Mason Media Blog

Suzanne E. Smith

Associate  professor of history Suzanne E. Smith‘s book, “To Serve the Living: Funeral Directors and the African American Way of Death” is one of three finalists for the nonfiction award in the 2011 Library of Virginia Literary Awards.

The Library of Virginia Literary Awards are given to outstanding Virginia authors in the areas of poetry, fiction, nonfiction (and, in the case of nonfiction, also by any author about a Virginia subject), and literary lifetime achievement. These are juried awards and winners in each category receive a cash prize and an engraved crystal book. Past winners include Barbara Kingsolver, Annette Gordon-Reed, Debra Nystrom, Lisa Spaar, Carrie Brown, Helon Habila, Deborah Eisenberg, Wesley Hogan, Scott Nelson, Melvin Ely, James I. Robertson Jr., Charles Wright, Constance Merritt, and R. T. Smith.

Smith’s book explores African American funeral directors’ reputations as both community leaders and con artists and how these two images created a tension that worked to create a legendary, sometimes notorious, status for funeral directors in African American culture.

Smith’s research interests include the relationship of popular culture, music and art to social protest; the study of film and collective memory; and the history of death in America. Her first book, “Dancing in the Street: Motown and the Cultural Politics of Detroit,” examined Motown and its relationship to the black community of Detroit and the civil rights movement.

Smith has also contributed to various public history projects, including the film “Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring” for the American Experience series on PBS, and the series, “I’ll Make Me A World: African American Arts in the Twentieth Century,” from Blackside Productions. She has a PhD in American Studies from Yale University.

The 14th Annual Literary Awards Celebration will be held the evening of Saturday, October 15, 2011. All finalists for the awards series, as well as a complete list of nominees, is available here.

Mason professor finds TV ads target junk food; supports the FTC’s new guidelines

Childhood obesity is an epidemic in the United States, yet Tony the Tiger and Toucan Sam still happily hawk their wares to youngsters. To combat this conundrum, a working group of federal agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission, issued a voluntary set of guidelines last spring aimed at curbing commercials that market unhealthy foods to children.

But now those voluntary guidelines are facing opposition in Congress. Some Republicans are requesting further research by the FTC into the potential costs and impacts of the guidelines before implementing them, according to an Associated Press story.

Mason associate professor Michael Mink, who has been studying what he calls “nutrition messages on TV,” thinks the FTC guidelines are a good next step. In his research, h­­e is currently analyzing the nutritional value of foods marketed during children’s shows but has also studied the nutritional value of foods marketed during primetime television. He’s found that commercials have a bias toward foods that are high in sugar, fat and sodium.

“Our research found that a 2,000-calorie diet consisting of foods advertised during primetime television would contain 25 times the daily recommended servings of sugar and 20 times the daily servings of fat, less than half a day’s servings of dairy, fruit and vegetables,” says Mink.

“This same diet would oversupply 8 nutrients, including sodium, cholesterol, and saturated fat, while undersupplying 12 other nutrients, including fiber, iron and vitamins A, D and E,” he continues.

This study, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, also found that the diet advertised on television was very similar to the diet of most Americans. “So it is very possible that televised food ads are an important influence in the common American diet,” says Mink. “Since the average American will see about 15,000 food ads every year, any bias toward unhealthy foods in these ads will very likely have an impact on consumer behavior.”

Mink is now evaluating commercials aired during Saturday mornings and weekday afternoons—prime TV viewing time for children—and has found an even greater imbalance.

“Preliminary results show that a 2,000-calorie diet consisting of these foods would provide 100 times the daily recommended servings of sugar and 2.5 times the daily servings of fat, but less than a third of the day’s supply of vegetables, meat, dairy, and fruit,” Mink says.

“In fact, the observed food ads did not contain a single serving of fruit. Likewise, this diet would supply less than half the day’s supply of 11 different nutrients,” he says.

As to the argument that the government is overstepping its boundaries by making these voluntary guidelines, Mink points out, “The role of government is to protect the public from harm. There is plenty of research to show that the foods advertised on television are often nutritionally imbalanced and that televised food ads do influence nutrition behavior. Together, this research suggests a serious public health risk.”

Mink also points out that many other countries—including the United Kingdom, France and parts of Scandinavia—have already restricted food advertising or outlawed marketing junk food to children. “We are just taking a single step in a direction where many countries have taken major strides,” says Mink.

To speak with Mink about his ongoing research about junk food marketing or his comments on the fervor surrounding the voluntary FTC guidelines, contact Media Relations Manager Leah Kerkman Fogarty at lfogart1@gmu.edu or 703-993-8781.

