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Ian Hodgson - Data Reporter, Education

Data Reporter, Education

My title is "data reporter" but my job is to tell stories. I cover health and the environment, two topics that go hand-in-hand now more than ever. I'm a math nerd, a PhD dropout and before joining the Times I worked in economics and finance. I've lived in Vancouver, Chicago and New York, so I'm ready to never go through another cold winter. When I'm not reporting you can find me watching the Cubbies or struggling through on the NYT crossword. Let's grab a coffee and talk about story ideas.

  1. Students walk across the Tampa campus at the University of South Florida, one of 12 state schools affected by legislation that would make it harder for faculty members to keep their tenure status.
  2. New College of Florida Interim President Richard Corcoran, center, listens during a meeting of the school's board of trustees, alongside trustee Matthew Spalding, left, on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, in Sarasota. The board approved a $1 million pay package for Corcoran, but the school has yet to find a way to cover that amount.
  3. Students gathered near the Sudakoff Center at New College of Florida on Feb. 28, 2023, before a meeting of the school's revamped board of trustees. Speakers and protesters said they hoped the school would remain inclusive and diverse, though the trustees later voted to dismantle New College's diversity office.
  4. Enya Silva, second from left, Estevan Santana, Victoria Hinckley and Yuki Shao hold signs as University of South Florida students and faculty members joined a statewide walkout to protest Gov. Ron DeSantis' education policies on Thursday in Tampa. Many protesters were focused on DeSantis' proposals to limit diversity efforts.
  5. Richard Corcoran, left, motions to Gov. Ron DeSantis behind him during a news conference in St. Petersburg on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. Corcoran was Florida's education commissioner at the time. His next job will be interim president at New College of Florida in Sarasota.
  6. Dwight Henry, the campus chaplain at New College of Florida, poses for a portrait at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, in Tampa.
  7. A patient is prepared for admission by emergency room nurses at Gulf Coast Medical Center in Fort Myers. 
As Florida hospitals see staffing shortages, problems persist with the pipeline of new nurses coming into the system. The state's pass rates on the national licensing exam for nurses continue to be the lowest in the nation.
  8. New College students attend a protest of the appointment of new board of trustees members by Gov. Ron DeSantis at the school's Harry Sudakoff Conference Center on Tuesday.
  9. Jason "Eddie" Speir, left, and Christopher Rufo, two of the controversial new trustees for New College of Florida, address the audience at the Mildred Sainer Pavilion on the campus of New College of Florida, on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023 in Sarasota. Going into Tuesday's meeting of the newly remade board, the two have proposed major changes.
  10. Christopher Rufo, one of six controversial new trustees at New College of Florida, talks with students at the foot of the stage after addressing an audience on the Sarasota campus Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.
  11. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to the crowd after being sworn in to begin his second term during an inauguration ceremony outside the Old Capitol Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, in Tallahassee.
  12. A school banner decorates the campus of New College of Florida in Sarasota on Jan. 10, 2023.
  13. The entrance to New College of Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed six conservative members to the board of trustees, sparking questions about the Sarasota school's future.
  14. Cristian Jimenez, assistant manager, left, helps Randall Conley, St. Petersburg resident, organize his items on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at Phantom Fireworks of Tampa South in Tampa. Sales of personal fireworks exploded during the pandemic and it looks like people haven’t leveled off even though big city shows are back on this year.
  15. Visitors to Pier 60 tour booths of arts and crafts at Clearwater Beach on Wednesday, Dec 28, 2022, in Clearwater.
  16. Breaking news card for crime *** delete and write caption ****
  17. Post offices will be closed and no mail will be delivered Monday, Dec. 26.
  18. As temperatures begin to return to normal around the Tampa Bay area, two cricket players compete at Macfarlane Park in Tampa on Monday.
  19. A nursing student holds a stethoscope up to a mannequin during a training simulation at South Florida State College, a public college in Avon Park, Fla. A new report found that pass rates for Florida nursing students on the national licensing exam are far below the U.S. average but that students enrolled at public nursing programs do better than those at for-profit schools.
  20. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to a crowd of supporters during his election night party at the Tampa Convention Center on Tuesday. Statewide, nearly two-thirds of registered Republicans showed up to the polls, compared to just half of registered Democrats, according to a Tampa Bay Times analysis.
  21. Aerial photo of flood-prone neighborhoods around Tampa Bay.
  22. U.S. Sen Ben Sasse of Nebraska enters the President's Ballroom in Emerson Alumni Hall on Monday, Oct. 10, 2022, during a visit to the University of Florida, where he is a finalist to be the school's next president. Accompanying him is Lisa Lundy, left, a member of the school's presidential search committee, and Amanda Phalin, right, president of the faculty senate.
  23. In this June 5, 2013, photo, Ben Sasse, then president of Midland University, speaks in the school's gym. At the time, more than 600 of Midland's nearly 1,100 students were on one of its 25 sports teams. Midland's Warrior logo is in the background.