Through various national media outlets, MTSU faculty, staff and students revealed wide-ranging expertise on various subjects lately, including body image, sexual harassment, Taylor Swift, Albert Gore, and sleep deprivation.

• Dr. Ngee-Sing Chong, a chemistry professor, told the Louisville Courier-Journal about new discoveries of helium in an article published Oct. 22 and available here.

• Kent Syler, an assistant professor of political science and international relations, revealed the content of archived letters written by the late U.S. Sen. Albert Gore. The article, which was published Oct. 29 in The New York Times, can be read here.

Dr. Patrick McCarthy

Kent Syler

Dr. Ngee-Sing Chong

• Dr. Patrick McCarthy, a professor of psychology, opined about sexual harassment Nov. 5 for The Tennessean in response to allegations about country music promoter Kirt Webster.

• Dr. Nikki Jones and Vickie Harden, lecturers in the Department of Social Work, wrote an article about the impact of sleep deprivation on low-income children of color. It was posted Nov. 6 at www.youthtoday.org.

• Drs. Justin Bucchio and Ariana Postlethwait from the Department of Social work co-authored an article with social work major Robin Fair on gay-straight alliances in rural high schools. It was posted Nov. 20 at www.youthtoday.org.

• Dr. Preston MacDougall, a chemistry professor, explained for the Dec. 4 edition of Scientific American Magazine how shape-shifting metals could generate electricity. His analysis can be read here.

Dr. Nikki Jones

Dr. Justin Bucchio

Dr. Ariana Postlethwait

MacDougall also revealed how the position of electrons in a crystal of a diiron cluster compound can affect how nitrogen is converted to ammonia for the Dec. 6 issue of Chemical and Engineering News.

• Dr. Shaun Cullen, an assistant professor of English, assessed the type of pressure singer Taylor Swift is under to denounce President Trump in a Dec. 6 article for Politico.com.

Dr. Preston MacDougall

Dr. Kimberly Ujcich-Ward

• Victoria Guentzel, a nutrition and food science major, described a trip to MTSU’s dairy farm from a prospective dietician’s point of view for the Southeast United Dairy Industry Association blog Dec. 8.

• Dr. Kimberly Ujcich-Ward, a professor of psychology, commented on how and why some people struggle with body image issues in a
Dec. 10 posting for www.healthyway.com.

Reporters seeking expertise from MTSU personnel, as well as members of the campus community with expertise for media, may contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Media Relations at 615-898-5081 or via email at gina.logue@mtsu.edu.