*David Pettigrew, professor of philosophy, was quoted in a recent column written by Randy Beach in the New Haven Register. Randy interviewed some patrons at Lulu’s coffeehouse in the East Rock section of neighborhood during the Jan. 27 snowstorm.
*Shirley Jackson, professor of sociology, was interviewed by the Valley Independent Sentinelabout the racial divide over the handling of high-profile incidents in New York and Ferguson, Mo. The publication printed her responses on Jan. 20 to questions about race relations.
*Both the New Haven Register and Channel 8 ran stories Jan. 19 about an autism study led by associate professor of psychology Julia Irwin. The study is funded through a $500,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health and includes Haskins Laboratories. It examines whether the avoidance of eye contact by children with an autism spectrum disorder is the primary cause of the speech and language difficulties that typically accompany the disorder. Children between the ages of 6 and 12 are being tested with the hope that the results will lead to better treatments.
The Register ran a Page 4 story written by Jennifer Swift, while Channel 8 aired a segment by health reporter Jocelyn Maminta on its 5:30 p.m. newscast.
*Lesley Wolk, assistant professor of communication disorders, was interviewed Jan. 16 on theWTIC radio (1080) show, “Mornings with Ray Dunaway” about the cultural trend of “vocal fry,” which is a creaky, gravelly tone of voice. Her research shows that this trend is particularly prevalent among high school girls and young women, who often use this inflection at the end of sentences. The phenomenon also has affected other segments of the population to a lesser degree.
*Polly Beals, associate professor of history, and Charles Baraw, assistant professor of English, were quoted in a story that was published Jan. 5 in the online magazine Inside Higher Ed. The article focused on a recent meeting of the American Historical Association in New York City.
