UB in the News

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."

An article distributed by the Associated Press reports that BlueCross BlueShield has commissioned UB to conduct a five-year study of alternatives to gastric bypass surgery for the obese. The article quotes Michael Noe, clinical professor of social and preventive medicine, who said, "Many (patients) have been involved in repeated struggles to lose weight, perhaps jumping from one fad diet or new promising remedy. The real problem for many of them is not necessarily a lack of motivation but rather responding to misguided messages or bad advice."

An article on the front page of the sports section of USA Today reports that UB is making sports history as the only Division I-A school with African-Americans in the three most visible posts in its athletics department.

An article in The New York Times on patients frantically calling their doctors after a government advisory panel's recommendation that ADHD drugs carry a prominent warning about heart risks quotes James Waxmonsky, assistant professor of psychiatry, and William Pelham, professor of psychology.