In the News: MTSU faculty talk finances, Israel-Hamas war, Trump trials, dyslexia, opioid use, more

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University faculty and staff recently provided the media with their perspectives on various issues, including the Israel-Hamas war, free speech, dyslexia and opioid use.

Dr. Maria Edlin King, director, Tennessee Council on Economic and Free Enterprise Education at MTSU — Dr. Maria Edlin King

Ken Paulson, director, Free Speech Center at MTSU, College of Media and Entertainment — Ken Paulson

• Dr. Maria Edlin King, economics professor and director of the Tennessee Council on Economic and Free Enterprise Education, shared expert insights on the nation’s gross domestic product, or GDP, in this April 22 Money Geek article. Read her commentary.

King also shared her thoughts on mitigating the impact of a recession in this April 22 MoneyGeek article. Read her commentary.

• Ken Paulson, director of the Free Speech Center, was interviewed April 30 by Dallas-Fort Worth Fox News affiliate KDFW-TV about student protests against the Israel-Hamas War on the campus of the University of Texas-Austin. Read his comments.

Paulson talked with the BBC about college students protesting the Israel-Hamas War in Boston. Read the interview from May 1.

Paulson talked with Seattle NBC affiliate KING-TV about gag orders related to the trial of Donald Trump. Read the article from May 3.

Paulson talked about a North Carolina school board’s ban on politically charged displays in classrooms. Read his comments in the Port City Daily newspaper article published May 8.

Paulson shared his opinion with The Guardian about a Georgia law school dean’s choice to halt an open records research clinic. Read his comments from the May 17 article.

Dr. Sean Foley, an associate professor of history — Dr. Sean Foley

• Dr. Sean Foley, a professor of history who specializes in Middle East politics and culture, has talked extensively with multiple media outlets about the Israel-Hamas war. Foley talked with KCBS-AM/FM Radio “All News” program May 6 about Israel’s ceasefire proposal. Listen to the segment.

Foley talked with Jim Richards of Newstalk 1010 — a major AM radio station in Toronto, Ontario — on May 6 about Hamas’ acceptance of a ceasefire proposal with Israel. Listen to the show.

Foley talked with Newstalk 1010 on May 27 to update the situation in Gaza. Listen to the show.

Dr. Sean Salter, associate professor, Economics and Finance — Dr. Sean Salter

• Dr. Tim Odegard, psychology professor and chairholder of the Katherine Davis Murfree Chair of Excellence in Dyslexic Studies, talked with “On Point” about rethinking how dyslexia is diagnosed. Listen to the segment from May 7.

Odegard took part in an online panel discussion on building foundations for reading fluency on May 16. Watch the discussion.

• Dr. Sean Salter, associate professor of economics, talked with Bankrate May 8 about mortgage rate trends. Read his comments.

• Dr. Cynthia Chafin, director of the Center for Health and Human Services, worked on a grant from the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council that was featured on WKRN-TV News 2. Watch the segment from May 10 about her work.

Chafin took part in a panel discussion on the opioid crisis on WTVF-TV News Channel 5+ “OpenLine” on May 22. Watch the segment.

• Mauro Barreto, adjunct photography instructor, was featured in a German news site for his work and a speaking engagement on May 10. Read the article.

• Dr. Robert Rogers, a criminal justice professor, was referenced by The Mirror for his commentary on Donald Trump’s possible prison sentence. Read the article from May 12.

Kristine Potter, assistant professor of photography, Department of Media Arts, College of Media and Entertainment, Middle Tennessee State University — Kristine Potter

• Kristine Potter, assistant professor of photography, is featured in Art Daily for her exhibit, “Dark Waters,” on display at the Momentary: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. Read the article from May 11 about the exhibit.

Potter’s exhibit was spotlighted May 11 in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Read the article.

• Dr. Sekou Franklin, political science professor, was interviewed by WKRN-TV News Channel 2 about Metro-Nashville Police Department’s plans to install license plate readers across the city. Read the article from May 17.

Dr. Derek Frisby, lecturer in MTSU’s Department of Global Studies and Human Geography — Dr. Derek Frisby

Dr. Christina Cobb, Department of University Studies, University College — Dr. Christina Cobb

• Dr. Christina Cobb, associate professor in University Studies, was spotlighted May 18 in The Murfreesboro Post for receiving the ATHENA Young Professional Award for working with Tennessee Girls in STEM program at MTSU. Read the article.

Cobb was also spotlighted for the ATHENA Young Professional Award by WGNS-AM/FM Radio. Listen to the story.

Dr. Derek Frisby, history professor, was featured May 24 in the Grundy County Herald for speaking to the Daughters of the Confederacy Kirby-Smith Chapter 327 about MTSU’s Forrest Hall. Read the article.

Keith M. Huber, MTSU senior adviser for veterans and leadership initiatives — Keith M. Huber

Dr. Janet Colson, professor of nutrition and food science and registered dietician, Department of Human Sciences — Dr. Janet Colson

• Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Keith Huber, senior advisor for veterans and leadership initiatives at MTSU, was featured a WSMV-TV Channel 4 News story on May 28 about the Nashville Sounds special military jerseys the team is wearing in June and July as part of Independence Day commemorations. Watch the segment.

Huber was featured in Southern Living magazine for the Grand Ole Opry’s “Salute the Troops” program that aired Memorial Day weekend. Read the article that was published May 23.

• Dr. Janet Colson, a professor of nutrition, was featured for her commentary on the science behind functional foods. Read the article published May 30 by Microsoft News.

— Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu)