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UC Irvine’s Daniele Piomelli provides expert view on federal reclassification of cannabis

As the White House moves to reclassify cannabis under federal law from a schedule I to a schedule III, questions remain about how the change could affect medical use, public health, research, and regulation. UC Irvine’s Daniele Piomelli, PhD, an internationally recognized cannabis researcher, is available to comment on the implications of the policy shift. Piomelli is a distinguished professor of anatomy and neurobiology at the University of California, Irvine, the Louise Turner Arnold Chair in the neurosciences, and director of the UCI Center for the Study of Cannabis. Piomelli has more than 30 years of experience studying cannabis, THC and the endocannabinoid system, with research spanning basic neuroscience, pharmacology and translational science. He is editor in chief of Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research and has testified before the U.S. Senate on cannabis-related research and policy. He can provide perspective on: • What federal reclassification may change for medical cannabis and scientific research • Differences between THC, CBD and other cannabinoids • Potential public health benefits and risks of cannabis legalization • Cannabis exposure and the developing brain, including adolescence • Regulatory and research challenges tied to cannabis policy Piomelli is available for interviews or background conversations. Email: piomelli@hs.uci.edu

Tales of Christmas Past: Preserving Your Family History During the Holidays

During past family Christmas gatherings, many of us remember when older relatives regaled everyone with tales about their fascinating life stories, firsthand experiences as an eyewitness to history or simply sharing how favorite family traditions started. So how do you preserve those precious family memories during the holidays? Baylor University oral historians Stephen Sloan and Adrienne Cain Darough have recorded and preserved the oral history memoirs of thousands of individuals through their work with Baylor’s renowned Institute for Oral History, home of the national Oral History Association. Together, the historians share seven simple best practices to help family members begin oral history conversations that enrich recollections of the past and capture your family memories. “The holiday season brings about the opportunity to spend time with family members, especially those you may not be able to see on a frequent basis,” Cain Darough said. “This presents the perfect opportunity to conduct oral histories to capture the stories and experiences of your family and loved ones, to learn more about them, the history of your family, traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation and more.” Seven best practices for preserving your family’s oral history 1. Ask first! Make sure your family member wants their story to be documented or recorded. That is the first – and most important – question to ask, said Adrienne Cain Darough, M.L.S., assistant director and senior lecturer with the Institute for Oral History. Ask first. “Many oral historians have run into the spot where someone says, ‘Oh, my grandpa would be great for that topic,’ and you get there and it's, ‘Grandpa does not want to talk to you.’ So first, make sure they want their story recorded,” she said. 2. Determine the type of recording equipment you want to use. Decide if you want to record your interview with an audio recorder or use a video recording device. It all depends on your needs and comfort level with the technology. For family members who are unable to travel this holiday season, you can include them by capturing their stories using a remote recording platform like Zoom, which became a vital tool for oral historians when COVID struck in 2020. Helpful resources from Baylor’s Institute for Oral History include: How to choose the right digital recorder Oral History at a Distance webinar on the dynamics of conducting remote oral history interviews Remote Interviewing Resources guide (Oral History Association) 3. Research your family member’s life and their timeline to help you formulate your questions. Recording a family member’s oral history is more than just putting down a recorder in front of them and saying, “Talk.” If you’re recording an oral history over Christmas with a family member, are there specific things that you want to know that are related to the holiday? For example, what was Christmas morning like for them as a child? How did your favorite family traditions start? What is their favorite holiday dish? (Maybe they could even share the recipe. “You can finally learn why Nana’s banana pudding doesn’t even have bananas in it,” Cain Darough said.) “Doing your research to try to form those questions will help you get around the reluctance to talk sometimes,” Cain Darough added. “The favorite thing that I love to hear is, ‘Oh, I don't have much to say,’ or ‘I'm not that important.’ And then you sit down with them, and you listen to their stories, and your mind is just blown by the things that they've seen and experienced.” 4. Start with the basics: “Where are you from?” When Baylor oral historians conduct an interview, they generally begin with some life history of the subject, providing important context for historians. “Ask questions early on that are easy for them to answer: a little bit of the backstory, a little bit of where they're from, where they grew up,” said Stephen Sloan, Ph.D., director of the Institute for Oral History, executive director of Oral History Association and professor of history at Baylor. “I want to understand the lens through which they experienced events, and the only way I can do that is, who was this? What was formative in their life growing up? Who spoke into who they were? What did they learn? Where did they go? What did they do? Those are the sorts of things that I would be exploring early in the interview.” One of the questions Cain Darough enjoys asking is, “What did you want to be when you grew up?” “You want to give them something that's very easy and comfortable to talk about,” Cain Darough said. “What was your favorite subject in school, just to see if that was something that continued on in their life. If there's a certain hobby or something that you know that they're affiliated with, when did you learn about that? Tell me more. What's your interest with this? And then they'll get to talking.” 5. Ask open-ended questions – without making any assumptions. With oral history, it is important that you don’t go into the interview with a specific agenda or try to lead anyone to a certain conclusion. “We can do this very subtly by assuming information, but you can't assume anything about their experience with the topic,’” Sloan said. “If we assume information, it could be very far from how they encountered whatever event that may have been. Allow them to relate the ways in which they lived these experiences.” 6. Listen closely. Listening is an important facet of gathering oral history. But historians say you are not only listening for what they're saying, you're also listening for what they're not saying. “Are there things that are being skipped around?” Cain Darough said. “For example, sometimes when you're talking to veterans about their combat experience, it may be the first time that they're reliving or retelling these stories. They need time, and you just have to be prepared for that.” 7. Be patient. It might take your subject some time to warm up to the conversation. “If you're talking to someone who is 80, 90 or even 100, that's a lot of memories that they have to go through, so patience is important,” Cain Darough said. Looking to know more or arrange an interview? Simply click on Stephen's icon or contact: Shelby Cefaratti-Bertin today to connect with  Adrienne Cain Darough.

