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Are paper ballots safe?

The State of Georgia wants to replace its 16-year-old voting machines with paper ballots for fear of Russian election hacking, but are paper ballots safe? “Safe from hacking? Perhaps. Safe from voter error? Not so much,” said Scott Thorp, a user-centered design expert and chair of the Department of Art and Design at Augusta University. “User-centered design for paper ballots is crucial for free and fair elections. Good design should never influence how people vote. A design mistake might actually have cost Al Gore the presidency in 2000. Who is to say it couldn’t cost the governorship in Georgia this year?” Thorp, who also worked as a professor and design coordinator at the Savannah College of Art and Design, is available to discuss: • What user-centered design is • How design can influence people’s behavior • How bad design can lead to human error • Why designing paper ballots with users in mind is crucial for free and fair elections Thorp, who is also associate vice president for research at Augusta University, has worked for more than a decade as an exhibiting artist. His research interests include user-centered design, design thinking, and the psychology of creativity. Contact us to schedule an interview with Scott Thorp or learn more about his expertise. Source:

Father-daughter expert: Steve Jobs’ daughter’s new book offers lessons on forgiveness

In her biting new memoir Small Fry, Lisa Brennan-Jobs, daughter of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, paints a portrait of her father that is far from flattering. Brennan-Jobs’ forgiveness of her father’s flaws and reportedly cruel behavior leaves some perplexed – but not Linda Nielsen, a nationally renowned expert on father-daughter relationships. Nielsen says our reactions to Brennan-Jobs’ memoir may reflect more upon our own family relationships than those of the tech visionary and his oldest daughter. “Forgiving her father is a gift a daughter gives, not just to her father, but to herself. In choosing not to allow her bitterness about his failings as a father to consume her, a daughter is choosing not to deprive herself of whatever pleasure she can still derive from their relationship. She does not deny the past. But she does not dwell in it. Forgiving does not mean forgetting,” Nielsen wrote today for The New York Times. “Ms. Brennan-Jobs’ memoir may provide a comforting message for parents who fear that their mistakes and missteps inevitably will lead to irreparable damage — and for daughters who are grappling with their father’s failures as a parent. Adult children can choose to focus on the dearness or the darkness of their childhood relationships with their parents.” Nielsen is a professor of adolescent and educational psychology at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. She has researched and written about father-daughter relationships since 1970. For nearly 30 years, she has taught the only known college class in the U.S. devoted exclusively to the subject. Her latest book, Father-Daughter Relationships: Contemporary Research and Issues, examines what improves or weakens these relationships and their impact on society. Nielsen is available for interviews Wednesday and leading up to the Sept. 4 release of Small Fry. Source:

Is America’s economy about to learn a very hard lesson regarding student debt?

1.5 trillion dollars. That’s an enormous amount of money. And it’s the anchor around the next generation of Americans who have student debt. In fact, we’re now seeing people declaring bankruptcy before they’ve actually started accumulating wealth and participating in the economy. All of this spells bad news for the future. But what can be done? Is this a problem for politicians to solve? Is it up to schools to the schools charging thousands per year in tuition? Do lenders need to be regulated? Or should the onus fall on the student’s themselves who sign on the dotted line for loans they already know will be hard to pay back? There are a lot of questions out there and that’s where the experts from Cedarville University can help. Kim Jenerette is the Executive Director of Financial Aid at Cedarville University and is an expert in student debt, student load default rates and the overall affordability of education. Kim is available to speak with media regarding this growing issue. Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview. Source:

It used to be a big deal – but has the once mighty blog gone bust?

