Director of News and Editorial Communications

Tom Breen

Tom Breen has been at UConn since 2012, serving as a news writer, deputy spokesperson, manager for special projects, UConn Today editor, and, as of January 2021, director of news and editorial communications. Prior to UConn, he worked as a reporter for The Associated Press, covering health care, religion, and state government in West Virginia and North Carolina, and before the AP, he worked at newspapers in Connecticut and Massachusetts. He is the author of two books about Christianity and contemporary culture, and has published short fiction in many periodicals and anthologies. A second-generation Husky, he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2000. He is the co-founder of the award-winning UConn 360 podcast and has given presentations on UConn history to community groups throughout Connecticut. He lives in Manchester, is active in volunteer organizations, and recommends that you try the coconut flavor at the Dairy Bar.

Author Archive

The aftermath of a car crash at night, with emergency vehicles in the background. Although fewer cars are on the road during the pandemic, the number of fatal crashes has actually increased.

Traffic is Down on American Highways During the Pandemic – But Vehicle Deaths Are Up

During the stay-at-home period, the incidence rate of fatal single-vehicle crashes increased 4.1 times

March 16, 2021 | Eric Jackson, Director of the Connecticut Transportation Safety Research Center and Marisa Auguste, Behavioral Research Assistant at the Connecticut Transportation Safety Research Center

Research & Discovery
A man casting a fishing line in a shallow stream, like the type threatened by climate change, as discussed in the article.

Your Favorite Fishing Stream May be at High Risk From Climate Change – Here’s How to Tell

If communities can figure out where these streams will warm the most, they can plan for the future.

March 12, 2021 | Danielle Hare, Hydrogeologist and Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment

Research & Discovery
Smithsonian Magazine

Climate Change Lays Waste to Butterflies Across American West

March 10, 2021 | Tom Breen

Where We Live (WNPR)

Insects Around the World Are Disappearing. What Can We Do About It?

March 5, 2021 | Tom Breen

Vintage engraving of a Mother and daughter sold at Slave Auction, Southern USA, 19th Century

There Was a Time Reparations Were Actually Paid Out – Just Not to Formerly Enslaved People

The payments went to former slave owners and their descendants, not the enslaved or their legal heirs.

March 5, 2021 | Thomas Craemer, Associate Professor of Public Policy

The Washington Post

Butterflies are Vanishing Out West. Scientists Say Climate Change is to Blame.

March 4, 2021 | Tom Breen

A baby being fed with a spoon.

How Safe is Baby Food? Company Reports Show Arsenic, Lead, and Other Heavy Metals

Since the amount of heavy metals varies so dramatically, food choices can make a difference.

March 4, 2021 | C. Michael White, School of Pharmacy

Boston Review

The Value of Truth

March 1, 2021 | Tom Breen

The members of Ebony Horsewomen Inc.'s Junior Mounted Patrol in Keney Park, receiving a Connecticut Greenways award in October 2022, with Ebony Horsewomen founder and CEO Patricia "Pat" Kelly standing in front, with Bruce Donald of the Connecticut Greenways Council

Hartford Program Offers Healing and Empowerment on Horseback

The Ebony Horsewomen initiative provides life lessons, teaches skills, and promotes youth development.

February 26, 2021 | Stacey Stearns, UConn Extension

Community Impact
Highway traffic on Interstate 84

Air Filters Can Scrub Out Air Pollutants Near Highways, Reduce Blood Pressure

Even relatively small reductions in blood pressure can affect the risk of heart attack and stroke.

February 26, 2021 | Doug Brugge, Professor and Chair of Public Health Science and Community Medicine, UConn School of Medicine

UConn Health