A year in the spotlight: University of Delaware’s most notable media mentions of 2025

In 2025, the University of Delaware had many exceptional media mentions. Here are some of the most notable.  Science coverage dominated  Where will the next big hurricane hit? Ask the sharks. (The Washington Post) – Aaron Carlisle, a marine ecologist, was featured for his revolutionary work using sharks to predict major weather events. Scientists could soon lose a key tool for studying Antarctica's melting ice sheets as climate risks grow (NBC News) – Carlos Moffat, an associate professor and oceanographer, spoke about the national budget and how it's impacting climate research.  These Katrina Survivors Feel Overlooked. Now, They’re Using TikTok to Tell Their Stories (Rolling Stone) – Jennifer Trivedi, a disaster researcher, spoke about why Hurricane Katrina was such a major story.  Malala Yousafzai, Migration and Sustainability (Forbes) – Saleem Ali, a professor of energy and environment, contributed regularly to Forbes on environmental topics.  Scientists went hunting for freshwater deep beneath the Atlantic Ocean. What they found could have global implications (CNN) – Holly Michael, a professor of Earth sciences and civil and environmental engineering, spoke about the history of freshwater.  Engineering Professor Answers Electric Car Questions (WIRED) – Willett Kempton, a professor of engineering, joined WIRED to answer the internet's most interesting questions about electric cars. Plastic shopping bag policies are actually working, a new study suggests (CNN) – Kimberly Oremus, associate professor of marine science and policy, was featured in several major outlets on the effectiveness of plastic bag bans.  Insects are dying: here are 25 easy and effective ways you can help protect them (The Guardian) – Douglas Tallamy, an entomologist, was featured in dozens of outlets for his expertise.    Political news coverage was front and center  U.S. Chamber of Commerce sues Trump administration over $100,000 H-1B visa fees (NPR) – Daniel Kinderman, a political science professor, was interviewed for his expertise on a lawsuit involving changes in work visas.  The government shutdown is over, but expect more fights and higher insurance prices to come (Delaware Public Media) – David Redlawsk, a political psychologist, discussed the recent government shutdown and what an end to it signals.  Wrestling Over Charlie Kirk’s Legacy and the Divide in America (The New York Times) – Dannagal Young, a communications professor, commented on how media reacted to the death of Charlie Kirk.  Consequences for colleges whose students carry mountains of debt? Republicans say yes (NPR) – Dominique Baker, associate professor of education, was quoted in multiple national outlets for her education expertise.   General expertise came in clutch  Why the U.S. struggles with passenger service despite having the most rail lines (NPR) – Allan Zarembski, a professor of railroad engineering, was featured in dozens of national publications for his expertise.  From folklore to your front porch: The history of the jack-o'-lantern (NPR) – Cindy Ott, an associate professor of history, detailed the history of this autumn staple in multiple outlets.   Nexstar Media Group buying Tegna in deal worth $6.2 billion (AP) – Danilo Yanich, professor of public policy, noted the ways the media giant duplicates work across networks.  Warren Buffett hired Todd Combs to take over Berkshire's portfolio one day. Here's what close watchers say about his surprise exit. (Business Insider) – Lawrence Cunningham, director of UD's Weinberg Center, was featured throughout the year for his business and economic expertise.  Enlighten Me: How to make your holidays truly happy (Delaware Public Media) – Amit Kumar, a professor of marketing, discussed strategies for finding happiness during the holidays throughout the winter season.  Students and their stories shined throughout the year Networking: Is it what you know or who you know? (The Chronicle of Higher Education) – UD's career-development office, which assists students on their job journeys, was featured.  U of Delaware Creates Yearlong Co-Ops for Business Students (Inside Higher Ed) – A new partnership with the state of Delaware connects business students to local employers, with the goal of reducing brain drain in the region was featured.  Wilmington’s 'STEM Queen' earns national Obama–Chesky honor (The News Journal/Delaware Online) – Jacqueline Means, a management information systems major, was featured for earning a national recognition. Vita Nova Restaurant Gives Culinary Students Hands-on Training (Delaware Today) – The student-staffed restaurant, Vita Nova, was featured.  Delaware professor transforms writing class by teaching students to use AI as the technology reshapes the workforce (WHYY) – Matt Kinservik, a professor of English, was featured for teaching students to use AI responsibly, exploring its capabilities and fact-checking tools. Pop culture experts weighed in 'Stranger Things' expert at UD chats about Netflix show's appeal (The News Journal/Delaware Online) – Siobhan Carroll, an associate English professor, sat down with a reporter to discuss the latest season and how the horror genre is often a mirror of our real world. “Horrendous And Insulting”: Backlash Erupts Over “Misrepresentation” In 2026 Wuthering Heights (Bored Panda) – Thomas Leitch, an English professor, said that “literal adaptations of classic novels are exceedingly rare, maybe impossible.” Major changes at UD highlighted University of Delaware appoints interim president to the permanent post (The Philadelphia Inquirer) – News of UD's new president, Laura A. Carlson, was covered throughout the region. Retiree learning center gets boost with $1M gift for downstate OLLI classes (Spotlight Delaware) – a large donation to the southern Delaware chapter of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, was featured. To speak with any of these experts in 2026 on these stories or others, please reach out to MediaRelations@udel.edu. Happy holidays and cheers for a bright and healthy new year! 

Cold Snap Allows Ice Boating to Return to LI

Associate Professor of Geology, Environment, and Sustainability Jase Bernhardt was interviewed by Greater Long Island TV about the tradition of ice boating on Long Island.

New book from Aston University academic shows that Christmas tasks mostly fall on women

New book by Dr Emily Christopher shows differences in how household tasks are divided by men and women Book highlights that women tend to buy the Christmas presents and send cards Men often see women as being more thoughtful or having better knowledge of what people would like. A new book from Aston University’s Dr Emily Christopher reveals that when it comes to sending Christmas cards and buying Christmas presents, women are still mostly doing the work as they are perceived to have better knowledge of what people would like. Dr Emily Christopher, a lecturer in sociology and policy at Aston School of Law and Social Sciences, has recently published her book Couples at Work: Negotiating Paid Employment, Housework and Childcare, which look at how household tasks are divided by men and women and the reasons behind these divisions. The data for the book has been collated over an eight-year period with couples being interviewed twice to provide a robust set of results. It looks at how different sex parent couples combined paid work, housework and childcare. The research revealed how gender norms continue to shape how certain daily household jobs are divided. Women were more likely than men to clean the house, especially bathrooms, wash clothes and put clothes away. Men still tend to do tasks like mowing the lawn and DIY but now are also more likely to do the cooking and the grocery shopping. The research shows that the key to understanding how household tasks are divided lies in the meaning they hold for partners. With the festive season upon us, the book reveals that woman are largely responsible for the Christmas present buying and sending cards with 100% of those taking part in the research saying that women mostly carried out these tasks. This also included buying for the male partner's relatives. In instances where men had a 'helping' role in these tasks, this included being involved in the discussion or consulting on choice of presents, especially for children, with only a small minority buying presents for their own family. The data revealed that where women didn't choose and buy presents for their partners family, they were still involved in reminding their partners that this needed to be done or advising on choice of gifts, showing that women were still taking on the mental load of planning for the festive season. The book reveals that when men were questioned about why they didn't get involved in present buying, they drew on gender norms. Women were often described, by the men, as being more thoughtful or having better knowledge of what people would like. Men often described how family members wouldn’t receive presents at all if it relied on them. Although much of the gift giving and organising represented love and affection for the women, which many found enjoyable, many still saw it as work and expressed that they would like their partners' to be more involved. Dr Christopher said: “This book takes an in-depth look at the way in which everyday roles around the household are divided between men and women. “The research shows that over a period of eight years fathers increased their role in childcare tasks but this did not always extend to housework. “The pandemic was an opportunity to change how couples share housework but women were still more likely to carry out tasks like cleaning, washing clothes and putting clothes away and overwhelmingly remained responsible for the mental orchestration of family work.”

