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With about 400,000 apps available for Smartphones and news ones added daily, there is an app for almost everything, from losing weight to finding a job. Can any of them help us keep our New Year’s resolutions? Yes and no, says Ananda Mitra, professor of communication at Wake Forest and the author of several books on digital media. He says an app can make things simpler, but it is not going to change habits.

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As the number of non-English speakers seeking healthcare in the United States continues to grow, so does the need for medical interpreters who can serve as a liaison between patients and their doctors. Dr. Olgierda Furmanek, an associate professor at Wake Forest University has designed a new graduate level curriculum in response to this burgeoning career opportunity.

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Eric Wilson, the Thomas H. Pritchard Professor of English at Wake Forest University, doesn’t want to be happy for the holidays. And he thinks you should try taking the happy out of your holiday, too. But don’t call him Scrooge. He simply suggests that “happy” is an unreachable goal – especially around the holidays.

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More than 60 percent of parents say video games have no effect on their children. Not true, says Marina Krcmar, associate professor of communication at Wake Forest, who studies the impact of video games on children and teens. And, as games get more and more realistic, research shows the positive and negative effects on children increase, Krcmar says.

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Buying goods on sale this holiday season? At what cost? “When a brand goes on sale, it gives away part of the profit margin needed to invest in future innovation and quality,” says Sheri Bridges, associate professor of business at Wake Forest University—affecting consumer satisfaction in the long run.

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Love them or hate them, holiday letters will soon be arriving in a mailbox near you. Chances are you may even be preparing to write one of your own. But in this age of Twitter, Facebook and text messaging, many people have trouble with the art of letter writing. That’s why John Llewellyn, associate professor of communication at Wake Forest University, came up with the YULE rule for writing a well-crafted, year-in-review letter.

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If you plan ahead, you can fill your week with extra little bursts of exercise and cut back your calories here and there to counteract your high-calorie plans for the weekend and help maintain your weight through the holidays. “There are a lot of different ways to try to increase your levels of physical activity in your daily routines,” said Michael Berry, who chairs the Department of Health and Exercise Science at Wake Forest University.

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It was Bing Crosby who immortalized a white Christmas in his 1942 hit single, but these days more and more eco-conscious consumers are dreaming of a green Christmas instead. If you’re looking for ways to reduce your carbon footprint this holiday season, consider these tips from Dedee DeLongpre Johnston, director of sustainability at Wake Forest University.

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Tough economic times may make people more thankful this Thanksgiving, says Samuel T. Gladding, professor of counseling at Wake Forest University and an expert on families. “I think many families will be staying home this holiday season—some with anxiety, others with hope, but the majority with gratitude for what they have. We are not so different in 2010 from 1930 during the Great Depression,” Gladding says.

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In both rural and urban areas across the U.S., racial minorities and the economically disenfranchised suffer disproportionally from the ill effects of assaults on the environment and often lack access to the power to protect their communities. Emmy-award-winning journalist Simran Sethi and Bennett College President Julianne Malveaux spoke at Wake Forest University, encouraging people to change the way they think about environmental justice.

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Add beets to the list of superfoods vital to your diet: A new study suggests that a daily dose of beet juice boosts blood flow to the brain, keeping your mind sharp and potentially creating a safeguard against dementia as you age. Researchers with Wake Forest University’s Translational Science Center; Fostering Independence in Aging took a closer look at beet juice because it is rich in nitrate.

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This Halloween, as people watch horror films—from the earliest films to modern remakes—viewers will be frightened by a sense of vulnerability, says Wake Forest University communication professor Mary Dalton. Movies about vampires, werewolves and zombies show us that even the best of men and women are bitten and fall victim to the accompanying loss of control.

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Wake Forest legal scholar examines 60 years of cemetery law and finds commercialization has replaced individual choice, family custom and religious belief in burial decisions.

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If you want to feel good about yourself, try acting not like yourself. In a new study published in the Journal of Personality, Wake Forest University psychologist William Fleeson found the idea of “being true to yourself” often means acting counter to your personality traits. Because authenticity predicts a variety of positive psychological outcomes, Fleeson says his research can help people see they have options for how they behave.

