Associate professor pens Newsweek cover story

The cover story for the Sept. 2 issue of Newsweek was written by Erika Hayasaki, UCI associate professor of literary journalism. In her article, “How Poverty Affects the Brain,” she explores a growing field called the neuroscience of poverty. Though largely based on correlations between brain patterns and particular environments, she writes, “the research points to a disturbing conclusion: Poverty and the conditions that often accompany it – violence, excessive noise, chaos at home, pollution, malnutrition, abuse and parents without jobs – can affect the interactions, formation and pruning of connections in the young brain.” Formerly a reporter at the Los Angeles Times, Hayasaki published a book, The Death Class: A True Story About Life, in 2014.