Professor Heidi Gorovitz Robertson participated as a member of the 2023 Peer Review Panel, Cycle 6, evaluating the Fulbright Specialist Program. Professor Robertson reviewed Fulbright Specialist applicants in the areas of law and environmental students.

Professor Heidi Gorovitz Robertson has been designated by the American Bar Association as the Academician on the site team tasked with evaluating Southern Illinois University School of Law in the context of the institution’s application for re-accreditation. Robertson’s role on the team was to conduct fact-finding, in the form of interviews and document reviews, in areas connected with the ABA standards on the Program of Legal Education. In particular, she reviewed curriculum, distance learning, learning objectives, assessment, evaluation, and related topics. Site visits involve more than three days ‘on the ground’ at the applicant’s school and many days of work before and after the visit. Notably, this marks Professor Robertson’s second site visit on behalf of the ABA.

On November 17th, Professor Brandon Stump will be presenting at Ohio’s premier Autistic conference, OCALI. This session, titled Working Without Masking: Authentically Autistic in Academia, introduces Autistic adults to strategies for being openly Autistic in the workplace, while also providing tips for the more challenging aspects of employment for Autistic academics. Employers of Autistic employees will also greatly benefit from this session, getting in-depth and vulnerable explanations of being Autistic at work. Through humor and active engagement, participants will hear, first-hand, the challenges and rewards of being an Autistic academic.

Registration Link :  https://conference.ocali.org/register

Professor Steven Chien recently delivered a presentation at the Case Western Reserve University School of Law’s Law Review Symposium: Judicial Conduct, Ethics & Reform. His article “Open Court and Social Trust: Evidence-Based Criminal Justice 2.0,” argues that the current fragmented approach to data collection and sharing, accompanied by the coercion-based culture of the criminal justice system and the lack of sufficient peer review mechanisms, raises pressing challenges and concerns about institutional legitimacy. It further argues that high-quality data and systemic transparency play a critical role in cultivating social trust. It cautions against the dangers of biased data and antiquated measures of success for the judiciary, as these could jeopardize equitable justice and democracy. His article also explores the ethics of collecting, preparing, analyzing, and integrating judicial data in this emerging evidence-based criminal justice system.

On November 9th, the eagerly awaited book titled “COVID-19 and the Law: Disruption, Impact, and Legacy” was released. Among the noteworthy chapters within this publication is one co-authored by the Professor Laura Hoffman, titled “Telehealth Transformation in COVID-19.” The chapter explores the significant impact of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic and its transformative role in the healthcare sector.

This week, Professor Christa Laser delivered a presentation in a free webinar titled “A Seat at the Sitting.” The webinar focused on Vidal v. Elster, the Supreme Court regarding whether the trademark office’s refusal to register “Trump Too Small” as a mark, based on the use of another person’s name without consent, violates upon the First Amendment. The livestream and podcast audio are both available here. 

Professor Laser was also a featured speaker at the CS+Law research workshop hosted by UCLA. During the workshop, she discussed her upcoming paper titled “Legal Issues in Blockchain.” For more information about the event, please visit the following website: https://www.cslawworkshop.org/

Professor Milena Sterio recently participated in a radio program called “Talking Foreign Policy.” Professor Sterio is a frequent guest on the show, which is produced quarterly. In this particular episode, scheduled to air on WCPN, she discussed international legal matters pertaining to environmental protection and climate change. Catch the broadcast on November 20, both in the morning from 9 am to 10 am and in the evening from 9 pm to 10 pm.

Professor Mark Sundahl was quoted extensively in an October 16 article in telecom industry news site Communications Daily.  The article, FCC’s Orbital Debris Fine May Influence Small Space Operator Behavior, examines the FCC’s recent fining of Dish Network for failing to move its defunct satellite into the proper “graveyard orbit” due to a lack of remaining fuel. In the article, Professor Sundahl explains that as a result of the fine it’s likely that “space operators will be much more diligent about tracking their fuel consumption and maybe not try to squeeze quite so much operational life out of their satellites.” He added that the risk of receiving such fines “could lead to industry standards on fuel consumption.”

During the week of October 23, Professor Milena Sterio participated in several meetings held in Washington D.C. with delegates from OPORA, a prominent Ukrainian civil society organization. Such sessions included discussions with fellow international experts and high-level U.S. government officials, focusing on matters concerning accountability and reparations in Ukraine.