ChatGPT-5.2 Now Achieves “Expert-Level” Performance — Is this the Holiday Gift Research Communications Professionals Needed?

With OpenAI’s latest release, GPT-5.2, AI has crossed an important threshold in performance on professional knowledge-work benchmarks. Peter Evans, Co-Founder & CEO of ExpertFile, outlines how these technologies will fundamentally improve research communications and shares tips and prompts for PR pros. OpenAI has just launched GPT-5.2, describing it as its most capable AI model yet for professional knowledge work — with significantly improved accuracy on tasks like creating spreadsheets, building presentations, interpreting images, and handling complex multistep workflows. And based on our internal testing, we're really impressed. For communications professionals in higher education, non-profits, and R&D-focused industries, this isn’t just another tech upgrade — it’s a meaningful step forward in addressing the “research translation gap” that can slow storytelling and media outreach. According to OpenAI, GPT-5.2 represents measurable gains on benchmarks designed to mirror real work tasks.  In many evaluations, it matches or exceeds the performance of human professionals. Also, before you hit reply with “Actually, the best model is…” — yes, we know. ChatGPT-5.2 isn’t the only game in town, and it’s definitely not the only tool we use. Our ExpertFile platform uses AI throughout, and I personally bounce between Claude 4.5, Gemini, Perplexity, NotebookLM, and more specialized models depending on the job to be done. LLM performance right now is a full-contact horserace — today’s winner can be tomorrow’s “remember when,” so we’re not trying to boil the ocean with endless comparisons. We’re spotlighting GPT-5.2 because it marks a meaningful step forward in the exact areas research comms teams care about: reliability, long-document work, multi-step tasks, and interpreting visuals and data. Most importantly, we want this info in your hands because a surprising number of comms pros we meet still carry real fear about AI — and long term, that’s not a good thing. Used responsibly, these tools can help you translate research faster, find stronger story angles, and ship more high-quality work without burning out. When "Too Much" AI Power Might Be Exactly What You Need AI expert Allie K. Miller's candid but positive review of an early testing version of ChatGPT 5.2 highlights what she sees as drawbacks for casual users: "outputs that are too long, too structured, and too exhaustive."  She goes on to say that in her tests, she observed that ChatGPT-5,2 "stays with a line of thought longer and pushes into edge cases instead of skating on the surface." Fair enough. All good points that Allie Miller makes (see above).  However, for communications professionals, these so-called "downsides" for casual users are precisely the capabilities we need. When you're assessing complex research and developing strategic messaging for a variety of important audiences, you want an AI that fits Miller's observation that GPT-5.2 feels like "AI as a serious analyst" rather than "a friendly companion." That's not a critique of our world—it's a job description for comms pros working in sectors like higher education and healthcare. Deep research tools that refuse to take shortcuts are exactly what research communicators need.  So let's talk more specifically about how comms pros can think about these new capabilities: 1. AI is Your New Speed-Reading Superpower for Research That means you can upload an entire NIH grant, a full clinical trial protocol, or a complex environmental impact study and ask the model to highlight where key insights — like an unexpected finding — are discussed. It can do this in a fraction of the time it would take a human reader. This isn’t about being lazy. It’s about using AI to assemble a lot of tedious information you need to craft compelling stories while teams still parse dense text manually. 2. The Chart Whisperer You’ve Been Waiting For We’ve all been there — squinting at a graph of scientific data that looks like abstract art, waiting for the lead researcher to clarify what those error bars actually mean. Recent improvements in how GPT-5.2 handles scientific figures and charts show stronger performance on multimodal reasoning tasks, indicating better ability to interpret and describe visual information like graphs and diagrams.  With these capabilities, you can unlock the data behind visuals and turn them into narrative elements that resonate with audiences. 