The following Notre Dame faculty are available for additional comment on these people and events in the news:
Childhood transitions: A Notre Dame psychology professor has launched a study into why some mothers and their children get along well during the teenage years while others experience problems. Titled the “Great Transitions Study,” the project will examine the relationships between mothers and children during a three- to four-year period beginning when the child is about 10. Gondoli will take particular note of how mothers must make adjustments as their children grow older. “Parents have to adapt and adjust their parenting somewhat – or even a great deal – as kids make the transition to adolescence,” says Dawn Gondoli , assistant professor of psychology. “For instance, teens benefit from parental monitoring, but they also need autonomy. I want to look at how one strikes a balance here, and exactly what is a balance. I’m really interested in factors that generally help mothers adjust to changes in their child and in their relationship with their child. I also want to look at how different patterns of adjustment and parenting adaptation predict kids’ outcomes.” *For further comment, contact Professor Gundlach at (219) 631-5171 or at gundlach.1@nd.edu.
- p. Apollo 11: While the dramatic developments associated with the first lunar landing 30 years ago on July 20, 1969, are unlikely to be replicated anytime soon, the world should continue the aggressive exploration of space, says Stephen M. Batill , professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at Notre Dame. “In the foreseeable future, the United States will probably remain the only economy capable of maintaining a significant space exploration program,” he says. “But sustained development and exploration cannot be achieved without continuous and significant funding, and it is not apparent that this is perceived as a major societal need. One can only hope that we can continue to exploit the use of space – particularly with near-Earth systems – for positive economic and quality of life developments. But this will require continued education of the benefits to be achieved by this investment. One may not see the staggering progress of the last century repeated in the next, but the potential exists for new and exciting developments as the result of our continued quest to reach to new frontiers.” *Professor Batill can be reached for further comment at (219) 631-5591 or at batill.1@nd.edu.
- p. Boys and girls : A new study by Notre Dame psychologist David Cole indicates that boys tend to overestimate their performance in school and girls tend to underestimate their own skills. The three-year study of 800 third- and sixth-grade students found the gap begins around the fourth grade and increases with each grade level. Cole found that boys are more likely to attribute their failures to bad luck, the difficulty of the task, or not trying hard enough. Girls, on the other hand, may be more likely to attribute their failures to a perception of low ability. Cole’s advice to parents and teachers is to “maintain high expectations for women E. We do them a disservice by expecting less of them.” Professor Cole can be reached for further comment at (219) 631-6165. p. Hale-Bopp : The most precise measurement to date of the carbon monoxide to water ratio in a comet is reported by a team of astrophysicists in the June 17 issue of Nature. The article suggests that the comet Hale-Bopp was likely formed in the region between Jupiter and Neptune some 4 billion years ago. The researchers, from the University of Notre Dame, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, and Rowan College in New Jersey, made their observations of the giant comet Hale-Bopp in 1997-98 using an infrared spectrometer on NASA’s 3-meter telescope at the Infrared Telescope Facility at the Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii. They determined that the carbon monoxide/water ratio was 12 percent. It’s fundamentally important to know the amount and source of carbon monoxide, says Terrence W. Rettig , associate professor of physics at Notre Dame, who participated in the observations. “These data provide our most comprehensive clues about where and how Hale-Bopp was formed and give us a better understanding of its history.” B>For further comment, contact Rettig at (219) 631-7732 or at trettig@nd.edu .
p. International business: A new book edited by Georges Enderle , Arthur and Mary O’Neil Professor of International Business Ethics at Notre Dame, examines the complexities of business ethics on a global scale. “International Business Ethics: Challenges and Approaches,” published by Notre Dame Press, includes the work of 39 contributors who explore topics such as the need for a differentiated economic analysis beyond simple profit maximization; the active participation of the world’s religions in coping with global business issues; information technology in different cultures; and the roles and responsibilities of transnational corporations. For more information, contact Professor Enderle at (219) 631-5595. To receive a copy of the book, contact Julie Dudrick at Notre Dame Press at (219) 631-6346. p. Brazilian politics: Stanford University Press has published “Rethinking Party Systems in the Third Wave of Democratization: The Case of Brazil,” a new book by Scott P. Mainwaring , Eugene and Helen Conley Professor of Government and International Studies and executive director of the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at Notre Dame. From a theoretical perspective, Mainwaring argues that most party systems in the third wave of global democratization ? that is, since 1974 ? have distinctive features that must be examined in a new light. In the case of Brazil, he provides empirical evidence that reveals a weak party system that has resulted in problems with democratization. He explores reasons for the difficulties in party building in Brazil and addresses the consequences of weak institutionalization, which leads him to reaffirm the central significance of political parties in the face of widespread skepticism about their importance. *For further comment, contact Professor Mainwaring at (219) 631-8530 or at mainwaring.1@nd.edu. - p. Cadmium: Notre Dame researcher Jinesh C. Jain has discovered higher concentrations of cadmium in the durum wheat ? the variety used to make pasta ? grown in the United States and Canada than that grown in other parts of the world. The likely reason for the disparity, according to Jain, is that North American farmers apply more phosphate-based fertilizers, which often contain small amounts of cadmium, a heavy metal that accumulates in the body and has been tied to kidney disease and prostate cancer. The elevated levels of cadmium found in North American wheat are not thought to be harmful, but researchers are concerned that more of the element is getting into water and soils via industrial pollution and other sources, which ultimately may lead to higher concentrations in the food chain. For further comment, contact Jain at (219) 631-9049.
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