Latest news with #UniversityofCaliforniaSantaBarbara
Axios
25-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
College graduates are anxious about entering a rocky job market
The Class of 2025 is begrudgingly entering a job market that is not welcoming them with open arms. Why it matters: New grads are pessimistic entering the workforce, as the economy could slow. History shows that people who started their careers during economic downturns struggle throughout their lives. "I'm excited to graduate and I worked really hard and I've loved these four years of college, but it does make me wish that I had more security," said Emma Crump, a senior studying sociology at the University of California Santa Barbara. Crump, 22, is enrolled in a class where she has to apply for three jobs weekly. She's heard back from three, and all were rejections. Zoom out: "It's a little paradoxical, where for the last several years there was this talent shortage, so candidates have this power," Lindsey Zuloaga, chief data scientist for Utah-based hiring platform HireVue, said. "But it's shifted in some ways and not others. Because of economic uncertainty, there's a lot less moving around happening, and that's tightening things up." State of play: American pessimism about a looming U.S. recession is high, even if the economy doesn't reach that point. Historical data shows that graduating into a recession can have lasting negative effects on salaries and health. Graduating into economic turmoil is nothing new for Gen Z. The pandemic upended post-grad plans for the classes of 2020 and 2021. Case in point: Sohan Bhakta, a computer science senior at the University of Arizona, applied to more than 600 jobs during the school year, with few interviews. "The talk was, you'd be guaranteed a gig," Bhakta, 22, said. "And I don't know why I expected that. From this world, you should never expect anything because anything can change." If he doesn't land a computer science role at the end of his six-month internship in September, he's considering pivoting to data engineering or data analytics to work more closely with AI. Sabrina Valencia, 30, pivoted her human resources job hunt from full-time roles to internships after applying for about 70 jobs to no avail. "I didn't realize how hard it was going to be just to get into even an entry level at that point," said Valencia, who graduated from Western Governors University in April. She's also exploring an extra certification. Driving the news: More than half of current college seniors are pessimistic about the job market, per an April report from Handshake, an entry-level job platform. As of March, the average class of 2025 student had submitted 21% more job applications on the platform than their 2024 counterparts. That upswing "reflects heightened anxiety and urgency around the early-career job search, while simultaneously contributing to increased competition for jobs," the report said. Threat level: Young adults who enter the workforce during recessions have historically had lower long-term earnings, higher rates of disability, fewer marriages, less successful spouses and fewer children, according to a 2023 National Bureau of Economic Research report. In middle age, they have had higher mortality caused by lung, liver and heart disease. "The bad luck of leaving school during hard times can lead to higher rates of early death and permanent differences in life circumstances," a 2019 Stanford report said.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Scientists Discovered Structural, Brain-Wide Changes During Menstruation
The constant ebb and flow of hormones that guide the menstrual cycle don't just affect reproductive anatomy. They also reshape the brain, and research gives us insight into how this happens. Led by neuroscientists Elizabeth Rizor and Viktoriya Babenko of the University of California Santa Barbara, a team of researchers tracked 30 women over their menstrual cycles, documenting in detail the structural changes that take place in the brain as hormonal profiles fluctuate. The results, published in a peer-reviewed study in 2023, suggest that structural changes in the brain during menstruation may not be limited to those regions associated with the menstrual cycle. "These results are the first to report simultaneous brain-wide changes in human white matter microstructure and cortical thickness coinciding with menstrual cycle-driven hormone rhythms," the researchers wrote. "Strong brain-hormone interaction effects may not be limited to classically known hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal-axis (HPG-axis) receptor-dense regions." Menstruation typically means experiencing some 450 or so periods during the course of a lifetime, so it would be nice to know the different effects they can have on the body, really. However, although it is something that happens to half the world's population for half their lives, research has been somewhat lacking. Who knows why. Total mystery. Seriously. Most of the research on the hormonal effect on the brain has been focused on brain communication during cognitive tasks, not the actual structures themselves. "Cyclic fluctuations in HPG-axis hormones exert powerful behavioral, structural, and functional effects through actions on the mammalian central nervous system," Rizor, Babenko, and their team noted. "Yet, very little is known about how these fluctuations alter the structural nodes and information highways of the human brain." The microstructure of white matter – the fatty network of neuronal fibers that transfer information between regions of gray matter – has been found to change with hormonal shifts, including puberty, oral contraception use, gender-affirming hormone therapy, and post-menopausal estrogen therapy. To address the menstruation gap in our understanding, the team took MRI scans of their subjects during three menstrual phases: menses, ovulation, and mid-luteal. At the time of each of these scans, the researchers also measured the participants' hormone levels. The results showed that, as hormones fluctuate, gray and white matter volumes change too, as does the volume of cerebrospinal fluid. In particular, just before ovulation, when the hormones 17β-estradiol and luteinizing hormone rise, the brains of the participants showed white matter changes suggesting faster information transfer. Follicle-stimulating hormone, which rises before ovulation, and helps stimulate the ovary follicles, was associated with thicker gray matter. Progesterone, which rises after ovulation, was associated with increased tissue and decreased cerebrospinal fluid volume. What this means for the person driving the brain is unknown, but the research lays the groundwork for future studies, and perhaps understanding the causes of unusual but severe period-related mental health problems. A separate study published in 2024 by an international team of scientists found each phase of the menstrual cycle had a distinct influence over the brain as a whole, with changes across the brain and in specific regions found to also be related to an individual's age. "Although we do not currently report functional consequences or correlates of structural brain changes, our findings may have implications for hormone-driven alterations in behavior and cognition," the researchers wrote. "Investigation of brain-hormone relationships across networks is necessary to understand human nervous system functioning on a daily basis, during hormone transition periods, and across the human lifespan." The findings are reported in Human Brain Mapping. An earlier version of this article was published in October 2023. Ultra-Processed Foods Linked to Early Signs of Parkinson's Disease AI Discovers Suspected Trigger of Alzheimer's, And Maybe a Treatment One Stage of Sleep Seems Critical For Reducing Risk of Dementia
Daily Mail
02-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Hunt for unknown man begins after student, 18, plunges three storeys from balcony to her death
College freshman Liz Hamel died in February after falling three storeys from a balcony on campus, and her distraught father has shared images of the mystery man she was last seen with as he seeks answers for his daughter's death. The 18-year-old was last seen alive on Valentine's Day after she went for a celebratory dinner with her University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) colleagues. Hamel left the restaurant with a stranger her friends had never met before, according to KIRO 7, and the man's also not been seen since. Less than 30 minutes after leaving, Hamel plunged several feet from a three-storey breezeway on the UCSB campus. When a student called 911, first responders found Hamel in cardiac arrest. She died six days later. Hamel's father Alain Hamel held a press conference this week to release the images of the mystery man with his daughter, something the police never actually did, he told KIRO. Alain told the outlet: 'He is the last person that we know of that had contact with Liz. 'And just if he has information with respect to her last moments, that could be useful.' There's no suggestion the man whose images were shared was with Hamel when she died, or that he did anything wrong. Alain's requested help from the Santa Barbara and UC community to find further information as to what led to his daughter's balcony fall. Hamel reportedly spent 'a large part' of the evening of her death with the mystery man and left the restaurant with him sometime after 10pm. She was found unconscious on campus just 21 minutes later. The stranger's described as white, 'approximately 6ft tall' with 'dark blond hair'. He was wearing light blue Carhartt jeans, a gray Patagonia sweater, and 'a carabiner with keys on his right hip'. Alain slammed authorities for not releasing the images to the public as part of their probe into the case. UCSB's student paper Daily Nexus reported that Alain said: 'I shouldn't be standing here. I should be at home, grieving my daughter and trusting in the institutions that are responsible for this investigation.' The Hamel family has said they've never met the man before. Attorney Tyrone Maho, who was with Alain at the press conference, emphasized they are not 'accusing anyone of wrongdoing'. Maho said: 'If you are this young man, or you know who he is, we are pleading with you to come forward. If you have any information about that evening, we are pleading with you to come forward. 'If you were on campus that night, or in Isla Vista, or you heard someone talk about this who may know something, please come forward. You may hold important information that can help bring peace to a family that is suffering greatly.'
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Beautiful student died after falling from balcony...now dad has shared images of mystery man she was seen with
A college freshman died after falling from a balcony on campus, but her father has now shared images of the mystery man she was last seen with as he seeks answers about her death. Liz Hamel, 18, was last seen alive on Valentine's Day as she and her friends at the University of California Santa Barbara celebrated at dinner together. Hamel left the restaurant with a young man her friends had never met before, as reported by KIRO 7. That man has also not been seen since. Less than 30 minutes later, she plunged several feet from a three-story breezeway on the UCSB campus. After a student called 911, first responders found Hamel in cardiac arrest. She died six days later. Hamel's father Alain Hamel held a press conference this week to release the images of the mystery men with his daughter, which police never did, he told KIRO. 'He is the last person that we know of that had contact with Liz,' the heartbroken father told the outlet. 'And just if he has information with respect to her last moments, that could be useful.' There's no suggestion the man whose images were shared was with Hamel when she died, or that he did anything wrong. Alain Hamel is asking the Santa Barbara and UC community for help finding information into what led to the tragic balcony fall. The college freshman had reportedly spent 'a large part of' the evening of her death with the mystery man. She left the restaurant with him sometime after 10.06pm and was found unconscious on campus 21 minutes later. The mystery man is described as white, 'approximately 6-feet tall' with 'dark blond hair.' He was wearing a light blue Carhartt jeans, a gray Patagonia sweater and 'a carabiner with keys on his right hip.' The grieving father slammed authorities for not releasing the images to the public as part of their probe. 'I shouldn't be standing here. I should be at home, grieving my daughter and trusting in the institutions that are responsible for this investigation,' Alain Hamel said, as reported by UCSB's student paper, Daily Nexus. The 18-year-old was only in her second semester at the University of California Santa Barbara when she mysteriously died 'But the academic quarter is coming to an end. Students are graduating or leaving campus. People's memories fade. The Hamel family has said they have never met the man before. Attorney Tyrone Maho of the law firm Maho Prentice, who was with Alain Hamel at the press conference, emphasized they are not 'accusing anyone of wrongdoing.' 'If you are this young man, or you know who he is, we are pleading with you to come forward. If you have any information about that evening, we are pleading with you to come forward,' Maho said. 'If you were on campus that night, or in Isla Vista, or you heard someone talk about this who may know something, please come forward. You may hold important information that can help bring peace to a family that is suffering greatly.' Anyone with information is asked to contact 805-335-3851.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
Family seeks young man last seen with Bellevue High graduate before she fell, died
What happened to Liz Hamel? A local 18-year-old was found unconscious after plunging from a California university dorm room. She died days later. Was it an accident? Or something more sinister? Revelations were announced by private investigators tonight. Could it lead to closure for her family? Liz Hamel seemed to have the promise of a bright future when she graduated from Bellevue High School in 2024. But less than a year later, she died under mysterious circumstances, and her family wants to know why. No one has been able to find the last person with whom she was seen. 'I've said this a number of times, that she was kind and everything,' Alain Hamel said, his voice breaking. 'A second, please. ' Hamel still struggles to talk about his daughter, 18-year-old Elizabeth, 'Liz,' he called her. 'Yeah, that she was kind,' he said. 'I really appreciated that.' The last time Liz was seen alive was on Valentine's Day. She and friends, students at the University of California Santa Barbara, were celebrating at a local restaurant. Just after 10 p.m. that night, Liz left with a young man her friends did not know. Less than a half hour later, she had fallen several feet from a breezeway on campus. 'Third-story breezeway that then landed on concrete,' explained her father. Another student called 911. 'The first responders came,' Hamel said. 'They found that by the time they arrived, she was in cardiac arrest due to an obstructed airway and, of course, due to the trauma of the fall.' She lived six agonizing days before she died. The man she was last seen with hasn't been seen since. So, Hamel held a news conference in Santa Barbara to do what he says the police did not: release the last known photographs of the young man to be with his vibrant young daughter. 'He is the last person that we know of that had contact with Liz,' he said. 'And just if he has information with respect to her last moments, that could be useful.' Hamel's heart is broken over his daughter's death, and he and his wife want any help they can get to find this young man.