George Mason University professor Eden King has taken her years of research examining workplace dynamics, discrimination and diversity and turned it into a readable, helpful and science-based guide to help women in all stages of their career “survive and thrive” at their jobs.

Her new book, “How Women Can Make It Work: The Science of Success,” co-written with Jennifer Knight, is the first book to use real science to help real women in their careers.

“Many of the books that are out there are based solely on anecdotes or personal experiences, or interviews with a few women. Ours is based on real social science findings that we tried to describe in understandable and engaging ways,” says King.

The book—which covers everything from how to create a resume and nail a job interview to how to balance work/life responsibilities and move up the corporate ladder—is aimed at women who are finishing college and starting  new jobs and careers or making changes in those jobs or careers.

King, who is a professor of psychology at Mason, cites her own research as well as other studies in the field to highlight areas of concern, overcome obstacles and create success for women at work.

In “How Women Can Make It Work,” King and Knight discuss:

• The workplace equivalent of eHarmony—how to find a company that fits just right with your work values.

• The upsides and downsides of your Blackberry—how being “plugged in” might be helpful to your career but affecting your personal relationships.

• Smiley face email correspondence—studies have shown that using emoticons in emails to your new boss just might reduce your starting salary rate.

• You’re good enough; you’re smart enough—how having a positive attitude can lead to more leadership opportunities.

• The “bump” in the road—when to reveal your pregnancy at work and how to avoid negative perceptions of moms in the workplace.

The book also includes special chapters focusing on workplace issues that might arise for women with disabilities, minority women, lesbian and bisexual women and single moms.

“Although women have overcome many barriers at work, research indicates that we still encounter subtle obstacles that can have a huge impact on the careers and lives of the youngest generations of women. We hope to point out some of those potential problems and offer strategies for their resolution,” says King. “As a whole, we hope the book will help serve as a guide to achieving personal and professional success.”

Public health officials say they are eager to communicate the health consequences of climate change but readily admit they need help. To address this issue, the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University has recently unveiled a primer designed to help public health professionals communicate effectively about climate change.

In a survey the center conducted with local public health officials in 2008, more than half of the nation’s public health departments reported they were already experiencing health effects from climate change, yet fewer than 10 percent were taking steps to educate members of their communities about the risks. Furthermore, they found that most survey respondents felt they would need guidance to create effective climate change communication plans.

So with financial support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the center conducted research on how to effectively communicate the public health implications of climate change over the past two years. The product of that research – a communication primer designed to help public health professionals communicate effectively about climate change – is now available here at no cost.

“Many public health officials are eager to explain the health risks posed by climate change, and the opportunities to reduce those risks, to members of their communities,” says Ed Maibach, director of the project. “But because the issue has become so politicized, they don’t know how to get started.

“We’re pleased because public health officials who had a pre-release copy of our communication primer felt that it was exactly what they needed to get them started.”

For more information on the center’s research and reports, visit the website.

New Research Shows Being Mindful Can Ease Fears of Death and Dying

Death can be terrifying. Recognizing that death is inescapable and unpredictable makes us incredibly vulnerable, and can invoke feelings of anxiety, hatred and fear. But new research by George Mason University psychology professor Todd Kashdan shows that being a mindful person not only makes you generally more tolerant and less defensive, but it can also actually neutralize fears of dying and death.

Photo by Lisa Omarali via Flickr

“Mindfulness is being open, receptive, and attentive to whatever is unfolding in the present moment,” says Kashdan. In his latest research, Kashdan and his colleagues wanted to find out if mindful people had different attitudes about death and dying.

“Generally, when reminded of our mortality, we are extremely defensive. Like little kids who nearly suffocate under blanket protection to fend off the monster in the closet, the first thing we try to do is purge any death-related thoughts or feelings from our mind,” says Kashdan.

“On the fringes of this conscious awareness, we try another attempt to ward off death anxiety. We violently defend beliefs and practices that provide a sense of stability and meaning in our lives.”

Kashdan says this practice often has an ugly side—intolerance and abuse. “When people are reminded that death is impending, their racist tendencies increase,” he says. In a series of experiments conducted by the University of Missouri-Columbia, for example, white people asked to read about a crime committed by another person give harsher penalties for black compared with white defendants after being reminded of their mortality.

Kashdan wondered what might prevent these defensive, intolerant reactions from occurring. In a recent study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, he and his colleagues looked at what might happen when mindfulness and the terror of death collide.

“A grudge match between humanity and death,” says Kashdan.

If mindful people are more willing to explore whatever happens in the present, even if it uncomfortable, will they show less defensiveness when their sense of self is threatened by a confrontation with their own mortality?