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A Wall Street CEO and his wife have pledged to give $10 million to Wake Forest University toward the construction of a new building for the Schools of Business designed to change the nature of business education.

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Get your client a fair trial. That was just one of the messages that New York Times best-selling author and lawyer John Grisham wanted students at the Wake Forest University School of Law to take away from a Sept. 14 panel discussion about “Innocence and Justice.”

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Experts are recommending that families make the career office one of the first stops on any college tour. “In this competitive job market, the tools and resources that a career office provide have become nearly as important as academics when choosing a college or university,” said Patrick Sullivan, Associate Director of Experiential Education at Wake Forest University.

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As fat summer tomatoes dangle in profusion from vines in gardens and farms across the country, researchers at Wake Forest University are looking for a way to make future harvests hold up better against drought or lack of nutrients.

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With many new college graduates struggling to land a job, incoming seniors should act now to avoid falling into the same trap, says Ladd Flock, director of career services at Wake Forest University. Here are 10 steps students can take as they head back to school this fall to improve their chances of finding a job by graduation.

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As the nation prepares to mark the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina next week, there is mounting evidence that important lessons have yet to be learned from the deadly storm, says Wake Forest University Law Professor Sidney Shapiro, one of the country’s leading experts on regulatory policy.

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Even though students today are more concerned than ever about the environment, during the transition to college, those ideals often go by the wayside. Dedee DeLongpré Johnston, director of sustainability at Wake Forest University, offers these simple suggestions to achieve a “greener” move-in by doing more with less.

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Rather than assign a book to incoming first-year students to read before they arrive on campus, Wake Forest University has assigned a painting.

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With solar panels on the roof to heat water and touch screens in the hallways for monitoring energy usage, Wake Forest University’s new residence hall has the latest in green technology.

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How positively you see others is linked to how happy, kind-hearted and emotionally stable you are, according to new research by a Wake Forest University psychology professor.

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A team of scientists, middle-schoolers and software developer have partnered with Wake Forest University to create an educational video game that has gone toe-to-toe with some of the best shoot-‘em-up games out there, winning rave reviews from gamers worldwide.

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Because understanding character lies at the heart of human identity, philosophers, psychologists and theologians have long wrestled with how to define good character and how to improve character.

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Because understanding character lies at the heart of human identity, philosophers, psychologists and theologians have long wrestled with how to define good character and how to improve character.

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New research accepted by the Journal of Molecular Recognition confirms that a revolutionary technology developed at Wake Forest University will slash years off the time it takes to develop drugs – bringing vital new treatments to patients much more quickly.

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Wake Forest University Professor of Physics Daniel Kim-Shapiro and a collaborator at the University of Pittsburgh have been awarded a $2.8 million, four-year grant to study why the quality of stored blood degrades over time and to investigate ways to make transfusions using older blood safer.

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The ups and downs of romantic relationships have a greater effect on the mental health of young men than women, according to a new study by sociology professor Robin Simon. She found that both the harmful effects of a rocky relationship and the emotional benefits of a positive romantic relationship affect men more.

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Because companies and organizations are making more “just-in-time” hiring decisions, the summer hiring season looks brighter for new college graduates who are still looking for a job.

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As lawmakers begin meeting next week to mull over legislation aimed at averting another financial crisis, a former Federal Reserve economist cautions that such sweeping reform could have serious unintended consequences. “This is very ambitious and hugely complicated legislation that is being done very fast,” says Robert Bliss, who is now a professor at Wake Forest University Schools of Business.

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With new college graduates facing one of the toughest job markets in years, internships are becoming one of the keys to getting hired in today’s economy. In many cases, universities consider internships so important that they are building endowments and offering stipends to fund students’ salaries, said Patrick Sullivan, associate director of experiential education at Wake Forest University.

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According to the Higher Education Research Institute, more first-year college students have concerns about their ability to pay for college than at any time in the last 40 years. At Wake Forest University, graduating seniors are responding to this anxiety.

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Ever wondered what happens to the piles of plastic bottles collected for recycling? This year, some 48,000 of them will be worn by Wake Forest graduates, as the university becomes one of the first adopters of recycled regalia.

