The Academic Minute

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Paul Newhouse of Vanderbilt University explains research that suggests nicotine may have beneficial effects on aging brains.

Paul Newhouse is a professor of psychiatry and the Jim Turner Professor of Cognitive Disorders at Vanderbilt University.  He also directs the Vanderbilt Center for Cognitive Medicine, a laboratory conducting research studies that investigate the biological, neurochemical, and brain circuitry mechanisms that underlie changes in cognitive functioning. Dr. Newhouse attended medical school at Loyola University’s Stritch School of Medicine and completed his residency training in psychiatry at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Michael Gottfried of Michigan State University reveals advances in our understanding of Africa’s Great Rift Valley and the implications for the study of human evolution.

Michael Gottfried is an associate professor of geological sciences at Michigan State University and Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the MSU Museum. His research focuses on marine fish evolution in high-latitude southern hemisphere settings, the paleobiology of the giant fossil 'megatoothed' sharks, and the evolution and biogeographical relationships of vertebrate faunas from the ancient southern supercontinent of Gondwana. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas.

About Dr. Gottfried

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Melissa Gibbs of Stetson University explains how an invasive species of catfish is making life hard for the manatees of Florida.

Melissa Gibbs is an associate professor of biology and Director of the Aquatic and Marine Biology Program at Stetson University. Her research interests include the ecology of springs and visual processing in fish. She Holds a Ph. D. from the University of Delaware.

About Dr. Gibbs

Dr. Melissa Gibbs – Invasive Catfish and the Manatee

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Marjorie Cooper of Baylor University explains research examining why religious belief doesn’t always translate into ethical behavior.

Marjorie Cooper is a professor of marketing at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.  Her areas of interest are marketing and consumer behavior, and she is an academic associate of the prestigious Goldratt Institute in New Haven, Connecticut. She holds a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University.

About Dr. Cooper

Dr. Marjorie Cooper – Ethics and Religious Belief

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Cay Anderson-Hanley of Union College explores the benefits of adding a cognitive element to your exercise routine.

Cay Anderson-Hanley is an assistant professor of psychology at Union College in Schenectady, New York, where she teaches a number of courses in psychology and neuropsychology. She also maintains the Healthy Aging and Neuropsychology Lab where her research is focused on the cognitive benefits of exercise in aging populations.

About Dr. Anderson-Hanley

Dr. Cay Anderson-Hanley – Exercise and Cognitive Health

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Stan Kuczaj of the University of Southern Mississippi explains the relationship between Hurricane Katrina and the dolphin population along the Gulf Coast.

Stan Kuczaj is a professor of experimental psychology and Director of the Marine Mammal Behavior and Cognition Lab at the University of Southern Mississippi.  His lab conducts research on the behavioral and cognitive abilities of marine mammals such as bottlenose dolphins, sperm whales, beaked whales, killer whales, rough toothed dolphins, and walruses. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.

About Dr. Kuczaj

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Leaf Van Boven of the University of Colorado Boulder explains the gap between the perception of political polarization and reality.

Leaf Van Boven is an associate professor of social psychology at the University of Colorado Boulder. His lab  investigates the everyday interrelations between emotion, decisions, and judgments and people's intuitions about those interrelations. He holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University.

About Dr. Van Boven

Dr. Leaf Van Boven – Political Polarization

In today’s Academic Minute, Dr. Tes Tuason of the University of North Florida explores the psychology of economic mobility.

Tes Tuason is associate professor at the University of North Florida, in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program within the Department of Public Health. Her research addresses social issues such as poverty's psychological correlates, processes, and coping, and social justice issues related to counseling minority populations. She obtained her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University at Albany, State University of New York.

Dr. Tes Tuason – Psychology of Overcoming Poverty