For more information about any of the news tips or to reach the experts on this page, please contact:
Skip Traynor
Media Relations Editor/Photographer
Alma College Public Relations Office
(989) 463-7232 or (989) 463-7327
www.alma.edu
Alma College: A College of Distinction
Is Intelligent Design Science, Religion or ?
Dr.
S. Brian Stratton, associate professor of religion and philosophy and
an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), frequently
delivers presentations on Intelligent Design. While sympathetic to some
of the goals of the Intelligent Design Movement, Stratton questions
whether intelligent design threatens to undermine the intellectual
credibility of Christian faith.
He has written numerous articles on the relationship between science and religion. He is author of Coherence, Consonance, and Conversation: The Interaction of Theology, Philosophy, and Natural Science in the Quest for a Unified World-View (University Press of America, 2000).
Stratton presented “Intelligent Design: Science, Religion, Or ... ?” as the second of three major lectures sponsored by the Rhodes-Memphis Colloquium on Religion and Science at Rhodes College in Tennessee. He recently presented at the Einstein, God and Time Conference in Oxford, England.
At Alma College, Stratton teaches an annual course in religion and science and his research interests include philosophical theology, the relationship between theology, philosophy and natural science, and constructive theology. He earned his bachelor of arts degree from Pikeville College and his M.Div. and a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary.
Contact: (989) 463-7291 or stratton@alma.edu.
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#060117 TS
Posted: Wed, January 25th, 2006 at 11:46AM
Dr. Derick Hulme available to comment on Olympics and Terrorism
Dr.
Derick "Sandy" Hulme, Alma College associate professor of political
science, can provide valuable insight into the Winter Olympics as a possible target of terrorists.
He has written books on terrorism, American foreign policy responses to terrorism, and the Olympics as a terrorism target. Hulme frequently has been sought out by major media to comment on the politics of terrorism, especially during years when the winter and summer Olympic Games are staged.
With the 2012 Summer Olymipcs awarded to London and the 2006 Winter Olympics set for Italy, both member countries of the Iraq War coalition, Hulme's expertise in terrorism and the politics of terrorism applies to many possible scenarios.
Hulme was interviewed by WNYC Public Radio in New York about London's Olympic site selection the day before the London subway bombings in July. He was quoted in the Philadelphia Inquirer for a story about Philadelphia's possible Olympic site bid in 2024 or 2028 during the last site selection process.
The Associated Press, Reuters, USA Today, National Public Radio, the major Detroit newspapers and radio stations and international press have sought Hulme's expertise on terrorism subjects. He authored The Political Olympics (1990), a book about the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Olympics and he taped a segment about the 1980 Olympic boycott for the ESPN 25 project that aired in 2004.
His latest book Palestinian Terror and U.S.Foreign Policy, 1969-1977: Dynamics of Response shows how terrorists' strategy and tactics, international strategic interests, and American political concerns have led to the development of awkward and complex government policies designed to battle terrorism. Hulme's analysis evaluates the difficulties confronted by all governments in developing effective responses to terror once strategic interests have been threatened or societies have come to perceive themselves as vulnerable to attack.
Hulme can be reached at his office phone (989) 463-7387, equipped with
voice mail, at home at (989) 466-5800 or
hulme@alma.edu.
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#050702 TS
Posted: Thu, July 7th, 2005 at 11:18AM
Professor Provides Insight on China
Dr.
Liping Bu, Alma College associate professor of History, is an expert on
China and can provide insight on Chinese history, societal change,
family values and Chinese/Western relations.
A native of China and a graduate of Beijing University, Bu is the author of Making the World Like Us: Education, Cultural Expansion, and the American Century (Praeger, 2003) and co-editor of The Cultural Turn: Essays in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations (Imprint, 2001). She is working on her third book Public Health and Nation-Building in Early 20th Century China. She is a frequent visitor to her homeland, researching various subjects and taking students to China for Spring Term classes to study the history and culture.
Bu was recently awarded an Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship for 2006 by Needham Research Institute (NRI) at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. NRI is a recognized global center for the study of the history of East Asian science, technology and medicine. Home of the Science and Civilisation in China Project, it houses the East Asian History of Science Library containing a unique collection of books and other published materials on the history of science, technology and medicine in East Asia.
She has received several other fellowships, including a National Endowment for the Humanities summer fellowship in 1999. In 2002, she earned Alma's Posey Award for Faculty Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship. She will present "Public Health and Modernization in Early 20th Century China" at the symposium on "Global Health Histories" sponsored by the National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.
Contact Dr. Bu at (989) 463-7986 or bulipi@alma.edu
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Posted: Thu, June 30th, 2005 at 11:30AM
Research Studies Ways to Control Mountain Sickness
Dr.
John Davis, Alma College professor of exercise and health science, has
conducted classes on some of the highest peaks in North America. In
doing research on altitude physiology, Davis has taken Alma College
students on several research trips to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado
to study the acute and chronic effects of moderate altitude exposure on
exercise and cardiovascular responses. He is taking another class
during the month of May to the mountains to research the effects of
Ginko Biloba on acute mountain sickness and the physiological responses
to a mini-hyperbaric chamber.
Effect of Ginkgo Biloba on Acute Mountain Sickness and Moderate Altitude Exercise
Many people experience lightheadedness, dizziness , and sickness in the stomach on ascent to high altitude. Described in the medical literature as acute mountain sickness (AMS), current approaches include a variety of prescription medications including acetylzolamide. Recently, a natural supplement (Ginkgo biloba) has been reported to improve symptoms in laboratory rats. Few studies have examined these responses in humans. In those studies, the results have been inconclusive.
Faculty and students from Alma College will be looking at the effects of ginkgo biloba on acute mountain sickness and exercise responses at high altitude using a double- blind controlled study. Results from this study will be used to determine the effectiveness of this supplement on AMS and subsequent exercise responses.
Physiological Responses to a Mini-hyperbaric Chamber
Upon ascent to high altitude, the barometric pressure decreases which sets off a cascade of effects including a decrease in the partial pressure of oxygen in the inspired air, a subsequent decrease in the partial pressure of oxygen in the arterial blood and impaired oxygen transport. In many instances, these changes leave an individual unable to function effectively at high altitudes. One of the severe consequences of these changes and the pulmonary vasoconstriction in the lungs that frequently occurs in some individuals is an accumulation of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema).
The most effective treatment is to get the individual back to a lower altitude. In some cases, this is not possible. An alternative is to use a mini-hyperbaric chamber like the Gamow bag. Clinically, the Gamow bag has been documented to be effective in treating high altitude disorders. However, few if any studies have looked at the physiological mechanisms involved with its use. The purpose of this research project will be to examine the physiological responses to hyperbaria induced by the Gamow bag. These responses will include a variety of cardiovascular and respiratory variables.
Contact Dr. John Davis at (989) 463-7158 or davisj@alma.edu
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Posted: Thu, May 19th, 2005 at 12:05AM
Superfund Issues Must Be Addressed
Murray
Borrello, Alma College geology instructor, has made national
presentations on how the technical aspects of the Environmental
Protection Agency Superfund should be addressed politically and how the
Bush administration has not addressed them. He has specific examples of
how addressing the political issues of the Superfund site cleanup has
worked at the St. Louis, Mich., Superfund Site. In his Environmental
Geology class, Borrello addresses environmental law and policy issues,
including the Bush Administration's pullbacks on Coal burning plants
and emissions.
Borrello and Ed Lorenz, Alma College Reid-Knox Professor of History and
professor of political science, are experts in environmental policy and
activists in pressuring government agencies to include community input
in environmental decisions.
They were responsible for helping form a Citizens Advisory Group (CAG)
in Gratiot County (Mich.) that is a major force in monitoring and
participating in governmental agencies' decisions during the cleanup of
one of the Nation's worst Superfund sites. Their experience dealing
with government agencies shows that the environment and citizens'
safety takes a back seat to political expediency. Cleanup of one of the
worst environmental disasters in history at the St. Louis, Mich.,
chemical plant that made PBB synonymous with bad chemicals has finally
got on track after more than 20 years largely because the CAG is
addressing the politics involved.
Lorenz, as a policy expert in Superfund issues and environmental law,
is a member of an Environmental Protection Agency Superfund advisory
panel making recommendations on the role the EPA's Superfund should
play in addressing the nation's most polluted and costly hazardous
waste sites. His environmental views are in sharp contrast to the
business and industry members of the panel.
Contact Murray Borello (989) 463-7191 or borello@alma.edu
Contact Ed Lorenz (989) 463-7203 or lorenz@alma.edu
Posted: Thu, October 21st, 2004 at 11:29AM
A Case for Political Bi-partisanship
Dr. Ed Lorenz, Alma College Reid-Knox Professor of History and
professor of political science, uses the examples set by President
Franklin Roosevelt to make a case that bipartisanship is the only way
we can make the necessary and difficult decisions concerning foreign
and military policy in the next four years.
In an election year prior to entry into World War II, Roosevelt named prominent Republicans to critical cabinet positions and replaced Democrat Joe Kennedy with Republican John Winant as British ambassador. Roosevelt was then able to make and gain consensus on policy choices too difficult for any candidate to make. Then as now, the best policy was not that advocated by either ideological side.
Posted: Wed, October 6th, 2004 at 2:54PM
More Than a Good Laugh
Dr. Joanne Gilbert, Alma College associate professor of
communication and co-director of the Women's Studies program, takes her
experience as a professional stand-up comedian and combines it with
scholarly analysis in her book, Performing Marginality: Humor, Gender and Cultural Critique (Wayne State University Press, 2004).
Gilbert's research recognizes the problems that arise from assumptions made about the genres of "female" and "feminist" humor and ultimately suggests that these are part of a larger genre she calls "marginal humor."Performing Marginality provides a historical overview of female comic performance and offers a taxonomy of comedic postures assumed by contemporary female comics, providing a useful way to categorize this often overlooked genre. Performing Marginality also examines problems in existing studies on the subject, the politics involved with marginal humor, and the role of audience in comic performance.
Contact Dr. Joanne Gilbert at (989) 463-7054 or gilbert@alma.edu
Posted: Tue, October 5th, 2004 at 6:10PM
Book Evaluates Governmental Response to Terrorism
A book written by Dr. Derick "Sandy" Hulme, Alma College associate
professor of political science, examines American foreign policy
responses to Palestinian terrorism in the late 1960s and 70s and
provides a framework to assess and understand the Bush Administration
response to the events of 9-11.
Palestinian Terror and U.S.Foreign Policy, 1969-1977: Dynamics of Response shows how terrorists' strategy and tactics, international strategic interests, and American political concerns have led to the development of awkward and complex government policies designed to battle terrorism.
Hulme's analysis also presents a model that helps explain such abuses of decision-making latitude as the Patriot Act and the War in Iraq. His model indicates the difficulties confronted by governments in developing effective responses to terror once strategic interests have been threatened or societies have come to perceive themselves as vulnerable to attack.
Contact Sandy Hulme at (989) 463-7387 or
Posted: Tue, October 5th, 2004 at 5:37PM
