The Academic Minute

Quitting smoking is good for you, no matter when in life it happens. Mikaela Bloomberg , senior research fellow in social epidemiology and social statistics at the department of epidemiology and public health at the institute of epidemiology and health care at University College London , explores why. Mikaela Bloomberg is a Senior Research Fellow in Social Epidemiology and Social Statistics at Uni...

Juvenile birds may lean on siblings more than parents to learn to solve a puzzle. Sonja Wild , postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Davis , explores why. Sonja Wild is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California Davis. Her research aims to uncover the mechanisms underlying behavioral plasticity in free-ranging social animals. She is particularly interested in unde...

Do men and women experience asthma differently? Shannon Kay , assistant professor at the Yale School of Medicine , determines how to make care more personalized. Shannon Kay was born in Long Island and raised in New York City. She received her B.S. and M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Manhattan College, and completed medical school at Stony Brook University School of Medicine. She then completed...

Hepatitis C infection can be dangerous for mothers and babies, so how do we treat it? Madeline McCrary , assistant professor of medicine at Washington University in St. Louis , determines one option. Leah Madeline McCrary is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at WashU Medicine. She specializes in infectious complications of substance use, including Hepatitis C and Serrat...

On this Student Spotlight: Can you become addicted to ultra-processed foods? Lucy Loch , doctoral candidate in the department of psychology at the University of Michigan , examines whether this is the case. Lucy Loch is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan, where she is mentored by Dr. Ashley Gearhardt and Dr. Julie Lumeng. Her research focuses on the...

Eating ultra-processed foods may hinder brain health during aging. Benjamin Katz , associate professor of human development and family science at Virginia Tech , examines this relationship. Ben Katz, Ph. D., is an Associate Professor within the Department of Human Development and Family Science and the Director of the Cognitive Aging and Translational Science Laboratory at Virginia Tech. His resea...

If customer service is already excellent in a sector, how can a hotel differentiate itself from competitors? Rin Yoon , assistant professor of marketing at the University of Iowa , determines this. Rin Yoon is assistant professor of marketing at the Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa. She studies consumer psychology at the moment of transaction, with the goal of helping organizations d...

If you need to persuade someone, maybe let AI do the talking. Vered Shwartz , assistant professor of computer science at the University of British Columbia , explores why this might be. Vered Shwartz is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia, a CIFAR AI Chair at the Vector Institute, and the author of “Lost in Automatic Translation: Navigating Life in Engl...

Trusting financial advisors is key to the best outcomes, but what determines the most trustworthy financial advisors? Jesse Ellis , Alan T. Dickson distinguished professor of finance at North Carolina State University , looks at their beginnings. Jesse Ellis is the Alan T. Dickson Distinguished Professor of Finance at North Carolina State University’s Poole College of Management. His research expl...

Would you rather finish second or third in a competition? Andrea Luangrath, associate professor of marketing in the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa, says the answer may be surprising for athletes. Andrea Luangrath is an Associate Professor and the Director of Graduate Studies in Marketing in the Tippie College of Business […] This is a public episode. If you would like t...

How do eyeless corals see light? Akihisa Terakita , professor in the Graduate School of Science at Osaka Metropolitan University , dives in to find out more. Akihisa Terakita and Mitsumasa Koyanagi are Professors at Osaka Metropolitan University’s Graduate School of Science with interest in photoreception. Professor Mitsumasa Koyanagi and myself were lead authors for a study of light-sensing prote...

Speech therapy can be crucial for some children, so how do we improve outcomes? Tara McAllister , associate professor of communicative sciences and disorders at New York University , studies this. Tara McAllister is a linguist and speech-language pathologist in NYU’s Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders. Her research aims to understand how speech skills are acquired in both typical a...

Can concrete play a role in affordable housing in the future? Pablo Moyano Fernandez , associate professor at Washington University in St. Louis , examines. Pablo Moyano Fernández is an Associate Professor and founder of the Performative Concrete Hub (PCH). He brings extensive experience in architecture, having worked with international and national firms with a strong focus on construction. His t...

