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AU in the News

Showcasing AU programs, professors, students and alumni in the news
Week of January 19 - 25

Modern Technology Reaching an Older Generation
Today’s parents are more in tune with their children's use of technology. Some adults are even uploading videos and using high-tech gadgets themselves, forcing the younger generation to search for ways to outpace and maintain some sort of control, reports the Associated Press. “As parents, we have to figure out where to draw the line between encouraging and allowing our teens to have autonomy, to experience their separate culture, and when we need to monitor their use of media,” says Kathryn Montgomery, a professor of communication at American University. Montgomery also pointed out the importance of helping young people understand the pitfalls of social networking, including privacy issues. This article appeared in more than 80 news outlets. (1/23/08)

Environmental Protection
Everyone seems to be discussing environmental issues these days. With the national debate heating up and politicians growing closer to a bipartisan consensus, Matthew Nisbet, an environmental expert and assistant professor in AU's School of Communication, shared his thoughts on WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi Show . Nisbet discussed the real possibility of a bipartisan consensus and offered his insight into the campaign for Maryland's First Congressional District, where a nine-term Republican congressman is taking heat over his environmental record from his party's conservative flank. (1/23/08)

Kicking the Habit
People who have decided to quit caffeine may have a harder time letting it go than they thought, reports the Dallas Morning News. "Caffeine is where tobacco was 20 years ago," says Laura Juliano, assistant professor in American University's Department of Psychology. "It used to be that doctors told smokers, 'Just quit.' Now there's a growing appreciation that it takes a little more than 'just do it' to quit smoking." (1/22/08)

Florida Voter Block
In Florida, 22 percent of the state's 10.2 million voters are not registered with either of the major political parties. That equates to a large number of Florida voters who will not be participating in the Jan. 29 presidential primary, the Ledger reports. According to Curtis Gans, director of the Center for the Study of the American Electorate at American University, those voters fit into a larger national trend of voters who do not identify with either party. Gans offered that the mass media has had a role in the phenomenon, which has voters no longer relying on political parties for cues on the best candidates. (1/22/08)

No Room for Space Discussions
With an overcrowded primary calendar, the top candidates in both parties seem to be offering more rhetoric and less policy. Florida Today reports that the top candidates have remained especially silent regarding President Bush's plan to send astronauts to the moon and Mars and other candidates haven't offered much more insight. “Everyone is transfixed by who's in the lead and who won last week, and we really haven't got around to talking about issues,” said Howard McCurdy, a science policy expert and public administration professor at American University in Washington. “The compression of the election schedule has squeezed policy out of the campaign.” (1/23/08)

FBI Informant Faces Deportation
Frank Enwonwu, a Nigerian who agreed to work as an informant for the U.S. after being caught smuggling heroin, faces deportation following the re-enactment of a 1996 law that deports drug offenders. Many argue that the U.S. should do more to protect him, reports the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “This is a man who assisted the United States government as an informant, helping them prosecute drug-related crimes, and in so doing, he has put his life at complete risk. We believe that creates an obligation on the part of the United States to protect him,” said Meetali Jain, an attorney at the American University Washington College of Law International Human Rights Law Clinic. This article appeared in over 40 news outlets. (1/22/08)

AU in the News Archives