approved the new rule Monday after an old ordinance was resurrected when violence erupted after a show at the Westcott Theater.
'Morale boost': NASA carries out Moon mission during tough year for science
As the four Artemis astronauts approached a high point of their lunar mission -- getting slung around the far side of the Moon -- NASA staffers crowded into Houston's famed mission control room Monday...
Even in politics, honesty matters
If the words “honesty” and “politics” are used in the same sentence, many may laugh or even think the comparison is crazy and only appropriate in fantasyland.
Seattle Parks and Recreation Releases Draft Outdoor Racquet Sports Strategy and Hosts Events to Gather Community Feedback
Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) is excited to release the Draft Racket Sports Strategy. We invite the community to learn about the proposed approach to balance the needs of pickleball and tennis users in our park system and look forward to gathering community feedback. This strategy was developed in response to growing popularity of both […]
WHO calls for science-led action and stronger One Health approach to address evolving health risks
The World Health Organization today called for urgent scale-up of research, innovation, and collaboration to accelerate momentum towards ending tuberculosis in the WHO South-East Asia Region, which continues to bear nearly half of the global TB burden, accounting for the highest share of cases and deaths worldwide. To build momentum, experts, national TB programme managers, researchers, along with partners and members of civil society, began a three-day virtual workshop organized by WHO for ‘Advancing research and Innovation to accelerate momentum towards ending TB in the WHO South-East Asia Region.’
New poll reveals Spanberger's popularity is plummeting amid backlash over gerrymandering
Gov. Abigail Spanberger battles record unpopularity in Virginia with 46% disapproval, the lowest rating for a governor since 1994, a new poll shows.
Reduced medical residencies if governor approves cuts to public health budget
The 2026 Idaho Legislature is adjourned sine die, but the fate of some bills are still unclear. Among those still awaiting decision include a Health and Welfare
Medicare delays prior authorization pilot program for key interventional radiology service
CMS officially announced the move on April 6, with it applying to the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) Model.
Trump Says Iran Cease-Fire Proposal Is ‘Not Good Enough’ as Deadline Approaches
President Trump has threatened to launch a massive attack targeting bridges, power plants and other civilian facilities by Tuesday evening.
A Redistricting War in Florida, Georgia’s Runoff and the Latest Politics News
As deadlines approach in the next two weeks, neither is going quite according to the partisan plan.
McConnell weighs in on Trump's proposed defense budget
Sen. Mitch McConnell, who leads the appropriations subcommittee on defense, said he welcomed "the president’s request for significant growth"
NYC health department has questions about the floating pool set for the East River
The pool’s creators are adding an emergency chlorine dosing system as they await health department approvals.
Iran rejects latest ceasefire proposal as Trump’s deadline approaches
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran on Monday rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal and said it wants a permanent end to the war, while President Donald Trump appeared to widen his threat from civilian targets to the whole Islamic Republic and his ultimatum ticked closer. “The entire country can be taken out in one night, and […]
Sesame Workshop on What’s Shaping Children’s Entertainment
Gabriela Arenas, SVP, global consumer products, Sesame Workshop, discusses the company’s successful mission-driven licensing approach.
NYC's top economic agency still leaderless under Mamdani. Business leaders are worried.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani is approaching 100 days in office. He still hasn't found someone to run the city's Economic Development Corporation.
Melissa Blotter: Advancing the Science of Seizure Intervention
Melissa Blotter is pioneering a bold new approach to treating life-threatening seizures by using ketone bodies to stop them in real time.
KU researcher proposes strategies for political depolarization in, outside classroom
In two recent publications, a University of Kansas communication studies researcher prescribes constructive approaches to political polarization both in the classroom and in society more broadly.
Galaxy Watch blood pressure monitoring isn’t approved by the US FDA
Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy Watch blood pressure monitoring feature doesn't require approval from the FDA in the US.
NHL power rankings: Two teams make coaching changes down stretch
The Golden Knights and Islanders have made coaching changes with the playoffs approaching. Here are the latest USA TODAY NHL power rankings.
Trump administration’s secrecy on health deals alarms experts, governments
A dearth of information has been disclosed about the agreements, fueling speculation that the “America First” approach to foreign aid is exploitative.
Bordonaro: Legislature’s labor agenda risks hurting business competitiveness
With the Labor Committee approving 48 bills in six weeks, the cumulative weight of new scheduling rules, striking worker benefits and operational mandates risks making Connecticut a harder place to do business at exactly the wrong time.
