April 15, 2020
Purdue experts provide guidance to Indiana parents, teachers dealing with COVID-19 topics
Families are settling into a new normal of staying at home, avoiding social activities and not attending schools, all while many parents are working from home. A Purdue University professor who specializes in preschool mathematics, literacy and environments has tips for families. (Jessica Lewis/Unsplash)
- Finding balance between work, family and e-learning
- How pets can help children cope with social distancing
- Empty schools from COVID-19 increase potential for cyberbullying, sextortion
- Students dealing with loss of important rites of passage
- Keeping at-home education fun through online, video games
- Feeling anxious during these times of quarantines, uncertainty?
- State-side deployments, activations affect families at home as well
Finding balance between work, family and e-learning
Schools have shifted to e-learning. Parents are trying to balance working from home, family obligations and now e-learning. David Purpura, an associate professor of human development and family studies, can talk about ways to find balance, as well as ways to engage children in other activities around the house. Purpura and his wife, Ashley, who is an assistant professor of religious studies at Purdue, are working from home with their four children.
Related news release: No more school: Realistic ways for parents and families to cope, find balance while together at home
A photograph of David Purpura is available to journalists via Google Drive.
Contact: purpura@purdue.edu (also available for web-based conference and phone interviews)
Media contact: Matthew Oates, 765-586-7496 (cell), oatesw@purdue.edu, @mo_oates
How pets can help children cope with social distancing
The coronavirus pandemic is forcing people all over the world to practice social distancing and stay home and children are adjusting to e-learning. As children cope with missing their friends and routines, some of their housemates might be making the transition easier: pets.
Researchers at the Center for the Human-Animal Bond in Purdue’s College of Veterinary Medicine can talk about how pets can provide a source of social support during stressful times and how interacting with companion animals can provide stress relief that can be measured biologically.
Related news release: Can your pet help you cope with social distancing? Science says yes.
Media contact: Abbey Nickel, 740-326-0481 nickela@purdue.edu
Empty schools from COVID-19 increase potential for cyberbullying, sextortion
Kathryn Seigfried-Spellar is an associate professor of computer and information technology in the Purdue (University) Polytechnic Institute. She studies the characteristics and factors associated with cyberdeviance, including cyberbullying and online enticement. She can speak to how the increased juvenile presence will impact online behavior for children and parents.
Related news release: Empty schools from COVID-19 increase potential for cyberbullying, sextortion
A photograph of Kathryn Seigfried-Spellar, as well as a stock photo, are available on Google Drive.
Contact: Kathryn Seigfried-Spellar, kspellar@purdue.edu. She also is available for Skype interviews.
Media contact: Brian Huchel, bhuchel@purdue.edu, Working remotely but will provide immediate response.
Students dealing with loss of important rites of passage
Heather Servaty-Seib is a Purdue University professor who researches loss and grief experiences in both death and non-death situations. She can speak to the importance of acknowledging the losses and recognizing the grief that occurs when these important rites of passage cannot be practiced in their traditional forms.
Related news release: Students dealing with loss of important rites of passage
A photograph of Heather Servaty-Seib, as well as a stock image, are available on Google Drive.
Contact: Heather Servaty-Seib, servaty@purdue.edu. In addition to phone interviews, she is available for interviews via Zoom as well as Skype and WebEx.
Media contact: Brian Huchel, bhuchel@purdue.edu. Working remotely but will provide immediate response.
Keeping at-home education fun through online, video games
William Watson is an associate professor in learning design and technology and director of the Purdue Center for Serious Games and Learning in Virtual Environments in the College of Education, can talk how to incorporate game-oriented learning activities at home while families remain in various levels of isolation due to the outbreak.
Related news release: Parents: Tips on using online and board games to help kids learn
A photograph of William Watson, as well as a stock photo, are available on Google Drive.
Contact: William Watson, brwatson@purdue.edu. In addition to phone interviews, the professor is available for Skype, Zoom and WebEx interviews.
Media contact: Brian Huchel, bhuchel@purdue.edu, Working remotely but will provide immediate response.
Feeling anxious during these times of quarantines, uncertainty?
Susan Kersey is a clinical assistant professor of nursing and director of the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program. She has expertise in the field of psychiatry and the treatment of mental health conditions. She can talk on how to work with and identify ways to address anxiety, depression and other aspects of mental health in all populations, including children. Kersey has worked in a variety of mental health settings during her career.
Related news release: Feeling anxious during these times of quarantines, uncertainty?
A photograph of Susan Kersey is available on Google Drive.
Contact: Susan Kersey, sjkersey@purdue.edu (also available for web-based conference and phone interviews)
Media contact: Matthew Oates, 765-586-7496 (cell), oatesw@purdue.edu, @mo_oates
State-side deployments, activations affect families at home as well
With states activating their National Guards to combat COVID-19, what will families experience – especially with a domestic call-up? Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, a professor in human development and family studies and director of the Military Family Research Institute, can talk about resources available to those active duty, National Guard or Reserves families.
Related news release: Access to resources, support is key to easing stress of military families facing deployment
A photograph of Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth is available to journalists on Google Drive.
Contact: Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, shelley@purdue.edu (also available for web-based conference and phone interviews)
Media contact: Matthew Oates, 765-586-7496 (cell), oatesw@purdue.edu, @mo_oates
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