These faculty members learned about the importance of working with the news media as a way to publicize faculty research, expertise and programs in the School of Liberal Arts. They also tested their skills with an interview practice session.

I encourage more faculty to work with the media so people around the world hear about Purdue's School of Liberal Arts. Psychological sciences research from Susan Swithers and Terry Davidson was featured in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal, and health communication research from Marifran Mattson, associate professor of communication, was cited in The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Times. These placements were the result of collaboration with the Purdue News Service. Also, a recent news tip quoting Robert Novak, professor in audiology, was picked up by ScienCentral and will be aired on television news stations across the country.

Anyone with questions about working with the Purdue News Service or news media, can contact Amy Patterson-Neubert at (765) 494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu.

I hope you have a wonderful Fourth of July holiday.

Toby L. Parcel

SPECIAL REPORTS

Study: Artificial sweetener may disrupt body's ability to count calories

Choosing a diet soft drink over a regular, sugar-packed beverage may not be the best way to fight obesity, according to new research from Purdue. But the researchers said this doesn't mean you should grab a regularly sweetened soft drink instead.

Swithers & Davidson

Professor Terry Davidson and associate professor Susan Swithers, both in the Department of Psychological Sciences, found that artificial sweeteners may disrupt the body's natural ability to "count" calories based on foods' sweetness. This finding may explain why increasing numbers of people in the United States lack the natural ability to regulate food intake and body weight. The researchers also found that thick liquids aren't as satisfying - calorie for calorie - as are more solid foods.

Based on the research, Davidson and Swithers suggest paying more attention to calories consumed and engaging in regular exercise to battle the bulge. More

Patient privacy at risk in hospitals' hallways, lobbies, cafeterias

New health communication research shows that casual conversations in hospital hallways and waiting rooms poses a threat to the confidentiality of patients' medical information.

Mattson

Research conducted at Purdue by Maria Brann, assistant professor of communication studies at West Virginia University, and Marifran Mattson, associate professor of communication at Purdue, shows patient privacy is breached when hospital employees talk about patient cases in public areas, such as the cafeteria, or with people outside of work. The researchers' paper appears in the spring issue of the journal Health Communication.

"The country has recently invested a tremendous amount of resources in the nation's largest set of federal privacy laws to prevent health-care providers and institutions from divulging or selling patient information," says Mattson, who studies health communication issues of privacy and safety. "But we found that the daily conversations of physicians, nurses, hospital staff and technicians can jeopardize the same kind of personal information. So, not only is there a need for privacy laws, but also we see how challenging it is to maintain such laws in the simplest setting of people talking to each other.

"Those of us in roles that involve health education of patients and care providers must seize the opportunities to teach privacy awareness and skills." More

NEWS TIPS

Expert says new King Arthur movie adds more twists to legend (Dorsey Armstrong, assistant professor of English)

Prof: Don't fear political protests, welcome democratic process (Rachel Einwohner, associate professor of sociology)

FACULTY AND BOOKS

Purdue appoints history scholar as dean of graduate school

Purdue officials announced June 2 that John Contreni, history professor and interim dean, will be the new dean of the Graduate School.

Contreni

"Graduate schools' responsibilities include educating the professors of the future as well as producing leaders in global economic competition and creators of technological advancements," said Purdue President Martin C. Jischke. "Purdue is ideally positioned to move forward and meet today's challenges under the leadership of John Contreni."

Provost Sally Mason said Contreni was selected after an extensive national search. She praised his leadership as interim dean since fall 2002, as well as his career in the classroom and national recognition as a leading researcher in medieval history and culture.

"Purdue's graduate programs are nationally recognized," Mason said. "Under Professor Contreni's leadership, we are looking forward to more national attention as Purdue continues to prepare the global educators and professionals who will shape the classrooms, laboratories and economy of the future." More

Trustees honor psychological sciences professor

James Nairne was appointed distinguished professor on June 4.

