We are excited to announce that we now have a source in every state! Our first source from South Dakota is an expert on agricultural economics. We also have our very first veterinarian, who is an expert on livestock.

You might want these folks on speed dial next time an avian influenza breaks out.

Deepthi Kolady is an associate professor of agricultural economics at the Ness School of Management and Economics and an affiliate associate professor at the department of natural resource management at South Dakota State University. She conducts research at the intersection of agriculture, environment and the development of countries.
 
Kolady studies the behaviors of producers and consumers in the food sector, specifically examining the choices that create a sustainable farming system, and the healthy food sector and how it responds to technology changes, markets and policies. Among other topics, she researches food and nutritional security, consumer preferences for eco-friendly and healthy foods, agricultural producer practices, and agricultural research and development.

Dr. Navaratnam (Theeb) Partheeban is a clinical veterinarian at Westpoint Farm Vets in Chelmsford, U.K., and the co-founder of the British Veterinary Ethnicity and Diversity Society (BVEDS). In the farm animal production industry, he has worked in clinical practice, in higher education, and in both the pharmaceutical and livestock nutrition sectors. He has completed training and research all over the world, and advised the dairy industry and farmers globally. 

Partheeban specializes in treating cattle and sheep, and has experience managing the health of and maintaining a commercial calf-rearing unit and sheep flock. He most recently edited the book Developing animal feed products (2021), which details best practices for improving livestock science, nutrition and management.

Other sources of interest this week.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has taken over the news cycle and we have two sources for you to consult. 
 
Jeffrey Fields is an associate professor of practice of international relations at the University of Southern California. He also directs the Intersect Project, which facilitates a dialogue between scholars of international relations and policymakers in Washington, D.C. His research focuses on American foreign policy, international security, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
 
Ankit Panda is the Stanton Senior Fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He is an expert in the Asia-Pacific region, with research interests in nuclear strategy, arms control, missile defense, nonproliferation, emerging technologies and U.S. extended deterrence. He is the author of Kim Jong Un and the Bomb: Survival and Deterrence in North Korea (2020).

Sources of the Week on the news

Read:

• Lawrence Yun shared his observations with NPR that first-time homebuyers are being pushed out by investors in the housing market. 
• Dorothy Brown’s work on racism in the tax system is quoted in a commentary about tax season in the Chicago Sun Times.
• Good Morning America listed Felicia Pride as a prominent figure in its 2021 Inspiration List for Black History Month.
• The White House's new climate justice screening tool, Robert Bullard tells AP, is leaving communities of color behind by failing to include race as a factor. 
• Sarah Deer and other advocates penned an open letter in High Country News addressed to victims of sexual abuse in Indian Country.
• In The Guardian, Margaret Atwood interviewed seven changemakers, including Yasmeen Hassan, about their dreams for the future. 
• Lanhee Chen talked to The New York Times about his bid to become California’s new State Controller.
• In Fast Company, Imara Jones wrote about being shadowbanned on Facebook and the larger danger it poses to Black trans women.
• In USA Today, Nisi Shawl remembered her friendship with one of the greatest science fiction writers of our time, Octavia Butler.
• The U.S. women’s national soccer team won a pay disparity settlement. Neena Chaudhry told Bloomberg Law it’s a victory that brings visibility to the wage gap women face.

Watch:

• Moises Naim talked to Andrew Keen on Literary Hub’s Keen On about the rise of authoritarianism. 
• Michael Twitty is now teaching a MasterClass on tracing one’s lineage through culinary traditions.

Listen:

• On Short Wave, Desiré Whitmore used science and sight to explain how we all might have personal blindspots and biases. 
• Tracey Meares talked to The Takeway about whether policing has actually changed since George Floyd’s murder.