The Heising-Simons Foundation is proud to regularly see its grantee partners featured in media outlets across the country, providing an expert voice on a timely issue or being highlighted for their accomplishments and hard work. Here are some news items that have featured our grantees in October 2018.

Trolling the Monster in the Heart of the Milky Way
New York Times, October 30, 2018
“This is the closest yet we have come to see the immediate zone around a supermassive black hole with direct, spatially resolved techniques,” astrophysicist and UCLA professor Andrea Ghez says in this extensive article about the different efforts being led to identify what is believed to be a supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way. The project led by Doctor Ghez is supported by the Foundation’s Science program.

Mass Media Fellows Wrap Up Productive Summer
Science, October 26, 2018
Every summer, the AAAS Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellows Program pairs student scientists with senior editors at media organizations across the United States to communicate scientific ideas to a broad audience. This article summarizes student highlights from this past summer. The program is supported in part by the Foundation’s Science program.

Nipsey Hussle and Ty Dolla $ign Headline Free #TimeDone Campaign Bringing Awareness to the Past Convictions Crisis
Los Angeles Sentinel, October 25, 2018
Californians for Safety and Justice (CSJ) kicked off its #TimeDone campaign with a concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, as a way to celebrate everyone who believes in building a path to redemption for people living with a past conviction. CSJ is supported through the Tides Center by the Foundation’s Human Rights program.

Rethinking Prison, From the Inside Out
The Nation, October 16, 2018
This article highlights the Vera Institute of Justice’s latest study on “reimagining prisons” in America in order to restore dignity as a central principle of the criminal justice system. Vera is supported by the Foundation’s Human Rights program.

De-Bug Founder Awarded MacArthur ‘Genius Grant’ for Social Justice Work
San Jose Mercury News, October 4, 2018
Founder of Silicon Valley De-Bug Raj Jayadev has been awarded a 2018 MacArthur “Genius Grant” for his organization’s pioneering work in “participatory defense,” a way to help families and communities organize themselves during the often isolating experience of navigating the judicial system. Silicon Valley De-Bug is supported by the Foundation’s Human Rights program.

One Prison Taught Me Racism. Another Taught Me Acceptance.
Washington Post, October 1, 2018
Prison University Project student Jesse Vasquez has penned a powerful opinion piece about his experiences at a maximum-security prison versus at San Quentin State Prison. The Prison University Project is supported by the Foundation’s Community and Opportunity program.