Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Ain’t that a kick in the head?

A study of more than 2,500 retired NFL players by the University of North Carolina disputes the NFL’s long-time assertion that concussions in football have no long-term effects. The study finds that 20.2 percent of those who remembered having three or more concussions said they had been diagnosed with depression—three times the rate of players who have not sustained concussions. Dr. Helen Binkley, health and human performance, says, “The problem that the NFL, specifically team owners and franchises, have is that it is a business and the bottom line takes precedence more often than not. When an athlete misses a game, it could affect the revenue of the company and the salary or earnings of the player. … This may lead the athlete who has sustained a concussion to return to play prior to appropriate healing taking place and increase the risk for long-term effects.

Contact Binkley at 615-904-8192.
hbinkley@mtsu.edu

Learn about it

Educational leaders from throughout the region are returning to the college classroom this month to take part in helping prepare a group of MTSU graduate students for their futures within education. Dr. David Sevier, a research analyst and policy adviser for the Tennessee State Board of Education, will speak Wednesday, June 20. Sevier’s talk and all of the slated educational lectures will be held from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. in Room 158 of the Kirksey Old Main Building. “I am especially grateful to these professionals who are taking their time to come and speak to my students about the expectations that are placed upon them in their jobs in the field of education and about special topics or issues that they confront on a regular basis,” says Dr. Terry Goodin, assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership.

Members of the media are invited and encouraged to attend the guest speaker sessions, but advance notice of attendance is requested. Contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919 or lrollins@mtsu.edu.
Contact Goodin at tgoodin@mtsu.edu.

Progress with parasites

A unique form of parasite discovered off the coast of northern Australia in 1997 has led Dr. George Benz, biology, to create a new genus (scientific category) for their classification. “The specimens were found infecting the gills of several stingrays … namely, ornate eagle rays,” Benz says. “The parasites were each approximately an inch-and-a-half long, darkly colored, and very thin. Upon examining them in the laboratory, it dawned on me that they not only represented a new species, but a quite different new species at that—so different, in fact, that it would require the establishment of a new higher animal group to contain them.” Benz and his colleagues completed their work last year at MTSU. The parasites are named “Janinecaira darkthread” to honor Dr. Janine Caira of the University of Connecticut for her contributions to the field of parasitology.

Contact Benz at 615-898-5021.
gbenz@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

THE GRIDIRON GIRLS, WHOSE THEME SONG IS “THANK YOU FOR BEING AN END”--MTSU Head Football Coach Rick Stockstill and the MTSU football staff invite you to join them for the 2007 Ladies Football Clinic on Saturday, July 14 in Murphy Center. The clinic, which will feature seminars on strategy, equipment, training and rules, will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with registration slated to start at 8 a.m. Ladies will be encouraged to take part in coaches’ drills and demonstrations. The goal is to provide a fun learning experience. Participants will receive commemorative T-shirts and lunch will be provided. The cost of the clinic is $25 dollars. For the children, the Rick Stockstill Youth Camp for rising 1st through 8th graders will be held June 4-7. For more information, contact Danny Lewis at 615-898-2311.