LAWRENCE Research relating to cancer, developmental genetics, microbiology, behavior in model organisms, enzymes and proteins, soils and Native American communities will be among student research presented at the 17th annual University of Kansas-Haskell Indian Nations University Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Thirty-seven students will present posters of their science and engineering research from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 12, in Tecumseh Hall at Haskell Indian Nations University.

The Office for Diversity in Science Training (ODST) is led by Estela Gavosto, director. The symposium presenters include undergraduate- and graduate-level students from both universities, supported by the Office for Diversity in Science Training. They are scholars in programs funded by the National Institutes of Health that support and give opportunities to underrepresented students to pursue research careers in biomedical and behavioral sciences, including: 500 Nations Bridge Collaboration: Haskell Indian Nations University/KU (Gavosto, KU-PI, and Melissa Holder, Haskell-PI); the KU Initiative for Maximizing Student Development Program (Gavosto and KUs James Orr, co-PIs) and the KU Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program (Gavosto and Orr).

Participants are listed below alphabetically.

SumerAl-Ahdali is a freshman at Haskell Indian Nations University studying American Indian studies/social welfare. Al-Ahdali is a scholar in the Bridge Program, and she is mentored by Nancy Jo Kepple, assistant professor of social welfare. Al-Ahdali is affiliated with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Tribe.

Carrie Albers, of Smolan, is a senior at KU studying chemical engineering. Albers is a scholar in the IMSD Program, and she is mentored by Laurence Weatherley, professor of chemical engineering.

Reginald Black Elk is a sophomore at Haskell Indian Nations University studying environmental science. Black Elk is a scholar in the Bridge Program, and he is mentored by Mary Kate Dennis, assistant professor of social welfare. Black Elk is affiliated with the Lakota Tribe.

Alicia Brown is a senior at Haskell Indian Nations University studying environmental science. Brown is a scholar in the Bridge Program, and she is mentored by David Jarmolowicz, assistant professor of applied behavioral science; Brian Ackley, associate professor of molecular biosciences, and Marco Bortolato, associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology. Brown is affiliated with the Dine tribe.

Verodia Charlestin is from Gainsville, Florida. Charlestin is a scholar in the PREP Program, and she is mentored by Teruna Siahaan, professor of pharmaceutical chemistry.

Cedric Clark II, of Kansas City, Kansas, is a senior at KU studying biochemistry. Clark is a scholar in the IMSD Program, and he is mentored by Joanna Slusky, assistant professor of molecular biosciences.

Sofia de la O, of Bel Aire, is a junior at KU studying chemical engineering. De la O is a scholar in the IMSD Program, and she is mentored by Prajnaparamita Dhar, associate professor of chemical & petroleum engineering.

Marissa Duckett of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a freshman at KU studying microbiology. Duckett is a scholar in the IMSD Program, and she is mentored by Fola Agusto, assistant professor of ecology & evolutionary biology.

Cori Fain is from Roeland Park. Fain is a scholar in the PREP Program, and she is mentored by Danny Welch, professor of cancer biology at KU Medical Center.

Vince Fiorentino, of Somerville, New Jersey, is a junior at KU studying biochemistry. Fiorentino is a scholar in the IMSD Program, and he is mentored by Susan Lunte, distinguished professor of chemistry, and Brian Ackley, associate professor of molecular biosciences.

Ricardo Gonzalez, of Wichita, is a senior at KU studying chemical engineering. Gonzalez is a scholar in the IMSD Program, and he is mentored by Teruna Siahaan, professor of pharmaceutical chemistry.

Warren Griffin is a sophomore at Haskell Indian Nations University studying American Indian studies. Griffin is a scholar in the Bridge Program, and he is mentored by Mary Kate Dennis, assistant professor of social welfare, and Juliana Carlson, assistant professor of social welfare. Griffin is affiliated with the Yupik tribe.

