Arts and Humanities

Historian Traces Fears, Fantasies about NYC’s Destruction
In a new book, Max Page, associate professor of architecture and history at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, explores how visions of New York’s destruction were a part of the country’s collective imagination long before the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks turned fiction to grim reality. Media embedded: Image(s)
Expert(s) available
"The City's End: Two Centuries of Fantasies, Fears and Premonitions of New York's Destruction" (Yale University Press)
—University of Massachusetts Amherst

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Former Gallup Pollster and Founder of Survey Center Unveils Secrets and Shams of Political Polls in New Book
In the 13 years David Moore worked for the Gallup Poll, he learned that media polls are not used to uncover the “will” or thoughts of the public, but rather to manufacture a “public opinion” that grabs the attention of journalists and can be used to fill media news holes.
The Opinion Makers: An Insider Exposes the Truth Behind the Polls
—University of New Hampshire

Statistics Helpful in Predicting Presidential Election
A pair of university research scientists have devised what they describe as a very simple, but surprisingly effective means to predict the outcome of the U.S. Presidential election — median statistics. Media embedded: Image(s)
—University of Alabama Huntsville

Global Media Coverage of Beijing Olympics Avoids Politics
New research from the University of Maryland shows that print media coverage of the Beijing Olympics was focused on sports rather than politics. Media embedded: Image(s)
—University of Maryland, College Park

Study Finds ATV Guidelines Inadequate
National size guidelines for all-terrain vehicles (ATV) are inadequate to ensure the safety of young riders, according to preliminary results from a study by researchers at the University of Kentucky. Based on initial experiments, the researchers found that national ATV size guidelines for youth – which match the rider's age to a recommended vehicle frame or engine size – do not assure a proper fit. Though results are preliminary.
—University of Kentucky

Teen Dating: It's Not Always "High School Musical"
Terri Weaver, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at Saint Louis University, says that much like adult domestic violence situations, teen dating violence can take many forms. Dr. Weaver is available to discuss relationship violence.
—Saint Louis University Medical Center

Economy May be Wedge to Change Swing State Votes, Political Scientist Predicts
"A lot of Republicans could be persuaded by our economic problems to vote Democratic – it’s the wedge issue that could send even committed Republican voters to the other side,” political scientist Todd Shields of the University of Arkansas says. Media embedded: Image(s)
Expert(s) available
—University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Baby Eyes Are Taking in the World, Applying Self-experience to Other People
Twelve- and 18-month-old babies not only are observing what is going on around them but also are using their own visual self-experience to judge what other people can and cannot see.
Developmental Psychology, Sep-2008
—University of Washington

Palin Surge Has Peaked, Political Scientist Suggests
University of Arkansas political scientist Andrew Dowdle says that historically vice presidential candidates have not played a role in how the election turns out and suggests the surge in polls after Sarah Palin's nomination has peaked.
Expert(s) available
—University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Texas Tech Psychology Chairman to Address Military Suicide For Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
Expert to give testimony in response to veterans' suicide rates.
—Texas Tech University

Education

Researchers Seek to Make Standardized Tests Accessible
Standardized testing is an inescapable part of modern education; however, these tests often fail to meet the needs of students with learning disabilities. Vanderbilt University Learning Sciences Institute researchers Stephen N. Elliott, Peter A. Beddow and Ryan J. Kettler have developed a decision-making instrument called the Test Accessibility and Modification Inventory (TAMI) to address the issue of accessibility for students with special needs.
—Vanderbilt University

Pop Culture

Study Abroad: Life Changing
University of Maryland English lecturer and Emmy Award-winner Michael Olmert's London and East Anglia Study Abroad Course each summer is not only intense - it is life changing for many of the students who take it. It is a great example of why study abroad courses have become so popular at the University of Maryland. Media embedded: Image(s)
—University of Maryland, College Park

