UB in the News

An article on Consumer Reports' Cars Blog looks at research by Greg Fabiano, associate professor of counseling, school and educational psychology, on teens with ADHD and driver safety and reports a 2008 study that showed that people with ADHD who were sober performed as poorly on simulated driving tests as those motorists without ADHD who were legally drunk. The article included a UB-produced video interview with Fabiano.

A story on PBS NewsHour about the origins of tinnitus, the phantom ringing that plagues millions of Americans and countless military veterans, and whether stress plays a role in provoking the condition, interviews Richard Salvi, director of the Center for Hearing and Deafness, who says he is not convinced that stress is a root cause for all tinnitus patients, although he agrees there is a correlation of some kind.

An article in the Toronto Globe and Mail about the controversy over what age to introduce checking in youth hockey quotes Barry Willer, professor of psychiatry and rehabilitation medicine, who said, "I don't think the bodycheck should be the culprit it's made out to be."

A story on NPR's Morning Edition interviews Robert Zivadinov, professor of neurology, about a new theory Italian physician Paolo Zamboni has proposed that suggests multiple sclerosis is caused by chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency, or CCSVI, which can be treated by opening up the blocked blood vessels. "Even if the treatment is not useful for patients with MS, I don't think that we can abandon the idea of vascular involvement in MS," he said. "And I think this merits very detailed understanding of what is going on."

Kenneth Kim, associate professor of finance and managerial economics, is quoted in a story on CNBC about the relationship between company stock prices and the likeability of their Super Bowl ads. "While the Super Bowl effect has not disappeared, something else has happened," he said.

An article in the Columbus Dispatch about a proposal in Texas to loosen elementary school class size requirements in order to save money quotes Jeremy Finn, professor of counseling, school and educational psychology. "We will be doing a lot of harm to a lot of kids from lower-income homes if we start putting them back in bigger and bigger classes," he said. The article also appeared on Stateline.

An article in the Connecticut Post about the benefits of the snowstorms that have buried Connecticut this winter quotes Nancy Smyth, dean of social work, who discussed how storms can bring people together. "There's a sense of a shared connection because they're really all in it together. It can do a lot to promote a sense of community," she said.

An article in the Christian Science Monitor about Tea Party-backed senators who are reluctant to join the new Senate Tea Party Caucus quotes Joshua Dyck, assistant professor of political science. "Tea Party-supported candidates run the risk of, if they stay on the message that put them in office, alienating themselves from the political process," he said.

An article in the Chronicle of Higher Education reports that UB professors Bina Ramaurthy, Jessica Poulin and Katharina Dittman have utilized the power of collaboration and cloud computing to build an online teaching tool designed to explain concepts better than a textbook can and help reduce the number of dropouts in freshman biology courses.

Sharon Mitchell, director of counseling services, is quoted in an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education about a national survey of first-year undergraduates that found that this year's freshmen are reporting record-low levels of emotional health, as well as a strong desire to succeed. "It's really important to do outreach to students that doesn't necessarily involve counseling, but focuses on the promotion of good mental health," she said. The article also reports that UB introduces students to mental-health concepts through in-class assignments.