Luanne Hale, of Northglenn, Colorado, is a senior at KU studying applied behavioral science. Hale is a scholar in the IMSD Program, and she is mentored by Adam Smith, assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology. Hale is affiliated with the Navajo Tribe.

Ruthann Mariah Hicks is a sophomore at Haskell Indian Nations University studying American Indian studies. Hicks is a scholar in the Bridge Program, and she is mentored by Matthew Gillispie, associate professor of speech, language & hearing. Hicks is affiliated with the Pyramid Lake Paiute tribe.

Jazmine Jefferson, of Lawrence, is a sophomore at KU studying physics. Jefferson is a scholar in the IMSD Program, and she is mentored by Philip Baringer, professor of physics & astronomy. Jefferson is affiliated with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma tribe.

Blake Johnson of Holdenville, Oklahoma, is a student at Haskell Indian Nations University studying environmental science.

Nicole Lama is from Celebration, Florida. Lama is a scholar in the PREP Program, and she is mentored by Christian Ray, assistant professor of molecular biosciences and Center for Computational Biology.

Michael Long, of Buffalo Grove, Illinois, is a senior at KU studying human biology. Long is a scholar in the IMSD Program, and he is mentored by Justin Blumenstiel, associate professor of ecology & evolutionary biology.

Brianna Marsh, of Wildwood, Missouri, is a sophomore at KU studying neuroscience. Marsh is a scholar in the IMSD Program, and she is mentored by Jackob Moskovitz, associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology.

Nicholas Martinez, of Lawrence, is a senior at KU studying biochemistry. Martinez is a scholar in the IMSD Program, and he is mentored by Audrey Lamb, professor of molecular biosciences.

Katherin Morales, of Emporia, is a junior at KU studying behavioral neuroscience and psychology. Morales is a scholar in the IMSD Program, and she is mentored by Chris Gamblin, professor of molecular biosciences, and Brian Ackley, associate professor of molecular biosciences.

Erick Oduniyi, of Wichita, is a junior at KU studying computer engineering. Oduniyi is a scholar in the IMSD Program, and he is mentored by Nicole Beckage, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science.

Noah Prichard, of Lincoln, Nebraska, is a student at Haskell Indian Nations University studying environmental science.

Carolina Santiago-Robles is from Guayama, Puerto Rico. Santiago-Robles is a scholar in the PREP Program, and she is mentored by Eduardo Rosa-Molinar, professor of pharmacology and toxicology.

Sarah Schaefer, of Overland Park, is a sophomore at KU studying chemical engineering. Schaefer is a scholar in the IMSD Program, and she is mentored by Michael Wang, associate professor of pharmaceutical chemistry.

Cheyenne Sun Eagle is from Corpus Christi, Texas. Sun Eagle is a scholar in the PREP Program, and she is mentored by Stephen Egbert, professor of geography and atmospheric science. Sun Eagle is affiliated with the Pawnee tribe.

Arielle Swopes, of Topeka, is a junior at KU studying behavioral neuroscience. Swopes is a scholar in the IMSD Program, and she is mentored by Adam Smith, assistant professor of pharmacology and to
xicology.

Latoya Tsosie is a sophomore at Haskell Indian Nations University studying environmental science. Tsosie is a scholar in the Bridge Program, and she is mentored by Brian Ackley, associate professor of molecular biosciences. Tsosie is affiliated with the Dine tribe.

Lennel Camuy Vlez is from Hatillo, Puerto Rico. Camuy Vlez is a scholar in the PREP Program, and he is mentored by Josephine Chandler, assistant professor of molecular biosciences.

Shelby Williams, of Elko, Nevada, is a student at Haskell Indian Nations University studying environmental science.

Kayla Wilson, of Olathe, is a junior at KU studying biology. Wilson is a scholar in the IMSD Program, and she is mentored by Robert Ward, associate professor of molecular biosciences.

Jamie Yazzie, of Shonto, Arizona, is a student at Haskell Indian Nations University studying environmental science. Yazzie is affiliated with the Navajo tribe.

Read more here:
KU, Haskell students to present research projects at 17th annual ... - KU Today

The gig economy is supposed to be a tradeoff: In exchange for foregoing the stability of a steady income and health benefits, workers get more freedom and flexibility. But its becoming increasingly clear that, in some cases, workers are giving up a lot more than they get in return. A recent article in the New York Times explains that the ride-sharing service Uber has been using design based on behavioral science to encourage its workers to work longer hoursfor less money than they think.

On one hand, organizations since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution have tried to incentivize employees to behave in ways that are advantageous to the bottom line. But federal law also affords employees certain protectionsmandatory lunch breaks and paid overtime for certain categories of workers, for examplemeant to protect workers from abuse.

As contract workers, Uber drivers do not have those protections. And there are several things about the ways in which Uber is using tools to manipulate drivers that cause me to bristle as an expert in organizational psychology. Here are the primary issues with Ubers use of behavioral design.

Thats a big problem. The small army of behavioral scientists at Uber headquarters is manipulating the myriad buttons, badges, and banners on the drivers app to encourage them to change their behavior. The New York Times reports:

For months, when drivers tried to log out, the app would frequently tell them they were only a certain amount away from making a seemingly arbitrary sum for the day, or from matching their earnings from that point one week earlier.

The messages were intended to exploit another relatively widespread behavioral tic peoples preoccupation with goalsto nudge them into driving longer.

In effect, Uber is treating drivers as guinea pigs for different app designs designed to prod them to do what the company wants, and harder for them to follow their own instincts. In another experiment, Uber manipulated whether a male or female name was associated with certain notifications, and learned that the predominantly male drivers acquiesced to a female sender more frequently than to a male sender.

This kind of psychological experimentation is strictly controlled in most environments. The concept of informed consent is a fundamental tenant of human research, meant to protect us from being experimented upon without our knowledge or full understanding of the potential consequences. An undergraduate psych major has to go through multiple ethics committees to send a survey to fellow students. But evidently Uber can experiment on its drivers with no repercussions. Healthy relationships are not built on deception.

Good incentive systems leave the control in the hands of the employee. The incentive increases the value of a certain behavior, then the person decides whether that increased value is worth extra effort, and how to react.

Uber seems to want to remove this conscious control by using motivation techniques that remove the drivers agency. For example, when the company rolled out their forward dispatch programwherein a driver is assigned a new ride before theyve completed the previous onedrivers rolled from one ride to the next without being given a chance to stop. (Later iterations allowed the driver to manually pause the forward dispatch functionality.)

From an ethical perspective, this is a big problem. An incentive, by definition, involves a worker actively making the choice to take on extra work for additional reward. Drivers need to be able to consciously gauge the value of the extra work in comparison to the alternatives (go home and see your family, for example). If the worker doesnt have the option to say no, its not motivationits coercion.

Uber is constantly fiddling with the placement of cars to ensure its customers have the shortest possible wait times. One way of ensuring short wait times is to lure drivers to lower-demand locations, where they will spend more time idle and unpaid.

While that formula works for Uber and its customers, its a painful proposition for drivers. If a worker needs to take one for the team, they should be aware thats what they are doing, and ideally they should be compensated in some way. Ubers defense is that, over the long-term, more drivers means more passengers, and less time spent idling. But this misses the point that for a single driver at a given point in time, a notification to move to underserved area may not be in their best interest. Long-term success with incentive systems requires win-wins, not win-lose scenarios.

For all of these reasons, Ubers programs dont fit my definition of effective or ethical incentives. By obscuring the purpose (and even the existence) of motivational programs, removing or limiting the drivers ability to control which incentives they accept or decline, and designing the system to maximize company outcomes at the expense of the drivers, Ubers programs have crossed a line.

The frightening thing is that no one is there to protect the Uber driversor any of the other millions of workers now working contractually rather than as employees, in industries such as video game design, retail, and professional services. Worker protections must catch up with the novel abuses of the gig economy. There is a new and vital role for unions to play in protecting workers from manipulative practices. There is also surely a role for regulation (although new regulation will be an unpopular topic with the current administration). And all of us, increasingly addicted to the cheapness and convenience of the gig economy, need to start taking a hard look at its costs.

Learn how to write for Quartz Ideas. We welcome your comments at ideas@qz.com.

Read more:
Uber has crossed the line from motivating employees to actively manipulating them - Quartz

NETRALNEWS.COM - An app can help you order a pizza, find a parking spotor plan your retirement.

In more than a dozen recent experiments, Duke University behavioral economist Dan Ariely used mobile apps and simple tenets of psychology to help people save more money, pay down more debt and devise and stick to budgets.

Overall, Dr. Arielys research at the universitys Common Cents Lab shows that people enrolled in the behavioral interventions spent less and saved more than those who werent.

We face more temptation now than ever to spend money, he says. While very few forces help us plan for the long term, lots of forces want something from us right now, including text messages and apps that market products including games and music.

Heres how to replicate some of the results in your own life.

Round Up When Budgeting

Few people like to budget. The task becomes more tedious when expenses are difficult to add quickly in your headlike a $1,024.71 monthly mortgage and a $354.43 student-loan payment.

To test ways to make budgeting easier, Common Cents sent emails to 3,000 randomly selected users of EarnUp, an app that helps people pay off debt earlier by automating their payments, among other things.

The researchers asked half the participants to consider rounding up their mortgage paymentsfor example, to $1,050 from $1,024.71. They urged the rest to overpay by the same amount$25.29.

The round-up group had 37% more takers than the group asked to overpay, according to Common Cents co-founder Kristen Berman. She says the approach simplifies mental accounting and retires debt sooner, while overpaying only accomplishes the latter.

By paying an extra $25 a month, someone with a $310,000, 30-year mortgage at 3.76% can save more than $7,000 in interest and extinguish their debt a year early.

Stick to a Weekly Budget

People with a budget tend to adhere to a monthly time frame. But using weekly spending targets can better prevent overspending and under-saving.

Consider an experiment Common Cents conducted among food-stamp recipients. Those given a weekly spending budget stretched their benefits three days longer, on average.

A shorter time frame allows us to better understand trade-offs, says Ms. Berman.

A $20 grocery bill may feel like no big deal to a person who has just received an average households monthly food-stamp allowance of about $250. But when considered in the context of a $62-a-week spending goal, $20 feels significant, says Ms. Berman.

To keep from overspending, download a budgeting app like Qapital or Digit, which can sync to a bank account. And select a weekly rather than monthly goal by using Qapitals spend less rule and Digits goalmojis.

Dr. Ariely is on Qapitals board, and he is an investor in the company.

Save Windfalls Now

It is easier to pledge to save $1,000 next year than it is to save $1,000 today. The problem occurs when the future becomes the present. Then it becomes harder to keep the pledge.

Thats because choosing to save now means forgoing immediate gratification. People typically see the future in less-vivid terms than the present.

They gloss over future temptations they are likely to faceand wrongly assume they will be able to save more than they do today. To solution can be to commit sooner rather than later to saving a portion of future windfalls.

That includes raises, bonuses, tax refundsand those extra paychecks in months with an additional payday. In one experiment, Common Cents found that participants who pledged to save some of their tax refunds in February chose to put away 15%, on average, versus 10% for those asked to save on the day the Internal Revenue Service sent the money.

Thats a 50% increase based solely on when people were asked to save, says Ms. Berman. (Three months later, an average, across both groups, 85% of the savings were still in the participants accounts.)

Need help pre-committing? Try budgeting app Digits goalmoji feature.