In the days before Facebook … there were blogs. Blogs written by corporate leaders, academics, foodies, pundits and enthusiasts of every stripe. At one point, a blogger’s opinion could greenlight a film or sink a rising star. Blogs have massive influence. But those days are gone. Where blogs were once a salon for opinion and interest – the role that survived was usually as part of a larger institution’s communications strategy. It blended internal and external engagement – and it was effective. Until now, recently even Harvard acknowledged they were getting out of the blogging realm. But as blogs fade into the sunset – will the information, data and value be preserved? Should archives be created to maintain the history of these online conversations for future generations? Or, is it simply a delete and all that information is gone? Martha Burtis is the director of the digital knowledge center at the University of Mary Washington. An expert on this topic, she recently spoke with media regarding the winding down of blogs at Harvard. She is available to speak to media regarding this topic – simply click on her icon to arrange an interview. Source:

Understanding the meaning of America’s monuments

As the debate continues with what to do with Confederate monuments that dot America’s landscape, the experts from the University of Mary Washington have been lending perspective, knowledge and opinion to the conversation. Professor of Geography Stephen P. Hanna is part of a team of scholars from universities across the South who are investigating how enslavement is incorporated in the landscape and narratives of Southern plantation museums. A key part of this work is to suggest ways these museums can rework their tours and exhibits to help the public understand that slavery was central to both the lives of everybody who lived at these sites and to the development of American political and economic systems. Says Hanna: “A year after white supremacists rioted in Charlottesville, it is clear that the underlying issues related to racial justice have not gone away. African-Americans face arrest for simply being in places where whites suspect they don’t belong. Police are more likely to escalate their use of force more quickly when dealing with black Americans. In addition, both Blacks and Latinos are fighting efforts to make it harder for them to vote while Latino Immigrants have to fear deportation and family separation.” He continues: “The struggle over Confederate Memorials and the narratives presented as “history” at southern plantation museums must be seen within this context. The good news is that more people understand that statues of Robert E. Lee and costumed tour guides at plantation museums describing a romanticized version of the antebellum South don’t represent our shared past. Instead they are efforts to write a particular history that denies that our nation’s roots include enslavement of African-Americans and that slavery’s legacy includes the injustices non-whites endure today.” Dr. Hanna is available to speak with media regarding this topic. Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview. Source:

Confederate monuments: How should America preserve and remember its history?

August 12 marks one year since a deadly march in Charlottesville, Virginia, when white nationalists showed up to protest the city's plans to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee, a Confederate general. And one year later, the debates across America, particularly the South, continue about what should be done with Civil War-era monuments in town squares, public parks and other areas of high visibility. Most of the monuments were put in place decades after the end of the Civil War when whites in the South were reclaiming their dominant position socially and economically. So it’s not surprising that Confederate monuments are politically loaded. They were from the beginning, but the society in which the monuments find themselves has changed. What should be done with these monuments? Are they worthy of preservation? Should they be on display in a museum or discarded and forgotten? The pendulum is swinging very hard both ways on what to do, and that’s where the experts from the University of Mary Washington can help. Jason James, associate professor of sociology and anthropology, is a scholar of cultural memory who teaches a unique course called Practices of Memory, which focuses on the ways societies remember and forget the past through monuments and memorials, museums, film, and other media. This includes the debates over Confederate monuments and the commemoration of slavery. Jason is available to speak with media regarding this topic. Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview. Source:

What can the Big Mac tell us about our economy?

McDonald’s is celebrating Big Mac’s 50th anniversary by giving away MacCoins, which customers can use to buy a Big Mac in 50 countries. The idea of creating this burger currency, according to the company, originated from the “Big Mac Index,” which The Economist has used since 1986 to compare real currencies across the globe. Because McDonald’s has more than 36,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries, the price of its top-selling burger, locally produced in more than 80 countries, has been used to indicate the purchasing power of a country’s economy. What does burgernomics tell us about our economy? Dr. Simon Medcalfe is a professor of economics and finance at Augusta University and is available to discuss: • How the Big Mac Index is calculated • What the latest Big Mac Index says about the U.S. dollar and the U.S. economy • Why the Big Mac has been called the nearly perfect commodity for currency comparison Medcalfe has published academic articles in the areas of sports and health economics and economic education as well as contributed to labor economics and entrepreneurial finance textbooks. Contact us to schedule an interview with Dr. Medcalfe or learn more about his expertise. Source:

Adults need vaccines too? You bet. Find out why.

