Lauren Swan

Lauren Swan is a content editor for MultiBriefs. Before her start with MultiView, Lauren interned for Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.). She received a Bachelor of Arts in editing, writing and media from Florida State University. During her time at FSU, she concentrated her studies and writing profession in the fields of biology, chemistry and politics.

Articles by Lauren Swan

• The end of sequestration? Better known as negotiation

  Monday, February 02, 2015

  Good news, America. We may see an end soon to the self-imposed federal spending restrictions known as sequestration. The spending cuts began March 1, 2013, after a long, heated budget battle in Congress and have stayed in place since. With the economy finally on the mend, President Barack Obama recently announced that he wants to bring about the end of sequestration and exceed current federal spending caps by about $74 billion.

• Study cures 9 of 10 early-stage Alzheimer’s patients

  Thursday, December 11, 2014

  ​Alzheimer's is one of the most feared diseases in the U.S., and for good reason. It is the sixth-leading cause of death and affects approximately 5 million Americans per year. There is no cure for Alzheimer's, and in its late stages patients will be unable to speak or interact with their environment — they will even lose the ability to swallow.

• Solar roadways: Better for show than practicality?

  Wednesday, November 19, 2014

  With the new solar road opening for cyclists in the Netherlands, a debate has been reignited that was initially begun by the Dutch's installation of solar panels into their roads. On the one hand, the government is trying to practice energy conservation and go "more green," while on the other hand, there are plenty of engineers who believe this is not a feasible option due to the mathematics supporting the installations.

• The difficulty of diagnosing patients during an outbreak

  Friday, November 07, 2014

  The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is of huge concern to the rest of the world, and that isn't unwarranted. In its wake, however, there have been a lot of questions regarding on-field testing for the disease and why there hasn't been a vaccine created yet.

• New milk study misses the real point — milk isn’t the problem

  Friday, October 31, 2014

  A study released Oct. 30 by a group of Swedish researchers has people panicking — all these years they've been drinking milk, and it turns out it is dangerous and unhealthy, despite numerous studies proving otherwise. Milk, the study says, is damaging to your bones and heart; it can even raise your chances of cancer and cause hip fractures in women. Got milk? Yes, too much, apparently.

• Characterize, communicate, influence: Science at our core

  Monday, October 27, 2014

  Fred Boelter received the Henry F. Smyth, Jr. Lecture Award and was the first presenter Oct. 21 at the American Industrial Hygiene Association's 2014 Fall Conference. While many of the presentations from the previous day pertained to the future, this lecture instead relied on the past in order to form a clearer concept of what to expect in the future.

• US airlines hiking fares as oil prices drop

  Friday, October 24, 2014

  ​For the first time in years, the price of crude oil has dropped significantly — so much so that CNN thinks gas will soon fall below $3 per gallon, prices not seen since November 2008, which generated national attention. Crude oil is currently hovering around $80 per barrel, an almost 25 percent decline since April. Americans are finally beginning to feel like it may be safe to travel again without having to sacrifice half of their biweekly paycheck.

• Conflict and compromise: Politics and policy inside the Beltway

  Thursday, October 23, 2014

  The first general session on Monday at the American Industrial Hygiene Association's 2014 Fall Conference began with a presentation by Ron Elving, a senior editor and on-air analyst for NPR in Washington, D.C.

• A critical debate: The value, costs and benefits of I2P2

  Wednesday, October 22, 2014

  The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed that employers need to implement a new program into their businesses called the Injury and Illness Prevention Program, or I2P2 for short. The program will mean more active planning, implementing, evaluating and improving activities that will keep employees safe and protect their health.

• Discovery has researchers ‘1 step away’ from Type 1 diabetes cure

  Friday, October 10, 2014

  Some are calling it the greatest discovery since insulin. Other believe it's on par with the discovery of antibiotics, but regardless, it is one of the most incredible medical discoveries in our history. After 23 years of research, Harvard professor Doug Melton says scientists are "now just one step away from the finish line" — a cure for Type 1 diabetes.

