ProfNet Experts Available on Trump's Inauguration, Endangered Species, More

NEW YORK, Jan. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network who are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area.

You can also submit a query to the hundreds of thousands of experts in our network – it's easy and free! Just fill out the query form to get started: http://prn.to/queryform

EXPERT ALERTS

• President-elect Trump's Inauguration
• Employment Regulation's Shift From Federal to State/Local Authority
• Why and How the Bumblebee Became an Endangered Species
• Swarm Robotics

MEDIA JOBS

• Politics Reporter – The Independent (DC)
• Reporter – Credit Union Journal (NY)
• Reporter – Law360 (CA)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• 2016 Rewind: A Look Back at the Year in Media
• How to Grow Your Blog With a Month-by-Month Action Plan
• Blog Profiles: Fitness Blogs

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EXPERT ALERTS:

President-elect Trump's Inauguration
Pavlina Jaine Osta
Millennial Pop-Culture Expert
Osta, who will be attending President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, says: "I expect to see the end of the presidential race but also the beginning of a new administration. I expect to see those committed and those who are full of optimism. But by participating and interviewing part of credentialed media at the women's march in DC, I'm seeing the other side of the issues. I expect to be involved in a front seat at history in the making and influence other Millennial and Generation Z's on the happenings during the next few days that will be historical. I'll be chatting with people who have traveled far and wide for this event, those at the inaugural balls throughout the DC area and newsmakers with their own side to the story, some optimistic, others wanting a stronger voice."
Osta is available to discuss why Trump will have a more challenging task of relating and communicating to Millennials than President Obama did; some of the reasons behind why many young adults are protesting Trump's inauguration; three things Trump can do to help Millennials and utilize their talents to better serve America. She is a sought-after Millennial pop culture/political commentator booked to share her "keep it real" view on all things political or pop culture. Recognized for her swift and fun interviewing style, this engaging Millennial radio and talk show host has been landing her own interviews with the world's notable superstars, athletes and newsmakers on and off the red carpet since the ripe young age of 11.
Website: www.pavlinaosta.com
Contact: Mark Goldman, [email protected]

Employment Regulation's Shift From Federal to State/Local Authority
Susan Drenning
President
ComplyRight
Drenning is available to discuss historical data and insights on employment regulation's shift from federal to state and local authority, tied to Andrew Puzder's confirmation. The promised elimination or rollback of federal employment regulations seems a sure bet as President-elect Donald J. Trump begins working alongside a Republican majority on Capitol Hill, but before businesses bank any expected savings or efficiencies, they should consider what's already happening a little closer to home. Since 2009, with no movement at the federal level, 31 of 50 states raised their minimum wage requirements above $7.25. Paid sick leave laws already exist with varying requirements in five states, the District of Columbia and more than 10 cities. Businesses can also expect to see more turf wars, as some states have begun battling with cities regarding their legal authority to issue minimum wage and other requirements. Says Drenning: "Deregulation in theory is a positive for small businesses seeking to focus on business activities instead of administrative and human resource demands. However, as we've seen over the past eight years, re-regulation may be the unplanned result. Staying informed at the federal, state and local levels is a must in today's more complex compliance environment. The accelerating pace of state and local employment laws makes increased diligence a necessity."
ComplyRight is a 30-year old company that monitors regulatory activity and posting requirements for U.S. companies. They monitor 22,000+ local regulatory authorities and provide employee and tax compliance products and services through their family of brands. Denning is available for comments or for bylines. She is a human resources and employment compliance expert, with particular focus on very small businesses (under 50 employees). She is able to speak to industry-specific issues regarding HR and labor law topics such as FLSA/overtime, minimum wage, "bizarre" or new local regulations, and the shift over time from federal to state authority. She is based in Florida.
Website: http://www.complyright.com
Contact: Liz DeForest, [email protected]

Why and How the Bumblebee Became an Endangered Species
Robert Gegear
Assistant Professor Biology and Biotechnology
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
"It's going to take the community to help in this cause. With so much attention to bee decline, it's a good time to get the public on board. When I talk about my work, they see beyond 'Let's kill that bee because it's going to sting me!' They become aware of its importance and understand that it's responsible for one-third of what we eat.
Gegear has made it his life's work to understand the mind of bees while also assessing threats to bee populations. Recently he has been engaging "citizen scientists" in monitoring bee populations. He has put together a guide to the eastern bumblebees, and developed a system that makes it simple for anyone to identify the species they encounter and transmit their counts to a central database at WPI.
Website: www.wpi.edu
Contact: Colleen Wamback, [email protected]

Swarm Robotics
Carlo Pinciroli
Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
According to a recent segment on "60 Minutes," the use of artificial intelligence is revolutionizing United States military tactics. One area of particular interest is swarm robotics, a new approach to the coordination of large groups of relatively simple robots. In swarms, these robots can perform complex tasks in a more efficient way than a single robot. A key to the swarm successfully completing their tasks is communication between the robots. Says Pinciroli: "Swarm robotics promises to offer solutions for application scenarios that today are either too expensive, too impractical, or too complex to achieve, such as disaster recovery, ocean restoration, space exploration, smart agriculture, and construction. As the demand grows, research is moving away from the purely natural inspiration that gave swarm robotics its first impulse. The current challenge is the formulation of new methods that allow practitioners, as well as newcomers, to design swarm systems of increasing complexity."
Pinciroli has been studying this technology for years and has developed a programming language, called Buzz, that can be used in all swarm systems, whether the robots are on land or in the air. His articles have been published in MIT Technology Review, Communications of the ACM, RoboHub, and IEEE Computer. He is fluent in Italian and French.
Website: www.wpi.edu
Contact: Colleen Wamback, [email protected]

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MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/jobs/

• Politics Reporter – The Independent (DC)
• Reporter – Credit Union Journal (NY)
• Reporter – Law360 (CA)

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OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line.

• 2016 REWIND: A LOOK BACK AT THE YEAR IN MEDIA. 2016 was one heck of a year in the world of media. The past year was laden with challenges, including covering a contentious presidential election, making heads or tails of fake news, launching Facebook Live, and processing numerous media consolidations and more layoffs. We take a look back: http://bit.ly/2iFYV1x
• HOW TO GROW YOUR BLOG WITH A MONTH-BY-MONTH ACTION PLAN. One of the best things about kicking off a new year is that feeling of a fresh start. For bloggers, this is likely when you're ripe with new ideas. You may start the year ahead of schedule, but once life settles back in, it can be difficult to conceptualize and execute an idea with even a week's notice. A monthly action plan can help you build momentum and achieve growth, while also providing a realistic base into your timeline: http://prn.to/2jjbYDP
• BLOG PROFILES: FITNESS BLOGS. Each week, PR Newswire's Audience Relations team selects an industry or subject and a handful of sites that do a good job with promoting and contributing to the conversation. This week, they look at fitness blogs: http://bit.ly/2ihnaPI

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