UCLA in the News lists selected mentions of UCLA in the world’s news media. Some articles may require registration or a subscription. See more UCLA in the News.

UCLA no. 1 public university for 7th straight year | City News Service

UCLA earned a tie with UC Berkeley for the number-one spot in the Top Public Schools in the 2024 U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges in America list, it was reported Monday … “The success that UCLA achieves in these and other rankings is reflective of the hard work, dedication, resilience and ingenuity of the people who make up the Bruin community,” said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. “UCLA is the best public university in the nation because of the contributions of our staff, faculty, students, alumni and friends.” (Also: New York Times, KCBS-TV, KNBC-TV, KCAL-TV, LAist 89.3-FM, KNX-FM and KABC-AM.)  

New wave of fentanyl overdose deaths grip the nation | HealthDay News

By 2021, stimulants were the most common drug class found in fentanyl-involved overdoses, according to a study published online Sept. 13 in Addiction. Joseph Friedman, Ph.D., and Chelsea L. Shover, Ph.D., from the University of California in Los Angeles, and colleagues characterized co-involved substances in fatal overdoses involving synthetic opioids in a population-based study of national death records in the United States. (Friedman was quoted. Also: Salon and BBC News.)  

New report offers measures to protect democracy | MSNBC

“It’s actually the second time that we’ve done this. A group of us got together in the runup to the 2020 Election. We started deliberating just before COVID hit the United States, and we recognized that we were going to be facing some new threats to the integrity of the election, with a candidate who was claiming the election was going to be stolen,” said UCLA’s Rick Hasen (approx. 1:20 mark).

Pro-gun groups argue Albuquerque firearm ban is unconstitutional | NPR

UCLA law professor Adam Winkler writes on gun policy and says the court blocking the governor isn't surprising. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a New York ban on handguns in public last year, saying it violated the Second Amendment. “I don't know. Perhaps it was done for political reasons. Perhaps the governor wants to put on the table for genuine debate restrictions on concealed carry.” [said Winkler.]

Post-affirmative action, employers look to California | Los Angeles Times

As the Times reported late last year, one of the most successful efforts has been at UCLA, which uses an “intrusive recruiting” approach to pursue applicants as aggressively as college coaches pursue star athletes. This includes efforts such as collaborative partnerships with local schools and churches, presence at community events and outreach programs for teenagers that help them prepare for college.

Baby babble isn’t just goo goo!  | NPR’s ‘All Things Considered’

Well, it turns out that baby babble has a deeper meaning. I called up Megha Sundara, the linguistics department chair at UCLA, whose lab is unlike any lab you’ve ever heard of. For starters, there’s a castle in it. Well, it’s a sound booth, but it looks like a castle. “So the thing about sound booths is they are intimidating spaces,” she says. So her student with a background in set design built a castle around it.

Lived near the Aliso Canyon gas leak? Scientists want to get in touch | LAist

In December, the L.A. Department of Public Health brought in a team of UCLA scientists for the next five years to study the gas leak and potential negative health outcomes for residents. Their most important task on hand: to reach impacted members of the public, which has proven to be more challenging than anticipated. (UCLA’s Mike Jerrett was quoted.)

Skeptics should rethink cash reparations for slavery | Los Angeles Times

There will be plenty of polls to come that will offer data points with little context and may even contradict each other. For example, a poll released in May by the Ralph J. Bunche Center at UCLA found that 63% of Californians do support cash reparations. Ultimately, whatever form reparations might take should be based on thoughtful informed decision-making, not a popularity poll.

Kamala Harris could be Biden's secret 2024 weapon | MSNBC

(Commentary by UCLA’s Victor Shi) But Biden and his aides would be right to ignore the punditry. Aside from her popularity among nonwhite voters and women, Harris brings an overlooked and underappreciated strength to the ticket: the support of Generation Z. And as recent elections have proved, my generation is a must-win demographic for Biden and the Democrats in 2024.

Fewer people, more homes, but a housing shortage | Los Angeles Times

“The cost of living in California and Los Angeles is so high ... that we know a lot of people can’t move here and we know a lot of people can’t remain here, because they are priced out,” said Michael Lens, a professor of urban planning and public policy at UCLA.

How location affects brain microstructure | Scienmag

You are what you eat, according to the adage. But it’s not just the body that’s impacted. According to research from UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, living in a disadvantaged neighborhood can affect food choices, weight gain and even the microstructure of the brain. (UCLA’s Arpana Gupta and Lisa Kilpatrick were quoted. Also: Science Daily.)