Ohio’s First Forensic Toxicology Master’s Program Opens for Enrollment at UToledo
The online program, which now has state approval, is built on UToledo’s “deep toxicology and pharmacology foundation.”
Bill increasing Iowa’s default speed limit to 60 mph passes House
The Iowa House of Representatives last week approved a bill to increase the state’s default speed limit from 55 to 60 mph, furthering a push from last year’s session to
On plant health and embracing new plant-breeding techniques in South Africa
The major challenge currently confronting South Africa’s agriculture is the spread of foot-and-mouth disease. For many farmers across the country, the most urgent tasks are both securing sufficient vaccines and rolling them out quickly in the coming months, particularly as the beef and dairy industries continue to suffer big losses. There is also pressure on sheep, goats, and other livestock to prevent the disease from spreading. As efforts to get the country through this monumental challenge continue, I believe it is important to sharpen our focus on the broader task at hand: strengthening biosecurity. This covers both animal and plant health. In recent years, we haven’t focused much on plant health, except a few times, such as when we had a goss’s wilt scare in the maize industry, a few cases of citrus black spot, or cases of sclerotinia in sunflower seeds. But the fact that South Africa managed to control the outbreaks of these particular diseases when they occurred a few years ago was due to organized agricultural and government scientific capabilities, and, most importantly, the availability of crop protection or agrochemicals necessary to address some of them. Therefore, as the animal health division in the Department of Agriculture focuses on the pressing challenge of the day, the foot-and-mouth disease, there is an opportunity for the plant health division to assess if they have all the requirements to tackle any outbreak that may occur on fruits, vegetables or crops in future. The challenge with crop diseases is that they can spread quickly and cause much more rapid damage in the field than we typically see with livestock. Therefore, speed is everything in ensuring the appropriate controls are available. I raise this as an important area, particularly given the drastic climate variation we observe across the country. The production conditions in some areas have changed noticeably over time, which may introduce new risks. The other essential part is ensuring that South Africa has access to the best crop protection technology available in the market. Many technology developers worldwide have operations in South Africa. Therefore, the Department of Agriculture, along with the Agricultural Research Council, must continuously interact with technology developers to assess the various crop protection technologies they are releasing globally and determine their suitability and need in South Africa. This will require a proactive approach from the government, unlike the current approach, in which technology developers typically approach regulators with new technologies. The government, recognising the food security risks, must take a proactive approach to ensure that South African farmers have access to the latest crop protection technologies, thereby safeguarding the country’s food security. Beyond crop protection, we must never forget that South Africa’s agriculture is key to ensuring that the country is the most food-secure country at the national level in sub-Saharan Africa. South Africa is also the only African country in the top-40 global agricultural exporters, having more than doubled since 1994 on the back of the adoption of high-yielding seed cultivars. South Africa has been the only African country to adopt a bold approach to embracing science and adopting genetically engineered seeds for grains and oilseeds in the early 2000s. Since then, we have seen crop yields improve noticeably, contributing to the gains we mentioned above. But ensuring that South Africa improves further is not a given. The key lies in South African regulators’ attitudes towards new technologies. We have to maintain a progressive approach and not give in to the politics of non-food and non-scientific voices that shout on the sidelines. Food security is national security, and the government must ensure we progress, leaning on science. Therefore, the registration of high-yielding new genomic techniques is required. South Africa cannot afford to fall behind the EU, the USA, South America, and many of its competitors in global agriculture. The Department of Agriculture’s crop science division must adopt a progress-and-science-embracing approach for the good of the country. Thanks for reading AgriView! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Subscribe Share
AI breakthrough cuts energy use by 100x while boosting accuracy
AI is consuming staggering amounts of energy—already over 10% of U.S. electricity—and the demand is only accelerating. Now, researchers have unveiled a radically more efficient approach that could slash AI energy use by up to 100× while actually improving accuracy. By combining neural networks with human-like symbolic reasoning, their system helps robots think more logically instead of relying on brute-force trial and error.
WHO commends Indonesia’s leadership in One Health action to reduce risks from priority zoonotic diseases
On World Health Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) highlights Indonesia’s progress in reducing health risks from zoonotic diseases through a strengthened One Health approach. One Health recognizes that the health of people, animals and the environment are closely connected and must be addressed together. Led by the Government of Indonesia and supported by WHO and partners, the country has expanded joint prevention, surveillance and response efforts across sectors.