Repairing the brain after an injury can be crucial. So how do we do it? Robert Krencik , associate professor in the department of neurosurgery and center for neuroregeneration at the Houston Methodist Research Institute , thinks small. Faculty Bio: Dr. Krencik received his PhD in neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and conducted research as a postdoctoral fellow at the University o...

Can we detect Alzheimer’s disease decades before symptoms start? Tomas R. Guilarte , Dean of the Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work and professor of cognitive neuroscience and imaging at Florida International University , looks into how this might be done. Tomás R. Guilarte, Ph. D., joined FIU in 2016 after serving as the Inaugural Leon Hess Endowed Chair Professor and Chairma...

On Flagler College Week: Do you like to watch others eat? Minji Kim , assistant professor of communication, explores the psychology behind an online trend. MinJi Kim, Ph. D., is an Assistant Professor of Communication at Flagler College, where her teaching in courses such as Media Literacy, Social Media Management, and Health Communication is deeply informed by her research on how media shapes hea...

On Flagler College Week: Educators often have to do more with less, so how can we still make it work? Ashley Ryder , assistant professor of sport management, examines one way. Dr. Ashley Ryder is an Assistant Professor of Sport Management at Flagler College. Her teaching and research interests focus on sport ethics, sociology, and pedagogy, with a particular emphasis on reflective and experiential...

On Flagler College Week: What if you make a mistake when giving an alibi? Joshua D. Behl , associate professor of criminology, examines this scenario. Dr. Joshua Behl received his Ph. D. from the University of Florida in August of 2016 where he also received his BA and MA. Dr. Behl’s research interests are found at the intersection of psychology and the law. Using criminological, psychological, an...

On Flagler College Week: We’re still learning how climate changes will impact aquatic habitats. Matthew Brown , professor of natural sciences, looks into one such quandary. Preceded by an undergraduate degree in Chemistry (B.Sc.,Old Dominion University), Dr. Matthew Brown completed an M.Sc.(Oceanography) at the University of Hawaii and a Ph. D. (Ocean Sciences–Marine Chemistry) at the University o...

On Flagler College Week: How do we show up for children with histories of trauma and neglect? Justin Forbes , assistant professor of Religion and Director of the Center for Religion and Culture , takes a communal look. After graduating from Flagler College in 2002, Justin spent ten years in youth ministry. During that time, he was responsible for building and leading teams that worked with middle...

How we teach STEM courses could be undergoing a revolution. Rosie Dutt , instructional consultant and former adjunct lecturer at the Engineering Communication Center at the Washington University in St. Louis , gets hands-on with learning. Dr. Rosie Dutt teaches interdisciplinary computational neuroscience and engineering communication courses that integrate data science and design thinking. In thi...

There may be an easy solution to reducing incarceration for missed court dates. Alex Chohlas-Wood , assistant professor of computational social science at New York University , looks to his phone for answers. Faculty Bio: Alex Chohlas-Wood is an Assistant Professor of Computational Social Science. His research investigates how computational approaches can improve public policy. In recent work, he...

Suffering a traumatic brain injury may come with an additional risk besides concussion. Ross Zafonte , Executive Vice Dean of the University of Missouri School of Medicine , explores this. Faculty Bio: The University of Missouri, School of Medicine selected Dr. Ross Zafonte, DO, to serve as the Executive Vice Dean, effective October 1, 2024. In his role, Dr. Zafonte oversees the development and as...

What is a spillover crisis and how can AI contribute to it? Dan Laufer , professor and head of the School of Communication Studies at the Auckland University of Technology , explains. Faculty Bio: Dr Daniel Laufer, PhD, MBA (The University of Texas at Austin, USA), is a Professor and Head of the School of Communication Studies at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) in New Zealand. His prim...

Heatwaves are an issue now and moving forward. Yann Quicalle , postdoctoral researcher at ETH Zurich , looks at the reasons behind them. Faculty Bio: Dr Yann Quilcaille is a climate scientist, who works to bridge the gap between climate and economic modelling. Thanks to a dual background in climate science and economics of sustainable development, he gained a deep knowledge of this interface. Dr Y...