Nairne

Nairne is a professor of psychological sciences, founding director of the Research-Focused Honors Program in psychological sciences and director of School of Liberal Arts Honors Program. He received his undergraduate training at the University of California at Berkeley and his doctorate in psychology from Yale University. His research specialty is human memory. More

-- Janet Afary, associate professor of history and women's studies, was elected president of the Association for Middle East Women's Studies. She also was elected to serve in 2005 as president of the International Society for Iranian Studies.

-- James G. Anderson, professor of medical sociology, has been named a member of the American College of Medical Informatics Fellows and International Associates. Anderson studies the social, organizational and ethical issues that determine success of medical informatics applications.

-- Robert May, professor of history, is a Fletcher Jones Foundation Fellow at the Huntington Library San Marino, Calif., this summer. May is the author of Manifest Destiny's Underworld.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Indiana educators joined Purdue anthropologists working in the field on June 30 to learn how archaeology can bring history to life in the classroom.

Wea School dig

Project Archaeology, a national program based at the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis, teamed with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology's summer archaeological field school for its West Lafayette workshop.

Purdue's archaeological field school will continue through July 30. The public can visit the site Mondays through Thursdays on July 6-29. Purdue students will be giving tours of the excavation site, located at Newman and Sharon Chapel roads in West Lafayette, from 9 a.m. to noon and 1-3 p.m. More

PAST EVENTS

Drew Brees, of the San Diego Chargers, autographs a T-shirt for Sneah Rani, a junior at West Lafayette High School, on June 22 during the PEFCU Pep Rally for Purdue University's National Youth Sports Program.

Drew Brees visits NYSP

Rani, in her third year with the program sponsored by the Department of Health and Kinesiology, is training as a counselor. More than 300 children, ages 10-16, attend the sports program weekdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. through July 23.

The camp focuses on healthy living by encouraging children to eat right and engage in physical activity through sports. Math, science and writing also were added to the program's activities this year. Children are referred by their Tippecanoe County schools. More

Children participated in self-concept, behavior study

More than 25 children participated in the Children's Research Summer Program, which is run by Betsy Hoza, professor of psychological sciences.

Summer Program

During the June program, children ages 8 to 10 with and without behavior problems engaged in social skills training through activities such as sports, games, swimming, and arts and crafts.

"This research is important because not only does self-concept reflect how children feel about themselves inside, but recent research suggests that it also may relate to important aspects of children's adjustment and behavior," Hoza said. "We are trying to study the links between self-concept and how well children are able to monitor and modify their behavior." More

EXPERTS IN THE NEWS

Wall Street Journal –
Diet of Low-Fat, Low-Calorie Foods May Trick the Body Into Eating More (Susan Swithers and Terry Davidson, Department of Psychological Sciences)

Reuters –
Artificial sweeteners make calorie counting hard (Susan Swithers and Terry Davidson, Department of Psychological Sciences)

The Washington Times –
Indiscretions infecting patient privacy (Marifran Mattson, Department of Communication)

Arizona Republic –
Health care not so private (Marifran Mattson, Department of Communication)

Pennsylvania Express Times –
Fireworks noise is under fire (Robert Novak, Department of Audiology and Speech Sciences)

Indianapolis Star –
Historians expect to see 'spin' in 'My Life' (Randy Roberts, Department of History)

Lafayette Journal and Courier –
Teachers excavate old school house (Deborah Rotman, Department of Sociology and Anthropology)

Lafayette Journal and Courier –
Bands, fireworks can be a blast, but can harm the ears (Robert Novak, Department of Audiology and Speech Sciences)

Louisville Courier Journal –
Will women on the Hoosier ballot bring more women to the polls? (Rosalee Clawson, Department of Political Science)

South Bend Tribune –
Women in race attract female voters: Purdue professor says lieutenant governor candidates might lure women to polls this year (Rosalee Clawson, Department of Political Science)

Indianapolis Star –
Mending the rift with mom (Minrose Gwin, Department of English)

Indianapolis Star –
Father guides family, business (Lyle Lloyd, departments of Audiology and Speech Sciences and Special Education)

Any story ideas or news tips can be sent to Amy Patterson-Neubert at the Purdue News Service, (765) 494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu