FIU researchers taking on the world’s greatest challenges are sharing their findings with a national audience during FIU Week on The Academic Minute, Jan. 5-9, a radio show and podcast. The three-minute program features researchers from colleges and universities around the world. FIU’s experts are explaining research related to important topics that include health, technology, child development and how the brain works.   

Monday  

Jaclyn Tanenbaum, faculty director of the  Master of Science in Marketing (MSM) Program in FIU Business,  has found that dissuasive framing – telling non-target consumers a product isn’t for them – can be more effective than traditional persuasive messages. Her research challenges a foundational belief in marketing: that persuasive messages aimed directly at target customers are the most effective. 

Tuesday  

Amanda Thomas, clinical assistant professor in the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences, discusses her study, which has shown that children with upper limb deficiencies can significantly improve strength, coordination, and independence with a novel exercise program using a body-powered 3D-printed prosthetic hand. 

Wednesday  

With her research, Tana Carson, assistant professor of occupational therapy in the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences, tackles a major cause of death for disabled children in the U.S. – drowning. She discusses how a five-day adapted swim program improved safety skills for children with disabilities. 

Thursday  

Karinna Rodriguez, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Psychology Developmental Science program, explains how Center for Children and Families research provides parents with ways to support their children’s learning before they even enter a classroom. It’s backed by science and surprisingly simple: puzzles, blocks, and spatial words. It’s aimed at developing spatial reasoning.  

Read more about her research in The Conversation 

Friday  

Marcelo Bigliassi, assistant professor of psychophysiology and neuroscience in the College of Arts, Sciences & Education, knows why it might be hard to start or stick with a workout routine: your brain, not your body, may be what’s holding you back. And it can be trained to help you push through.  

 Read more about his research in The Conversation 

Later this month,  Academic Minute also will feature FIU researchers working on early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and next-generation battery technologies.

Tomás Guilarte, dean of the Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, has studied the biomarker TSPO for three decades. His latest discovery found that TSPO may allow Alzheimer’s disease to be detected years before symptoms appear. 

Bilal El-Zahab, associate professor of mechanical and materials engineering at the College of Engineering and Computing, and his research team have made a breakthrough with a next generation battery technology. Known as beyond lithium-ion, it could one day make owning an electric vehicle a lot more convenient.  

Produced by WAMC Northeast Public Radio, The Academic Minute is hosted by Lynn Pasquerella, President of the American Association of Colleges and Universities.  The program airs on 70 stations around the United States and Canada.  Segments are also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.