10:20 a.m., Oct. 30, 2009----UD in the News provides a roundup of recent news items about the University of Delaware, its faculty, students, staff and alumni.

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Joel Best, professor of sociology, was quoted in an Oct. 30 Time Magazine article about Halloween trick-or-treating fears, as his 1985 study of media reports dating back two decades found no evidence that any child had been killed or seriously harmed by contaminated treats with most allegations most likely hoaxes. "You can't prove a negative. You can't prove that it's never, ever happened," Best told Time. "[But] if it was happening, it would make the news." Best also was cited in articles in the Memphis (Tenn.) Daily News, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times, New Albany (Ind.) Tribune, the Columbia Missourian, the Austin (Minn.) Herald and the Chicago Daily Herald.

Marvin Zuckerman, professor emeritus of psychology, was quoted in an Oct. 30 South Coast (Mass.) Today article about why people enjoy being scared. "Novelty fear -- like horror movies or sky-diving -- triggers this center of the brain that processes both pleasure and fear. You might say the brain has a reward system. There's an intrinsic reward system for seeking thrills: We get arousal, excitement, an adrenaline rush. In many cases, there's a willingness to accept risk," Zuckerman said.

James Corbett, professor of marine policy, was cited in an Oct. 28 Time Magazine article about the development of green ships to ease pollution in busy harbors around the world. Corbett has conducted research on ship emissions.

Mike and Kim McGrath, Double Dels who graduated in 1998, were featured in an Oct. 28 article in the Stamford (Conn.) Advocate about their split World Series allegiances. Mike is rooting for the American League Champion New York Yankees while Kim is pulling for the National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies.

Scott Douglass, executive vice president, was quoted in an Oct. 27 Philadelphia Inquirer article about UD's agreement to purchase the Chrysler assembly plant property and plans for additional research facilities. “This is a transformational opportunity for us,” Douglass told the newspaper, adding, "It's not enough that universities do research. You've got to do research with impact and make a difference in your community and region." UD's plans were noted in articles in the News Journal, the Detroit News, the Detroit Free Press, The New York Times, the Newark Post and on WHYY and WDEL.

Nancy Targett, dean of the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, was quoted in an Oct. 27 Campus Technology article about UD's agreement with Gamesa to install a wind turbine to provide electric power at the Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes. Also running an article on the agreement was the Oct. 23 Cape Gazette.

Willett Kempton, professor of marine policy, was quoted in an Oct. 27 News Journal article about plans by Fisker Automotive to manufacture plug-in electric hybrid vehicles at the idled GM Boxwood assembly plant. “Gasoline cars are really inefficient. People don't think about them that way, but you're burning stuff in these cylinders and there's lots of heat, friction, oil splashing around,” Kempton said.

Harsh Bais, assistant professor of plant and soil sciences, was featured in an Oct. 26 Voice of America article about his research on how plants recognize siblings. The work also was reported in an Oct. 24 article by the Times of India.

Charles Elson, Edgar S. Woolard Jr. Chair and director of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance, was quoted in Oct. 26 Wall Street Journal and Reuters articles about HealthSouth Corp. plans to reimburse activist shareholders for the expense of director elections. Elson is a HealthSouth director and chair of the nominating and corporate governance committee. Also, Elson was quoted in an Oct. 26 Dow Jones Newswires article about Biogen Idec Inc. and an Oct. 28 Baltimore Sun column about investor Nelson Peltz gaining a seat on the Legg Mason board.

John Brunelle, psychologist in the Center for Counseling and Student Development, was quoted in an Oct. 24 News Journal article about the correlation between sports victories and mood. "When a college team wins a national championship, it certainly affects the community," he told the newspaper. "Students tend to go to class and perform better academically."

Ralph Begleiter, Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professor of Communication and Distinguished Journalist in Residence, was quoted in an Oct. 23 Washington Post article about the end of the ban on media coverage of the nation's war dead at Dover Air Force Base. Begleiter was instrumental in helping lift the ban.

Ben Yagoda, professor of English, wrote a review of the John Freeman book The Tyranny of E-Mail in the Oct. 23 New York Times.

Sharon Merriman-Nai, project director with the National Center on Elder Abuse in UD's Center for Community Research and Service, was quoted discussing the impact of the Astor trial for the elder abuse field in the AARP Bulletin on Oct. 15. Also, she was referenced in an Oct. 21 Providence (R.I.) Journal article describing a newly opened elder shelter.