Dr. Amy Hulme, assistant professor of biomedical sciences, studies the inner workings of the virus and how it replicates. She hopes her work will lead to the development of a vaccine or better drugs to prevent transmission. In the last 10 years, she published 11 articles on this research in publications like the Journal of Virology. She also served as a peer reviewer for … [Read more...] about Hope in the fight against HIV
You could be pretty dangerous, according to Dr. Susan Robinson. "That’s the person who really has a great risk for falling and injury," she said. The perfect thing is the person who has appropriate confidence in their balance and actual abilities. Robinson, a professor of physical therapy, focuses her research on a variety of areas within the field. She looks for ways … [Read more...] about Ensuring your loved ones’ safety doesn’t hang in the balance
Does she feel empathy for those she squashed to get to the top? The studies of Dr. Amber Abernathy say no. "Every human should have a physiological response when they feel empathy," said Abernathy, the Mary-Charlotte Bayles Shealy Chair in Conscientious Psychology. This empathy is measured through electro dermal activity, similar to a lie detector test. She performed a … [Read more...] about Can you change your personality?
Moving the needle for middle schoolers The class – now a required course for all psychology majors – also involves presenting Diversity Pep Talks at local middle schools. Since middle schoolers are at such an impressionable age, Young-Jones and her students lead discussions and activities in hopes of teaching the children to celebrate diversity – of skin color, race, religion, … [Read more...] about Mirror, mirror: Self-reflections on hidden prejudice
Although you identify yourself as the head of a household, now you are the recipient of care. Your spouse or child has assumed the role of care-provider, which may be a new role as well. The relationships in your family are feeling unbalanced because the power status has changed. Dr. Alana Kozlowski, Missouri State University communication sciences and disorders assistant … [Read more...] about Music restores harmony in the lives of those with aphasia
Resiliency testing is just one example of many research projects Dr. Erin Buchanan, associate professor of psychology at Missouri State University, has published in recent years. She collaborates with undergraduate and graduate students in her statistics lab as well as with a clinical psychologist at University of Mississippi, Dr. Stefan Schulenberg, on many projects regarding … [Read more...] about Answering big questions through statistics
To Perkins, this wasn’t a surprise. She has spent much of her career analyzing underrepresented populations, such as African Americans and the elderly, in the areas of exercise and sports psychology. "African American women are one of the least active segments of the population," Perkins said. "In Springfield and on campus, we have a small African American population, so I … [Read more...] about Fighting the past for a more active future
But a shared interest in the science behind movement ultimately led to a research collaboration between a former collegiate wrestler, Dr. Jim Hackney, and a former professional dancer, Sara Brummel. “The demands of dance and the demands of sports are similar,” Hackney said. “However, many sports are a matter of what you’re doing with something else, rather than how you … [Read more...] about Analyzing the science behind dancers’ artful movements
Rost discovered that late-stage ovarian cancer patients achieved a better quality of life when they participated in a modern therapy called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) rather than traditional therapy. By learning to accept difficult thoughts and emotions, the women were better able to cope with their situation and less likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. … [Read more...] about ACT now to avoid depression and anxiety
During his third grade year, Masterson noticed her son was still having a hard time making his marks on his spelling tests despite extra study time. Again, she spoke with his teacher and received the same response as the teacher from the year before: “Oh that’s normal. He’ll learn.” Masterson refused to accept the idea that individuals could not improve a skill. She dropped … [Read more...] about Why the weekly spelling test doesn’t stick
Dr. Robert Delong, associate professor of biomedical sciences at Missouri State University, and his group of students are interested in Ribonucleic Acids (RNA) targeting, a very rapidly developing field in science. “One of the things we are particularly interested in is a new branch of science called RNA nanotechnology and therapeutics,” said Delong, who was recently elected … [Read more...] about The era of RNA research
“People with intellectual disabilities often stick to the same things because they’re familiar; it’s part of their routine. TRAIN helps them to identify sports that they might be good at in Special Olympics, something new to try, based on their skill sets and abilities,” said Natalie Allen, dietetics instructor and dietitian for Missouri State athletics. “I think that’s one of … [Read more...] about Training the next Olympians
You don’t have to pay conscious attention for minutes to identify each and every vehicle. This is because of past experiences: With repetition of events, such as observing types of automobiles you see frequently, there is an increase in familiarity. As a result, there is a decrease in neural activity regarding these automobiles and your conscious attention is directed … [Read more...] about Psychology study takes unique look at visual learning
Dr. Wafaa Kaf, a professor of audiology from Al Sharqia, Egypt, has spent many of her 10 years at Missouri State researching ways to evaluate the hearing of these challenging populations. Kaf is most interested in detecting mild degrees of hearing loss using “electrophysiological measures” — ways to assess hearing that don’t rely on patient response, but instead objectively … [Read more...] about Did you hear? Students offer free screenings