Purdue Newsmakers


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

November 29, 1996 Purdue faculty, staff and students make headlines around the world. This column offers highlights of those stories that appeared or were carried by national news media outside Indiana.

A New York Times column that ran in several other papers reported the sighting of an accused war criminal in Bosnia by Charles Ingrao, professor of history. Ingrao was in Bosnia collecting information for a book when he spotted Radovan Karadzic driving by a police headquarters. "Why don't you arrest him?" Ingrao asked an officer. "It is not in our mandate," the official replied, even though it's part of the Dayton peace accord. Ingrao predicts there will be no long-term peace in the region as long as war criminals are not arrested and tried. "This is the real moral crisis of our government, not Whitewater," he says.

If it's bad for you, but you like it, chances are Richard Mattes has been in the news talking about it. The Sunday Telegraph (London), Chicago Tribune, Atlanta Constitution and other papers reported Mattes' research on tasting fat. He found that you didn't even have to swallow fat for it to begin elevating levels of triglycerides in the body. Also in the Chicago Tribune, he was quoted on the difficulty people have in reducing their salt intake. "Marked and sustained reductions have been problematic even among those who are highly motivated," he says. However, lest we lose hope, Mattes has found something that apparently isn't fattening: alcohol. His study noted in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Wichita Eagle found that most people who drink excessively usually displace food with alcohol. He says even moderate drinkers can expect little weight gain. See news release.

Those moderate drinkers may, however, expect to smoke. A scientific link between drinking and smoking was found by Stephen Tiffany, professor of psychological sciences. In a study reported by the Associated Press , Tiffany found that alcohol physically increases the craving to smoke. He says that can be bad news for people trying to quit smoking. " alcohol can be a 'double whammy' for smokers trying to quit because they are less able to resist the urge to light up," he says. See news release.

The director of Purdue's successful Women in Engineering program was quoted in a syndicated column noting Purdue's efforts to support women pursuing graduate degrees. In describing a meeting of these women, Jane Daniels said: "It was thrilling to see 100 women from every race and ethnic background, animated, excited. Many still feel isolated, and it was comforting to have faculty and alumnae tell them they're not crazy and how to succeed." The story appeared in the Chicago Tribune and Tulsa World , as well as other papers.

Don't expect your child to make new friends overnight when attending a new school, suggests Thomas Berndt, professor of psychological sciences. One way to help is to invite potential friends over to your home. "It helps build a bridge between school and the outside world," he says. His advice appeared in a column that was carried by the Atlanta Constitution, Tampa Tribune, Charlotte Observer and other newspapers.

Debt counselors are in demand as consumers continue to pile up debt at a record pace. The National Foundation for Consumer Credit reports that credit counselors are experiencing a 20 percent increase over last year in customers seeking help with credit issues ranging from credit card debt to bankruptcy. Michael Staten, director of the Credit Research Center, tells the Christian Science Monitor that too many consumers are seeking help a little too late. "Traffic is up, but more people are too far gone to help," he says.

Smog and bad air can affect animals just as much as people, according to Dr.Larry Glickman, professor of veterinary epidemiology and environmental health. In an article in the Arizona Republic , Glickman discusses a recent study that showed dogs in Bangkok, Thailand, were succumbing to diseases much like those suffered by heavy smokers. "It's interesting that in Bangkok that would get a lot of attention," he says. "This was also reported here as early as the '60s and never got any attention at all." Glickman was referring to a 30-year-old University of Pennsylvania study that looked at environmental effects on dogs and cats living in industrial areas of Philadelphia as compared to animals in nonindustrial locations.

You can help ensure that your school and faculty are recognized in "Newsmakers" by sending clips of national news stories or reports of national broadcasts to Jeanne Norberg, director, Purdue News Service, ENAD.


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