Alumna Rachel McMullen ('10) fulfilled her lifelong goal of appearing on Jeopardy! July 30. Rachel, who is assistant to the dean of UNT Libraries, grew up playing Trivial Pursuit and completed four different in-person auditions before getting "the call" in April. "With the pandemic, I honestly didn't think it was going to happen so I was shocked when they called me," Rachel says. "I'm sad that I didn't make it on to the show in time to meet the legendary Alex Trebek, but LeVar Burton was an excellent consolation host. It was an amazing experience, everything I ever dreamed it would be, and I met the most fabulous people."

Don't miss these other members of our Mean Green Family who recently landed in the press:

• The New York Times quoted Art History Professor Dr. Jennifer Way in an article about crafting's pandemic-prompted surge and the benefits of up-close-and-personal crafting. Through touching and working with craft materials, we can connect to ideas of mindfulness and wellness, Dr. Way says.
• Dr. Colleen Eddy, an associate professor from the College of Education, was quoted by the Dallas Observer discussing how local teachers are bracing for a new school year after last year's disparate delivery led to learning loss for many students.
• Work from College of Visual Arts and Design Distinguished Research Professor Dornith Doherty is on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History through March 2022 and was highlighted by The Washington Post. Dornith is one of seven contemporary artists featured in the exhibit Unsettled Nature: Artists Reflect on the Age of Humans.
• Dr. Ram Dantu, director of UNT's Center for Information and Cyber Security, discussed with The Dallas Morning News how expanded 5G networks will have the greatest impact for businesses and corporations, as they can utilize full network capabilities.
• Freshman Ryan McClendon and Brenda Sweeten from the College of Health and Public Service were featured in an NBC 5 story about the ways our summer bridge program assists former children in foster care with transitioning to college.
• The Denton Record-Chronicle published a two-part series on how UNT Athletics survived and thrived during the COVID-19 pandemic. Part one focuses on the behind-the-scenes tale of how UNT officials, coaches, and athletes met the challenges, and part two examines how fans played a role in setting our program up for a promising future.
• A PEW report indicating that twice as many U.S. renters fell behind on payments during the pandemic quoted Dr. Michael Carroll, director of UNT's Economics Research Group. Dr. Carroll indicated communities with a large share of renter debt could see lower consumer spending, a decrease in property values, and a rise in rental costs over the coming years.
• UNT Planetarium manager Ryan Bennett explained on FOX 4 why meteors aren't too surprising this time of year and what can make them valuable to treasure hunters.
• The Associated Press highlighted the philanthropic work of communication studies student Michael Mairs, who has raised nearly $50,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital since 2018 by receiving donations while playing video games on Twitch.
• Dallas Innovates recently featured the work of Dr. Guido Verbeck and his team in the Department of Chemistry, who are developing sensors that can detect chemical weapons, seek out respiratory illnesses like COVID-19, and detect early-stage cancer markers.

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