American University
carlyo | April 24, 2015This Nifty Fifty Podcast features Dr. Matthew Hartings speaking to Holy Cross School in Garret Park, Maryland. Dr. Hartings the professor behind "The Chemistry of Cooking," a wildely popular course at American University, where Dr. Hartings is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry. Read full blog here.
College of Arts and Sciences from American University Explores the Physics of Music on National Mall
kcollins | October 19, 2010The physics of music is a greater way to appreciate music. This booth sounds quite interesting. Thanks CAS for helping get the word out about the Expo and coming to have a booth. Find the full post here.
By Kaitie O'Hare
October 13, 2010
Physics Professor Nate Harshman and High School Noura Jaber will demonstrate Chladni plates at the Expo.
Professor Harshman and High School student Noura Jaber experiment with Chlandi plates.
The physics department and audio technology programs are teaming up on October 23-24 to present "The Physics of Music" exhibit on the National Mall, part of the larger…
nisbetmc | March 31, 2010
This year the School of Communication at American University has hired leading junior faculty in the areas of science journalism and risk communication. The two new faculty, scheduled to move to Washington, DC in August, will contribute significantly to SOC's research capacity, professional initiatives, and teaching portfolio. Below with their permission, I have posted brief bios.
DECLAN FAHY
Declan Fahy joins the journalism faculty as a tenure-track assistant professor. He has reported extensively on science, health, and environmental issues, as well as many other topics, for the Irish…
nisbetmc | March 9, 2010
American Today, the weekly newspaper for American University, ran this feature on last week's AU Forum and public radio broadcast of "The Climate Change Generation: Youth, Media, and Politics in an Unsustainable World." My graduate assistant Brandee Reed has also produced a transcript of the panel which I have pasted below the fold.
I was joined on the panel by AU journalism professor Jane Hall who served as moderator, and fellow panelists Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post and Kate Sheppard of Mother Jones magazine. The transcript is not quite professional quality, but it does provide…
nisbetmc | March 5, 2010Dan Vergano of USA Today has an important column out this weekend. Vergano, I believe, is the first major journalist to call into question the now dominant narrative that "ClimateGate" has powerfully damaged public trust in scientists.
In the column, he quotes Stanford professor Jon Krosnick with the following apt observation. As Vergano writes:
What's really happening, suggests polling expert Jon Krosnick of Stanford University, is "scientists are over-reacting. It's another funny instance of scientists ignoring science."
The science that Krosnick is referring to are the multiple polling…
nisbetmc | March 5, 2010
Chris Palmer, director of the Center for Environmental Filmmaking at American University, argues in an op-ed at CNN.com that the tragic accident at SeaWorld Orlando should draw renewed attention to the ethics and safety of keeping Orcas as captive performing animals for spectators. As Palmer, a veteran of more than 25 years of wildlife filmmaking, writes:
Orcas and other large predators should not be held in captivity unless those doing so can make an overpoweringly persuasive case for it -- mainly that the animal's release into the wild, perhaps after an injury, will mean certain,…
nisbetmc | March 4, 2010That's the question raised in an American Observer article about this week's AU Forum held on the "Climate Change Generation? Youth, Media, and Politics in an Unsustainable World." The Observer is the digital news site run by graduate students in journalism at American University. Here's how reporter Kristen Becker described the issue with reactions from students, Forum moderator Jane Hall, and panelists Juliet Eilperin and Kate Sheppard:
Although a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll found the number of Americans who believe climate change is occurring has dropped from 80 percent to 72…
nisbetmc | March 2, 2010
Americans under the age of 35 have grown up during an era of ever more certain climate science, increasing news attention, alarming entertainment portrayals, and growing environmental activism, yet on a number of key indicators, this demographic group remains less engaged on the issue than older Americans.
A survey report released today challenges conventional wisdom that younger Americans as a group are more concerned and active on the issue of climate change than their older counterparts. The analysis of nationally representative data collected in January of this year is timed for release…
nisbetmc | March 2, 2010
At last night's AU Forum on The Climate Change Generation, one of the students asked what can be done to break public indifference on the issue.
In the YouTube clip above, I answered that Obama as president needs to make climate change a leading communication priority, marshaling the power of the bully pulpit for a long term president-led engagement campaign on the issue. When and if this happens, I suggested one of the first things Obama should do is to personally host a series of Rose Garden summits with religious leaders, business leaders, public health experts, and national security…
nisbetmc | March 1, 2010
More than 200 students turned out tonight for the AU Forum on climate change and youth and approximately 700,000 audience members in the DC area listened in via the live public radio broadcast by WAMU.
There will be much more tomorrow including blog reaction, news coverage, a transcript, a podcast of the WAMU program, and the release of a new survey report on young people and climate change. But for now, you can watch archived video feed of the panel above and you can discuss the panel at the student built social media site for the event. Also check out the twitter feed and discussion.…
nisbetmc | February 28, 2010What does climate change mean to you? from Andrea Posner on Vimeo.
Students in AU Professor David Johnson's class on interactive media have created a social media and discussion site for tonight's American Forum on "The Climate Change Generation: Youth, Media, and Politics in an Unsustainable World."
Features at the site include video interviews with AU students on the topic (see above), a Twitter feed that student attendees and public radio listeners will be posting to, a Facebook group, a news aggregator on climate change, and various topic driven discussion boards with topics ranging…
nisbetmc | February 26, 2010
The School of Communication at American University in partnership with the School of Public Affairs has established a new 2 year MA degree program in Political Communication. The program is currently accepting applications for Fall 2010. Follow this link and see details posted below.
The joint SOC/SPA degree is one of several new programs moving forward at AU, as the university and School of Communication pursue an ambitious new strategic plan.
The Master of Arts in Political Communication is a 36 credit hour degree program combining education in political sciences and communication,…