Back to school for kids also means time to get those immunizations up to date. But did you know that most adults, age 50 and older, may also need a few important vaccines as well? August is National Immunization Awareness Month, and what better time to check with your physician to see what vaccines may be appropriate for your age. “One of the most important immunizations for adults to have each year is the Influenza vaccine,” said Dr. Jose Vazquez, Chief of Infectious Diseases at Augusta University and AU Medical Center. “In elderly or older adults, in particular, the flu can turn deadly very quickly.” There was a was a high severity of the H3N2 influenza strain with record-breaking levels of influenza-like illness and hospitalization rates, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We hope to save more lives through appropriate and timely flu vaccinations,” Vazquez said. Furthermore, vaccines are necessary throughout our lives. Adults should keep their vaccinations up to date because immunity from childhood vaccines may wear off over the years. Other factors that can influence the need for different vaccines in adults include the individual’s underlying health conditions, career, lifestyle, and travel habits. Other important adult vaccines include Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis), pneumococcal (pneumonia prevention), and shingles. “Immunizations have proven to be very safe, and they are widely available. I recommend asking your primary care doctor about what vaccines you need to promote better health and prevent communicable diseases,” Vazquez said. To schedule an interview with Dr. Jose Vazquez, click on his expert profile. Source:

Electronic health records and the impact on workflow and costs

Healthcare practitioners and hospitals were initially slow to implement electronic health records (EHR) due to the perceived cost. The financial incentives from Medicare/Medicaid to adopt EHRs helped alleviate some of that concern, but the actual impact on workflow and profits, irrespective of those incentives, are still under investigation. In a research study, Steven D. Culler, adjunct associate professor of finance, along with David J. Ballard (Baylor Health Care System); Edmund R. Becker (Emory University); Dunlei Cheng (U of Texas); Briget da Graca (Baylor Health Care System); Neil S. Fleming (Baylor Health Care System); and Russell McCorkle (HealthTexas Provider Network) analyzed administrative, payroll, and billing data from 26 primary care practices in a Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas-based fee-for-service network that implemented EHRs from June 2006 through December 2008. In the 12-month period following implementation, staffing expenses increased 3 percent and practice costs increased 6 percent. The data revealed that “productivity, volume, and net income decreased initially, but recovered to/close to preimplementation levels after 12 months.” Given the recent rollout of EHRs across the country, the researchers noted the need for a longer-term investigation of the impact on productivity and costs. Source:

Baylor Media Expert Shares Thoughts Re: Charges of Biased Media Coverage of Minorities

Early this week, 18-year-old Nia Wilson was stabbed to death on a platform while transferring trains in Oakland, California. Authorities said the attack was unprovoked. Media coverage of Wilson's death included photos from her social media accounts. One California television station chose to share a photo of Wilson, who was African American, holding what appeared to be a gun. The decision to run that particular photo sparked outrage, with many saying the photo added to a trend of a biased media portrayal of minorities. Mia Moody-Ramirez, Ph.D., professor of journalism, public relations and new media at Baylor University, is an expert on mass media representations of women, minorities and other underrepresented groups. "This incident brings back memories of the shooting deaths of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. Media outlets used various photos to portray them as menacing. It also brings to mind the hashtag: #IfTheyGunnedMeDown, which asks the question: 'If they gunned me down, what photo would media use?'" Moody Ramirez said. "Historically, media outlets have used such photos to: 1) frame the individuals a certain way, 2) add interest to the story, 3) stir up conflict. Awareness that this is happening is the best way to stop it in the future. Black Twitter has taken on this cause. In the 'clap back' culture of Black Twitter, news outlets are very likely to get called out for such behavior." Moody-Ramirez is the co-author of the new book "From Blackface to Black Twitter: Reflections on Black Humor, Race, Politics, & Gender." In 2013, she co-authored "The Obamas and Mass Media: Race, Gender, Religion, and Politics." She also authored "Black and Mainstream Press’ Framing of Racial Profiling: A Historical Perspective." Source: