Sheldon H. Jacobson Ph.D.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

In the News (2024)

(17 April 2024) “Why are some banknotes hot commodities for collectors? Published in Chicago Tribune.

(17 April 2024) “The eclipse gave us something increasingly rare – shared experience.” Published in The Hill.

(12 April 2024) “Trump versus Biden: Is this the best we can do?” Published in The Hill.

(11 April 2024, Travel Commons Podcast) “Smile for Security: Facial Recognition in Travel” has Jacobson as a guest, discussing the benefits and opportunities offered by facial recognition in the travel industry.

(10 April 2024, The Week, Joel Mathis) “Is legalized betting hurting Sports?” quotes Jacobson’s op-ed that appeared in The Hill on the risks of sports gambling.

(8 April 2024) “Will the Supreme Court affirmative action ruling affect where high school seniors attend college?  Published in Chicago Tribune.

(5 April 2024) “Will the politics of sports gambling make it the next national ‘addiction” crisis?” Published in The Hill.

(27 March 2024, Smart Meetings, Malik Anderson) “Las Vegas airport tests self-service security checkpoints” interviews Jacobson on the self-service checkpoints being launched at the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.

(27 March 2024) “Lottery culture is overtaking America, but for most, it’s a losing bet.” Published in The Hill.

(24 March 2024, Associated Press, Mark Anderson) “March Madness:  3 perfect brackets remain entering Sweet 16” quotes Jacobson on the predictability of the women’s bracket.

(24 March 2024, Sacramento Bee, Stephanie Finucane)Two California lawmakers want to eliminate daylight saving time.  That ticks me off” references Jacobson’s op-ed that appeared in The Hill (3/9/2023) proposing a year-round 30 minute shift in clocks. Also appeared in the Press Democrat.

(24 March 2024, Associated Press, Mark Anderson) “March Madness: 14 perfect women’s brackets remain after Sunday’s second-round action” quotes Jacobson on the predictability of the women’s bracket.

(22 March 2024, Associated Press, Mark Anderson) “Kentucky’s loss to unheralded Oakland crushes millions of March Madness brackets” quotes Jacobson on how to fill in your March Madness bracket.

(21 March 2024) “NCAA basketball coaching carousel creates more chaos than calm.” Published in Chicago Tribune.

(20 March 2024) “United Airlines had a bad few weeks --  Should air travelers be worried?” Published in The Hill.

(20 March 2024, FOX-32, Chicago, IL) “March Madness Bracket: Using AI for better odds” has Jacobson as a guest discussing how AI can help build a better bracket.

(19 March 2024, Associated Press, Mark Anderson) “Caitlin Clark behind the increased betting interest in women’s college basketball” quotes Jacobson on the popularity of Iowa Hawkeye star Caitlin Clark and her impact on the women’s game.

(19 March 2024, Portland Press Herald, Mike Mandell) “Can science help predict a winning NCAA basketball tournament bracket?” quotes Jacobson on how to fill in your March Madness bracket.

(19 March 2024, WLS-890AM, The Steve Cochran Show, Chicago, IL) “Unlocking the Madness: The Science Behind Crafting the Perfect March Madness Bracket” interviews Jacobson on his bracketodds web site and how to use science to construct a bracket.

(19 March 2024, ESPN, Ryan Hockensmith) “How one fan came close to a perfect March Madness bracket” references strategies from the bracketodds web site and quotes Jacobson on upsets in the tournament.

(18 March 2024, Associated Press, Mark Anderson) “Bettors counting on upsets as they put money on long shots this March Madness” references the bracketodds web site and quotes Jacobson on how the Selection Committee seeded teams.

(18 March 2024, Washington Post, Neil Greenberg) “10 March Madness tips from a certified bracket master” references strategies from the bracketodds web site and quotes Jacobson on how to sensibly fill out your bracket.

(14 March 2024) “The future of airport security is here: Get ready for self-service lanes.  Published in The Hill.

(13 March 2024, National Geographic, Ronan O’Connell) “PreCheck, Global Entry, CLEAR: We explain U.S. expedited travel programs” quotes Jacobson on the benefits associated with TSA PreCheck.