Based on the results of 7 different experiments, the answer appears to be yes. When reminded about their death and asked to write about what will happen when their bodies decompose (in grisly detail), less mindful people showed an intense dislike for foreigners that mention what’s wrong with the United States (pro-U.S. bias), greater prejudice against black managers who discriminated against a white employee in a promotion decision (pro-white bias), and harsher penalties for social transgressions such as prostitution, marital infidelities, and drug use by physicians that led to surgical mishaps.

Across these various situations, on the contrast, mindful people showed a lack of defensiveness toward people that didn’t share their worldview. Mindful people were diplomatic and tolerant regardless of whether they were prompted to think about their slow, systematic decline toward obliteration.

“What we found was that when asked to deeply contemplate their death, mindful people spent more time writing (as opposed to avoiding) and used more death-related words when reflecting on the experience. This suggests that a greater openness to processing the threat of death allows compassion and fairness to reign. In this laboratory staged battle, mindfulness alters the power that death holds over us,” Kashdan says.

Susan Conard

Susan G. Conard, a research professor affiliated with the Department of Geography and Geoinformation Science (GGS), the EastFIRE Laboratory and the Mason Center for Climate and Society in the College of Science at George Mason University, has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).  Conard and other newly elected fellows are being recognized for their contributions to science and technology at the Fellows Forum on February 19 during the AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.  Conard is among the honorees from the AAAS Section on Biological Sciences.

Each year the AAAS Council elects members whose “efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished.”  The honor of being elected a Fellow of AAAS began in 1874 and is acknowledged with a certificate and rosette.

Conard is honored for her distinguished contributions to fire ecology, including  serving as president of the International Boreal Forest Research Association and as editor of the International Journal of Wildland Fie.  Prior to joining Mason, Conard served as the national program leader for Fire Ecology Research with the United States Forest Service.

When doctors have bad news to break to their patients, how can they do it in a way that’s clear but also comforting, supportive and helpful?

Melinda Villagran, associate professor  of communication at Mason, and her co-writers, developed guidelines for clinicians to help train them on the best way to give bad news. The set of guidelines, called COMFORT, is not a checklist. It is meant to be interactive and adaptable based on the needs of the patient and his/her family.

Below is the breakdown of COMFORT guidelines. You can also find more information in the Communication Currents article online.

Communication- Clinicians should use clear and familiar language when breaking bad news. The emotional discomfort associated with delivering bad news can lead clinicians to use vague or unfamiliar language that masks the true meaning of a negative diagnosis. Vague terms such as “Your condition seems to be terminal” are used, instead of saying “there is no cure for your illness.” Delivering bad news requires verbally and nonverbally direct communication that makes sense to the patient. Otherwise, patients can leave the doctor’s office without fully understanding the reality of their healthcare situation.

Orientation- A patient receiving bad news can have unrealistic expectations about a cure for their disease. Realistic expectations for treatment should be clearly stated in plain language so there is no confusion about treatment goals. Orienting patients to the reality of their condition helps prevent unwanted treatments and unrealistic expectations about recovery.

To ease the discomfort of delivering bad news, clinicians may use statements about expectations to reveal the biomedical aspects of a negative diagnosis (i.e. “I expect you will experience symptoms including …”), but mix those statements with expressions of hope such as, “I am hoping to ease your pain by giving you medication.” Patients who are clearly oriented to the reality of their health status have the opportunity to make decisions accordingly.

Mindfulness- Clinicians should pay attention to what is happening in each moment, and respond to the changing needs of the patient during a bad news discussion. Mindfulness means avoiding distractions, both verbally and nonverbally, when delivering bad news. Actively listening and maintaining eye contact can show the patient you are truly present. The patient should be the center of attention; bad news interactions should never occur in a busy hallway. Clinicians sometimes use terminology such as, “the cancer has metastasized,” out of habit. Mindfulness helps clinicians think before they speak, and rephrase the statement to say, “The cancer has spread to other parts of the body.” Bad news interactions are no time to put your mind on autopilot by using a script or rehearsed checklist.

Family- Families should be included in conversations when doctors break bad news to patients, since families provide support to the patient. It is common for a family member to be present when a serious diagnosis is delivered, so clinicians need to anticipate their presence. This can be achieved by acknowledging the family member as a good source of support for the patient, and by integrating the family members into the conversation after breaking the bad news. Although the patient’s needs are the most important consideration when breaking bad news, clinicians can build trust and understanding with family members by actively engaging them in the dialogue as it occurs. Practicing in advance how to talk to the patient without a family member in the discussion can be unrealistic if a family member will be present. Family members can be strong allies to comfort a patient receiving bad news.