Michigan, historic UConn fight to be last team standing Monday
INDIANAPOLIS -- For the third time in his decorated college career, Alex Karaban and UConn are in the Final Four. As tipoff for the 2026 national championship game approaches, Karaban knows only one way to leave the court on Monday night when the Huskies play Michigan in the main event of the NCAA Tournament.
Omnicom’s Analytics Chief: For AI, Guardrails will Set Business Outcomes Free
The data has never been more abundant. The problem is what to do with it. Three-quarters of U.S. buy-side leaders now believe traditional ad measurement approaches are underp...
Nampa City Council greenlights alcohol sales at two businesses
This story originally appeared in the Idaho Press. At its March 30 meeting, Nampa City Council approved sales for each business, though the types of alcohol each can serve differs based on city rules...
GMB Management Software for Multi Location Business
GBPPromote GBPPromote Indore, Madhya Pradesh, April 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GBPPromote, a fast-growing Google Business Profile (GBP) management software, is gaining strong traction among agencies, franchises, enterprises, and individual businesses looking for a simpler and more scalable way to manage their local presence on Google. Adopted widely by franchises, agencies, and enterprise teams for multi-location GMB management, the platform is built to handle the kind of operational work that
Here are three ways we can turn anti-Trump solidarity into political power
The No Kings protests affirmed widespread opposition to Trump’s actions. As the midterms approach, we have an opportunity
Who are the kings being crowned here in Colorado?
Though most of us celebrate “No Kings Day” on July 4, the Trump-deranged got a head start last weekend with rallies around the state. Attendees bravely fought oppression by blocking traffic for people with jobs. Rally-goers demanded freedom from tyranny, many right after voting to ban all but beige house paint at their HOA meetings. […]
Can Hawaiʻi Deliver All Of America From Citizens United?
A state Senate bill proposes a novel approach that one legal expert says would make the controversial national campaign finance law irrelevant in the islands.
What is latest Trump approval rating amid economic woes, gas prices?
Donald Trump hits his lowest approval rating over economy fueled by inflation and concerns over gas prices. See what New Jersey polls show about Trump
How to strengthen collaboration to tackle infectious disease
A trans-disciplinary, multisectoral approach that includes environmental health, can help manage the threat of infectious disease in a globalized world.
NASA finalizes science plans for Artemis 2 lunar flyby
As Artemis 2 approaches the moon, a NASA science team is finalizing plans for the observations they want the astronauts to perform during their flyby.
Truckloads of food are being wasted because computers won’t approve them
Modern food systems may look stable on the surface, but they are increasingly dependent on digital systems that can quietly become a major point of failure. Today, food must be “recognized” by databases and automated platforms to be transported, sold, or even released, meaning that if systems go down, food can effectively become unusable—even when it’s physically available.
Politics Unplugged (Full Episode) April 5, 2026
This week on Politics Unplugged, State Rep. Alexander Kolodin explains why he is running for the Republican nomination for Secretary of State. Then, consultants Marcus Dell’Artino and Adam Kinsey break down the latest Presidential approval polls and the candidates for governor debating whether to eat a taco on camera.
Lander students win divisions, receive special accolades at 2026 Sceince Fair in Laramie
(Laramie, WY) – Several Lander students made an impact at the Wyoming State Science Fair in March, held at the University of Wyoming, where there were approximately 130 student competitors from across the state who had qualified during the regional science fairs. County 10 caught up with Lander advisor Sam Hartpence, who oversaw students Carson […]
How NASA approved the iPhone 17 Pro Max for the Artemis II space mission
Early images of the Artemis II launch showed an iPhone floating inside the spacecraft. Here's how Apple's smartphone got approved for spaceflight.
Briggs: Ranking the area's top 10 high school sports programs. Let the debate begin
How many extraordinary high school sports programs are there in our area? Honestly, I’m not sure I fully appreciated the answer until just the other day. ...
Astros New Approach Is Sustainable
For the first couple of games, the Astros offense looked like it was trying to force everything. The swings came early, the contact was weak, and too many innings ended before the opposing starter ever felt uncomfortable. It had that familiar early-season look of a lineup still searching for rhythm. But the last few games […]
A month of war in Iran prompts clashing political views on Long Island
Polls show that a majority of Americans disapprove of President Donald Trump's launching of a military operation against Iran.
Trump Contemplates Other Cabinet Changes as He Faces Political Clock
With the midterms approaching, the president may be running out of time to get new cabinet members confirmed without bipartisan support.
N.Y. attorney general, other AGs sue over Trump mail-in voting executive order
It calls for the Social Security Administration to prepare a list of verified eligible voters and requires absentee ballots to only be sent to each state's approved list.
