The Academic Minute

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Ben Horton of the University of Pennsylvania reveals what we know about sea level change over the past two millennia.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Mike Wheatland of the University of Sydney explains the gravity-defying physics of a falling Slinky.

Mike Wheatland is an associate professor of physics at the University of Sydney. His research interests include solar flares and solar activity, the statistics of that activity, coronal magnetic fields, solar-terrestrial relations, and Bayesian probability. He has also worked on a project to model the physics of a falling slinky.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Howard Lasker of the University at Buffalo explores how coral reefs respond to natural and man-made damage.

Howard Lasker is a professor of evolutionary biology and ecology at the University at Buffalo. His current research project seeks to identify parameters for identifying coral populations that should be highly protected as well as those for which managed harvesting is ecologically sound. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Sarah Benson-Amram of the University of St. Andrews compares the intelligence of wild animals to those socialized to human contact.

Sarah Benson-Amram is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of St. Andrews where she works on the Laland Lab. Her research interests are focused on animal social behavior, cognition, and the use of acoustic communication to understand social complexity in mammals. She earned her Ph.D. at Michigan State University.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Andrew Francis of Emory University explores the role antibiotics played in fueling the sexual revolution.

Andrew Francis is an associate professor of economics at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. His research interests include the economics of marriage, family, education, human rights, law, health, and sexuality. In particular, recent projects on sexuality have examined the ways in which sexual behavior responded to the AIDS epidemic.  He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Stephen Pirog of Seton Hall University explains the strong bond between many young people and their smartphones.

Stephen Pirog is Associate Professor of Marketing and Chair of the Department of Marketing at Seton Hall University.  His research interests are focused on the economic and social impacts of marketing practice, as well as marketing history. He earned his Ph.D. at Temple University.

About Dr. Pirog

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. A. David Lewis of Merrimack College explores what the depiction of the afterlife in comic books says about how we view human nature.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Sanya Carley of Indiana University explains attitudes about electric cars that are keeping many of the vehicles off of the streets.

Sanya Carley is an assistant professor of public and environmental affairs at Indiana University where her teaching and research interests include energy policy, electricity technology innovation policy, and applied econometrics. She earned her Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

About Dr. Carley

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Rebecca Fisher of the University of Arizona explains how a species of lizard is able to regenerate their self-amputated tails.

Rebecca Fisher is an associate professor of medical science at the University of Arizona and an associate professor of life sciences at Arizona State University. Her research lab studies the anatomy and evolution of vertebrates. She is currently analyzing the functional anatomy of the tail in green anoles. She holds a Ph.D. from Yale University.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Rebecca Knickmeyer of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill explains how an infant’s brain can display signs of future neurological disorders.