Latest news with #JamesMadisonUniversity
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Beginner's pluck: Virginia Evans
A prolific reader who was always writing stories, Virginia attempted her first novel at 19. 'I kept on writing novels. I self-published one, because my computer broke. I needed to sell enough copies so that I could buy a new one, and I did.' Meanwhile, Virginia worked at various jobs. 'I was a paralegal; I scheduled surgery for an orthopaedic surgeon; I worked in customer service and in administration, but I'd get up early and write.' When she was 32 and still unpublished, Virginia was accepted on the MFA for creative writing at Trinity College, Dublin. 'I moved my family over, and life has never been better. We all felt so settled.' She was working on her eighth novel, titled the American Photograph with, among others, Claire Keegan, Carlo Gebler, and Kevin Power. 'I gained my agent from it.' At the start of covid, in March 2020, the family returned to the US. It was a tough time. 'I was a wreck,' she says. 'I was grieving, and the book wasn't selling.' Her agent suggested that she tried something new. 'I'd started writing The Correspondent for myself. My agent persuaded me to let her send it out and it's sold well around the world. I still can't believe it.' Who is Virginia Evans? Date/ place of birth: 1986/ South Carolina. 'But I was brought up in Pennsylvania and Maryland.' Education: High school Annapolis, Maryland; James Madison University in Virginia, English and creative writing; 2019, Trinity College, Dublin, MA of Philosophy in creative writing. Home: North Carolina. Family: Husband Mark, son Jack,12, and daughter Mae, nine, and red labrador, Brigid. The day job: Full-time writer. In another life: 'I would have been an arborist; I'm fascinated by trees.' Favourite writers: Deirdre Madden; John Williams; Anne Patchett; Maggie O'Farrell; William Trevor. Second book: 'I'm working on two first drafts.' Top tip: 'Take a walk with nothing in your ears.' Website: Instagram: @ The debut The Correspondent Michael Joseph, €17.99 At 73, Sybil's life is shrinking. A compulsive letter-writer, she's kept those she loves at a distance. Confronted by a past mistake, it's time to reassess. Is it too late for a happy ending? The verdict: A glorious, life affirming debut. I adored it.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
High school senior says changes to VMSDEP program now disqualifies her for benefits
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — MaKayla Bemley is set to graduate with honors Friday from Suffolk Christian Academy, but as the 18-year-old prepares to walk across the stage, her excitement is tempered by the anxiety she feels about paying for her education. Part of that anxiety stems from Bemley no longer being eligible to receive a monthly stipend from the government. Through her mother, a retired and 100% disabled veteran, Bemley is eligible for the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program, which helps survivors and dependents of qualified veterans or service members reach their educational goals. However, a recent change to the program makes the educational resource for Bemley null and void. 'My mother was on the phone trying to get all of my financial situations in order for college, and she received a message verbally saying that the new executive orders are making it harder for people to receive their benefits,' she said, 'including Article 35, which is the every-month stipend, which would be $2,500 a month.' While her tuition for James Madison University is covered through the GI Bill, not having the stipend piles on additional expenses. 'There's always hidden fees,' Bemley said. I have the meal plans, I have my books. I have small class charges and stuff like that, dorm charges.' Per the correspondence, those still eligible would have been enrolled or committed to an institution by May 15, 2024, which leaves her out of the monthly funding. She said students like herself who applied for college before Jan. 1 are no longer eligible for the benefits. 'If you haven't lived in Virginia for five years, they said that, 'Hey, you won't be able to receive these benefits,'' she said. 'So my mom went down the list and she was like, 'Whoa, we have been living here for five years,' and then they hit us with, 'Well, you would have had to apply for college in May of 2024 for me to receive those benefits. But I'm like as a student, as a junior, why would I like, you know, 2025? Bemley says the whole situation has been stressful. She will most likely have to seek employment to cover the extra fees during her freshmen year opposed to solely focusing on her studies. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Discover New Bacteria That Conduct Electricity Like a Wire
