Stories this week at Wake Forest University
SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL SICKLE-CELL AWARENESS MONTH
A Wake Forest physics professor is using a $460,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to explore a new approach in treating sickle cell disease. Assistant Professor of Physics Daniel Kim-Shapiro is available for interviews during September, designated National Sickle Cell Awareness Month in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan. In his lab in Olin Physical Laboratory, Kim-Shapiro explores a novel approach to the treatment of sickle-cell disease: most sickle-cell research focuses on preventing the “sickling” of cells; he is investigating how quickly “sickled” cells can be returned to normal. “If we could speed up how fast the cell ‘unsickles,’ that would be a new pathway for treatment,” he said. To schedule an interview and a visit to Kim-Shapiro’s lab, call the News Service. For more information on the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America and the observation of Sickle Cell Awareness Month, visit the Web site at www.sicklecelldisease.org
CAN P.E. CLASS HELP TRIM AMERICA’S FAT?
One of the most important lessons students can learn in school may not be found in the math, English or science classrooms. Paul Ribisl, professor of health and exercise science at Wake Forest, says it may be in the health class and the gymnasium. “If good health is essential to success in all careers, then it makes sense for every student to know how to care for their body throughout life,” says Ribisl. He has lectured and written on the causes of obesity and has studied how genetics, diet, and exercise play important roles in its control and treatment. He cites two alarming trends today: more than 60 percent of American adults are overweight or obese; and the rates are rising faster in children than in adults. He says prevention is the most promising method to halt this trend. “P.E. classes have to be redesigned so the emphasis is not on sports competition, but on how to remain physically active throughout life,” Ribisl says. “We need to help every child learn to enjoy physical activity at an early age if they are expected to continue activity as an adult.” To arrange an interview with Ribisl, contact the News Service.
EXPERT CAN PROVIDE ANALYSIS OF SENATE DEVELOPMENTS
Now that Jesse Helms has announced that he will not run again when his U.S. Senate term expires, speculation about his replacement has begun. Jack Fleer, political science professor at Wake Forest, is available to provide analysis as this situation develops. Fleer is an expert on North Carolina politics and has written several books about the political history of our state and the South. To arrange an interview with Fleer, contact the News Service.
AUTHOR OF BOOK ON MODERN SLAVERY TO SPEAK
Kevin Bales, author of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated book, “Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy,” will speak at Wake Forest on Sept. 4. The free lecture will begin at 7:15 p.m. in Benson University Center’s Pugh Auditorium. Desmond Tutu called Bales’ book “a well-researched, scholarly and deeply disturbing exposÈ of modern slavery.” Bales’ book describes the emergence of a “new slavery” in Mauritania, Brazil, Thailand, Pakistan and India. The case studies in the book present actual slaves, slaveholders and public officials in historical, geographical and cultural contexts. Contact the News Service to arrange an interview with Bales.
MEDIA INVITED TO CONVOCATION WITH FIRST LADY OF N.C.
Mary Easley, first lady of North Carolina, will speak at Wake Forest’s Opening Convocation on Sept. 13 at 11 a.m. in Wait Chapel. The event is free and open to the public. A professor at North Carolina Central University School of Law, Easley earned two degrees at Wake Forest-a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1972 and a law degree in 1975. As an undergraduate, she graduated magna cum laude and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. At Wake Forest School of Law, she was a member of the Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity. Married to North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley, she has established three main initiatives as First Lady: teacher recruitment, reduction of underage drinking and infant immunization. For more information on Convocation, contact the News Service.
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