Use Different Accounts for Different Goals

Many people deposit all of their nonretirement savings into one all-purpose bank account. But the tactic can make it psychologically easier to justify using the money for luxuries (a fancy new TV) or unplanned expenditures (new tires).

The trade-off becomes clearer if buying that TV means raiding savings earmarked for a specific purpose, such as early retirement or a Hawaii vacation.

Several programs, including Simple, Qapital and Digit, make it easy to save in separate subaccounts, often called envelopes. To protect your retirement savings, envelopes can be added for often-overlooked current expenses, such as car repairs.

Common Cents is helping customers of a credit union use envelopes to encourage them to create rainy day funds. Dont just label your envelope car, says Qapital Chief Executive George Friedman. To motivate yourself, say what kind of car you want, attach a picture, and share it with a friend.

The rest is here:
How to Boost Your Savings With Behavioral Science and Apps - Netralnews

Michael C. Clark

Judge Michael C. Clark of Gwinnett County, Georgia, will discuss his career as a family court judge in the Atlanta area for the spring 2017 Roane State Social and Behavioral Science Forum.

The forum will be at Roane States Oak Ridge campus at 701 Briarcliff Avenue. Its scheduled from 12:30-2 p.m.on Wednesday, April 12, in the City Room (A111).

Clark, born and raised in Macon, Georgia, served for more than 21 years as Superior Court Judge in Gwinnett County. He became a member of the bar in 1980, worked briefly as a law clerk for a Superior Court Judge in Floyd County (Rome), as an assistant district attorney in Gwinnett County, and as a private lawyer before being elected to the bench in 1992. He was re-elected five times.

Before being elected to the bench, Clark had a reputation as an excellent trial and appellate lawyer, a press release said. In March 2014, he stepped down to return to the private practice of law. As a trial judge, he presided over approximately 150 jury trials and handled about 30,000 cases. [Read more]

See the original post here:
Michael C. Clark - Oak Ridge Today

WASHINGTON, D.C. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) released the below statement after receiving the Distinguished Service Award from the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA). According to COSSA, the Distinguished Service Award recognizes leaders who have gone above and beyond to promote, protect, and advance the social and behavioral science research enterprise.

It was an honor to receive the Consortium of Social Science Associations Distinguished Service Award and be recognized as a champion in our science community, said Gardner. Ill continue to advocate for our science community and ensure they have the necessary resources to conduct their research and maintain the United States position as a global leader in scientific research.

Senator Gardner has demonstrated unwavering leadership on behalf of the scientific research enterprise, and social science in particular, said Wendy Naus, executive director of the Consortium of Social Science Associations. We are fortunate to have champions like Cory Gardner in the senate who recognize the importance of investing in scientific researchacross all fieldsand prioritizing research funding even in times of significant budget challenges. Senator Gardner worked across the aisle to ensure an inclusive and bipartisan process when writing the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act, and the bipartisanship, transparency and diligence demonstrated by Gardner is greatly appreciated and refreshing.

"I'm delighted to see COSSA recognize Senator Gardner with its 2017 Distinguished Service Award in acknowledgment of his strong support for science in Congress, said Dr. Myron Gutmann, of the University of Colorado Boulder and the former director of the U.S. National Science Foundations Directorate for the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences. As the director of CU Boulder's Institute of Behavioral Science, I'm especially grateful for Senator Gardner's support for social and behavioral science research, which addresses human-centered issues of national and global importance."

Read the original post:
Gardner receives COSSA Distinguished Service Award - Valley Courier

CRANE - Last month, area students showcased more than 160 projects during the 33rd Annual Team Crane Science Fair held at WestGate Academy. In addition to the science fair, which was open to students in junior high and high school, fifth grade classes were invited to come get a taste of what science fairs are like.

