Faculty in the media, August 2015

From flooding in Texas and the Confederate Flag to the discovery of an ancient Qu'ran, Franklin College faculty were widely quoted on a wide range of subjects over the summer. A sampling:

Millennials: Apathetic or Empathetic? – R&B article quotes Brian Haas, an assistant professor in the Behavioral and Brain Science Program

NPR reporter explores John Ross story and the art of the protest – Chattanooga Times Free Press quotes Jace Weaver, director of the Institute of Native American Studies

Life with Gracie: Selfie, selfish, showoffs – Atlanta Journal-Constitution references study by psychology professor Keith Campbell

What do your selfies reveal? – An Atlanta Journal-Constitution story quotes Campbell on the relationship between narcissism and the number of selfies one takes.

Research group heads back to Gulf for further assessment of oil spill effects – WDAM-TV

Losing our religion: Study shows millennials to be least religious group – R&B

article quotes Keith Campbell

Job opening: No training, low pay, high turnover – The Marshall Project quotes history professor James Cobb

Deportations mean hard times for families left behind – ABH article quotes Alejandra Calva of the Latin American Studies Institute

Using social media for more than socializing – R&B article quotes LeAnne Howe, professor in the department of English and Native American Studies

Guest column: A shared passion for Sweet Briar – Richmond Times-Dispatch written by Clifton Pannell, emeritus professor of geography

Texas at risk for even more flooding due to rare ‘brown ocean’ effect. “All the things a hurricane likes over the ocean is what we have over land right now,” explains Marshall Shepherd, Georgia Athletic Association Professor and Director for Program in Atmospheric Sciences. Articles filed in the Associated Press, CBS News, Mashable.com, Denton (TX) Record-Chronicle and KCBD-TV. Articles appear in National Public Radio, Houston Chronicle, CBS News, and KTRH radio.

Tropical Storm Bill dumping rain in the Southwest, reports the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “When I look at the radar and see the structure and organization of this storm, I believe Bill is feeding off the water and creating more rainfall than expected,” said Marshall Shepherd

Western Europe shatters temperature records during heat wave, reports Climate Progress. “Recent and numerous studies continue to speak to heat waves having strong links to warming climate,” said Marshall Shepherd

Porn is not as harmful as other addictions, study claims – Business Standard, The Health Site, Metro (UK) study co-author is Dean Sabatinelli, associate professor of psychology

National WWII Museum opening new exhibit about racism at home and at war – Associated Press article quotes John H. Morrow, professor of history

Papal order shines light on climate change's impact on poor – USA Today article quotes Marshall Shepherd

Don't measure universities by the number of degrees conferred, headlines an ABH op-ed by Mark Farmer, professor of cellular biology and chair of the biological sciences

Time will tell if furling the Confederate flag means deeper change, reports the Associated Press. “There were plenty of white Southerners all during the civil rights movement who knew deep down that supporting what was going on was wrong,” said James Cobb, B. Phinizy Spalding Professorship in History.

Why the South Carolina governor called for removal of Confederate flag. James Cobb, Spalding Distinguished Professor of History writes in TIME that removing the divisive symbol was about business, not ideals.

Cobb, discusses the history of the Confederate battle flag and other Confederate symbols on South Carolina ETV Radio.

University of Auckland welcomes Fulbright award recipients – Voxy

Christine Franklin, the Lothar Tresp Honoratus Honors Professor in Statistics at UGA, is among the Fulbright recipients in New Zealand

The Stars and Bars come down: Much more than a single awful tragedy made it happen now – Forbes.com article quotes James Cobb

Opinion: The 'gig economy' isn't scary. It's just the economy. – Newsday column by Stephen Mihm, associate professor of history

The rise of the “gig economy.” Stephen Mihm examines the world of part-time and freelance work. “Contingent workers, such as Uber car drivers, threaten to supplant an earlier model in which long-term, stable employment with a single company was the norm.” Bloomberg report filed nationwide.

Nut-bashing monkeys offer window into human evolution – National Geographic article references research by Dorothy Fragaszy, director of Primate Behavior Laboratory

Children left unattended in hot cars: Modeling conditions to estimate precise dangers – Journalist’s Resource article references research co-authored by Andrew Grundstein, professor of geography

Letter: Tiffany’s vs. Target prices on university presidents – Red & Black letter written by associate professor John Knox

“What we can learn from Coca-Cola’s biggest blunder,” reads a headline in TIME for an editorial written by James Cobb, Spalding Distinguished Professor of History

A find in Britain: Quran fragments perhaps as old as Islam – The New York Times quotes Jeff Speakman, director of UGA’s Center for Applied Isotope Studies

Summer heat wave bakes Athens – R&B article quotes John Knox, associate professor of geography)

Taking heat issues seriously. Marshall Shepherd writes in Forbes.com that excessive heat can be dangerous. “Heat is hazardous and should not be underestimated,” he said.

Workplace mentoring boosts career, skills and retention. A workplace study conducted by Lillian Eby, professor of psychology, is mentioned in a Miami Herald article.

Agriculture and parasitic plants: How they snag hosts and ruin crops – Nature World News, World Science articles quote David Nelson, assistant professor of genetics

Op-ed: Politics threatening final eradication of polio – Athens Banner-Herald by Mark Farmer, professor of cellular biology

Editorial: Nests aren’t emptying as quickly these days – Capital Gazette quotes history professor Stephen Mihm

Woodward County, Oklahoma: Why do so many here doubt climate change? – CNN quotes Jeff Speakman, director of UGA’s Center for Applied Isotope Studies

The Voting Rights Act at 50. James Cobb, Spalding Distinguished Professor of History, pens an article in TIME examining the anniversary of the landmark civil rights legislation.

Are you an introvert — or are you maybe an undercover narcissist? – New York Magazine article quotes Keith Campbell, professor of psychology and expert on narcissism

Film studies professor Richard Neupert is quoted in French Morning, Los Angeles, on the success of the French design studio TeamTO

Scientists identify new techniques for diagnosing respiratory abnormalities – Doctor Pulse UGA-led study by Shannon Quinn, assistant professor of computer science

Scientists discover how parasitic plants seek their prey, and it could help figure out how to control them – Bangor (ME) Daily News, Modern Farmer research led by Dave Nelson, assistant professor of genetics

Lack of baseline data challenge evaluation of environmental impacts of 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout – AZO Cleantech, Newswise article quotes marine scientist Samantha Joye. Deepwater Horizon, 5 years on. Joye, who has conducted research in the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of the 2010 BP oil spill, writes in ScienceMag.org’s Perspective that baseline environmental data are crucial for future disaster responses.

Additional news coverage into the discovery of a planet similar to how Jupiter looked in its formative years. A team of astronomers responsible for the finding includes associate professor of astronomy Inseok Song.