In the News

J. Kevin Eckert, Sociology and Anthropology, in the Baltimore Sun
Baltimore Sun writer Diane Scharper included J. Kevin Eckert, former dean of the Erickson School and professor of Sociology and Anthropology, in her “Local Interest Book Roundup.” The book, “Inside Assisted Living: The Search for a Home,” combines personal narrative and social history and is a collaborative effort by Eckert and others affiliated with the sociology and anthropology department. Eckert said “as horror stories about conditions in nursing homes became widespread, older adults looked to assisted living.” The article, “Local Interest Book Roundup” ran Sunday, July 26.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/booksmags/bal-ae.bk.roundup26jul26,0,5514599.story

Susan Main ’09 M.F.A., Visual Arts, in Baltimore City Paper
Susan Main ’09 M.F.A. was featured in a Baltimore City Paper review of an exhibition by recent MFA graduates in Baltimore. Her video, “One Inch of Anywhere.” Her piece is a looping video that plays on a laptop screen set up behind a wall and can only be seen through a plumbing tailpipe. At other end of the hole is a sped-up, top-view video of grass.
The article, “Grad Company: Group show of recent MFA graduates catches young artists still honing their ideas,” ran Wednesday, July 29.
http://www.citypaper.com/arts/story.asp?id=18419
Donald Norris, Public Policy, in the News
The Baltimore Sun revealed that John Paterakis, developer of the Harbor East complex, was indicted Tuesday on two counts of campaign finance violations for contributing $6,000 to help pay for a city councilwoman’s political poll. “You’ve got to be kidding,” said Donald Norris, chair and professor of the Department of Public Policy. “He is well known, he is highly regarded and for him to be charged with something like this is quite frankly shocking.”
The article, “New charges in city bribery investigation,” ran Tuesday, July 28.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-paterakis0728,0,3877326.story
In an article about Baltimore County Councilman Kenneth Oliver’s guilty plea to two misdemeanors, Norris noted the plea would spur challengers but that voters might not view the crime as too serious. “It all depends on how forgiving his constituency is,” said Norris. The article, “Councilman pleads guilty to campaign finance violations,” ran Tuesday, July 28, in the Maryland Daily Record.
http://www.mddailyrecord.com/article.cfm?category=2&page=1&id=12043&type=UTTM
Robert Provine, Psychology, in the News
In a Science News article, Professor of Psychology Robert Provine was cited for his work to record instances of laughter. What he found was that most laughter had little to do with humor. Provine said, “Laughter serves as a way to form alliances and make connections with others. For most, laughter serves as a signal for mutual liking and well-being.”
The article, “When Humor Humiliates,” ran Friday, July 17.
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/feature/id/45581/title/When__Humor_Humiliates
According to The National, mass hysteria and contagious laughter (and sometimes crying) still take place today. The article cites Provine’s documentation of an incident that occurred in 1968 where “a group of 12- to 18-year-old schoolgirls rapidly rose to epidemic proportions. Contagious laughter propagated from one individual to the next, eventually infecting adjacent communities.” The epidemic required the closing of schools for six months.
The article, “Death and taxes can be postponed but not hysteria,” ran Tuesday, July 28.
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090729/OPINION/707289866/1080
Provine was also cited in La Presse on Saturday, July 25, in “Le rire sous toutes les coulture,” by Mathieu Perreault.
Judah Ronch, Erickson School, in the Baltimore Sun
Although most believe that today’s generation has a high rate of entrepreneurship activity, it is the baby boomer generation that has the highest, according to a recent Baltimore Sun article. Judah Ronch, interim dean of the Erickson School, is not surprised by the risk-taking attitude of the boomers. “There is a sense of ‘I will not age according to the stereotypes,’ and part of that is ‘I’m not going to retire,’ ” Ronch said. “They’re approaching aging as the next step of development as opposed to the next period of decline.”
The article, “Boomers Go Venturing,” ran Wednesday, July 29.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/jobs/bal-bz.entrepreneur29jul29,0,7925652.story
Manil Suri, Mathematics, in The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe noted that one would be “hard pressed” to find a novelist that is also a mathematics professor. However, Manil Suri, professor of mathematics, fits the bill as a published author of two novels and a tenured faculty member at UMBC. When it comes to math and writing, Suri thinks both have a place in society. “Many people like mathematics while in school, but then have no further opportunity to enjoy it,’’ he said. “It’s not like art, for which you can go to a museum to satisfy a craving. I’d like to help push mathematics into the cultural arena. Perhaps even put a mathematician on ‘Oprah.’ ’’
The article, “The Sum of His Talents,” ran Tuesday, July 28.
http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2009/07/28/manil_suri_practices_writing_and_professes_mathematics/