"With last year's science fair, we added a fifth grade field trip for the first time," said Kim Frazier, director of business operations for STIMULUS Engineering, adding that 170 students from North Daviess Elementary and Bloomfield were invited to take part this year.

"The idea was to let the fifth graders be introduced to the science fair in a fun way with the intent that they are more likely to participate with their own project in the future."

Frazier said students toured learning centers, looked at projects, participated in fire safety demonstrations with the Naval Support Activity Crane Fire Department and completed several science, technology, engineering and math or STEM activities.

Learning centers included NSA Crane Environmental Division, the Battery Innovation Center, Ivy Tech, Greene County Hospital, NSWC Crane Maritime Electronic Warfare Division, Vincennes University math, engineering, and physics departments, VU geoscience, Wonderlab, Crane Army Ammunition Activity, FIRST Robotics, FIRST Tech and Seaperch, Small Arms, and West Boggs Park.

STEM activities were offered by Wonderlab which brought scribble bots, a gravity wall and the pyramid challenge for students and the Battery Innovation Center offered the Power and Energy Challenge.

Ben Wrightsman, chief operating officer for the Battery Innovation Center, said the Power and Energy Challenge was something new.

"As part of our commitment to the community and STEM education, we have been developing the Power and Energy Challenge," he said, adding the day of the science fair was the first time the session had been tested with students. "The students learned the difference between power and energy, while making batteries out of common household items and performing tests."

Wrightsman said he was surprised by how interested and engaged students were.

"It was amazing to see their reactions and hear their feedback on making batteries," he said.

The Greene County Master Gardeners and Martin County Beekeepers also provided learning opportunities for students.

The fifth grade field trips were sponsored by STIMULUS Engineering, Battery Innovation Center, Bloombank and the Daviess County Economic Development Foundation.

Science fair projects were divided into seven categories: behavioral science, biology, chemistry, consumer science, environmental science, inventions and physics. North Daviess, Shoals and Washington Catholic schools were represented in the contest that was sponsored by AOC, CEOT, Crane Federal Credit Union, Donald and Mariette House, FEW - Hoosier Hills, Greene County General Hospital, McKean, Paragon Force, SAIC, Society of Women Engineers, Springs Valley, STIMULUS Engineering, Structurepoint, TriStar, Vincennes University and WG Authority.

Local winners were Lydia Cook, Shoals Elementary (first place, junior division consumer science); Brooke Dobson and Emma Hert, Shoals Junior High (third place, consumer science junior division); Abigail Giesler, North Daviess Junior High (second place, environmental science junior division); Haley Blevins, North Daviess Junior High (third place, environmental science junior division); Alex Tedrow Shoals High School (first place, behavioral science senior division); Jeffrey Mayfield, North Daviess High School (second place, behavioral science senior division); Britton Helms, North Daviess High School (third place, behavioral science senior division); Lindsey Robinson, Shoals High School (first place, biology senior division); Abby Stoll, Shoals High School (second place, biology senior division).

Also, Emilee Wagler, Shoals High School (third place, biology senior division); Mattie Lawyer, North Daviess High School (first place, chemistry senior division); Whitney Watkins, North Daviess High School (second place, chemistry senior division); Megan Lampert, Shoals High School (third place chemistry senior division); Elise Jerrels, North Daviess High School (first place consumer science senior division); Amelia Cooper, Shoals High School (third place, consumer science senior division); Nicholas Walker, Washington Catholic (first place physics senior division); Shom Berry, North Daviess High School (second place, physics senior division); Allison Boyd, Shoals High School (third place, physics senior division); Jonathon Ritter, North Daviess High School (first place, environmental science senior division); Rusty Bonham and Shoals High School (second place, environmental science senior division).

"After attending the science fair at the WestGate Academy for students from the region, I firmly believe the key to Daviess County's future is to expose our children to the opportunities that exist in Daviess County and beyond," said Natalie Smith, project manager at the Daviess County Economic Development Foundation. "This event starts that process with those children at a very young age. I was certainly impressed by the apparent high level of topics chosen and the time and effort the students put into their projects."