• ‘Yes Means Yes’ law means far more than simply preventing rape

  Tuesday, September 30, 2014

  ​Women often feel like they are in a constant uphill battle when it comes to rape culture. Now, thanks to Gov. Jerry Brown and California's new "Yes Means Yes" legislation, these situations are changing, making it possible for women to breathe a little easier.

• Will new privacy efforts by Apple and Google obstruct justice?

  Friday, September 26, 2014

  For people who value their privacy, Apple and Google are going to provide them with just that. In their latest smartphone software, both tech companies have decided to encrypt the passwords so that they can no longer be bypassed by law enforcement, and this includes the FBI.

• West Africa’s future darkening as Ebola cases skyrocket

  Friday, September 19, 2014

  The Discovery Channel aired the first Ebola documentary on the current outbreak in West Africa at 10 p.m. ET on Sept. 18. The documentary, called "Ebola: Inside the Deadly Outbreak," was an hour-long special showing unseen footage and following healthcare workers around Ebola centers as well as villages in which the disease was present.

• What’s causing the antibiotic development stagnation?

  Tuesday, September 16, 2014

  Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are appearing in headlines more often as time goes by, along with the escalating need for new antibiotics to treat these bacteria. Yet only two new antibiotic treatments have been approved and released onto the market since 2008. There are currently seven new antimicrobial drugs in the FDA pipeline, but none of them will affect the bacteria for which we need them.

• Should students be concerned about the new MCAT?

  Friday, September 05, 2014

  ​The Medical College Admission Test is changing in 2015, and students who want to avoid taking it are running out of time to do so. The new MCAT is both longer and more challenging, with added science sections as well as larger study requirements, some of which are not required to enter medical school. This leaves students in between a rock and a hard place. Do they cram for the last 2014 MCAT or do they spend another potential semester in school to take the new classes that will be required for the MCAT?

• ​The ocean is dying, and we need to do something about it

  Tuesday, August 26, 2014

  As Americans, we tend to think a lot about the beach — when we can go, how we like to tan, how we'd like to take our kids there — the list goes on. Then, once a year, The Discovery Channel hosts Shark Week, and people are reminded that the ocean still does exist outside the beach. But not everyone has forgotten about the ocean.

• Is pet health insurance really worth it?

  Friday, August 15, 2014

  Going to the veterinarian's office is never a pleasant experience if your cat is ill — particularly if you are on a budget. Often, it is $50 or more just to walk in the door, and a BCB (blood test) is another $50-$200. Basic costs generally include vaccine boosters, a heartworm test and a fecal exam — which is about $100 total, not counting the office call fee.

• Is Ebola airborne? Canadian study shows deadly evidence

  Wednesday, August 13, 2014

  ​The Ebola outbreak continues to grow worse every week, and now the relief organization Samaritan's Purse has implied there are actually more than 3,400 infected in West Africa. Meanwhile, the CDC and medical journals continue to push the ideas that Ebola is difficult to catch and can only be transmitted through touching bodily fluids. It turns out that may be false.

• Your headline matters — possibly more than your article

  Thursday, July 24, 2014

  When 86-year-old James Lincoln Collier wrote a newspaper column with a racial slur directed at President Barack Obama in the headline, he was probably expecting people to read his article and realize his overall agenda. Most didn't.

• Should journalists pay for news?

  Tuesday, July 08, 2014

  The Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics says, "Be wary of sources offering information for favors or money; avoid bidding for news." Sounds simple enough, but is this method truly practical in today's society?

• Lather, rinse and repeat: Does 24/7 journalism create insecurity?

  Wednesday, June 11, 2014

  ​Journalism has changed dramatically in the past 20 years, particularly in the U.S. The day's news was once summarized in newspapers and on TV evening news, but we now find ourselves surrounded by a constant, repeating news cycle, where stories are regurgitated on our TVs or computers every few hours.

• Just days away, Brazil’s World Cup is facing a host of problems

  Friday, June 06, 2014

  For many Americans, the World Cup is not only a large sporting event worth celebrating, but it's also a great reason to travel. However, the outlook in Brazil is much different, when it comes to the games.

• Electronic computer blood mimics the human brain

  Thursday, May 15, 2014

  In October of 2013, IBM unveiled a prototype of a new computer powered by blood — electronic blood. Based off the human brain, researchers theorized they could create a charged fluid that would run through computers supplying power while removing heat.

• Modern slavery and the hidden world of human trafficking

  Friday, May 09, 2014

  What is the largest illegal industry in the world? Drugs — that's pretty easy to guess. What is the world's second-largest illegal industry? Human trafficking, the majority being sex trafficking.

• Is overprescribing really to blame for antibiotic resistance?

  Tuesday, May 06, 2014

  The World Health Organization (WHO) released a report last week regarding antimicrobial resistance and how it's being found in every part of the world. According to the WHO, the cause of this resistance is overuse and abuse of antibiotic medications, posing a potential threat for civilization as more diseases become drug resistant.

• Addressing the lack of diversity on stage

  Wednesday, April 30, 2014

  Thanks to choreographers like George Balanchine, there are many more ballets now than ever before, and the options for ballets are wide. However, while the numbers of ballets has changed, diversity hasn't — at least not nearly as much as we would expect.

• Debunking the myth: Red meat and eggs not so bad after all

  Monday, April 28, 2014

  The early 2000s were full studies that suggested people should no longer eat eggs or red meat due to health issues. Information came out that exposed the risks of eating eggs, which included heart disease and raised cholesterol levels. Red meat was accused of causing heart failure and heart disease.

• Ebola outbreak in Africa and the effect on international travel

  Friday, April 18, 2014

  There is currently an outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in West Africa. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it will most likely be months until the outbreak is over.

• An interview with Sarah Menke‑Fish on the ever-changing field of journalism

  Wednesday, April 09, 2014

  As journalism evolves to keep up with the spread of digital media, many students wonder what this will mean for them in terms of their college choice and careers. Will it make the field more competitive? Will there still be jobs for graduates in the coming years?

• Social media is already the next news source

  Friday, March 21, 2014

  Many of us use social media platforms as a way to keep up with our social lives or work, or to simply see what's trending in the world right now, news and otherwise. With the amount of information and hot topics that trend across social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, people are beginning to question whether social media could be the next news source. Well, it already is — particularly if you live in countries like Ukraine or Venezuela.

• The rising threat of heroin: Part II

  Friday, March 07, 2014

  For the past several weeks, Philip Seymour Hoffman has been in the headlines for his recent overdose on heroin that resulted in his death. His name has become a top search term on Google, and is the first suggestion after you type the letter "P."

• The rising threat of heroin: Part I

  Wednesday, February 26, 2014

  ​Addiction to opioids is growing at an alarming rate, with the number of addicts practically doubling from 2007 to 2012. Of the opioids, heroin use is increasing the quickest; and after 10 years of continuous growth, it's becoming a noticeable problem.

• The important vitamin you could be lacking

  Wednesday, January 29, 2014

  ​Vitamin D3 is one of those supplements that many people forget they need and therefore rarely take, which can be a devastating combination when it comes to your immune system. Vitamin D3 has been proven to boost the strength of a person's immune system and can aid in sleeping habits, as well as energy levels. But what else does vitamin D3 have to offer? Why is it so important to not become deficient, particularly during the winter?

• Are GMOs worth the risk?

  Tuesday, January 14, 2014

  ​Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in our food supply has been a hot topic in the U.S. for the past several years, reaching its peak with the passing of The Farmer Assurance Provision (The Monsanto Protection Act). Many Americans, regardless of ethnicity or political party, want foods containing GMOs to be labeled — 82 percent, according to the Huffington Post. Meanwhile, barely more than a third of Americans believe GMOs are safe to eat, regardless of labeling.