UB in the News

In a New York Times article on drugs that relieve hot flashes in postmenopausal women, Thomas J. Guttuso, Jr., M.D., assistant professor of neurology in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, discusses a soon-to-be-published study on the drug gabapentin.

A story on pornography as an academic subject in TIME magazine cites UB's "Cyberporn and Society" class, with quotes from UB assistant professor of communication Alex Halavais, who teaches the course, from W. David Penniman, dean of the School of Informatics, and from UB student Matthew Schwartz and his parents.

Makau Mutua, professor in the Law School who teaches international law and directs the Law School's Center for Human Rights, authored an op-ed in the Boston Globe on the political consequences of U.S. policy regarding the Hamas government.

An article in The Washington Post about overanxious "helicopter" parents who just can't let go and the effect their over-involvement has on their children quotes Donald Pollock, associate professor and chair of anthropology, who said "It was just about 20 years ago that we started seeing those yellow 'Baby on Board' signs in cars, which arguably had little to do with safety and a lot to do with publicly announcing one's new status as a parent. I imagine that parents who displayed those 'Baby on Board' signs are the ones who are now intruding themselves into the college experience of those poor babies 18 years later."

An article in USA Today on Advanced Placement courses and concerns over whether they really prepare high school students for college courses quotes D. Bruce Johnstone, University Professor of Higher and Comparative Education, who said "There is something about a good undergraduate general education that can't be easily replicated by a terrific high school course."

An article on Science News Online reports that when Italy's Mount Vesuvius begins to rumble again, nearby Naples could be in danger, according to a study by Michael F. Sheridan, UB Distinguished Professor in the Department of Geology and director of the department's Center for Geohazards.

An article in the Denver Post on office betting on the NCAA basketball tournament quotes John Welte, senior research scientist at the Research Institute on Addictions, who said "No gambling, whether it be office pools or a government-sponsored lottery, is completely innocuous."

An article in Newsweek looks at the possibility of a catastrophic eruption by Mount Vesuvius and the local population's casual attitude toward the volcano, and quotes Michael Sheridan, UB Distinguished Professor in the Department of Geology and director of the department's Center for Geohazards.

An article distributed by Health Day news service reports that research has found that red wine may ward off gum disease and quotes Robert Genco, vice provost and director of UB's Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach (STOR), who said "I would say that in general these experiments with antioxidants in test tubes give variable results when they are later tested in animals or humans. Many antioxidants have been tested in humans and they have not been too effective. We've been very disappointed, so we have to be very careful. So, while this study is an interesting first start, the key now is clinical trials in humans."

An article in the Dallas Morning News on people's increasing ability to "talk" to computers on the telephone quotes Alex Halavais, assistant professor of communication, who said, "Talking to computers and them talking back is one of those science-fiction ideas that's been around a long time. 'Star Trek' is the ideal but the reality is not even close."