Experts Available

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A specialist on aging and adult development shares observations about how Chinese families care for -- and interact with -- older adults.

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Dr. Rebecca Barton of the University of Indianapolis School of Occupational Therapy offers suggestions to help musicians, and especially music students, avoid pain and injury despite long hours playing their instruments.

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Two national presidential election experts at the University of New Hampshire are available to discuss the vice presidential picks of Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain.

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University of Iowa Political Scientist David Redlawsk plans to turn a scheduling conflict into a unique learning opportunity for his students by teaching the first week of classes remotely from the Democratic National Convention.

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What college freshmen should bring to college is sometimes not what they actually bring to campus. This list includes practical suggestions as well as a few "tongue-in-cheek" ones.

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As the economic downturn forces more companies to lay off workers, a workplace aggression expert at the University of New Hampshire cautions employers about what to do and not do when breaking bad news to employees.

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The recent controversy about whether Wal-Mart Stores Inc. unlawfully pressured employees to vote against Democrats in November is another instance of the increasing erosion of free expression in the workplace, according to Bruce Barry, author of a book on this subject.

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University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) history Professor George Liber, Ph.D., is available to discuss the cultural differences between the Russian and Georgian people.

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Manufacturers' efforts to cut costs and reduce waste through so-called "lean" manufacturing techniques haven't always taken the environment into account. But two researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology hope to show that manufacturers can be both lean and green by incorporating processes designed to conserve energy and minimize environmental impact with a lean manufacturing philosophy.

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GW experts are available to discuss climate, environment, and sustainability issues. Faculty come from academic fields including business and economics; geography; law and ethics; politics and policy; science; and engineering.

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Johns Hopkins faculty member Adam Segal is available to discuss the Obama campaign's plan to announce his running mate selection by e-mail and text messages.

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Threats to marine ecosystems from overfishing, pollution and climate change must be addressed to halt downward trends .

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The UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) Spam Data Mine reports that a new spam trend using MSNBC began shortly after 3 a.m. this morning. Because the new spam attack is based on the actual emails sent to MSNBC Alert subscribers, it will be nearly impossible to block to the spam without also blocking legitimate MSNBC mail, said Gary Warner, director of Computer Forensics.

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Tips on how to help your child get back in the school groove, from Mary Muscari, associate professor at Binghamton University, State University of New York, and author of Not My Kid: 21 Steps for Raising a Nonviolent Child and Let Kids be Kids: Rescuing Childhood.'

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Russia's incursion into neighboring Georgia shows that post-Cold War alliances may be more complex than previously thought, and it leaves the United States in a difficult position, according to Douglas Woodwell, assistant professor of international relations at the University of Indianapolis.

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Retired Ambassador Carey Cavanaugh, a former peace negotiator for conflicts in the Caucasus region, is available to comment on the escalating Russian and Georgian conflict over the Caucasus region of South Ossetia.

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Hospital for Special Surgery physicians, surgeons, rehabilitation specialists, sports psychologist and nutritionist are available for comment during Beijing Olympic games.

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In an age when universities across the country are noticing a rapid increase in copyright complaints against their students for illegal file sharing, Missouri University of Science and Technology is seeing just the opposite.

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This August is Menopause Awareness Month, a good time for women to discuss with their doctors female sexual dysfunction, a real but often-overlooked medical condition. It may be surprising to learn that approximately forty million American women suffer from some type of female sexual dysfunction (FSD), which can arise from many causes, including increasing age, certain surgical procedures, the use of prescription pharmaceuticals, disease, or chemical imbalances.

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Since 2001, researchers at the U.Va.'s Cognitive Aging Laboratory have been testing and tracking hundreds of volunteer participants, ranging in age from the mid-20s to 98 to gain insight to changes in cognition over time, and to possibly discover ways to alleviate or slow the rates of decline. "We will also better understand the processes of cognitive impairment, the declines that may predict eventual Alzheimer's disease or other dementias," says U.Va. Professor of psychology Tim Salthouse.

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Two Grinnell College experts available on chronic disease and meditation.

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When high-tech swimsuits were introduced eight years ago, swim time predictions by Indiana University swimming experts indicated the swimsuits made little to no impact on swimmers' times. IU researchers saw a different outcome at the U.S. Olympic Trials, where the men swam faster in all but one race predicted by the researchers. The swimsuits, say one expert, are bad news for the sport.

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The American automobile industry is in the midst of a downward spiral that has left big automakers struggling for their very survival. Last week, General Motors reported a stunning second-quarter loss of $15.5 billion while Ford reported a loss of $8.7 billion. These losses have resulted in sweeping cost cuts, elimination of benefits, reduced production, and other measures in order to boost tenuous cash position. In contrast to this and other downward industry trends, one area of the automotive market appears to be flourishing.

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Friday, Aug. 8, marks the 20th anniversary of the 8/8/88 protests that were the beginning of a nationwide pro-democracy movement in Burma. Officials with the Center for Constitutional Democracy in Plural Societies at the Indiana University School of Law--Bloomington, including Burmese exile Ngun Cung "Andrew" Lian, comment on the anniversary.

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Psychology professor and fan behavior expert Edward Hirt talks about Americans' potential skepticism of Olympics performances but also their forgiving nature toward fallen athletes who apologize right away.

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It's natural for first-year students to encounter challenges associated with the transition to college life. For many students the academic demands are great, dorm-life may be their first experience sharing a living space, and there is so much unstructured time to manage. As director of Saint Joseph's University's Office for Student Success, Kim Allen-Stuck, Ph.D., has some advice to help students ease into the college experience.

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Prof. Guiora, a counterterrorism expert, argues that today's military court decision convicting Salim Hamdan merits discussing alternative forums to try individuals suspected of terrorism.

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According to genomic expert Simon Chin, young women are underrepresented in many research studies, as no effective screening tools exist and little research on genetic predisposition is available for this growing group of survivor. Young actress' Christina Applegate's breast cancer announcement underscores vital medical issue.

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As Latino players become a prominent force in baseball, Texas Tech University experts answer why.

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On Aug. 21, 1858, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas kicked off the first of seven historic debates in their campaign for the Illinois seat in the U.S. Senate. Now 150 years later, much has changed in how political candidates discuss the issues, and not for the better, according to a University of New Hampshire professor who studies political rhetoric and persuasion.

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Ronnie Elmore, associate dean of Kansas State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, has some campaign advice for this year's presidential candidates: Put your pets front and center.

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Kids are still off from school and keeping them entertained is getting tougher by the day. But, can children have fun this summer while staying safe and healthy? Several experts from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) are attempting to take out some of the guesswork, and are available to comment on the various aspects of youth health.

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The government of China proudly announced this year that the athletes who would be living in the just-completed Olympic Village will have access to safe drinking water. That's nice, but University of Maryland School of Law Professor Robert Percival, JD, says ordinary Chinese citizens will have to wait years until they can take for granted that they also have access to clean water.

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Mayo Clinic's medical experts offer breadth and depth about health issues and background related to the Olympic Games and Olympians. These are just some of our experts. Call us -- we'll do our best to meet your needs.

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P.M. Forni, director of the Civility Initiative at Johns Hopkins University, is available to speak to reporters about how China has been coaching its citizens on good manners in preparation for the Olympics, which will bring an influx of foreign visitors. Could a national manners campaign work in the U.S.?

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Tufts University Professor Ayesha Jalal's book, "Partisans of Allah: Jihad in South Asia," provides cultural and historical context to jihadi ideals in South Asia, especially in the federally administered tribal areas (FATA) of Pakistan. In addition, she can comment on the Pakistan government's policy in FATA and U.S.-Pakistan relations.

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As the Olympics are about to unfold, a Johns Hopkins University political scientist with expertise in the Chinese economy is available to work with reporters.

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Vanderbilt University experts are available to comment on the issues and policies addressed by the reauthorized Higher Education Act, expected to be finalized by Congress in the next several days.

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As gas prices soar, scientists at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at Florida State University are marketing research that will enable petroleum companies to locate, analyze and process crude oil much faster, cheaper and more accurately.

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From emergency preparedness to the impact the Games will have on Chinese police to the "goosebump moments" viewers crave, Rowan University professors are available to address issues surrounding the XXIX Olympiad.

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If you step into one physics classroom on Florida State University's campus, you may not recognize it as the same course you took in high school or college. Making use of state-of-the-art technology, Associate Professor Simon Capstick is helping his students get a more hands-on, collaborative educational experience -- and actually learn more in the process.

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Robert Olshansky, a professor of urban and regional planning at the University of Illinois, says yesterday's 5.4-magnitude earthquake that shook people up but caused relatively minor damage in Southern California should be considered a public service announcement for vigilance and preparedness.

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In the U.S. and North America, nuclear energy has yet to overcome the stigmas associated with Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, disasters that are an entire generation removed. With energy issues emerging as the great national challenge of our time, and fully 17% of the world's electricity generated from nuclear reactors"”including 80% of France's electricity"”former treasurer of Greenpeace, Canada, and CEO and President of Bancroft Uranium Inc., Paul Leslie Hammond, is available to discuss the future of nuclear energy as an economical and sustainable energy source.

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Are you planning to add a new roof or new siding to your home before winter? Paul Fisette, an expert on green building, says that these home improvement jobs can be the perfect time to boost your home's energy efficiency and lower your heating bills, especially if you own an older home.

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As you load up the family vehicle or rental truck to take your child to college later this summer, leave the satellite dish off your packing list. A little common sense goes a long way when determining what to pack for a student's first, or any, year at school, says a residential housing director at Washington University in St. Louis.

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David Elton is a professor of civil engineering at Auburn University and an expert on seismicity and earthquate damage.

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China is clearly poised to overtake Team USA in the medal tally, says Curt Hamakawa, director of the Center for International Sport Business at Western New England College in Springfield, MA, and former member of the United States Olympic Committee.

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The 2008 Olympics present both opportunity and challenge for hosting nation China, namely in the area of tourism, says Brent Smith, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. "China, like much of East Asia, remains very foreign to most Westerners, especially from the United States," he says. "Visitors to its larger cities, such as Beijing, are usually impressed by what they'd not expected to see."

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Staff members from the Center for Community Earthquake Preparedness, housed in the University of Mississippi School of Engineering, are available to discuss earthquakes, disaster planning, damage mitigation techniques and other aspects of disaster preparedness.

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Northern Arizona University's Dr. David S. Brumbaugh, Director of the Arizona Earthquake Information Center, is available for comment about the earthquake in Los Angeles on Tuesday, July 29, 2008.