Gemma 4 and what makes an open model succeed
Having written a lot of model release blog posts, there’s something much harder about reviewing open models when they drop relative to closed models, especially in 2026. In recent years, there were so few open models, so when Llama 3 was released most people were still doing research on Llama 2 and super happy to get an update. When Qwen 3 was released, the Llama 4 fiasco had just gone down, and a whole research community was emerging to study RL on Qwen 2.5 — it was a no brainer to upgrade. Today, when an open model releases, it’s competing with Qwen 3.5, Kimi K2.5, GLM 5, MiniMax M2.5, GPT-OSS, Arcee Large, Nemotron 3, Olmo 3, and others. The space is populated, but still feels full of hidden opportunity. The potential of open models feels like a dark matter, a potential we know is huge, but few clear recipes and examples for how to unlock it are out there. Agentic AI, OpenClaw, and everything brewing in that space is going to spur mass experimentation in open models to complement the likes of Claude and Codex, not replace them. Especially with open models, the benchmarks at release are an extremely incomplete story. In some ways this is exciting, as new open models have a much higher variance and ability to surprise, but it also points at some structural reasons that make building businesses and great AI experiences around open models harder than the closed alternatives. When a new Claude Opus or GPT drops, spending a few hours with them in my agentic workflows is genuinely a good vibe test. For open models, putting them through this test is a category error. Something else to be said about open models in the era of agents is that they get out of the debate of integration, harnesses, and tools and let us see close to the ground on what exactly is the ability of just a model. Of course, we can’t test some things like search abilities without some tool, but being able to measure exactly the pace of progress of the model alone is a welcome simplification to a systematically opaque AI space. Share The list of factors I’d use to assess a new open-weight model I’m considering investing in includes: Model performance (and size) — how this model performs on benchmarks I care about and how it compares to other models of a similar size. Country of origin — some businesses care deeply about provenance, and if a model was built in China or not. Model license — if a model needs legal approval for use, uptake will be slower at mid-sized and large companies. Tooling at release — many models release with half-broken, or at least substantially slower, implementations in popular software like vLLM, Transformers, SGLANG, etc due to pushing the envelope of architectures or tools. Model fine-tunability — how easy or hard it is to modify the given model to your use-case when you actually try and use it. The core problem is that some of these are immediately available at release, e.g. general performance, license, origin, etc. but others such as tooling take day(s) to week(s) to stabilize, and others are open research questions — with no group systematically monitoring fine-tunability. In the early era of open models, the days of Llama 2 or 3 and Qwen pre v3.5, the architectures were fairly simple and the models tended to work out of the box. Some of this was due to the extremely hard work of the Llama, Qwen, Mistral, etc. developer teams. Some is due to the new models being genuinely harder to work with. When it comes to something like Qwen 3.5 or Nemotron 3, with hybrid models (either gated delta net or mamba layers), the tooling is very rough at release. Things you would expect to “just work” often don’t. I’ve been following this area closely since we released Olmo Hybrid with a similar architecture, and Qwen 3.5 is just starting to work well in the various open-source tools that need to all play nice together for RL research. That’s 1.5 months after the release date! This is just to start really investing more into understanding the behavior of the models. Of course, others started working on these models sooner by investing more engineering resources or relying on partially closed software. The fully open and distributed ecosystem takes a long time to get going on some new models. All of this is lead-in for the most important question for open models — how easy is it to adapt to specific use-cases? This is a different problem for different model sizes. Large MoE open-weight models may be used by entities like Cursor who need complex capabilities in their domain, e.g. Composer 2 trained on Kimi K2.5. Other applications can be built on much smaller models, such as Chroma’s Context-1 model for agentic search, built on GPT-OSS 20B. The question of “which models are fine-tunable” is largely background knowledge known by engineers across the industry. There should be a thriving research area here to support the open ecosystem model. The first step is to understand characteristics of different base and post-trained models to understand what they look like. The second step is to tune pretraining recipes for open models so they’re more flexible. Interconnects AI is a reader-supported publication. Consider becoming a subscriber. Subscribe For The ATOM Project and other Interconnects endeavors, we’ve put in substantial effort to measuring adoption trends in the open ecosystem. Everything takes a long time to unfold after a model is first publicly available — and adaptability is why. What we know for sure now, when Qwen has been going from strength to strength with its releases, is that technical staff across the industry has gotten comfortable working with Qwen models. Countless research methods and datasets were made to work with Qwen. It’ll take patience for any other model family to get to this point — a patience I’m not sure many open model builders have. This takes us to Gemma 4, Google’s latest open models. Gemma 3 was released more than a