Law and Public Policy

American Heart Association, University Co-Host Seminar on Reinventing Health Care
The American Heart Association, in partnership with the University of Mississippi, is convening a panel of top business, government and health leaders to examine the nation's health care system in preparation for the year's first presidential debate. The program, produced by Fred Friendly Seminars of Columbia University, focuses on health policy reform and will be webcast live.
—University of Mississippi

Professor Co-Authors Critique of McCain Health Insurance Plan
Results of Senator John McCain's proposed health insurance reforms will "tend to raise costs, reduce the generosity of benefits, and leave people with fewer consumer protections."
Health Affairs, 16-Sep-2008
—Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)

Government Accommodates Rich and Poor Alike
The election year is in full swing, complete with allegations of class warfare and claims about which candidates cater to the rich. But a new study shows that it would be impossible to cater solely to any socioeconomic group, because people’s preferences tend to be overwhelmingly similar when it comes to how the federal government should spend its money. (Embargoed until 03-Oct-2008, 12:00 ET)
PS: Political Science and Politics, 3-Oct-2008
—North Carolina State University

Professor Teaches Course on Bush Doctrine
Tulane University Political Science Professor Jeffrey Stacey is one of the few professors in the country who teaches a course devoted exclusively to The Bush Doctrine.
Expert(s) available
—Tulane University

Perspective and Commentary on United States Military Policy in Iraq
President Bush's military policies in Iraq, and Afghanistan, are likely to come under increasing debate in the last few months of his administration, particularly as rapid developments in each war change the landscape.
Expert(s) available
—Tufts University

Latin America Space Policy Experts Review Progress
Important steps are being taken in efforts to harmonize space policies throughout Latin America. The Secure World Foundation has begun a dialog with the Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education for Latin America and the Caribbean (CRECTEALC).
—Secure World Foundation

Grinnell College to Dedicate Science Center Named for Inventor Noyce
Grinnell College will dedicate the Robert N. Noyce '49 Science Center on Oct. 4. The innovative science teaching building is named for the late Robert Noyce, co-founder of Intel Corp. and co-inventor of the integrated circuit.
—Grinnell College

New Initiative Aims to Teach Media Literacy Worldwide
The University of Maryland has launched an online toolset to help teach high school and college students about how important media is to building and supporting civil society. Media embedded: Image(s)
—University of Maryland, College Park

USU’s Center for Prostate Disease Research, University of the District of Columbia Launch Successful Summer Internship Program
The Center for Prostate Disease Research (CPDR), Department of Surgery, Uniformed Services University (USU) and the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) were granted an award of $198,000 by the Department of Defense, United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) for training gifted students from the University of the District of Columbia (UCD) in prostate cancer research.
—Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU)

Secretary of Defense Appoints New Members to USU Board of Regents
Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, announced the appointments of Dr. Ronald Blanck, Dr. Haile Debas, Dr. Michael Johns, Dr. Kenneth Moritsugu and Dr. Gail Wilensky, to serve as members of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) Board of Regents, Sept. 12, 2008.
—Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU)

Inaugural Big Ten Battleground Poll Rolls Out Results on Big Ten Network
Results of the Big Ten Battleground Poll, an innovative new project that tests voter sentiment in the eight Big Ten states that are key to this closely fought presidential campaign, will be presented Thursday, Sept. 18, on the Big Ten Network.
—University of Wisconsin-Madison

New Center Studies Growth and Impact of Independent Media
New technologies and crises in corporate mainstream media are clearing a path for new voices and communities to be heard. The recently established Park Center for Independent Media is a national center for the study of these media outlets, and the tremendous impact they are having on journalism, politics and society. Media embedded: Image(s)
—Ithaca College

Study Looks at Ways to Optimize Treatments for Children With Aggressive ADHD
Joseph C. Blader, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Science at Stony Brook University School of Medicine, and colleagues, received a $4 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to launch a study to compare treatment options for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and severe behavioral problems. Media embedded: Image(s)
—Stony Brook University Medical Center