(12 March 2024, Consumer Affairs, Kristen Dalli) “TSA is testing out a self-service screening system at Las Vegas.” quotes Jacobson on the new airport screening system being launched at Las Vegas Harry Reid International airport.

(12 March 2024) “Measles is making a comeback.  Should we be concerned?” Published (with J.A. Jokela) in Chicago Tribune.

(9 March 2024) “Time to change the NCAA selection committee protocol.” Published in Chicago Tribune.

(8 March 2024) “Let’s stop wasting time on the Daylight Saving Time debate.” Published in The Hill.

(28 February 2024) “Why Larry Hogan represents the best of US politics.” Published in The Hill.

(28 February 2024) “Should court storming by fans in college basketball be banned?” Published in Chicago Tribune.

(23 February 2024, The Week, Justin  Klawans) “How AI can – and cannot – be used to help air traffic controllers?” quotes Jacobson’s essay in The Hill on the use of AI in air traffic control.

(21 February 2024, Politifact, David Scibilia) Quotes Jacobson’s essay in The Hill (18 January 2023) on a quote by Chuck Schumer about the number of firearms found by the TSA at airport security checkpoints in 2023. Also appeared at PBS WUFT (26 February 2024).

(19 February 2024) “Senator Cruz thinks there should be a ‘super Precheck’ level of screening for certain people --- he’s right.” Published in The Hill.

(18 February 2024, New York Times, Christine Chung) “Facing recognition: Coming to an airport near you” quotes Jacobson on the future of airport security using facial recognition.

(14 February 2024) “How do you narrow the field while you date? Try math.” Published in Chicago Tribune.

(13 February 2024) “Putting the peer-review process to the test.” Published in The Hill.

(10 February 2024) “This year’s Super Bowl offers something for everyone.” Published in Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

(8 February 2024) “Why data analysts like myself are cheering for Brock Purdy to win the Super Bowl.  Published in San Francisco Chronicle.

(5 February 2024) “The myth of personal privacy.” Published in The Hill.

(30 January 2024, Newsgram) “How old is too old to lead?” quotes Jacobson on the risks of having older public officials, based on his op-ed which appeared in The Hill (7 September 2023).

(29 January 2024) “The problem with primaries.” Published in The Hill.

(29 January 2024, Cryptopolitan, Derrick Clinton) “TSA expands facial recognition technology at U.S. airports” quotes Jacobson on the benefits of facial recognition to enhance airport security.

(29 January 2024, NextGov, Edward Graham) “The Transportation Security Administration is planning to expand its facial recognition scanners to more thwn 400 airports, an agency office said” quotes Jacobson on the benefits of facial recognition to enhance airport security.

(25 January 2024) “Is air travel in crisis?  Hardly.”  Published in Chicago Tribune. Also appeared in Mercury News, East Bay Times, Kansas City Star, Miami Herald.

(23 January 2024) “Should you be concerned about rise in Covid-19, RSV, and flu cases?”  Published in Chicago Tribune.

(22 January 2024) “How blindly ‘following the data’ can shipwreck the best of ideas.”  Published in The Messenger.

(19 January 2024, Smart Meetings, Eming Piansay) “Flight safety under scrutiny” interviews Jacobson on the risk of flying in  light of the recent midair flight incident on Alaska Airlines.

(18 January 2024) “Every year there are more firearms found at airports – should you be concerned?  Published in The Hill.

(16 January 2024) “How special is your special day?” Published in The Messenger.

(9 January 2024) “The calculus for Democrats is clear – Biden needs to step aside, now.” Published in The Hill.

(6 January 2024 “Give yourself a new year gift: Visit the dentist.” Published (with J.A. Jokela) in The Messenger.

(3 January 2024, Air Traffic Technology International, Paul Willis) “Navigating AI’s role in Air Traffic Control” quotes Jacobson’s article that appeared in The Hill.

(3 January 2024) “When the courts decide state legislative maps, we all lose.” Appeared in The Hill.

(2 January 2024) “NFL division ‘gerrymander’ may place less worthy teams in the post-season.” Appeared in The Messenger.

Last Updated: 22 April 2024