Month: November 2014
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Ben Schwessinger, UC Davis – Plant Immunity
We just found out that plants can hear. Now, we’ll learn about their complex immune systems. Ben Schwessinger, a post-doc at UC Davis, is studying how plants fight off pathogens. Dr. Benjamin Schwessinger is a Human Frontier Science Program long-term postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Prof. Pamela Ronald at UC Davis’s Department of Plant…
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Steve Gimbel, Gettysburg College – An Ethics of Joking
Have you ever been offended by a joke? Dr. Steve Gimbel, a professor of philosophy at Gettysburg College, discusses the nature of offensive jokes and why we seem to have an type of ethical understanding embedded in humor. Dr. Steve Gimbel‘s research focuses on the connection between scientific evidence and explanation, interpretations of the geometrical…
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Gary Kwiecinski featured on The Best of Our Knowledge
As always, host Bob Barrett selects an Academic Minute to air during The Best of Our Knowledge. Each week this program examines some of the issues unique to college campuses, looks at the latest research, and invites commentary from experts and administrators from all levels of education. For this week‘s edition (#1259), Bob has selected…
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Paul Arciero, Skidmore College – The Quality of Exercise
Sometimes the old cliche less is more actually fits. Dr. Paul Arciero, a professor in Skidmore College’s health & exercises department, discusses how the type of exercise you do might make all the difference. Professor Arciero‘s research interests include the influence of nutritional and physical activity intervention on energy metabolism, body composition, glucose tolerance and…
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Jennie Brand, UCLA – Benefits of Higher Ed
The idea and purpose of obtaining a higher education is likely similar regardless of who the student is. One attends college to further their understanding of concepts and hopefully gain the knowledge and experience necessary to start a career in a chosen field. However, as Jennie Brand, a professor of sociology at UCLA, will show…
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Michele Gelfand, University of Maryland – American Regionalism
It’s Election Day in the US and all across the country, voters will be casting ballots for their preferred candidate. In today’s segment, Dr. Michele Gelfand, a professor of psychology at The University of Maryland, discusses American regionalism. Dr. Gelfand will present a superior way to help categorize the political direction that states vote. She…
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Maria Cancian, University of Wisconsin Madison – Evolution of Custody
A great deal has been written about the changing face of the traditional family. With these changes in family dynamics, come similar shifts when divorce enters the picture. Dr. Maria Cancian, a professor of Public Affairs and Social Work at The University of Wisconsin Madison, takes a look at the landscape of divorce and custody…
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Patricia Brennan, UMass Amherst – The Importance of Oddball Science
Scientists are often surprised at the results of their own experimenting. Sometimes, the outcome produces an unexpected breakthrough that was completely unintended. In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Patricia Brennan, an adjunct research assistant professor of biology at UMass Amherst, discusses the importance of continued experimentation. Dr. Patricia Brennan studies the evolutionary consequences of sexual conflict…