Please welcome Sam Joseph as Director of the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health.

Dr. Joseph has a BSA from the University of Florida, Gainesville in bacteriology and chemistry; MS and PhD from St. John's University in microbiology. Former Professor and Chair, Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics (Microbiology), University of Maryland; Adjunct Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, UMB; and Former Director, Infectious Diseases Program, Naval Medical Research and Development Command, National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, MD.

He has more than 120 refereed publications currently in press with six additional in preparation; and 15 books and chapters. He is a member of Sigma Xi; Elected Fellow, American Academy of Microbiology; Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science. Extensive contract and grant work with FDA, Naval Medical Research and Development Command; Agency for International Development; Agricultural Experiment Station; USDA; Maryland Department of the Environment.

(Date Added: July 21, 2008)

Zainab Okolo, a 2008 alumna of the Family Science undergraduate program, received the 2008 "Undergraduate Outstanding Student Paper Award" from the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR). This national honor recognizes Zainab's excellent study of the hunger and eating behaviors of 350 low-income, predominantly African American children and youth in Baltimore City. Her project has important implications for food and nutrition programs and public policy. Zainab will receive her award at NCFR's 2008 Annual Meeting in Little Rock in November. She will begin a graduate program in marriage and family therapy at Syracuse University this fall.

(Date Added: July 18, 2008)

Dr. Elaine Anderson and Dr. Bonnie Braun are collecting data this summer for their Rural Families Eat for Health project, funded by the Maryland Agricultural Extension Service. The two FMSC faculty members and graduate students Kate Speirs, Nicole Finkbeiner, and Patty Fanflick have been conducting interviews with mothers and grandmothers on the Eastern Shore and in Western Maryland to learn more about the eating habits of families with pre-school children. Of particular interest is their purchasing and preparation of fruits and vegetables. The researchers are partnering with Dr. Virginie Zoumenou in Cooperative Extension and her UMES students.

Findings will inform future development of nutrition education programming.

(Date Added: July 18, 2008)

Please welcome our new Student Services Advisor, Sandra Quinn.

Sandra works primarily with student athletes pursuing majors within the School of Public Health. She also coordinates freshmen and transfer orientation programs.

Sandra comes to UMD with an extensive background in academic advising and student services. She worked as an advisor and instructor at both Old Dominion University and Boise State University. Sandra is an alumna of Boise State University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in Finance and a master's degree in Education with an emphasis in Educational Technology.

(Date Added: July 18, 2008)

Dr. Cheng Shuang Ji, a 2007 graduate of the Family Science Ph.D. program, has accepted a position as a Research Instructor in the Department of Oncology at Georgetown University School of Medicine. She will be working with her mentor, Dr. Wenchi-Liang, on a NIH-funded project to promote communication between physicians and Chinese patients about colorectal cancer prevention. Dr. Ji has also worked with the District of Columbia Public Schools to increase Asian immigrant parents' contact with their children's schools. Her article, "Parental Involvement in Children's Education: An Exploratory Study of Urban Chinese Immigrant Families" (co-authored by Dr. Sally Koblinsky), was recently accepted for publication in the journal, Urban Education.

(Date Added: July 18, 2008)

It is with sadness that we announce that Emeritus Professor James H. Humphrey died July 11, 2008.

Dr. Humphrey an emeritus professor in the Kinesiology Department had moved to Livonia Michigan in recent years. He received his bachelor's degree from Denison University, his master's degree from Case Western Reserve University and his doctorate from Boston University. James taught at all educational levels from elementary school to the college graduate level. During WWII, James served as an Athletic Specialist at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Great Lakes, Illinois. He started his career as an assistant professor of physical education at Michigan State University. In 1953, he became as associate professor of physical education and health at the University of Maryland in College Park and was promoted to full professor in 1956. As a notable researcher and author, James was the recipient of numerous honors and awards during his career.

He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Frances, his daughter Joy Rose (Tim) and cousin, Hazeljean Adams. Memorial donations may be made to the James H. Humphrey Graduate Research Writing Award. Payable to UMCP Foundation and sent to Dr. Jane Clark, Department of Kinesiology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-2611.

(Date Added: July 14, 2008)

Congratulations to Dr. Jaime Schultz for her selection as a campus CTE-Lilly Teaching Fellow.

This program provides the opportunity for up to ten faculty members from the College Park campus to meet regularly during the academic year to discuss and address important issues in undergraduate education. Dr. Schultz joins a distinguished group of campus faculty who have been Lilly Fellows including other faculty from the School of Public Health: Dr. Marvin Scott (Kinesiology) and Dr. Donna Howard (Public and Community Health).

(Date Added: July 13, 2008)

Dr. Sean Deeny, (PhD'05), received the Alzheimer's Association "Best Paper" for the New Investigator Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Award at the annual meeting of ICAD in Chicago this month. This award was in recognition of Dr.Deeny's paper in Biological Psychology "Exercise, APOE, and working memory: MEG and behavioral evidence for benefit of exercise in epsilon4 carriers." Other authors on the paper were: David Poeppel, Jo B. Zimmerman, Stephen M. Roth, Josef Brandauer,Sarah Witkowski, Joseph W. Hearn, Andrew T. Ludlowa, José L. Contreras-Vidal, Jason Brandt, and Bradley D. Hatfield

(Date Added: July 13, 2008)

Dr. Robin Sawyer, of the department of Public and Community Health, spoke yesterday on The Morning Show. The subject was "How can married couples keep the 'sizzle' in their sex life?". A couple spoke about having sex 101 days in a row and Robin was the sex expert for the show. His book, Sexpertise, was also shown.

(Date Added: July 01, 2008)

Jane Clark, professor and chair of Kinesiology, discusses her studies in posture control and balance in babies in Terp Magazine. "My research is focused on how the brain connects to the muscles to do the things we do almost automatically".

Dr. Clarks research focus is developmental motor control, motor development, and movement disorders.

Using a dynamic systems approach, Dr. Clark and her colleagues have demonstrated that the newly walking infants limbs, like those of the adult walker, act like coupled nonlinear limit cycle oscillators at both the intralimb and interlimb levels of coordination. Her current work examines the role of sensory information in the development of upright posture and locomotion in infants.

(Date Added: June 30, 2008)

Terp Magazine featured several Kinesiology professors on the story "Strong at Any Age". Dr. Jim Hagberg discusses his early work and the way that it directs his current research. Dr. Ben Hurley talks about gene combinations that affect muscle mass. Dr. Steven Roth looks into DNA changes that exercise brings about. Dr. John Jeka researches balance and aging. And Jo Zimmerman offers tips on keeping your brain and body young.

(Date Added: June 30, 2008)

Olivia Carter-Pokras of the Department of Epidemiology, is quoted in a Washington Post article "County Must Help Improve Latino Health".

Dr. Carter-Pokras has conducted health disparities research in the Federal government (21+ years) and academia (4+ years). Her research has mainly focused on the intersection of epidemiology and health policy to address Latino health and children's environmental health.

(Date Added: June 30, 2008)

Ndidi Amutah, FMSC Doctoral Student in Maternal and Child Health (MCH), was one of 40 professionals and doctoral students selected to complete the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) and Center for Disease Control's (CDC) 2008 Training Course in MCH Epidemiology held in Chicago from June 2nd - 7th. This national program is aimed primarily at MCH professionals who have significant responsibility for collecting, processing, analyzing, and reporting maternal and child health data. The course combines an intensive five-day program of hands-on data analysis experience with continuing access to expert consultation through September 2008. Ms. Amutah received a scholarship to cover all expenses related to her training.

(Date Added: June 27, 2008)

Three Family Science undergraduates have been named Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program Scholars for 2008. The McNair program prepares undergraduate students from disadvantaged backgrounds for doctoral study by providing opportunities for research and scholarship. Rashida Ali-Mubarak, a first-year Scholar mentored by Dr. Kevin Roy and associate mentor Megan Fitzgerald, is examining ways to reduce food insecurity and improve nutritional outcomes among families participating in the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program. Sharelle Law, a first-year scholar mentored by Dr. Southerland in the McNair Program, is investigating how the mother-son relationship influences spousal relationships among African American men. Shauntia White (left), a first-year scholar mentored by Dr. Blanchard in the Psychology Department, is examining genetic and environmental factors in social anhedonia and schizophrenic-spectrum disorder. FMSC faculty member Dr. Kevin Roy is also mentoring Valencia Morton, a third-year scholar and Sociology major, who is exploring low-income young men's relationships with their nonresidential fathers over time.

(Date Added: June 27, 2008)

Congratulations to Trent Bradberry, doctoral student in Bioengineering working with Dr. Jose L. Contreras-Vidal, who was named a finalist in the student paper competition of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology. Trent's award winning paper is on "Decoding of hand and cursor kinematics from magnetoencephalographic signals during tool use."

(Date Added: June 19, 2008)

J. Corey Williams, Kinesiological Sciences Honors student (Class of '09) has been named as 2008-09 Merrill Presidential scholar. The Merrill Presidential Scholars Program honors the University of Maryland's most successful seniors and their designated University faculty and K-12 teachers for their mentorship. Corey named Dr. Steven Roth from the Department of Kinesiology as his UM mentor who most influenced him. Congratulations Corey. Well done!

(Date Added: June 14, 2008)

David Bates, Kinesiological Sciences Honors student (Class of '09), has been named as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute fellow. David is working this summer as an NIH intern and in the fall will return to work in Dr. Jae Shim's Neuromechanics Lab group. Congratulations, David.

(Date Added: June 14, 2008)

Dr. Seppo Iso-Ahola and his doctoral student, Jay Goldstein's research on soccer parents emotions before and after their child's game is featured on the MSNBC website. The article published in the June issue of the Journal of Applied and Social Psychology reports the results of questionnaires that measured, among other factors, stress and pressure, levels of anger and aggression and aspects of their personality related to "what makes them tick." The research focused on two personality types: control and autonomy orientations.

(Date Added: June 13, 2008)

On Monday, June 9, 2008 the Washington Post featured a story on the successful joint partnership between the University of Maryland School of Public Health with Seat Pleasant Maryland, a lower income community that understands health care disparity. As the Post notes, one of the keys to the program's success is that after approaching skeptical community leaders who had seen well-intentioned university programs come and go, our faculty and students remain committed to the program and the residents 10 years later. This program exemplifies our commitment to translating research into public health application. For the full story click below.

(Date Added: June 10, 2008)

From the School of Public Health Graduate Student Organization:

We would like to thank all of you who have submitted the survey, and remind those who have not done so that the deadline for all survey submission is June 30, 2008. We look forward to receiving additional surveys.

If you did not receive the survey, please contact us at umdsphgso@gmail.com

Erinna K. & Joanne P

_________________________________________________

This original message was sent to all graduate students on May 28, 2008:

Greetings,

Although it has been a long and arduous semester for all of us, we hope that the semester has faired well for everyone. We want to first thank those who came out to the first Graduate Student Organization (GSO) planning meeting back in April. Continuing in the same vein, we would like to further push forward in our goal for the formation of the GSO effective Fall 2008. Attached are the following:

1. Student interest survey

2. Minutes of April's meeting

3. Power point slides of April's meeting

We encourage graduate students of the School of Public Health to be fully engaged in this process. In order to meet the goals of the organization, we will be meeting over this summer break. Individuals interested in helping in this endeavor, please contact us at umdsphgso@gmail.com with your availabilities for this summer. As well, send survey responses, questions, and comments to the above contact.

We look forward to hearing back from you!!!

Erinna Kinney and Joanne Perodin

(Date Added: June 10, 2008)

Dr. Stephen Roth, a professor in the department of Kinesiology, was presented with the Leda Amick Wilson award at the Faculty Research retreat at the University Golf Course.

This award was established in 2003 to honor a former faculty member in Family Science who was an advocate for undergraduate students and mentoring their progress toward the completion of their degree requirements. It is presented to a faculty member who has done an outstanding job of mentoring students in the department or School.

Dr. Roth's areas of interest include understanding the role of genetic variation (and environmental interaction) in determining inter-individual differences in body composition, sarcopenia risk, exercise responses, and other health-related phenotypes.

(Date Added: June 06, 2008)

John Jeka, a professor the department of Kinesiology, received the Research and Development Award at the Faculty Research retreat. The award is presented to a faculty member who has been recognized for doing an outstanding job in research and/or development.

John Jeka studies the way the brain combines sensory information about the environment and one's own body movement to better understand patient populations with neurological disease and injury that lead to balance problems.

(Date Added: June 06, 2008)

Family Science welcomes Wen Ji, a transfer student from Prince Georges Community College (PGCC), to our department. Ms. Ji earned her Associates Degree in General Studies and will become a UMCP student in Fall 2008. Recently she received the "Transfer Academic Excellence Scholarship," a full-tuition award given to only 12 incoming, academically outstanding transfer students from Maryland community colleges. Originally from China, Ms. Ji came to the United States three years ago and has mastered the English language within this short time period. During her time at PGCC, Wen volunteered at the International Educational Center and was a student ambassador to the College's important guests and visitors. Upon graduation from Family Science, Wen is pursuing a career in Social Work, where she plans to work with new immigrant families and promote cultural competency and sensitivity! She is very active in her church community and enjoys reading for relaxation; she credits her success to her religious faith and her older sister, Amy. Family Science is proud to have Wen join us in the fall.

(Date Added: June 02, 2008)

Dr. Suzanne Randolph, Associate Professor in Family Science, accepted the Muriel R. Sloan Communtarian Award at the School of Public Health faculty retreat for her significant contributions to outreach programs in Maryland and its surrounding areas. Her outreach efforts involve the implementation of culturally appropriate programs to train and educate parents and early childhood educators on issues involving community violence and effective parenting, evaluation of a male caregiving advocacy support group, and evaluation of the Ward 8 Drug-Free Youth Coalition project. The Communitarian Award recognizes Muriel Sloan's desire to support faculty that assist in educating youth and families in public school systems.

(Date Added: May 28, 2008)

Dr. Sharon Desmond, Associate Professor of Public and Community Health, was awarded the Jerry P. Wrenn Outstanding Service Award. This award is presented to a faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding service in general and specifically to the University Community. Special attention is given to noteworthy advising at both the graduate and undergraduate levels and it is our highest award for service to students.

(Date Added: May 28, 2008)

Graduate students and faculty of the Department presented papers at this year's North American Society for Sport History (NASSH) held at Lake Placid, NY. Dr. Damion Thomas gave a paper on: "Spreading the Gospel of Democracy: The Harlem Globetrotters and the State Department. " Dr. Jaime Schultz's paper was on "The Physical is Political: Women's Suffrage, Pilgrim Hikes, and the Public Sphere." Three graduate students, Bryan Bracey, Jennifer Sterling, and Jessica Chin also gave papers at the conference.

(Date Added: May 27, 2008)

Dr. Damion Thomas gave a paper "Crossing the Picket Line: Arthur Ashe and the Anti-Apartheid Movement," at the "To Remember is to Resist: 40 Years of Sport and Social Change, 1968-2008" conference at the University of Toronto.

(Date Added: May 27, 2008)

Dr. Jose (Pepe) Contreras-Vidal has been invited to join the editorial board of the International Journal of Mobile Human Computer Interaction (IJMHCI). This journal brings together a comprehensive collection of research articles from international experts on the design, evaluation, and use of innovative handheld, mobile, and wearable technologies. The journal also considers issues associated with the social and/or organizational impacts of such technologies. Emerging theories, methods, and interaction designs are included and complemented with case studies which demonstrate the practical application of these new ideas.

(Date Added: May 27, 2008)

Dr. Bonnie Braun, Associate Professor and Extension Family Policy Specialist, Maryland Cooperative Extension was awarded the George F. Kramer "Practitioner of the Year" award at the faculty retreat. Dr. Braun's research efforts include family health policy, health and well-being of low-income rural families, food insecurity, and obesity.

This award was established in honor of Dr. George Kramer for his involvement with the University of Maryland and the College of Health and Human Performance from 1950 through 1998. During his 48 years on campus, he served as Student, Gymkana Performer, Full Professor, Acting Dean and directed and coached the Gymkana Troupe for 33 years. Dr. Kramer was a visionary who was instrumental in planning the Health and Human Performance Building and in developing this 20,000 square foot gymnasium into one of the best gymnastic teaching and training facilities in the nation.