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways A newly discovered bacterium wiggling about in the mudflats of the Oregon coast could advance a new era of bioelectric devices. It's been named Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensis, in honor of the First Nations Yaqo'n people local to the area it was found, and it conducts electricity just like a wire does. This is not unique, but Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensis has some fascinating traits of its own that set it apart from other conducting microbes. Collectively, these organisms are known as cable bacteria, and only a handful are known, split between two candidate (Ca.) genera that are yet to be cultured and formally described – Ca. Electrothrix and Ca. Electronema. They live in sedimentary environments, and arrange themselves, end-to-end, in long threads that transport electrons. The purpose of this is a division of metabolic labor between individual cells in the variably oxygenated environment in which they live. It's a true collective, as bacterial colonies often are, but in a manner uniquely suited to their murky, soggy home. Even among a peculiar set of species, though, Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensis stands out. "This new species seems to be a bridge, an early branch within the Ca. Electrothrix clade, which suggests it could provide new insights into how these bacteria evolved and how they might function in different environments," says microbiologist Cheng Li of Oregon State University and James Madison University. "It stands out from all other described cable bacteria species in terms of its metabolic potential, and it has distinctive structural features, including pronounced surface ridges, up to three times wider than those seen in other species, that house highly conductive fibers made of unique, nickel-based molecules." Led by microbiologist Anwar Hiralal of the University of Antwerp in Belgium, the researchers isolated and studied the bacterium using genomic, morphological, spectroscopic, and electrical characterization techniques. Their results revealed that it has some morphological differences from other cable bacteria, as well as genetic similarities to both genera. Among the most important findings were the pronounced ridges, as well as the extracellular sheaths the microbes exude when they form their long, connected strands. A filament of Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensis. (Oregon State University) These strands are how the bacteria perform reduction-oxidation reactions over long distances (up to several centimeters). The cells buried deeper in the sediment, where they can't access oxygen, create energy by metabolizing sulfide. This produces electrons, which they transport up to the oxygen-rich layer, where the upper cells use oxygen or nitrate to receive the electrons. This behavior, the researchers say, is something humans could tap into for purposes such as food safety and environmental cleanup. "These bacteria can transfer electrons to clean up pollutants, so they could be used to remove harmful substances from sediments," Li says. "Also, their design of a highly conductive nickel protein can possibly inspire new bioelectronics." Further work can help refine the position of this new species in the cable bacteria family tree, and what we can learn from it. "Its non-conformist metabolic traits highlight the complex evolutionary dynamics within the cable bacteria clade," the researchers write, "and suggest a broader functional and ecological diversity within this clade than previously recognized." The research has been published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Related News
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New college grads face a tougher job market — again
This year's new college graduates are heading into a tougher job market than last year's — who had it worse off than the class before that — just as the Trump administration cracks down on student loan repayments. Recent grads' unemployment rate was 5.8% as of March, up from 4.6% a year earlier, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported last week. The share of new graduates working jobs that don't require their degrees — a situation known as 'underemployment' — hit 41.2% in March, rising from 40.6% that same month in 2024. 'Right now things are pretty frozen,' Allison Shrivastava, an economist at Indeed Hiring Lab, said of entry-level prospects. 'A lot of employers and job seekers are both kind of deer-in-headlights, not sure what to do.' That squares with Julia Abbott's experience. 'I just feel pretty screwed as it is right now,' said the psychology major who's graduating this month from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She said she's applied to over 200 roles in social media and marketing, but 'minimal interviews come out of it.' Internship postings typically rise sharply in early spring, but they're lagging 11 percentage points behind last year's levels, Indeed said in April. The hiring platform sees demand for interns as a stronger gauge of new grads' job prospects than entry-level postings, which increasingly target people with at least a few years' experience. In a worrying sign for the class of 2025, internship openings are 'far below where they were in 2023 and 2022, when the labor market was exceptionally competitive,' Shrivastava said. Young college grads have historically seen lower unemployment levels than the labor force overall, and they still do. But as The Atlantic pointed out Wednesday, this gap has narrowed to a record low, taking some of the shine off the traditional benefits of a bachelor's degree. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is restarting the 'involuntary' repayment of federal student loans in default, a move that could sap money from paychecks, tax refunds, Social Security payments and disability and retirement benefits from millions of borrowers. Repayments were paused during President Donald Trump's first term in 2020 in response to Covid-19. The pandemic-era reprieve from forced collections ends Monday, just as a new TransUnion report finds a record share of federal student loan borrowers are 90 days or more past due and at risk of default — at 20.5% as of February, up 10 percentage points from five years earlier. The debt crackdown comes as workers across the labor force confront a tougher hiring landscape. Employers added a better-than-expected 177,000 jobs in April, government data showed Friday, but analysts were quick to flag warning signs ahead. Average pay growth has slowed to a crawl, and unemployment metrics indicate it's taking longer for people looking for work to secure it. While the latest jobs numbers point to a 'resilient' labor market, 'we should curb our enthusiasm going forward given the backdrop of trade policies that will likely be a drag on the economy,' Olu Sonola, head of U.S. economic research at Fitch Ratings, said in a statement Friday. 'The outlook remains very uncertain.' The murky jobs forecast coincides with broader economic turbulence fueled by Trump's ongoing trade war. A slew of major companies have warned about tariff impacts in recent days. All but the wealthiest households are tightening their budgets, and consumer outlooks plunged to a 13-year low in a closely watched Conference Board survey released Tuesday. Some of the spending that is taking place reflects shoppers and businesses racing to make purchases before tariffs drive up costs for everything from cars to frozen fish and fireworks. These headwinds are making many employers increasingly cautious about hiring young graduates. Employers have pulled back plans to hire more new grads over just the last six months, according to a February and March survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, which polled major companies including Chevron, PepsiCo and Southwest Airlines. While most said their new-grad recruitment plans are holding steady, the share of respondents planning to expand entry-level hiring dipped to 24.6% this spring. That's down from 27% last fall and the lowest rate since autumn 2020, during the depths of the pandemic. In March, NACE released salary projections showing a mixed picture for the class of 2025, with social sciences graduates set to see a 3.6% drop in pay since last year, while agriculture and natural resources majors were on track for a 2.8% bump over their '24 predecessors. The estimates, however, were based on employer survey data from last fall, weeks before Trump took office. 'I'm not surprised that new hiring is being restricted,' said Andy West, a senior partner at the consulting firm McKinsey who advises CEOs on corporate strategy and finance. He said some clients are increasingly discussing ways to 'reallocate resources' amid tariffs and other macroeconomic worries, he said. As employers hunt for cost cuts and stability, many tend to zero in on expenses that fluctuate over time, including payrolls. 'When it comes to hiring and talent, often these are very short-term decisions around slowing down,' he said. Class of '25 job seekers are adjusting their expectations to the tighter market. More than half have ditched the 'dream job' plans they entered college with, according to a February survey by the grads-focused hiring platform Handshake. And 56% of current seniors are somewhat or very pessimistic about launching into the workforce right now. That's about the same share as last year, but outlooks are down more sharply in fields like computer science, where over a quarter of seniors with that major voiced extreme pessimism. Anxiety around landing a first full-time job is common among college students, but the deep uncertainty this year threatens to put a damper on commencement season. 'I can't really celebrate my past four years,' said Abbott, the JMU senior. 'It just feels really scary, like walking into this world and not having something set out for me.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
05-05-2025
- Business
- NBC News
New college grads face a tougher job market — again
This year's new college graduates are heading into a tougher job market than last year's — who had it worse off than the class before that — just as the Trump administration cracks down on student loan repayments. Recent grads' unemployment rate was 5.8% as of March, up from 4.6% a year earlier, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported last week. The share of new graduates working jobs that don't require their degrees — a situation known as 'underemployment' — hit 41.2% in March, rising from 40.6% that same month in 2024. 'Right now things are pretty frozen,' Allison Shrivastava, an economist at Indeed Hiring Lab, said of entry-level prospects. 'A lot of employers and job seekers are both kind of deer-in-headlights, not sure what to do.' Employers and job seekers are both kind of deer-in-headlights, not sure what to do. Allison Shrivastava, economist, Indeed Hiring Lab That squares with Julia Abbott's experience. 