Expert Alert
August 2006

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The “slimming” of soon-to-be CBS news anchor Katie Couric
Aug. 30, 2006

News broke today that a photo of Katie Couric, the incoming “CBS Evening News” anchor and the first solo female anchor of a weekday network evening news in history, had been touched-up to make Couric significantly slimmer. Couric said that she was unaware the photo would be touched-up until the CBS magazine it appears in crossed her desk. A University of Minnesota expert who can speak about the doctored photo and how women in the media are treated differently than their male counterparts is:

Mary Vavrus, a University of Minnesota communication studies professor
Vavrus is an expert on women and the media. Vavrus' research interests include news media representations of gender, feminism and postfeminism.

“In TV news, a woman’s size is always an issue,” Vavrus says. “In TV media, women’s cache has always been based on their appearance and men’s isn’t and, sadly, that hasn’t changed in years.”

Vavrus is currently working on a book, tentatively titled “Gendered Brands: Identity and the New Terrain of Media Politics.” Vavrus is also a member of the graduate faculty of the Feminist Studies program and teaches graduate courses including political economy of media culture, feminist media studies, qualitative methods in media studies and feminist cultural studies and electoral politics.

To interview Vavrus, contact Patty Mattern, University News Service, (612) 624-2801.

Minneapolis going for wireless
Aug. 30, 2006

Philadelphia, San Francisco and Anaheim have it, and now Minneapolis is on its way to becoming a wireless city. This Friday the City Council will vote on whether or not to approve the $20 million project that would give roughly 90 percent of the city a wireless internet connection for $20 a month. In its preliminary plan, a locally based technology firm has been appointed to undertake the daunting task. A University of Minnesota expert who can discuss what being a wireless city entails is:

Nihar Jindal, electrical and computer engineering professor at the University of Minnesota
Professor Jindal has extensively researched wireless communications at the university’s Digital Technology Center. He currently teaches a course on the subject. During his career he has also worked with Intel and Bell Labs on wireless technology development. Jindal can comment on the challenges encountered in a metropolitan-wide wireless system and what services it would provide.

To interview Jindal, contact Drew Swain at (612) 625-8962 or dswain@umn.edu; or Asim Dorovic at (612) 624-0214 or dorovic@umn.edu.

Plan B - The Morning-After Pill
Aug. 25, 2006

This morning, the Food and Drug Administration approved Plan B, the morning-after pill, for over the counter sales for anyone 18 and older. Girls 17 and younger will still require a doctor’s note to obtain the emergency contraceptive. A University of Minnesota expert who can comment on this issue is:

Martha Erickson, parenting expert and senior fellow at the U’s Insititute for Child Development:
Erickson served as the first director of the University of Minnesota’s Children, Youth & Family Consortium, and she currently co-chairs the president’s Initiative on Children, Youth & Families at the U. She can give parents advice on a number of issues, including:
• Talking to teenagers about what is a morning-after pill
• Ensuring your teens know that Plan B is not simply an alternative to condoms or other contraceptives
• General advice on talking to kids about sex
• Helping your kids make good decisions in all areas of life

To interview Erickson, contact Asim Dorovic at (612) 624-0214 or dorovic@umn.edu; or Drew Swain at (612) 625-8962 or dswain@umn.edu.

Pluto demoted
Aug. 24, 2006

For the past 12 days, thousands of astronomers from around the world have been meeting in Prague, Czech Republic at the International Astronomical Union conference to determine the standards of what constitutes a planet. Today, the astronomers voted on a universal definition that demoted Pluto to a “dwarf planet,” bringing the total number of “classical” planets down to eight. University of Minnesota experts who can comment on this historic decision are:

Terry Jones, professor of astronomy at the University of Minnesota
Professor Jones specializes in infrared astronomy, stars and the Milky Way. Widely published in his field, he has had the opportunity to work with the Minnesota Supercomputer Institute and the Hubble Space Telescope to locate obscure stars hidden in our galaxies. Jones is available to discuss the demotion and some of the controversy over the new definition.

Larry Rudnick, professor of astronomy at the University of Minnesota
Professor Rudnick’s research focuses on supernovas and cluster galaxies. An Institute of Technology Alumni Distinguished Teaching Award recipient, Rudnick has also consulted for public television's “Newton's Apple” and is a founding member of the Minnesota Planetarium Society. He is also available to comment on the new definition.

To interview Jones or Rudnick, contact Drew Swain at (612) 625-8962 or dswain@umn.edu, or Asim Dorovic at (612) 624-0214 or dorovic@umn.edu.

Advice for parents sending their children off to college
Aug. 24, 2006

Going away to college is an anxiety-filled time for students, and it’s a difficult time for parents as well. Parents are searching for advice on how to handle this transition in the child’s life. A University of Minnesota expert who has advice for parents is:

Marjorie Savage, University of Minnesota Parent Program director
Savage has good advice for parents as they prepare to send their children off to college. In fact, Savage wrote the book on helping parents navigate their role in their child’s life when he or she leaves home for college.

In her book, “You’re On Your Own (but I’m here if you need me): Mentoring Your Child During the College Years,” Savage guides parents through this critical period of life.

The unwritten rules for parent involvement in college-age children’s lives have changed, said Savage, who has worked in parent programs for 10 years. “When I started in this field, the message was for parents to let go,” Savage said. “About eight to nine years ago, I noticed a change in the student population. Students didn’t want their parents to completely let go.”

She gives tips on how to navigate issues that arise during college, involving everything from credit loads and body piercings to sex and finances. Savage’s book offers advice to help parents gauge when it’s appropriate to get involved in their children’s life and when it’s better to back off. When it comes to finances and health, get involved, Savage advises. When it comes to talking to professors about class, parents should not interfere, she said. “That’s considered sacred ground.”

To interview Savage, contact Patty Mattern at (612) 624-2801.

3 more planets in our solar system?
Aug. 16, 2006

Nearly 2,500 astronomers from the International Astronomical Union are meeting for the next two weeks in Prague, Czech Republic, to agree on a standard system of defining what constitutes a planet. The past half-century has seen great advances in telescope technology, and scientists have been able to observe further into the galaxy and in more precise detail than ever before. Now, with asteroids and once unknown clusters visible, the space community may be adding three more planets, forcing updates in textbooks and encyclopedias across the globe. University of Minnesota experts who can comment on these astronomical changes are:

Terry Jones, professor of astronomy at the University of Minnesota
Professor Jones specializes in infrared astronomy, stars and the Milky Way. Widely published in his field, he has had the opportunity to work with the Minnesota Supercomputer Institute and the Hubble Space Telescope to locate obscure stars hidden in our galaxies. Jones is available to discuss the three planet candidates and some of the controversy over the possible new definition.

Larry Rudnick, professor of astronomy at the University of Minnesota
Professor Rudnick’s research focuses on supernovas and cluster galaxies. An Institute of Technology Alumni Distinguished Teaching Award recipient, Rudnick has also consulted for public television’s “Newton’s Apple” and is a founding member of the Minnesota Planetarium Society.

To interview Jones or Rudnick, contact Drew Swain at (612) 625-8962 or dswain@umn.edu, or Asim Dorovic at (612) 624-0214 or dorovic@umn.edu.

BP’s Alaska oil field and gas prices
Aug. 7, 2006

BP has announced the shutdown of the biggest oil field in the United States due to major corrosion in one of its pipelines. The oil supply affected accounts for eight percent of the nation’s oil. This reduction in global oil output will put additional strain on an already tight oil market and is certain to affect prices at the pump. University of Minnesota experts who can talk about the possible surge in oil and gas prices and alternative fuels are:

Akshay Rao, professor of marketing at the U's Carlson School of Management
Rao is the chairman of the department of marketing and logistics management and a professor of marketing at the U's Carlson School. He specializes in pricing and can answer questions on gas prices in response to the shutdown of the oilfield. Rao can also field questions in the general arena of gas pricing strategy.

Alfred Marcus, professor of strategic management and organization at the U's Carlson School of Management
Marcus can talk about the supply and demand dynamics that contribute to the price of gas at the pump. He can also talk about hybrid technologies such as hybrid electric vehicles or ethanol. Marcus can discuss hybrid technologies and what the government needs to do to provide incentives that will result in more fuel efficient vehicles and less oil dependency in the future.

Jerry Fruin, professor in the applied economics department at the U's College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
Fruin can talk about BP’s announcement this morning and how this ties into the global supply of oil vs. directly affecting the prices at US pumps.

To interview any of the experts above, contact Asim Dorovic at (612) 624-0214 or dorovic@umn.edu; or Drew Swain at (612) 625-8962 or dswain@umn.edu.

Cuba and Castro’s future
Aug. 1, 2006

For the first time in his 47-year tenure, Fidel Castro has relinquished power of Cuba. Raul Castro, the 79-year old’s younger brother, is stepping in while the dictator undergoes intestinal surgery. Since Fidel led the communist revolution to power in 1959, the United States and the small island country have been on uneasy and sometimes hostile terms. Now, with Fidel’s health and Cuba’s future in jeopardy, the United States is strongly pressuring the government to prevent a possible Castro family regime. A University of Minnesota expert who can discuss Cuban politics and relations with the United States is:

David Samuels, political science professor at the University of Minnesota
Professor Samuels is a specialist in the area of Latin American politics. He can comment on past and current relations between the United States and Cuba and give some insight into what could develop as Castro’s condition changes.

To interview Samuels, contact Drew Swain at (612) 625-8962 or dswain@umn.edu, or Asim Dorovic at (612) 624-0214 or dorovic@umn.edu.