Canisius in the News MEDIA REPORT
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JULY 1, 2015 – JUNE 30, 2016
Canisius is a small university that garners considerable media attention, locally and nationally. Canisius secures an average of 260 media placements each year. Media placements are defined as those secured in major print, online and broadcast outlets where Canisius faculty members provide expert comment or the college is prominently featured in an article. The following pages provide a sampling of media placements from the 2015-16 academic year, and offer a glimpse of the ground-breaking research and the scope of the areas of expertise of our award-winning faculty. Whether they are giving children with autism hope, providing insight into the race for the White House, putting the fear of the Zika virus into context or explaining why Beluga whales blow bubbles, our faculty place Canisius in the news.
Canisius in the National Spotlight July 1, 2015 - June 30, 2016
JULY 2015 > foxnews.com
“Kids and Fitness Trackers: A Good Idea?” > “ If you’re forcing kids to monitor their progress every time and keep track of what they’ve been doing in their workouts, they’re going to get discouraged and not do it.” - Charles J. Pelitera ’80, MS ’90, EdD, health and wellness program coordinator and assistant professor of kinesiology
AUGUST 2015 > sciencedaily.com “ Unique Emotion Recognition Treatment Leads to Significant Improvement in Children with High-Functioning Autism” “ Our findings represent an important step as they suggest that emotion recognition and expression skills of children with HFASD can be significantly improved, and autism symptoms and impairments reduced by providing direct instruction, real-life practice opportunities and reinforcement for accuracy.” -M arcus L. Thomeer, PhD and Christopher J. Lopata, PsyD, co-directors of the Institute for Autism Research
SEPTEMBER 2015 > ap.org (Associated Press)* “ New York is Placing Big High-Tech Bets in Upstate Cities” “ I don’t want to preach doom and gloom. I’m just cautious that this type of project (Solar City) will lead to the rebirth of the Western New York economy.” - Craig D. Rogers, PhD, associate professor of economics and finance * Article was picked up by nine additional media outlets.
Tips From a Fitness Guru Charles J. Pelitera ’80, MS ’90, EdD, health and wellness program coordinator and assistant professor of kinesiology, provided expert comment regarding a wide range of health and fitness topics including healthy eating, how to find time to exercise and tips for long-term weight loss in 32 national and international media outlets including: SHAPE magazine Max Sports and Fitness magazine Hey! magazine (Columbia) MSN.com foxnews.com prevention.com
OCTOBER 2015 > yahoonews.com
“ Vivid End-of-Life Dreams May Help Comfort People Facing Death” >
“ A person’s fear of death often diminishes as a direct result of dreams and visions, and what arises is a new insight into mortality.” - James P. Donnelly, PhD, researcher for the Institute for Autism Research and associate professor of counseling and human services
NOVEMBER 2015 > Max Sports and Fitness magazine “How to Balance Your Home and Gym Life” “ Missing a workout due to unforeseen circumstances is not going to destroy the healthy lifestyle path that the person has chosen.” - Charles J. Pelitera ’80, MS ’90, EdD, health and wellness program coordinator and assistant professor of kinesiology
DECEMBER 2015 > ap.org (Associated Press)* “ New York to Decide Whether to Revise State Constitution” “ Even if the voters are reluctant to make big changes, the state’s most important document could do with at least a modest trim.” - Peter J. Galie, PhD, professor emeritus of political science * Article was picked up by 25 additional media outlets.
> Audubon magazine “Tiny Bird, Amazing Migrator” “ Migration is a really complicated event. Birds need an ideal habitat to be able to properly prepare for this arduous journey.” - Sara R. Morris, PhD, professor of biology and associate vice president for academic affairs
> huffingtonpost.com “Student Anti-Scanning Campaign Spreads” “ There are greater racial disparities in student suspensions and arrests in schools where there are cops present or other security measures are taken.” - Timothy J. Servoss, PhD, associate professor of psychology
> discovermagazine.com “Belugas Blow Bubble Shapes Based on Mood” “ A contagious effect, in which the bubbling of one Beluga stimulates or at least facilitates a similar bubble release by another whale, could explain the occurrence of extremely high bubble days at frequencies greater than that predicted by chance.” – Michael Noonan, PhD, professor of animal behavior, ecology and conservation (ABEC)
What Dreams May Come James P. Donnelly, PhD, researcher for the Institute for Autism Research and associate professor of counseling and human services, discussed his research regarding the significance of end-of-life dreams in 40 national media outlets including: yahoonews.com huffingtonpost.com ewallstreeter.com escience.com sciencedaily.com
IAR Gives Hope to Children with Autism Marcus L. Thomeer, PhD and Christopher J. Lopata, PsyD, co-directors of the Institute for Autism Research, conducted research that found a unique emotion recognition treatment extremely effective for high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorder (HFASD). Their findings ran in 21 national media outlets including: sciencedaily.com esciencenews.com autismmednews.com justsciencenews.com
Questioning the Evidence Research by H. David Sheets, PhD, professor of physics, indicated that bite-mark analysis in criminal cases can lead to false convictions. His research ran in 48 national and international media outlets including: worldnewsnetwork.com sciencedaily.com yahoonews.com (India) esciencenews.com “Futureproof� (Science radio show in Ireland)
JANUARY 2016 > worldnews.com “ Ability of Mosquitoes to Transmit the Zika Virus” “ If we can get a better understanding of how the environment alters traits in these species, we can provide insight into the effects of environmental gradients and fluctuations on the transmission of several diseases these mosquitoes vector, including Zika.” - Katie S. Costanzo, PhD, associate professor of biology
> esciencenews.com “Bite-mark Analysis Can Lead to False Convictions” “ Forensic science is a vital crime-fighting tool in today’s criminal justice system. But it can also lead to false convictions. Bite-mark analysis is far from an exact science.” - H. David Sheets, PhD, professor of physics
FEBRUARY 2016 > SHAPE magazine “Get Fit: Rock Your Winter Workouts” “ The capsaicin in chili peppers increases your internal temperature slightly, which will raise the rate at which you burn calories and warm your body slightly.” - Charles J. Pelitera ’80, MS ’90, EdD, health and wellness program coordinator and assistant professor of kinesiology
> huffingtonpost.com “ Here’s What You Need to Know About ‘Black Dog Syndrome’”
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“ If a shelter invests effort into promoting black dogs when, in fact, black dogs might have the same success even if they were not promoted, these resources could be better spent promoting other animals in the organization that are actually overlooked.” – Christy L. Hoffman, PhD, assistant professor of animal behavior, ecology and conservation (ABEC)
MARCH 2016 > Smithsonian magazine “ Beluga Bubbles: A Whale’s Whimsical Pastime Offers Insight Into the Mammalian Brain” “ Whales might be blowing rings for much the same reason that people dance or draw: to engage with the world and express their innate curiosity about it.” - Michael Noonan, PhD, professor of animal behavior, ecology and conservation (ABEC)
> Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “ Trump Divides, Remakes Republican Party” “ The political culture used to be insulated from the broader culture. Now the entertainment element is intruding on the political world. We have reality TV in politics.” - Michael V. Haselswerdt, PhD, professor of political science
Not so Ruff A study by Christy L. Hoffman, PhD, assistant professor of animal behavior, ecology and conservation (ABEC), showed that Black Dog Syndrome (BDS) does not exist in animal shelters. Hoffman shared her findings with 14 national media outlets including: NPR.com worldnewsmagazine.com companionanimalpsy.com huffingtonpost.com
What’s the Buzz Research by Katie S. Costanzo, PhD, associate professor of biology, about the ability of mosquitoes to transmit the Zika virus, ran in 12 national media outlets including: worldnews.com sciencedaily.com infectioncontroltoday.com esciencenews.com
Belugas Blow Bubbles for Fun Research by Michael Noonan, PhD, professor of animal behavior, ecology and conservation (ABEC), found that the different shaped bubbles blown by Beluga whales may be indicative of their moods. Noonan provided expert comment about his research in 28 national media outlets including: Smithsonian magazine discovermagazine.com discovery.com sciencedaily.com esciencenews.com huffingtonpost.com
APRIL 2016 > usnews.com (U.S. News and World Report) “ Why Ralph Lauren Stock is Out of Fashion on Wall Street” “ Blame part of RL stock’s hurt on the rise of e-commerce, which has battered brick-and-mortar department stores.” - Steven A. Gattuso, assistant professor of economics and finance and executive director of the Canisius Golden Griffin Fund
MAY 2016 > theglobeandmail.com (Canada) “It’s Up to You, New York, New York” “ This is going to be a spectacle the likes of which America hasn’t seen for many years. This is where all the talk of ‘New York values’ becomes real.” - Michael V. Haselswerdt, PhD, professor of political science
JUNE 2016 > campussafetymagazine.com
“ Some School Security Measures Make Students Feel Unsafe” >
“ It’s not the case that the school with the police officer is arresting more kids because the misbehaviors are higher than at other schools. It’s really a convenience factor but the result is that common misbehaviors become criminalized.” - Timothy J. Servoss, PhD, associate professor of psychology
> PetMD.com “ Kittens 101: How to Socialize Kittens” “ It’s important for the kitten to remain close to its mother during socialization because cats identify social partners during this phase.” - Miranda K. Workman, clinical assistant professor of animal behavior, ecology and conservation (ABEC)
For Safety’s Sake A new study by Associate Professor of Psychology Timothy J. Servoss, PhD, revealed the unintended consequences of school security measures. Servoss discussed his findings in 12 national media outlets including: usnews.com (U.S. News and World Report) sciencedaily.com campussafetymagazine.com
Canisius Shines Locally JULY 2015 > The Buffalo News (City & Region, Front Page) “ From Shoot-’em-up to Serious Video Games, Designers Evolve” “ We’re moving away from the traditional 17-year-old kid locked in a basement playing a first-person shoot-’em-up game.” – Przemyslaw J. Moskal, PhD, associate professor of communication studies
> WBFO Radio (Feature) “ Exercise Found Effective in Treating Post-Concussion Syndrome” “ I’ve seen patients improve with gentle exercise, such as walking on a treadmill. It’s not really a huge amount of exercise that they’re doing and they’re still seeing some symptom resolution with that.” - Karl F. Kozlowski, PhD, associate professor of kinesiology
AUGUST 2015 > WGRZ TV Channel 2 – “2 the Outdoors” Show “Beluga Whales Bubble for Fun” “ Blowhole bursts, a manifestation of a Beluga’s startle response, are most commonly produced by adult females. This suggests that adult females are more reactive by nature than adult males.” - Michael Noonan, PhD, professor of animal behavior, ecology and conservation (ABEC)
> The Buffalo News (Refresh, Front Page) “When the Kids Fly the Nest” “ The goodbyes will be different than a generation or two ago when parents were far more likely to drop off a child at school, wish them well and tell them they’d see them for the late-year holidays.” - E. Christine Moll, PhD, chair of counseling and human services
> Business First (Cover Story) “ Colleges Graduate to the Future: Lean Times in Higher Education Have Forced Colleges Like Canisius to Develop New Strategies” “ For too long, higher ed has focused on the amenities and the student experience and I think people are starting to realize that the pendulum has swung too far. We’re focusing instead on the value of the experience in so far as it prepares people to be successful in life.” - John J. Hurley, president
SEPTEMBER 2015 > The Buffalo News (Refresh, Feature) “ Fighting Poverty with Focus on Health” “ In Buffalo, even though we have a renaissance going on, we have huge health disparities and I think it’s something we’ve got to take a look at.” - Allyson D. Backstrom, PhD, director of Schreiner Pre-Med Program
SEPTEMBER 2015 (cont.) > Business First (Front Page) “ Canisius College Overcomes Enrollment Challenges, President Says” “ This may mean we sometimes opt for a smaller class size that enables us to remain academically more selective, rather than be more aggressive in our admissions and financial aid awards simply to recruit more students.” - John J. Hurley, president
FEBRUARY 2016 > The Buffalo News (Sports Page, Feature) “ Tie to ESPN Puts Canisius Students in the Action” “ The opportunity to align the college with ESPN through the MAAC’s long-standing working relationship with the Worldwide Leader in Sports will provide Canisius with a tremendous amount of exposure both athletically and academically.” - Bill Maher, director of athletics
> The Buffalo News (NeXt, Front Page) “Competitors Get Early Start at Science Olympiad” “ When you have events like this, it really gets you excited, as opposed to just sitting in a classroom and memorizing content.” - Phillip M. Sheridan, PhD, professor of chemistry
MARCH 2016 > The Buffalo News (NeXt) “ Making the Most of a College Visit” “V isits are an essential part of the decision making process. A visit enables prospective students to learn about student groups and organizations, get a sense of the culture of the campus and receive help with financial aid.” - Justin P. Rogers, director of undergraduate admissions
APRIL 2016 > Western New York Family magazine (Feature) “ Institute for Autism Research at Canisius College Offers Hope to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder” “ We want kids to have fun but we want to make sure they are learning something and that the program is changing their behaviors in their day-to-day lives.” - Marcus L. Thomeer, PhD and Christopher J. Lopata, PsyD, co-directors of the Institute for Autism Research
MAY 2016 > The Buffalo News (City and Region, Feature) “ Canisius Professor Takes National Stage: Gansworth to Read From New Novel ‘Give me Some Truth’” “ I tend, as a reader, to want to give an audience a full chunk of something so they can walk away with something memorable.” - Eric Gansworth, professor of English and Lowery Writer-in-Residence
Office of College Communications Eileen C. Herbert, director Audrey R. Browka, associate director Kristin E. Etu, associate director Gary Steltermann, communication specialist