How the Pandemic Reversed K-12 Achievement | Studying the Placenta for Autism | Wonder Woman’s First Female Cartoonist
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Students make their way to class for the first day of school at Tustin Ranch Elementary School in Tustin on Aug. 12, 2021.
The Orange County Register via AP Photo
How pandemic disruptions reversed progress at K-12 schools in California. Researchers at UC Davis are studying the placenta to understand autism. First woman to draw Wonder Woman for DC Comics.
Reversed K-12 achievement
We all know that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted learning in so many ways, but recently released statistics prove just how devastating it was for English and math proficiency for California students. In fact, the pandemic wiped-out six straight years of improvement. Iwunze Ugo is a Research Fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California and joined Insight to discuss the latest data, which group of students suffered learning loss the most and what needs to be done to make-up for it.
Studying the placenta
Autism in American children has been steadily touching more lives. According to the CDC, the rates of Autism Spectrum Disorder have been on the rise for more than two decades, impacting one in 44 children. Experts say the rise is largely due to better screening and awareness, But the increase is prompting scientists to find clues about what causes this disorder which impacts millions of Americans. One of the challenges facing doctors and scientists is diagnosing it in childhood. While Autism can be detected in children as young as 18 months, many children do not receive a confirmed diagnosis until they’re adolescents or in some cases adults. But a researcher at UC Davis is turning to a temporary organ during pregnancy which is often discarded as medical waste in hospitals: the placenta. Dr. Janine LaSalle is a Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at UC Davis Health and joined us ahead of her talk at the “Davis Science Cafe” at the G Street WunderBar about how the placenta could help us better understand neurodevelopment and causes of autism Dr. LaSalla was also joined by one of her graduate students Julia Mouat.
Wonder Woman's first female cartoonist
Cartoonist Trina Robbins is a pioneer in comic books, the first woman to ever draw Wonder Woman for DC Comics. She designed costumes for Jim Morrison, wrote for feminist magazines. Robbins also created and edited the first all-female comics book, and crafted the first comic with an out lesbian as the protagonist and currently works as a comic “HERstorian.” Robbins joined Insight ahead of her visit to Sacramento this month.
