News and Notes
May 2009
These highlights related to the social, behavioral, and economic sciences at Michigan State University are brought to you by the Office of the Dean. For the latest news, visit our Web site at www.socialscience.msu.edu.
Faculty and staff are encouraged to share news of current research projects, publications, events, and awards. Call 517/432-0746 or send an email to Michelle Strobel.
AWARDS, HONORS, AND RECOGNITION
Seven faculty are recipients of awards for the Faculty Initiatives Fund (FIF) for the current and upcoming academic years. The FIF recognizes and encourages the innovative and creative work of faculty members of the College of Social Science.
The recipients and their project titles are:
- Marsha Carolan and Kathleen Jager (both of family and child ecology), “Critical intervention and prevention needs for women who have permanently lost parental rights to the state."
- Alexandra Burt (psychology), “Family context, genes, and childhool psychopathology: A pilot study."
- Peter Berg and Mary Hamman (labor and industrial relations), "Gradual retirement in Germany: Firm responses to pension reform."
- Masako Fujita (anthropology), "A longitudinal study of mother-offspring vitamin a transfer in northern Kenya: Pilot phase."
- Todd Fenton (anthropology), "Correlating pediatric cranial fracture patterns and forensic file information: The first step in building a computerized database."
Two College of Social Science faculty members Desiree Qin (family and child ecology), Todd Fenton (anthropology), and graduate assistant Christopher Belous (family and child ecology) are the recipients of the ISS Teaching Excellence Award for 2009.
Congratulations to Kristin Brooks, specialist advisor for the Center for Integrative Studies in Social Science, who has been selected as a recipient of Outside and New Advisor Certificiate of Merit by the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA). Brooks will be honored in September at the NACADA Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas.
School of Labor and Industrial Relations Professor Richard Block was one of seventeen experts consulted by the U.S. General Accountability Office (GA0) for its report to Congress in April on the financial status of GM and Chrysler. See the report here.
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
Obama faces tough test with manufacturers
From the Detroit News: Manufacturers in Michigan and throughout the United States are still not sure what an Obama presidency means for them and say that several tests of what was expected to be a rocky relationship lie ahead. ... Michigan State University economist Charles Ballard, an expert of the state's manufacturing industry, says he's "quite encouraged" by Obama's early steps. "He's clearly not turned out to be what a lot of Republicans feared," Ballard says.
Michigan State scientists read bones to solve mysteries
From the Chicago Tribune: Norm Sauer and Todd Fenton (both of anthropology) have made Michigan State University a national leader in forensic anthropology. In dozens of cases per year, Sauer and Fenton have become go-to guys for police investigators who need help identifying bodies. "One of my favorite parts (of being in forensic anthropology) is working with law enforcement," Fenton says. "It gets us working with different entities in the real world."
What can climate models tell cherry growers?
From Scientific American: In the glacier-carved hillsides of northwest Michigan where half of America's tart cherries grow, buds that look like half-burst popcorn will erupt any day into brilliant white blossoms. But in that six-county area flanking Lake Michigan, climate change is already in full bloom. The state is two degrees warmer on average than it was 30 years ago, and it's generally wetter, says Michigan State University geographer Jeffrey Andresen, the state climatologist.
Can being overweight keep you from climbing the corporate ladder?
From the Wall Street Journal: New research shows those extra pounds hurt more than your health; if you're a woman, they're also highly likely to keep you from climbing the corporate ladder, according to reseachers, including Mark Roehling (SLIR) and others. In stark contrast, however, corporate America seems to favor overweight men. Some 45 percent of male CEOs have a body mass index between 25 and 29, putting them into the "overweight" category. That compares with the 31 percent of the male population as a whole that is overweight.
Mobiles at school don't harm kids
From MSN: Using mobile phones and playing video games don't harm teens' academic performance, according to new research by Michigan State University. Report author Linda Jackson (psychology) says it's unrealistic to think kids will stop playing video games, so game developers should focus on elements that develop visual-spatial skills and less on themes such as violence. For related stories, see Great Lakes IT Report.