'I just feel pretty screwed as it is right now,' said the psychology major who's graduating this month from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She said she's applied to over 200 roles in social media and marketing, but 'minimal interviews come out of it.' Internship postings typically rise sharply in early spring, but they're lagging 11 percentage points behind last year's levels, Indeed said in April. The hiring platform sees demand for interns as a stronger gauge of new grads' job prospects than entry-level postings, which increasingly target people with at least a few years' experience. In a worrying sign for the class of 2025, internship openings are 'far below where they were in 2023 and 2022, when the labor market was exceptionally competitive,' Shrivastava said. Young college grads have historically seen lower unemployment levels than the labor force overall, and they still do. But as The Atlantic pointed out Wednesday, this gap has narrowed to a record low, taking some of the shine off the traditional benefits of a bachelor's degree. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is restarting the 'involuntary' repayment of federal student loans in default, a move that could sap money from paychecks, tax refunds, Social Security payments and disability and retirement benefits from millions of borrowers. Repayments were paused during President Donald Trump's first term in 2020 in response to Covid-19. The pandemic-era reprieve from forced collections ends Monday, just as a new TransUnion report finds a record share of federal student loan borrowers are 90 days or more past due and at risk of default — at 20.5% as of February, up 10 percentage points from five years earlier. The debt crackdown comes as workers across the labor force confront a tougher hiring landscape. Employers added a better-than-expected 177,000 jobs in April, government data showed Friday, but analysts were quick to flag warning signs ahead. Average pay growth has slowed to a crawl, and unemployment metrics indicate it's taking longer for people looking for work to secure it. While the latest jobs numbers point to a 'resilient' labor market, 'we should curb our enthusiasm going forward given the backdrop of trade policies that will likely be a drag on the economy,' Olu Sonola, head of U.S. economic research at Fitch Ratings, said in a statement Friday. 'The outlook remains very uncertain.' The murky jobs forecast coincides with broader economic turbulence fueled by Trump's ongoing trade war. A slew of major companies have warned about tariff impacts in recent days. All but the wealthiest households are tightening their budgets, and consumer outlooks plunged to a 13-year low in a closely watched Conference Board survey released Tuesday. Some of the spending that is taking place reflects shoppers and businesses racing to make purchases before tariffs drive up costs for everything from cars to frozen fish and fireworks. These headwinds are making many employers increasingly cautious about hiring young graduates. Employers have pulled back plans to hire more new grads over just the last six months, according to a February and March survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, which polled major companies including Chevron, PepsiCo and Southwest Airlines. While most said their new-grad recruitment plans are holding steady, the share of respondents planning to expand entry-level hiring dipped to 24.6% this spring. That's down from 27% last fall and the lowest rate since autumn 2020, during the depths of the pandemic. In March, NACE released salary projections showing a mixed picture for the class of 2025, with social sciences graduates set to see a 3.6% drop in pay since last year, while agriculture and natural resources majors were on track for a 2.8% bump over their '24 predecessors. The estimates, however, were based on employer survey data from last fall, weeks before Trump took office. 'I'm not surprised that new hiring is being restricted,' said Andy West, a senior partner at the consulting firm McKinsey who advises CEOs on corporate strategy and finance. He said some clients are increasingly discussing ways to 'reallocate resources' amid tariffs and other macroeconomic worries, he said. As employers hunt for cost cuts and stability, many tend to zero in on expenses that fluctuate over time, including payrolls. It just feels really scary, like walking into this world and not having something set out for me. Julia Abbott, James Madison University, class of 2025 'When it comes to hiring and talent, often these are very short-term decisions around slowing down,' he said. Class of '25 job seekers are adjusting their expectations to the tighter market. More than half have ditched the 'dream job' plans they entered college with, according to a February survey by the grads-focused hiring platform Handshake. And 56% of current seniors are somewhat or very pessimistic about launching into the workforce right now. That's about the same share as last year, but outlooks are down more sharply in fields like computer science, where over a quarter of seniors with that major voiced extreme pessimism. Anxiety around landing a first full-time job is common among college students, but the deep uncertainty this year threatens to put a damper on commencement season. 'I can't really celebrate my past four years,' said Abbott, the JMU senior. 'It just feels really scary, like walking into this world and not having something set out for me.'