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With the British election less than a week away, Americans may not have to wait until November to see which direction the political tide is moving in the United States. Voting results overseas may portend results here later, says David Coates, author of the new book Answering Back: Liberal Responses to Conservative Arguments and a political science professor at Wake Forest University.

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Pokeberries – the weeds that children smash to stain their cheeks purple-red and that Civil War soldiers used to write letters home – could be the key to spreading solar power across the globe, according to researchers at Wake Forest University’s Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials.

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On this 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the call to action is aimed at individuals, not just government. That’s the view of Dedee DeLongpré Johnston, director of sustainability at Wake Forest University, who is issuing a call to action for Earth Day 2010.

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Eco-fashion is one of the biggest trends of the decade, and designers are offering more stylish and affordable clothing as consumer demand rises. That’s why Wake Forest’s sustainability office and eco-designer Jenny Hwa will soon be co-hosting a fashion show of eco-chic clothing and accessories.

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While high-profile white collar crimes like Bernie Madoff’s $65 billion Ponzi scheme grab headlines, thousands of smaller crimes are being committed each day in offices across America. In an effort to raise awareness of the consequences of white collar crime at all levels and the importance of ethical business behavior, Wake Forest University’s Schools of Business hosted a panel discussion on March 26 entitled “Finding the Way Back: Impacts of White Collar Crime.”

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Green-collar jobs grew by more than 9 percent, twice the growth rate for traditional jobs, from 1998 to 2007. Even during a recession, a greener resume can be the answer to getting hired, says Wake Forest Director of Sustainability Dedee DeLongpre Johnston.

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Although this year’s cohort of college graduates is facing one of the toughest job markets in decades, they actually have an advantage over other job seekers, according to Andy Chan, vice president of career development at Wake Forest University. They are among the age group most likely to be hired and also will be acquiring valuable job hunting skills that will serve them well in the future.

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Whether they win or lose in the upcoming NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, one outcome is certain: coaches will follow predictable patterns in what they say after the game. Wake Forest professor John Llewellyn has studied those patterns for years and calls it coachtalk.

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The Chilean earthquake hit just days before the landmark transition from outgoing President Michelle Bachelet to conservative President-elect Sebastian Piñera, and that is reopening old political fault lines that would better remain closed, says Peter M. Siavelis, director of Latin American Studies at Wake Forest University.

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While most college students will be heading for the beach this spring break, graduating seniors should use their week off from school to open new career doors and ensure they don’t fall victim to one of the toughest job markets in decades. Doors that are open to students now may start closing once they graduate. That’s the message from Andy Chan, vice president for career development at Wake Forest University.

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The 8.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Chile on Feb. 27 was many times more powerful than the one that struck Haiti two months ago, but Wake Forest University Professor of Political Science Peter Siavelis says Chile has many advantages as it begins its recovery efforts.

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Dead and deformed fish indicate selenium pollution from mountaintop coal mining is causing permanent damage to the environment and poses serious health risks, says a Wake Forest University biologist who will brief U.S. Senators on his research Feb. 23.

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The case of the 10 American missionaries arrested on child trafficking charges in Haiti should serve as a wake up call for other U.S. congregations that are increasingly becoming involved in short-term mission work. “Missionary groups that are local and more independent, like the ones arrested in Haiti, are very vulnerable when doing service work in a foreign country, particularly in times of crisis” said Bill Leonard, dean of the Divinity School at Wake Forest University.

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While Valentine’s Day used to consist of the traditional dinner date and a gift of flowers or candy, the romance rules have changed, and in many cases, have become much more confusing. “Men no longer have clear-cut cues on how to treat a woman, and the mixed messages they get from the media and women themselves can often leave them questioning what to do,” says Andrew Irwin-Smiler, an assistant professor of psychology at Wake Forest University and an expert in masculinity at Wake Forest University.

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PepsiCo’s decision to launch an online campaign rather than advertise during the Super Bowl has generated tremendous interest. “The television as a commercial medium for advertising is a dinosaur,” says Wake Forest University communication professor Ananda Mitra, an expert in social media.