Goodwin's NIH Grant Supports Study of Young Mammals' Behavior

Greg Goodwin, assistant professor of psychology, has been awarded a grant of $150,000 from the National Institutes of Health to conduct research on brain mechanisms that underlie exploratory behavior in young rats.

"Mammalian newborns maintain proximity to their parents or a home nest for care and protection, but as they mature and gain independence, they must explore their environment to learn of its resources and dangers," said Goodwin. "This transition from dependence to independence is facilitated by the emergence of a motive to explore novel places during weaning. This is critical to adult independence in many species, and failure to complete it may result in difficulty negotiating unfamiliar environments in adulthood."

Goodwin believes that such research may eventually help us better understand the causes of certain anxiety disorders in humans. He says that studies of human infants have shown that difficulty coping with parental separation can predict adult problems such as agoraphobia and panic disorders, both of which are associated with excessive anxiety about leaving a familiar place.

Goodwin explains that developmental changes in the brain that drive the development of exploratory behavior are poorly understood. It is clear that in adult rats the secretion of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the basal forebrain is key to prompting exploration. His research will examine the developmental changes that take place in this brain region in response to novel environments.

The three-year NIH grant, which includes a component for undergraduate research, will enable Goodwin to hire two students as research assistants during the next three summers. As part of their work, the student assistants will spend time with Goodwin's collaborator, Susan Anderson, of the Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital in Boston. Said Goodwin," This will give them an opportunity to get an intimate look at what goes on in a major medical research setting."

Arciero Receives $90K for Diet Research

Paul Arciero, associate professor of exercise science, and his research team have received a grant of $90,000 from Experimental and Applied Sciences of Golden, Colo., for a diet study to assess the effects of meal frequency (three versus six daily) and composition (high carbohydrate versus balanced carbohydrate and protein) on healthy adults.

The study involves 60 men and women who will be grouped according to diet selection into one of three groups. For two months, the groups will follow one of three diets. One group will follow Diet A, featuring three meals per day consisting of 60 percent carbohydrate, 15 percent protein, and 25 percent fat. A second group will follow Diet B, which features three meals per day consisting of 40 percent carbohydrate, 40 percent protein, and 20 percent fat. The third group will follow Diet C, which features six small meals per day consisting of 40 percent carbohydrate, 40 percent protein, and 20 percent fat. All diets will be relatively equal in terms of calories.

The primary goal of the research is to learn more about how meals of varying carbohydrate content (60 percent versus 40 percent) and protein content (15 percent versus 40 percent), as well as varying meal frequency affect the body's ability to burn calories, reduce fat stores, improve cardiovascular and metabolic disease risk, and enhance mood state. Study subjects will undergo regular blood checks to learn more about the effects of the diets on important markers of health such as cholesterol, glucose, insulin, and inflammatory markers associated with disease. In addition, the study will closely monitor the impact that meal frequency and macronutrient composition has on energy metabolism, body composition, and psychological mood state.

Said Arciero, "Interestingly, there is limited research examining the combined influence of varying meal frequency and macronutrient composition on how we burn calories, our body fat and muscle mass, blood glucose, insulin, and inflammatory markers, and perhaps most importantly, our psychological mood state. We're very excited about this study because we will contribute new knowledge about the effects of meal frequency and macronutrient composition on improving health and reducing disease in middle aged men and women."

NEA Grant to Support Summer Jazz Program

For a second straight year, the National Endowment for the Arts has awarded a grant to the Skidmore Jazz Institute. Totaling $7,500, the grant will support the institute's popular special guest artists series and help provide scholarship funds to institute participants.

Offered in collaboration with the New York State Summer School of the Arts School of Jazz Studies, the Skidmore Jazz Institute - two weeks of serious jazz for students of all ages- returns to the Skidmore campus from June 26 to July 10 this year.

Under the direction of J. Gerald Zaffuts, the jazz institute has consistently featured top jazz educators and performers sharing their knowledge and passion with students of all ages. This year's faculty includes Todd Coolman, bass; Curtis Fuller, trombone; Clyde Kerr, trumpet; John LaBarbera, trumpet/composition; Pat LaBarbera, saxophone; Hal Miller, jazz historian; and Ed Shaughnessy, drums. A jazz institute tradition is the series of free concerts and performances featuring top guest artists as well as institute faculty and students. For summer 2004, the concert schedule is as follows:

· June 29 -- Randy Brecker, Grammy Award-winning trumpeter - 8 p.m., Bernhard Theater
· July 1 -- Jazz Institute Faculty Sextet, featuring Renee Rosnes, Todd Coolman, Ed Shaughnessy, Pat LaBarbera, and Curtis Fuller - 8 p.m., Bernhard Theater
· July 2 -- Jazz Institute participants - 1 p.m., Filene Recital Hall
· July 3 -- Legendary drummer Jimmy Cobb with tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander - 8 p.m., Bernhard Theater
· July 6 -- Kurt Elling, 2004 Grammy nominee for "Best Jazz Vocal Album" - 8 p.m., Bernhard Theater
· July 8 -- Jazz Institute Faculty Sextet, with George Cables, Todd Coolman, Ed Shaughnessy, Pat LaBarbera, and Curtis Fuller - 8 p.m., Bernhard Theater
· July 9 - Jazz Institute participants - 1 p.m., Filene Recital Hall

Approximately 50 students take part in daily combo and improvisational classes, as well as one-on-one private instruction with members of the institute's faculty. Students are annually recruited from the New Orleans Center for the creative Arts and the Houston High School for Performing and Visual Arts; for the first time this year, students will also come from the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Arts in Dallas.
In addition to the NEA, other sponsors of the Skidmore jazz Institute include Blue Note Records, the Howard Bayne Fund, and the New York State Council on the Arts.

In the News

Jim Kennelly, associate professor of management and business and chair, Department of Management and Business, is co-author (with Finbarr Bradley) of "Promoting Innovation While Improving Quality of Life," an opinion essay published May 14 in The Irish Times.

Jeff Segrave, professor of exercise science, was a source for "Lessons for Athens from Salt Lake City," published May 6 in The Christian Science Monitor.

Mary Zeiss Stange, associate professor of religion and women's studies, wrote "Guns, Like Abortion, Are a Matter of Choice," an opinion essay published May 6 in USA Today.

Sue Van Hook, senior teaching associate in biology, was a source for "Hunting the Elusive Mushroom," published May 19 in the Glens Falls Post-Star.

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