HDFS In The News

Preschool students hold sneaker drive - Donations go to Nike-Reuse-a-Shoe

A preschooler from the Child Development Labs at UConn came up with an idea to hold a used sneaker drive. The collected shoes will be recycled and reused for things such as tennis courts and playground surfaces. Family and friends of the students and faculty donated used shoes to the drive in three large boxes, which were delivered to the Nike-Reuse-a-Shoe project.

A Swing and a Hit: Students Flock to New Class on Baseball and Society

In just its first few months, the three-credit class taught by family studies professor Steven Wisensale has drawn raves from students for its wide-ranging and challenging lessons on the sport’s history, cultural implications, and influence in areas ranging from race relations to public finance.

Wisensale’s class, “Baseball and Society: Politics, Economics, Race, and Gender,” is offered through the Department of Human Development and Family Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, where he is a longtime professor, and also cross-listed with Women’s Studies and African-American Studies.

The case against spanking - Physical discipline is slowly declining as some studies reveal lasting harms for children.

A growing body of research has shown that spanking and other forms of physical discipline can pose serious risks to children, but many parents aren’t hearing the message.

Many studies have shown that physical punishment — including spanking, hitting and other means of causing pain — can lead to increased aggression, antisocial behavior, physical injury and mental health problems for children. Americans’ acceptance of physical punishment has declined since the 1960s, yet surveys show that two-thirds of Americans still approve of parents spanking their kids.

Preston Britner, professor of human development and family studies, co-chaired an American Psychological Association committee that proposes extending the APA's opposition to spanking beyond schools and other institutions.

Two faculty in CLAS will join other scientists from around the country as Jefferson Science Fellows

Sara Harkness, professor of human development and family studies, and David Benson, professor and department head of molecular and cell biology, were selected in a competitive process to provide science expertise for policymakers, to help them understand complex scientific issues and how they affect U.S. foreign policy.

Harkness is also a professor of pediatrics and public health at the UConn Health Center and director of the Center for the Study of Culture, Health, and Human Development. Her research focuses on how cultural influences, interacting with genetic predispositions, influence children’s health and learning. Benson is a microbiologist. Both will range beyond their own fields of expertise, however. Jefferson Fellows are chosen for their stature, international recognition, and ability to quickly understand and articulate scientific developments outside their field.