(Date Added: May 27, 2008)

Dr. Donna Howard, Associate Professor for Public and Community Health, was given the Doris Sands "Excellent Teaching" award at the faculty retreat. This award is presented to a faculty member who has been evaluated by the department chair, peers and students as being an excellent teacher in his/her area of expertise.

Dr. Doris Sands was a renowned sexuality educator who was recognized for her tremendous teaching skills and ability to reach students.

(Date Added: May 27, 2008)

Eighty-four undergraduate students in the Department of Family Science graduated with their Bachelor of Science degrees this week. Students completed a rigorous family science curriculum that required each student to complete a small group, empirical research project and an intensive, semester-long internship in the human services. The graduating class of 2008 is distinguished by its scholarship, community service, and student leadership. Seniors were actively engaged in activities of the Maryland Council on Family Relations and Phi Upsilon Omicron (family science honorary) during the 2007-08 academic year. Graduates are heading off to a wide variety of graduate schools and the world of work. For example, this fall Mallory Hanfling will begin a graduate program in Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania, Zainab Okolo will be a graduate student in Marriage and Family Therapy at Syracuse University, and Katherine Hancock will start a graduate Nursing program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Other graduates plan to begin full-time employment including Melba Malpass (pictured second from the left), who will work for the Department of Juvenile Services with the State of Maryland and Jasmine Foreman, who has accepted a legal assistant position with the legal offices of Wiley Rein in Washington, DC. Heartfelt congratulations to all our graduates! We wish you success and happiness in all your future endeavors and hope that you will stay in touch!

(Date Added: May 23, 2008)

Family Science Ph.D. candidate Wakina Scott has been awarded a 2008-09 Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Research Fellowship with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Her dual appointment with the Office of the Secretary and Office of Minority Health will allow her to work on a variety of health issues addressing health disparities and health equity. This prestigious fellowship recognizes Wakina's outstanding academic achievements and excellent contributions to family science and public health, and will support Wakina's dissertation study during the 2008-09 academic year. Wakina's doctoral dissertation examines socio-cultural determinants of physical activity among African American and White female adolescents.

(Date Added: May 23, 2008)

We are pleased to announce the awardees of this year's Public Health Seed Money Research Program. The focus of this program is on stimulating multi- and inter-disciplinary research that has a high likelihood of increasing future external support for research. This year, junior investigators were the only ones eligible to serve as PIs.

The three projects selected for funding this year include:

PI: Amy J. Haufler: Collaborators: Jane Clark, Nathan Fox, Bradley Hatfield, John VanMeter

Title: Motor ability and the developing brain: Examination of neural tissue density employing the NIH MRI Normal Brain Development Database

A relationship between fitness and improvements in cognition across a range of ages has been established. Higher levels of physical activity and aerobic fitness appear to confer a particular benefit to neuro-anatomical areas which mediate executive processes and emotional regulation. Begin to examine physical activity's contribution of the developing brain by examining motor ability performance, executive function and brain tissue density using the unique NIH MRI database.

PI: Marcio Alves Oliveira: Collaborators: Jose Contreras-Vidal, Nathan Fox, Amanda Woodward

Title: Neural correlates of action understanding and production in infants

This project will collect pilot data to characterize a neural network, the so-called mirror neuron system (MNS), which is thought to be involved in action understanding and production. We will investigate electrophysiological correlates of MNS functioning in infants, and characterize its plasticity during early experience First found in monkey the MNS has created considerable excitement about how this system may underlie infants understanding of others actions, and lead to their ability to produce the same actions.

PI: Jessica M. Rath: Collaborators: Amy Haufler, Pamela Clark, Elbert Glover, Bradley Hatfield

Title: Physiologic impact of variation in pH of new smokeless, spitless tobacco products

Rates of cigarette smoking are declining, but smokeless use is increasing. This is a pilot study to provid data for an RFA to be announced in June. The study will determine if variation in the proportion of free-base nicotine in new smokeless, spitless tobacco products influences perceptions of the products, plasma nicotine boost, cardiovascular reactivity, and/or speed of nicotine delivery to the brain.

Please join me in congratulating the awardees!