year ago, in March of 2025, and is a bit underrated. Gemma 4 comes in 4 sizes for now, with a bigger, MoE model of over 100B total parameters rumored but not released yet. The models we have today come in sizes of ~5B dense, 8B dense, 26B total 4B active MoE, and 31B dense. I’m most excited that they’re finally adopting a standard Apache 2.0 open source license. This’ll massively boost adoption. The standard of better licenses for strong open-weight LLMs was set by mostly Chinese open model labs in the last 1-2 years, and now U.S. companies are following suit. I will personally be so happy if the horrible Llama licenses and Gemma terms of service were an ~18-month transient dynamic of the industry being nervous about releasing strong open models. The Gemma 4 scores look very solid, the small models have incredible benchmark scores (especially in general domains like LMArena) and the 31B model rivals the recent Qwen 3.5 27B, which is the leading member of that class. The ~30B size range is an important one, as it’s accessible both to researchers and to enterprises looking to deploy the model in real use-cases. Where the 7B model scale is the default for tinkering and research, a 30B model is the default for seeing if an open model can unlock substantial value in your specific workflow — a good mix of intelligence, low price, tractability for downstream training, etc. This takes us back to the above adoption criteria I mentioned for open models and the bigger question — do I think Gemma 4 will be an overwhelming success? Previous Gemma models have been plagued by tooling issues and poorer performance when being finetuned. Gemma 4’s success is going to be entirely determined by ease of use, to a point where a 5-10% swing on benchmarks wouldn’t matter at all. It’s strong enough, small enough, with the right license, and from the U.S., so many companies are going to slot it in. I’m cautiously optimistic that Gemma 4 is going to work better here. Winds are shifting for open models built in America. We saw GPT-OSS go through a bumpy launch to become an overwhelming success. There’s a collective energy around the likes of Reflection, Arcee, Nemotron, Gemma, Olmo, and peers that show substantial demand for building new stacks around open models. There’s capital to be spent on AI stacks across the economy by those who want more ownership of everything, including the model. After launching The ATOM Project 240 days ago, the conversation is shifting into the next stage. Summer of 2025 was a crisis moment where the U.S. AI scene realized it can’t wait and figure out open models after building AGI. The two markets will capture different areas and proceed in parallel. Now that more companies in the U.S. are releasing strong models, we need to improve the ecosystem so that these models are easy to use, understand, and build value around. It’s the hard work to build another inflection point in these adoption plots I’ve been updating consistently, but that’s the work to be done. Join me in it. More data coming soon! Here’s a sneak peek:
AI tax scams surge ahead of filing deadline, Better Business Bureau says
With the tax filing deadline fast approaching, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) in San Antonio is warning taxpayers about a growing and increasingly sophisticated threat: scams powered by artificial intelligence.
JSU launches Bachelor of Science in Aviation
Submitted by JSU Jacksonville State University (JSU) announced the launch of its newest academic program — a Bachelor of Science in Aviation, set to begin in Fall. The Alabama Commission on Higher Education approved the aviation program on Friday, March 13, during its meeting in Montgomery. JSU’s Bachelor of Science in Aviation is designed to […]
After four patients died, Idaho governor approves restoring cut Medicaid mental health programs
Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed a bill to restore mental health treatment programs the state cut to comply with the his budget cut order.
Trump pushed the Iran war in prime time. The public wasn’t sold.
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Toddler talk: How to criticize adults without destroying them
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Chandler Parsons In Awe Of Jayson Tatum's Underappreciated Skill
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National Public Health Week is ready, set for action
NPHW 2026 will take place next week, April 6-12. Its theme is “Ready. Set. Action!,” which supports a bold approach to improving health and wellness, meeting the moment with clarity and positivity, and engaging in collaboration and partnerships to make things happen.
HCMC co-administrator steps down after four months
County officials are pushing the state to approve a 1% sales tax that would support the safety-net hospital in Minneapolis.
State approves 95 new beds for Mission Hospital, denies requests from competitors
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Trump ballroom gets approval from agency after judge halts work on it
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Several people arrested for $50M health care fraud across Southern California
Federal authorities arrested eight people for defrauding Medicare and other insurance companies with many of them using hospices as a front to bilk millions of dollars, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday. Collectively, the eight people are accused of stealing from $50 million dollars from different locations across Southern California from Anaheim to Simi Valley. Calling Southern California a…
Coinbase clears key regulatory hurdle in bid to bolster its stablecoin business
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Federal panel packed with Trump allies approves White House ballroom project
The vote by the National Capital Planning Commission on Thursday marked the final procedural hurdle for President Donald Trump’s plans.
Inwit Vows to Defend Business After Biggest Customers Defect
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Donald Trump’s Approval Rating Is Tanking. Unfortunately, That Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Does.
This isn't good news for Trump—but it's terrible news for others.
New weight-loss pill hits the market, promising 'greater flexibility'
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Golden Entertainment Deal Gives VICI New Partner And Valuation Gap To Watch
Golden Entertainment shareholders have approved a master transaction agreement with VICI Properties. The deal clears the way for VICI to participate in Golden Entertainment's take private transaction. Upon completion, Golden Entertainment is expected to de list from Nasdaq and work with VICI as a key real estate partner. For investors watching NYSE:VICI, this move adds a fresh angle to the story around a company already known for its focus on gaming real estate. The shares most recently...
Sharing her passion for science
By Danielle Rush Communications Specialist, Indiana University Kokomo Hisako Masuda, Indiana University Kokomo professor of biochemistry, was honored by the Indiana Academy of Science (IAS) as its 2026 Distinguished Scholar. The award is given to an individual who is recognized by the IAS as having an exceptional record of scholarship. Recipients are selected from nominations submitted to its awards committee. “I was surprised,” said Masuda, who joined IU Kokomo’s faculty in 2013. “I feel there are many good scientists in the Academy, so I wasn’t expecting it at all.” Patrick Motl, dean of the School of Sciences, said the Academy recognizes up to one member per year, and that Masuda is the second or third IU Kokomo faculty member to receive the commendation. “Clearly this speaks to the strength of Dr. Masuda’s accomplishments in research and scholarship and that her work stands out amongst her peers in Indiana,” said Motl, who received the award in 2019. “Many of the institutions that participate in the IAS are undergraduate institutions or primarily undergraduate institutions, but even having that caveat, Dr. Masuda has built and maintains a very active research program in her lab, working exclusively with undergraduates. She is passionate about science and can share that passion with her students. To carry on a quality research program with so many students involved in so many projects is truly remarkable and I am glad that the IAS acknowledged that for Dr. Masuda.” The IAS specifically commended her for involving more than 50 undergraduates in her research in bacterial metabolism, genomics, and their phenotypic plasticity at IU Kokomo, and publishing 23 articles with many student co-authors. Masuda’s current work primarily focuses on biodegradation and chemical repurposing of nylon. Using soil bacteria, her lab studies bacterial biodegradation of nylon and other environmental pollutants. She applies principles of green chemistry while developing a method to convert nylon waste into other nontoxic polymers. In collaborative work with health scientists, her lab investigates gut microbiomes of Indiana native birds as well as human subjects in a clinical study. She became interested in converting plastic waste while earning her Ph.D. at Rutgers University, working on methods to remove environmental waste not using chemicals or other intrusive methods. She learned about Nylon 11, which is used in pipes for transferring oil, interior components for cars, catheters, and in other industrial hard plastics. Nylon 11 is nontoxic, she added, so it is safe to include students in the research. “Those are considered to be nonbiodegradable, and have to go to a landfill,” she said. “I thought if we could come up with a way to biodegrade it, that would make some kind of impact.” Eventually, she wants to develop a product that would convert nylon waste to something useful, and to reduce waste and microplastics in the environment. “That would be my goal at some point, that we can make that change, and also make people more aware of their use of plastics,” she said. “I hope students stop to think about what we can do as scientists to address issues currently impacting us.” She appreciates the IAS for its support of scientific research at Indiana institutions, and IU Kokomo and the School of Sciences for providing funding for students to attend the Academy’s annual meeting. She added that IU Kokomo has also supported her research with funding from the School of Sciences and Academic Affairs. “Without that, I couldn’t do my research,” she said. Masuda has also earned a Senior Research Grant from the IAS, IU Kokomo’s Distinguished Research Award, and the IU Kokomo Junior Faculty Annual Research Award. She is a Fellow of the Indiana Academy of Science. Education is KEY at Indiana University Kokomo.
Fairfax launches pilot to help small business owners obtain permits for store renovations
A new Fairfax County government pilot program aims to make life easier for small business owners seeking to make minor alterations before they open their stores. The Tenant Support Services (TSS) initiative is designed to move applicants through the permit approval process more efficiently by providing "early guidance, clear expectations and coordinated review support," county