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The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot 
Jan. 14, 2016 | WMU News
At least three people have matched all the numbers in last night's Powerball jackpot drawing and will split the $1.5 billion grand prize. The odds of winning—one in 292.2 million—are extremely steep, says Dr. Joshua Naranjo, a WMU professor of statistics.
The Chinese financial crisis 
Jan. 7, 2016 | WMU News
Chinese stocks plunged again today by more than 7 percent, forcing the second halt in trading this week--this time in only 29 minutes. The market free fall is being caused by China trying to stimulate its economy by devaluing its currency, says Dr. Matthew Ross, a WMU assistant professor of finance and commercial law.
The Paris climate agreement 
Dec. 24, 2015 | WMU News
Recent U.N. climate talks resulted in a historic agreement to cut carbon dioxide emissions and fight global warming. The timing was right for the accord, which will keep long-term warming to below 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, says Dr. David Karowe, a WMU professor of biological sciences and climate change expert.
The lack of winter weather 
Dec. 17, 2015 | WMU News
With the official start of winter on Monday, record high temperatures are being set east of the Rocky Mountains, and snowfall is at record lows. Warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, a phenomenon known as El Niño, appear to be the reason, says Dr. Robert Ruhf, a meteorologist and senior research associate in the WMU Mallinson Institute for Science Education.
Misperceptions of Muslims 
Dec. 10, 2015 | WMU News
Recent terrorist attacks, especially in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., have fanned the flames of anti-Muslim sentiments. Such sentiments, unfortunately, are becoming more mainstream, says Dr. Nathan Tabor, a WMU visiting professor of comparative religion.
Cyber attacks on small businesses 
Dec. 3, 2015 | WMU News
Cyber attacks on big retailers like Target or Home Depot get lots of publicity. But recent statistics show that small and medium sized businesses accounted for 60 percent of cyber attacks last year, up from 48 percent the year before. It's important for small businesses to take precautions, says Dr. Alan Rea, a WMU professor of business information systems.
A historical take on the immigration of Syrian refugees 
Nov. 25, 2015 | WMU News
In the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris and Mali, many American governors and politicians have called for pausing or even halting the immigration of Syrian refugees out of fears of terrorism. Such fears are nothing new, says Dr. Eli Rubin, a WMU associate professor of history.
The right to be forgotten online 
Nov. 19, 2015 | WMU News
Europe's highest court has ruled that search engines grant requests to have embarrassing information and images removed from the Internet in certain cases. The information must be deemed inaccurate or excessive, says Dr. Sandra Borden, a WMU professor of communication.