(Date Added: May 23, 2008)

Dr. Jaime Schultz gave a paper at the conference: "To remember is to resist:"* 40 Years of Sport and Social Change, 1968-2008 University of Toronto. May 20-22. Uniting academy and practise - The Sport and Social Change Conference brings together academics and activists, practitioners and scholars from a variety of disciplines and perspectives whose research interests touch upon issues of sport and physical activity, human rights and social change.

(Date Added: May 22, 2008)

It was a great pleasure to participate at the University of Maryland Alumni Association's Ninth Annual Awards Gala on April 12th. We were delighted to honor Kevin Clair in a room full of family and friends.

Kevin M. Clair, M.S., M.A., FAWHP, is co-owner and President of the Health Solutions group of companies. The Health Solutions companies deliver worksite health services in all 50 states, conducting health risk screenings and providing health risk reduction programs. Health Solutions was founded in 1991 by Bill Clair, Kevin's brother, and Kevin joined the organization in 1994. Programs served by Health Solutions have received national recognition including the C. Everett Koop National Health Award granted by The Health Project at Stanford University. Previously, Mr. Clair managed a variety of outpatient services and affiliated enterprises for several hospital systems. He was recognized as a Fellow of the Association for Worksite Health Promotion. Mr. Clair's writings, which have focused on the design and financial management of health promotion programs, have been published in North America and Europe.

Mr. Clair earned a B.S., Magna Cum Laude, from the University of Maryland in 1982, receiving the Fraley Award, which honors the most outstanding graduating senior in the School of Public Health.

As always, we encourage you to nominate alumni for the Alumni Association's awards, in addition to honoring your own alumnus of the year.

(Date Added: May 21, 2008)

Four student from the School of Public Health are recipients of Graduate Student Summer Research Fellowships for summer 2008.

Kinesiology is represented by Jaebum Park (advisor: Jae Shim) and Xihe Zhu (advisor: Ang Chen) and NACS is represented by Melissa Pangelinan (advisor: Jane Clark) and Yuanfen Zhang (advisor: John Jeka).

This is the pilot year for this fellowship program, a companion program to the Flagship Fellowships and the Wylie Dissertation Fellowships. Summer Research Fellowships are intended to provide support to doctoral students at "mid-career," that is, in the period approximately before, during, or after achievement of candidacy.

The Fellowships will enable doctoral students to devote a summer of focused work to preparing for or completing a benchmark in their program's requirements. The specific goal of the program is to help doctoral students take a significant step forward in their studies in a timely manner; the overall goals are to reduce time-to-degree, to increase degree completion, and to enhance the quality of the graduate student experience.

(Date Added: May 21, 2008)

Each semester Football Coach Ralph Friedgen and his wife, Gloria, our own Alumni Affairs and Outreach Coordinator, issue a CHALLENGE to all the grads. We ask that each one donate back to his department gift fund $5.00 (cash or check payable to UMCP Foundation - tax deductible!!). The Friedgens' match the gift.

This year's matching totals: FMSC -$50, KNES - $356, DPCH - $447, and PHED - $130.

We are very pleased by the generosity of our students in answering this challenge.

Check out the link for names and more photos!

(Date Added: May 20, 2008)

Judy Schinogle, Damion Thomas, and Guangyu Zhang on receipt of General Research Board and Creative and Performing Arts awards for academic year 2008-2009.

Congratulations to each and every one of these recipients. Well done.

"The General Research Board was created in 1957 to provide summer salaries, equipment and even publication costs ... Designed largely to promote research in the humanities and social sciences -- which did not share proportionately in the vast research contracts from government and industry -- the board sought to encourage promising young faculty members as well as established scholars."

(Date Added: May 16, 2008)

Congratulations to the following graduate students who call Kinesiology "home" -- they were each awarded a $5000 summer fellowship from the Graduate School.

Jaebum Park (Kinesiology; Advisor: Dr. Jae Shim) Xihe Zhu (Kinesiology; Advisor: Dr. Ang Chen) Melissa Pangelinan (NACS; Advisor: Dr. Jane Clark) Yuanfeng Zhang (NACS: Advisor: Dr. John Jeka)

WOW!!! WELL DONE ALL!!!

The Fellowships are intended to enable doctoral students to devote a summer of focused work to preparing for or completing a benchmark in their program's requirements. The specific goal of the program is to help doctoral students to take a significant step forward in their studies in a timely manner; the overall goals are to reduce time-to-degree, to increase degree completion, and to enhance the quality of the graduate student experience.