Ongoing- Stressing there will be ongoing care can avoid a feeling of abandonment by patients after hearing bad news. A clear finding from this research is that the results of bad news require ongoing dialogue and medical attention. Breaking bad news is not a one-time event. By continually communicating with patients, clinicians can provide more clarification about the diagnosis, especially if the recovery will not be quick. Each visit, the clinician should give a very brief summary of the recent past, present and future treatment plans and expected goals for treatment options. This can be achieved in a few short sentences, but by offering a treatment summary, the patient remains aware that the process is ongoing and members of the clinical team have an overall treatment plan.

Reiterative- Reiterative communication refers to the need to restate bad news messages over and over to avoid false hopes for a cure as treatment progresses. The meaning behind the reiterative messages will be the same, but the way it is stated may be changed. For example, instead of discussing only the most recent test results’ new developments, a clinician might say, “Now you remember last time we discussed…” to quickly restate the facts about the diagnosis and treatment plan. Clinicians can answer questions, provide feedback, and reinforce the bad news diagnosis to help patients come to terms with the situation.

Team- Patients receive care from a team of medical professionals, including physicians, nurses, chaplains, psychologists, and social workers. Communicating as a team to the patient, and with each other, helps avoid mistakes, and helps reassure patients and their families that they will be receiving proper care. Electronic medical records can be useful to share information among team members about a patient, but since patients cannot see these records, clinicians need to constantly keep the patient updated through face-to-face dialogue. Every health care team member should reiterate the facts of the diagnosis to make sure the patient continues to have realistic expectations about their condition.

Using COMFORT to share bad news with patients and their families can decrease opportunities for confusion or miscommunication, while at the same time increasing chances for understanding and trust in communication.

Padmanabhan Seshaiyer. Photo by Creative Services

Padmanabhan Seshaiyer, associate professor of mathematical sciences, was chosen as one of 50 scientists and engineers from around the country to represent Mason at the USA Science and Engineering Festival which runs from Sunday, Oct. 10 through Sunday, Oct 24.

The Nifty Fifty, as they are called, will go into various middle and high schools throughout the Washington, D.C., area in October to discuss their work and attempt to ignite a passion for science and engineering.

The USA Science and Engineering Festival is the country’s first national science festival and is designed to re-invigorate the interest of the nation’s youth in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

The Nifty Fifty includes individuals who have made a major impact on the field of science and engineering either through research or other fields such as law, business, government and public service.

Chosen from hundreds of applicants, Seshaiyer will join other Nifty Fifty speakers with various backgrounds including chemistry, biotechnology, engineering, math, computer science, medicine, green technology, nanotechnology, business, physics, astronomy and energy.

On Oct. 19, Seshaiyer will visit Patterson Mill Middle High School in Bel Air, Md. and Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Md. to talk to students about applying problem solving and applications of mathematics to real-world problems.

“I am honored to be included in the USA Science and Engineering Festival’s Nifty Fifty program and to be among some of the top experts in the country,” says Seshaiyer. “This presents a great opportunity to educate and get young people excited about how stimulating and rewarding the STEM fields can be.”

More information about the USA Science and Engineering Festival can be found at the website.

Joseph Pancrazio, director of the bioengineering program in the Volgenau School of Information Technology and Engineering and professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Len Nichols, professor and director of the College of Health and Human Services’ Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics, discuss how technology is changing the face of health care. Watch the video.

George Mason University has been selected to receive a $28.5 million Investing in Innovation (i3) grant from the U.S. Department of Education and will lead the Virginia Initiative for Science Teaching and Achievement (VISTA). The project is a partnership that includes 47 Virginia school districts, six universities, SRI International and the Virginia Department of Education. University partners include the College of William & Mary, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and James Madison University.

The VISTA project will be led by Donna R. Sterling, professor of science education and director of Mason’s Center for Restructuring Education in Science and Technology (CREST). The goal of VISTA is to improve science teaching and student learning throughout Virginia, especially in high-need (high-poverty, high-minority) schools.

The VISTA project expands on prior research and active-learning programs conducted within Mason’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) and CREST over the past 15 years. VISTA will build an infrastructure to provide sustained, intensive science teacher professional development to increase student performance.

“Science teaching in Virginia is hindered by two fundamental, unmet needs. Elementary school faculty often lack a solid grounding in the inquiry-based nature of science, while on the secondary level, teacher shortages have led to the hiring of uncertified teachers,” says Sterling. “Our model to improve K-12 science teaching was previously incorporated into two programs that have produced statistically significant gains in teacher instruction and student achievement.”

To read more, visit: http://news.gmu.edu/articles/3884.