The Academic Minute

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. David Luther of George Mason University explains how urban-dwelling birds have responded to an increase in man-made noise.

David Luther is an assistant professor of biology at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. His research interests include animal behavior, ecology, and conservation biology. His current project is focused on the ecology and evolution of acoustic communication in birds as well as the ecology, evolution, and conservation of terrestrial vertebrates that are endemic to mangrove forests.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Daniel Krupp of Queen’s University reveals how our unconscious beliefs about life expectancy can influence major life decisions.

Daniel Krupp is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, where his research examines the functional and mechanistic design of social behavior. His primary research program is concerned with cooperation and conflict, and a secondary program is focused on reproductive decision-making.  He holds a Ph.D. from McMaster University.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Jeffrey Marlett of the College of Saint Rose examines how ethnic Catholics have embraced the American spirit of competition.

Jeffrey Marlett is an associate professor of religious studies at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York.  He teaches a wide variety of religious studies and philosophy courses, covering topics such as ethics, mysticism, world religions, Biblical studies, and the history of Christianity. He holds a Ph.D. in Historical Theology from Saint Louis University.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Jennifer Clack of the University of Cambridge reveals how recent discoveries are providing paleontologists with a better understanding of the development of early tetrapods.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Daniel Abrams of Northwestern University explains why the level of left handedness is a constant across most societies.

Dr. Daniel Abrams is an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics at Northwestern University where his research interests include nonlinear dynamics, mathematical geoscience, physics of social systems, and pattern formation. He holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University.

About Dr. Abrams

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Bayani Cardenas of the University of Texas at Austin reveals what’s going on beneath the surface of a hot spring.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Amy Guo of Newcastle University explains the development of technology to address issues faced by aging drivers.

Amy Guo is a Researcher in Intelligent Mobility with the Transport Operations Research Group at Newcastle University. Guo’s research is focused on Intelligent Transport Systems, Intelligent Mobility, Travel Information and Age-related Driving Behavior.  Her current projects involve testing and evaluating the effectiveness of technologies in improving road safety and meeting the evolving mobility needs of aging populations.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Damian Cruse of the University of Western Ontario shares his research into the level of conscious awareness among coma patients.

Damian Cruse is a post-doctoral fellow at the Brain and Mind Institute at the University of Western Ontario. His research is focused on consciousness and the ways in which cognition changes at its varying levels.  His most recent project uses EEG to determine the awareness experienced by patients in a vegetative state. He holds a Ph.D. from Cardiff University.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Nicholas Leadbeater of the University of Connecticut explains how fluorine can be used to create useful new pharmaceuticals.

Nicholas Leadbeater is an associate professor of organic and inorganic chemistry at the University of Connecticut, where he heads the New Synthetic Methods Group. Leadbeater and the NSMG research cleaner and more efficient methods for creating synthetic materials. Dr. Leadbeater holds a Ph.D. from Cambridge University, where he was a research fellow until 1999.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. John Parmelee of the University of North Florida reveals how Twitter is reshaping the relationship between politicians and their constituents.

John Parmelee is an associate professor of communication at the University of North Florida where his research interests include political communication and journalism in emerging democracies. His research has appeared in numerous journals and in 2012 he published the book Politics and the Twitter Revolution.  He holds a Ph. D. from the University of Florida.