(Date Added: May 15, 2008)

Family Science is pleased to announce that Dr. Kevin Roy has been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure at UMCP. Since joining our department, Dr. Roy has been an outstanding teacher, scholar, mentor, and colleague. Currently a national W.T. Grant Scholar, much of his research focuses on low income fathers and the social policies that affect their lives. His work examines fathers' paternal identities, their relationships with their own fathers, and their patterns of involvement with their children and their children's mothers--identifying fathers' strengths as well as their challenges. Dr. Roy has made exceptional contributions to the family science instructional program through his teaching of our undergraduate course on Poverty and Affluence in Families and graduate courses in Family Theories and Qualitative Methods in Family and Health Research. He has earned a campus-wide reputation as a superior mentor; receiving the Ronald E. McNair Mentor of the Year Award in 2005 and 2007 and the School of Public Health Leda Amick Wilson Mentoring Award in 2006. Dr. Roy will continue to play an important role in our family science programs and in developing a top-ranked School of Public Health.

(Date Added: May 15, 2008)

On May 6th, the Washington Post published the article "Should You Trust Your Body Fat". Andy Ludlow was the primary advisor and offered many related comments. The reporter worked with Andy to understand and determine his own body fat. Finally, on video the reporter is put into a dunk tank to determine his body fat and Andy Ludlow further explains the process and results.

(Date Added: May 13, 2008)

Graduate student instructors Lisa Benson, Megan Fitzgerald, Elizabeth (Liz) Pollock, and Wakina Scott were selected as 2007-08 Distinguished Teaching Assistants by the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE).

This prestigious award is given only to the top 10% of graduate student instructors, recognizing their excellent teaching and strong commitment to working with students in a professional and creative way. Lisa and Wakina have been instructors of our undergraduate course, Children in Families; Megan has taught Delivery of Human Services to Families; and Liz has been the instructor for the Individuals in Families course. All four Ph.D. students, who have been participants in FMSC's Preparing Future Faculty and Family Professionals program, will be honored by the CTE, the Office of Undergraduate Studies, and the Graduate School at the annual Distinguished Teaching Assistant Ceremony on Wednesday, May 14th at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center.

(Date Added: May 13, 2008)

Kinesiology professor Bradley Hatfield uses advanced brain imaging to study the benefits of exercise on the aging brain. Early results show that moderate physical activity may help maintain memory function longer--maybe even for years--in people who are genetically predisposed to Alzheimer's disease.

(Date Added: May 08, 2008)

University researchers take on food safety - It's dinner time. Do you know where your food has been? If you're eating shrimp tonight, there's a 90 percent chance it was pulled from another country's waters and processed in a place where food safety might not have the priority it does in the United States.

(Date Added: May 08, 2008)

Dr. Robyn Zeiger, FMSC Senior Lecturer, has been named the recipient of the 2008 Lesbian and Gay Staff and Faculty Award, "Champion of Our Community." This honor recognizes Dr. Zeiger's outstanding contributions to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community. Dr. Zeiger has worked tirelessly to secure equal rights for LGBT individuals and families at both the university and state levels. She recently testified before the State Senate in support of domestic partnership benefits and civil marriage, describing her 25 year relationship with her partner, Dori Anne Steele. Dr. Zeiger will receive her award at the annual Lavendar Graduation on May 22, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm in the Stamp Student Union.

(Date Added: May 05, 2008)

Andrea Loreg, FMSC Couple and Family Therapy student, received the Scholars Foundation and Russ Griffith Memorial Scholarships from Datatel, Inc. These awards, totaling $3,600, recognize an outstanding student who returned to school after a five or more year absence. Andrea, a former Accountant, is finishing her first year in our clinical masters program. The awards recognize her academic excellence and contributions to the Family Science Department.

(Date Added: May 05, 2008)

HLTH 688C: Tobacco: an exemplar complex public health problem. (3 credits)

Mondays 4:00-6:45, Room SPH 0303, seats 8, Instructor: Clark, Pam

This is a seminar course that examines the complex problem of tobacco use. Lessons learned from tobacco control can be applied to addiction to other substances of abuse, as well as to other complex public health problems such as obesity. The class will be fully participatory in that both learning and teaching will be done by the group. The broad goal of the course is to take a transdisciplinary approach to understanding the social, biologic, economic, and genetic bases of tobacco use. The classic epidemiologic model of agent (tobacco products), host (smoker, chewer, involuntary smoker), vector (tobacco product manufacturers) and environment (cultural, political, economic, historical) will guide the exploration. A strong emphasis will be placed on enhancing your skills as a critical thinker, communicator and life-long learner.

(Date Added: May 05, 2008)

Davi Mázala (a Kinesiology major, pictured here) has been awarded a Senior Summer Scholar grant to work with Dr. Marcio Oliveira on "The effect of practice on grip-load force coordination in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder." Pallavi Nadendla, a Bioengineering senior, also was awarded a grant to work with Dr. Stephen Roth, a faculty member in Kinesiology. Pallavi's project will be on the "Influence of physical activity on hippocampus epigenetic regulation."

(Date Added: May 04, 2008)

Darryl Hill, who in 1963 became the first African-American football player at the University of Maryland and in the ACC, spoke in KNES 293 History of Sport in America (Instructor: Dr. Jaime Schultz). Mr. Hill, currently back on campus as the Director of Major Gifts in the Athletics Department, was the subject of a recent ESPN documentary, "BlackMan, White Field: Darrly Hill's Run to Victory."

(Date Added: May 04, 2008)

Today four students from the School of Public Health were inducted into Tau Sigma National Honor Society for transfer students. To be invited to join, students must have at least a 3.5 in their first semester at UMCP after attending another school for at least two semesters.

Kudos to:

Jennifer Drilea (HLTH)

Kelly Ringer (FMSC)

Ivan Ivovic (KNES)

Andrew Vaky (KNES)

(Date Added: April 29, 2008)

Congratulations to Dr. Amy Haufler. She has been awarded a CTE instructional improvement grant for her proposal, "Implementation of learning style methods to enhance student achievement in a cooperative learning environment."

This is great news! Amy will be working to implement these methods in our introductory Kinesiology course (KNES 200).

Well done, Amy!!

(Date Added: April 29, 2008)

Dr. Sandra Hofferth, Professor, has been named the Associate Director of the Maryland Population Research Center, a multidisciplinary center dedicated to population-related research. The Center brings together faculty and graduate students from multiple departments, including those in the School of Public Health, and is housed in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS) at UMCP. Dr. Hofferth has also been nominated to the Vice Presidency of the Population Association of America (PAA), an organization of professionals working in the population field. Dr. Hofferth works with the PAA using quantitative and qualitative data to research problems within the human population and to disseminate these results through a variety of national venues.

(Date Added: April 28, 2008)

Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) faculty and students were actively involved in shaping State laws governing treatment of mental health problems. They testified for two bills which passed in the 2008 Maryland legislative session. One bill enables MFTs to seek emergency petitions for clients who need treatment in hospital facilities, keeping this critical treatment decision in the hands of mental health professionals rather than having to rely on the police force to determine the need for hospitalization. The second successful bill revised the state law that originally created professional licensing for MFTs and counselors, restructuring the Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists (BPCT) that oversees implementation of the licensing law. The BPCT will now have two additional MFT members, giving the profession a broader voice. MFTs are extremely grateful to Delegate James Hubbard (left), an outstanding advocate for Maryland families and a member of the School of Public Health Board of Visitors, for his sponsorship of the bills and unwavering encouragement in these efforts.

(Date Added: April 28, 2008)

Shauntia White, a Family Science junior and Hillman Entrepreneurs Scholar, is a member of one of two Hillman teams that are finalists in the 2008 University of Maryland Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (MTECH) Business Plan Competition. Shauntia's group project proposes the creation of a new, high quality child care center on campus. The team developed an online needs assessment survey for faculty, staff, and students to assess their needs for child care for children birth through age 6. Shauntia and her team will present their proposal and survey findings at the final MTECH Business Plan competition on May 9, 2008. FMSC Chair Sally Koblinsky and Ph.D. student Kate Riera consulted with Shauntia's team in developing their project survey.

(Date Added: April 25, 2008)