Infotrak

Nearly every American knows someone who has been affected by the opioid crisis. Ryan Hampton, recovering addict, author of American Fix: Inside the Opioid Addiction Crisis - and How to End It shared his story of addiction and recovery. He said 9 out of 10 Americans who need addiction treatment are not able to access it. He believes the nation’s approach to treatment needs to be reformed from the bottom to the top. He said billions of dollars of federal spending aimed at this problem are not making it to local communities

About every five days, a child in the U.S. dies from a train collision. Kristin Rosenthal, pedestrian and bike safety expert from Safe Kids Worldwide said young people, particularly teenagers, do not understand how dangerous railroad tracks and crossings are. She offered advice to parents to teach their kids to not walk or take selfies on railroad tracks, to not walk with earbuds in, and to never try to beat a train at a railroad crossing.

Kelsey Graham, PhD, pollinator conservation specialist at Michigan State University explained the importance of bees to the nation’s food supply. She also discussed the role that pesticides and climate change may be having on bee populations in North America. She outlined simple steps that people can take to increase bee populations in their communities.

Hilarie Gamm is a tech industry expert, and author of Billions Lost: The American Tech Crisis and The Road Map to Change Ms. Gamm explained why parents, educators, and employers urgently need to understand today’s generation of teens and young adults. She talked about the revolutionary effect that technological advances have had on education and the development of the human mind. She said every American needs to have a basic understanding of current technology because of the wide ranging ramifications these changes have on legislation, regulation and privacy.

In the year since the Equifax security breach, which exposed the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans, only 10 percent of consumers reported placing a freeze on their credit, according to a survey by NerdWallet and the Harris Poll. Liz Weston, Certified Financial Planner, personal finance columnist at Nerdwallet.com said, effective Sept. 21, consumers can freeze and unfreeze their credit files for free at all credit reporting agencies. She explained why it is particularly important for parents to freeze the credit of children under the age of 16.

Patricia Hunt, PhD Meyer Distinguished Professor in the School of Molecular Biosciences at Washington State University is the geneticist who discovered the dangers of the endocrine disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in plastic products twenty years ago. Her latest study examined the effects of several BPA alternatives. She found that that these replacements impact reproduction in mice in much the same way as BPA. She offered advice to consumers on how to avoid products that may contain these hormone-disrupting compounds.

Alex M. Susskind, PhD, Associate Professor at the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University co-authored a study that found that diners at full service restaurants whose menus listed calories ordered fewer calories in their appetizer and entree courses. He said even the chefs at the restaurants in the study were startled by the high number of calories in some dishes. He said the study highlights the critical importance of information for consumers to make wise decisions.

KJ Dell'Antonia, editor of the Motherlode blog in the New York Times from 2011 until 2016 , and author of How to be a Happier Parent: Raising a Family, Having a Life, and Loving (Almost) Every Minute said that in her research and writing about family life over the years, one topic keeps coming up again and again: parents crave a greater sense of happiness in their daily lives. She discussed the most common problem areas that cause parents the most grief, and suggested steps parents can take to make them better.

Journalist Janet Murnaghan is author of Saving Sarah: One Mother's Battle Against the Health Care System to Save Her Daughter's Life. Ms. Murnaghan’s young daughter desperately needed a set of donor lungs. A set of lungs was available and there was nothing standing in the way medically, but a federal policy barred children under the age of 12 from receiving adult lungs. Ms. Murnaghan talked about her quest to save Sarah and other kids in similar situations. After a court fight and through the use of social media, she eventually convinced the government to change organ donation rules permanently.

Chris Bailey, productivity expert, and author of Hyperfocus: How to Be More Productive in a World of Distraction said that the human brain has two powerful modes that can be unlocked when we use our attention well: a focused mode and a creative mode. He explained how to unlock each of these mental modes in order to concentrate more deeply, think more clearly, and work and live more deliberately every day. He explained how to minimize distractions that can cause problems at work and in personal relationships.

American corporations are gradually becoming more socially responsible. Timothy J. Mohin, environmental advocate, Director of Corporate Responsibility at Advanced Micro Devices, author of Changing Business from the Inside Out: A Treehuggers Guide to Working in Corporations outlined the reasons behind this trend, and explained how “treehuggers” working inside the system can lead the effort. He said young professionals now view “having an impact” as a much more important career goal than many other more traditional priorities.

Beth Macy, journalist, and author of Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America discussed her investigation into the origins of America's twenty-plus year struggle with opioid addiction and how this national crisis has become so firmly entrenched. She talked about the most promising methods of treatment for opioid addiction and why some are considered controversial. She also outlined several grassroots efforts to fight the epidemic.

Justin Lee is a social activist, and author of Talking Across the Divide: How to Communicate with People You Disagree with and Maybe Even Change the World America is more polarized than ever. Mr. Lee talked about his years of experience in trying to bridge the gap between the homosexual community and the Christian church. He explained how to communicate with people who have opinions that are diametrically opposed from your own, how to empathize with them, and how to possibly change their minds. He outlined five key barriers that make people resist differing opinions.

Diane Mullins is founder of Deborah’s Voice, a national non-profit women’s advocacy organization. Pastor Mullins said that child trafficking has become the 2nd largest criminal activity in the world behind illegal drug sales. She said most Americans are unaware of the existence of human trafficking and forced prostitution in their own towns, but it is surprisingly prevalent – not just on dimly lit street corners, but at music concerts, VIP dinners, and sporting events. She talked about techniques used by human traffickers to select their victims.

Susie Vanderlip is a teen counselor, and author of 52 Ways to Protect Your Teen. Ms. Vanderlip has conducted school assemblies for more than 1 million teens and adults, aimed at helping youth make wise choices and seek help. She talked about the motivations of today’s teenagers and why parents may be fearful of their kids. She offered tips to improve communication in a parent/teen relationship.

Dawn Graham, PhD is a psychologist, employment and career expert, Director of Career Management for the Executive MBA Program at The Wharton School, and author of Switchers: How Smart Professionals Change Careers -- and Seize Success. Dr. Graham offered job search advice, particularly for those in middle age who are considering career changes. She said a job search in a new field or occupation requires much more work than a typical job search. She offered suggestions on how to tailor a resume to sidestep age biases and other potential hurdles.

David Michael Slater is a teacher, and author of We're Doing It Wrong: 25 Ideas in Education That Just Don't Work―And How to Fix Them explained why he believes that many current approaches in education simply aren’t working―for students, for teachers, and for society at-large. He explained how teacher evaluations could be improved and why anti-bullying programs in schools don’t work.

Maryanne Wolf, PhD, Professor of Child Development and Director of the Center for Reading and Language Research at Tufts University, and author of Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World discussed the latest research into the human brain as we become increasingly dependent on digital technologies, rather than the printed word. She expressed concerns for both children’s and adults’ ability to “deep read,” as the brain is literally rewired by huge amounts of short bursts of information. She offered suggestions for how the nation’s education system needs to adapt.

More than one million American children now live with grandparents, primarily because of their parent's addiction to opioids and other drugs. Bacall Hincks, Family Advocate and Program Coordinator at Children's Service Society of Utah said this growing trend is causing grandparents to put off retirement and plow through savings to rescue their grandchildren from dangerous situations. She discussed how these difficult experiences can negatively affect children’s mental and physical health.

Noreen Springstead , Executive Director of WhyHunger, a non-profit organization that focuses on grassroots solutions to end hunger and poverty discussed the current scope of the hunger problem in the U.S. She explained why, even in a booming economy, the issue of hunger and food insecurity rarely changes. She outlined how people can get assistance if they are in need, and how volunteers can get involved in their local communities.