3. A Connection Machine That Finds Stories Where Others See Statistics Great science communication isn’t about dumbing things down — it’s about building bridges between technical ideas and the broader public. GPT-5.2 shows notable improvements in abstract reasoning compared with earlier versions, based on internal evaluations on academic reasoning benchmarks.  For example, teams working on novel materials science or emerging health technologies can use this reasoning capability to highlight connections between technical results and real-world impact — something that previously required hours of interpretive work. These gains help the AI spot patterns and relationships that can form the basis of compelling storytelling. 4. Accuracy That Gives You More Peace of Mind...When Coupled With Human Oversight Let’s address the elephant in the room: AI hallucinations. You’ve probably heard the horror stories — press releases that cited a study that didn’t exist, or a “quote” that was never said by an expert. GPT-5.2 has meaningfully reduced error rates compared with its predecessor, by a substantial margin, according to OpenAI  Even with all these improvements, human review with your experts and careful editing remain essential, especially for anything that will be published or shared externally. 5. The Speed Factor: When “Urgent” Actually Means Urgent With the speed of media today, being second often means being irrelevant.  GPT-5.2’s performance on workflow-oriented evaluations suggests it can synthesize information far more quickly than manual review, freeing up a lot more time for strategic work.  While deeper reasoning and longer contexts — the kinds of tasks that matter most in research translation — require more processing time and costs continue to improve. Savvy communications teams will adopt a tiered approach: using faster models of AI for simple tasks such as social posts and routine responses, and using reasoning-optimized settings for deep research. Your Action Plan: The GPT-5.2 Playbook for Comms Pros Here’s a tactical checklist to help your team capitalize on these advances. #1 Select the Right AI Model for the Job: Lowers time and costs • Use fast, general configurations for routine content • Use reasoning-optimized configurations for complex synthesis and deep document understanding • Use higher-accuracy configurations for high-stakes projects #2 Find Hidden Ideas Beyond the Abstract: Deeper Reasoning Models do the Heavy Work • Upload complete PDFs — not just the 2-page summary you were given • Use deeper reasoning configurations to let the model work through the material Try these prompts in ChatGPT5.2 “What exactly did the researchers say about this unexpected discovery that would be of interest to my <target audience>? Provide quotes and page references where possible.” “Identify and explain the research methodology used in this study, with references to specific sections.” “Identify where the authors discuss limitations of the study.” “Explain how this research may lead to further studies or real-world benefits, in terms relatable to a general audience.” #3 Unlock Your Story Leverage improvements in pattern recognition and reasoning. Try these prompts: “Using abstract reasoning, find three unexpected analogies that explain this complex concept to a general audience.” “What questions could the researchers answer in an interview that would help us develop richer story angles?” #4 Change the Way You Write Captions Take advantage of the way ChatGPT-5.2 translates processes and reasons about images, charts, diagrams, and other visuals far more effectively. Try these prompts: Clinical Trial Graphs: “Analyze this uploaded trial results graph upload image. Identify key trends, and comparisons to controls, then draft a 150-word donor summary with plain-language explanations and suggested captions suitable for donor communications.” Medical Diagrams: “Interpret these uploaded images. Extract diagnostic insights, highlight innovations, and generate a patient-friendly explainer: bullet points plus one visual caption.” A Word of Caution: Keep Experts in the Loop to Verify Information Even with improved reliability, outputs should be treated as drafts.  If your team does not yet have formal AI use policies, it's time to get started, because governance will be critical as AI use scales in 2026 and beyond.  A trust-but-verify policy with experts treats AI as a co-pilot — helpful for heavy lifting — while humans remain accountable for approval and publication.  The Importance of Humans (aka The Good News) Remember: the future of research communication isn’t about AI taking over — it’s about AI empowering us to do the strategic, human work that machines cannot. That includes: • Building relationships across your institution • Engaging researchers in storytelling • Discovering narrative opportunities • Turning discoveries into compelling narratives that influence audiences With improvements in speed, reasoning, and reliability, the question isn’t whether AI can help — it’s what research stories you’ll uncover next to shape public understanding and impact. FAQ How is AI changing expectations for accuracy in research and institutional communications? AI is shifting expectations from “fast output” to defensible accuracy. Better reasoning means fewer errors in research summaries, policy briefs, and expert content—especially when you’re working from long PDFs, complex methods, or dense results. The new baseline is: clear claims, traceable sources, and human review before publishing. ⸻ Why does deeper AI reasoning matter for communications teams working with experts and research content? Comms teams translate multi-disciplinary research into messaging that must withstand scrutiny. Deeper reasoning helps AI connect findings to real-world relevance, flag uncertainty, and maintain nuance instead of flattening meaning. The result is work that’s easier to defend with media, leadership, donors, and the public—when paired with expert verification. ⸻ When should communications professionals use advanced AI instead of lightweight AI tools? Use lightweight tools for brainstorming, social drafts, headlines, and quick rewrites. Use advanced, reasoning-optimized AI for high-stakes deliverables: executive briefings, research positioning, policy-sensitive messaging, media statements, and anything where a mistake could create reputational, compliance, or scientific credibility risk. Treat advanced AI as your “analyst,” not your autopilot. ⸻ How can media relations teams use AI to find stronger story angles beyond the abstract? AI can scan full papers, grants, protocols, and appendices to surface where the real story lives: unexpected findings, practical implications, limitations, and unanswered questions that prompt great interviews. Ask it to map angles by audience (public, policy, donors, clinicians) and to point to the exact sections that support each angle. ⸻ How should higher-ed comms teams use AI without breaking embargoes or media timing? AI can speed prep work—backgrounders, Q&A, lay summaries, caption drafts—before embargo lifts. The rule is simple: treat embargoed material like any sensitive document. Use approved tools, restrict sharing, and avoid pasting embargoed text into unapproved systems. Use AI to build assets early, then finalize post-approval at release time. ⸻ What’s the best way to keep faculty “in the loop” while still moving fast with AI? Use AI to produce review-friendly drafts that reduce load on researchers: short summaries, suggested quotes clearly marked as drafts, and a checklist of claims needing verification (numbers, methods, limitations). Then route to the expert with specific questions, not a wall of text. This keeps approvals faster while protecting scientific accuracy and trust. ⸻ How should teams handle charts, figures, and visual data in research communications? AI can turn “chart confusion” into narrative—if you prompt for precision. Ask it to identify trends, group comparisons, and what the figure does not show (limitations, missing context). Then verify with the researcher, especially anything involving significance, controls, effect size, or causality. Use the output to write captions that are accurate and accessible. ⸻ Do we need an AI Use policy in comms and media relations—and what should it include? Yes—because adoption scales faster than risk awareness. A practical policy should define: approved tools, what data is restricted, required human review steps, standards for citing sources/page references, rules for drafting quotes, and escalation paths for sensitive topics (health, legal, crisis). Clear guardrails reduce fear and prevent preventable reputational mistakes. If you’re using AI to move faster on research translation, the next bottleneck is usually the same one for many PR and Comm Pros: making your experts more discoverable in Generative Search, your website, and other media. ExpertFile helps media relations and digital teams organize their expert content by topics, keep detailed profiles current, and respond faster to source requests—so you can boost your AI citations and land more coverage with less work.                                            For more information visit us at www.expertfile.com

From Saint to Superstar: The Remarkable History of Santa — and His Many Global Identities

Santa Claus may look familiar — red suit, white beard, infectious laugh — but behind the modern icon is a centuries-long story shaped by religion, folklore, migration, marketing, and local tradition. Far from being a single character, “Santa” is a global collection of gift-givers, each reflecting the culture that shaped them. The Historical Roots: A Saint Becomes a Symbol The story of Santa Claus begins with St. Nicholas, a 4th-century Greek bishop known for generosity, compassion, and secret gift-giving. Stories of Nicholas helping the poor — often anonymously — spread across Europe, establishing a lasting connection between generosity and winter celebrations. Over time, St. Nicholas evolved from a religious figure into a folkloric one as traditions blended with local customs, seasonal festivals, and storytelling. The idea of a benevolent winter gift-giver became firmly embedded in European culture long before Santa ever boarded a sleigh. Santa in North America: Reinvention and Red Suits In North America, Santa Claus emerged as a cultural hybrid: Dutch settlers brought traditions of Sinterklaas 19th-century poems and illustrations reshaped Santa into a jovial, approachable figure 20th-century popular culture and advertising standardized the modern image: red suit, round belly, flying reindeer, North Pole address What began as a saintly figure became a universal symbol of generosity, childhood wonder, and seasonal joy — largely detached from religious roots but deeply tied to cultural celebration. Santa Around the World: Same Spirit, Different Stories Santa’s core traits — kindness, generosity, winter magic — remain consistent, but his appearance and habits vary widely: Europe Sinterklaas (Netherlands & Belgium): Arrives by boat, wears bishop’s robes, celebrated earlier in December Father Christmas (UK): Rooted in feasting and goodwill, later merged with Santa traditions Père Noël (France): Delivers gifts with a quiet, gentle presence La Befana (Italy): A broom-riding grandmother figure tied to Epiphany traditions Nordic Countries Joulupukki (Finland): Lives in Lapland, wears practical winter clothing, and feels distinctly grounded in nature Julenisse (Norway & Denmark): A blend of Santa and household folklore spirits Asia Hoteiosho (Japan): A cheerful monk associated with happiness and abundance Christmas gift-givers in many Asian countries are largely secular, tied to pop culture rather than religion Latin America Papá Noel: Often coexists with religious gift-bringers tied to Epiphany Emphasis may be placed more on community and family than individual gift-giving Why Santa Still Matters Santa’s endurance lies in his adaptability. He absorbs cultural values — generosity, kindness, joy — and reflects them back in familiar, comforting ways. Whether religious, secular, or purely symbolic, Santa represents shared traditions that bring people together during the darkest days of the year. Story Angles for Journalists How St. Nicholas became a global icon The commercialization of Santa — myth vs. modern marketing Cultural identity through holiday folklore Why children worldwide believe in gift-givers How immigrant communities blend Santa traditions Santa as a mirror of societal values across cultures Why This Matters Today In an increasingly globalized world, Santa Claus is a rare figure who crosses borders with ease — adapting, evolving, and uniting cultures through shared storytelling. His many forms remind us that traditions aren’t static; they grow with the people who keep them alive. Journalists covering culture, history, religion, folklore, or holiday traditions can connect with historians, anthropologists, religious scholars, and cultural experts through ExpertFile to explore how Santa continues to shape — and reflect — societies around the world. Find your expert here: www.expertfile.com

Aston University’s Professor Gina Rippon wins British Psychological Society book award for The Lost Girls of Autism

Gina Rippon, professor emeritus of cognitive neuroimaging at Aston University, has won an award for her book, The Lost Girls of Autism The book won the 2025 British Psychological Society Popular Science Award It explores the emerging science of female autism, and examines why it has been systematically ignored and misunderstood for so long. The Lost Girls of Autism, the latest book from Gina Rippon, professor emeritus of cognitive neuroimaging at Aston University Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment (IHN), has won the 2025 British Psychological Society (BPS) Popular Science Award. The annual BPS Book Awards recognise exceptional published works in the field of psychology. There are four categories – popular science, textbook, academic monograph and practitioner text. With the subtitle ‘How Science Failed Autistic Women and the New Research that’s Changing the Story’, The Lost Girls of Autism explores the emerging science of female autism, and examines why it has been systematically ignored and misunderstood for so long. Historically, clinicians believed that autism was a male condition, and simply did not look for it in girls and women. This has meant that autistic girls visiting a doctor have been misdiagnosed with anxiety, depression or personality disorders, or are missed altogether. Many women only discover they have the condition when they are much older. Professor Rippon said: “It's such a pleasure and an honour to receive this award from the BPS. It’s obviously flattering to join the great company of previous winners, but I’m also extremely grateful for the attention drawn to the issues raised in the book. “Over many decades, due to autism’s ‘male spotlight’ problem, autistic girls and women have been overlooked, deprived of the help they needed, and even denied access to the very research studies that could widen our understanding of autism. This book tells the stories of these girls and women, and I’m thrilled to accept this prize on their behalf.”