Go here to see the original:
Crane announces winners in 33rd annual science fair | Local News ... - Washington Times Herald

Uber is on the defensive after the New York Times claimed that it manipulates drivers using techniques from behavioral science in order to reduce costs and increase corporate growth. The company did not refute that it uses psychological incentives, but instead focused its response on a claim in the April 2 article that faster pickup times for riders require a greater percentage to be idling unpaid.

This is simply not trueand had the Times asked us whether it was, we would have explained the reality of what happens when Uber grows in a city: riders enjoy lower pick-up times and drivers benefit from less downtime between trips, Ubers director of policy research, Betsy Masiello, wrote in a blog post.

In order to avoid long wait times for customers and surge pricing (which automatically kicks in when demand for rides is higher than usual in an area), Uber has to make sure enough of its drivers are workingand does so using techniques that are sometimes ethically questionable, the New York Times said.

The article claimedthat Uber engaged in an extraordinary behind-the-scenes experiment in behavioral science to manipulate them in the service of its corporate growthan effort whose dimensions became evident in interviews with several dozen current and former Uber officials, drivers and social scientists, as well as a review of behavioral science.

According to the article, Ubers tactics are similar to ones used by video game designers and have included:

Even though drivers can decide when they want to work, Ubers techniques are potentially problematic because they can manipulate drivers into working longer hours or undesirable locations without guaranteeing higher income, while benefiting the companys bottom line.

Furthermore, becauseUbers drivers are contractors, they lack the protections and benefits that employees get, and are therefore more vulnerable to exploitation.

Masiello writes, however, that Ubers practices have actually resulted in less idle time for its drivers:

First, as the number of passengers and drivers using Uber grows, any individual driver is more likely to be close to a rider. This means shorter pickup times and more time spent with a paying passenger in the back of the car. In addition, new features like uberPOOL and Back-to-Back trips have meant longer trips, while incentives to drive during the busiest times and in the busiest locations help keep drivers earning for a greater share of their time online. And that should be no surprise: drivers are our customers just as much as riders. So although the Times article suggests that Ubers interest is misaligned with drivers, the opposite is true: its in our interest to ensure that drivers have a paying passenger as often as possible because theyre more likely to keep using our app to earn money. (And Uber doesnt earn money until drivers do.)

Though other tech companies, likeLyft and Postmates, use similar tactics to get more work out of their contractors, the New York Times article comes at an especially bad time for Uber. The company has never been viewedas a paragon of good corporate practice, but its reputation has arguably reached an all-time low over the past few months after a deluge of PR crises.

These include the revelation that it used a software tool called greyball to prevent regulators from taking rides, the #deleteuber social media campaign, reports of rampant sexual harassment, a video of founder and CEO Travis Kalanick berating a driver who was upset about dropping fares (Kalanick later apologized and promised to seek leadership help) and its ongoing court battle with Waymo, which claims Uber stole trade secrets.

Read more:
Uber responds to the New York Times article about how it psychologically manipulates drivers - TechCrunch

New technology has shifted the marketing paradigm from one-way messaging and simple reminders paired with education efforts to a new set of tools including gamification, augmented and virtual reality, and online interventions tailored to individual patients. Designed right, these advances stand to have a more meaningful impact: helping foster long-term behavior change to support brand objectives.

And it's not just marketers who are recognizing that shift. Medical associations, too, are starting to better grasp the importance of addressing patients' behavior in improving health outcomes. The American Diabetes Association, in its new 2017 standards of medical care, included new guidelines on the importance of addressing patients' psychosocial needs while also looking at traditional health needs.

See also:4 trends with the potential to change behavior in the patient journey

But more can be done. Most companies still don't allot enough of their budget to create long-term behavior change in patients. When habits can sometimes take as long as a year to form, that's a recipe for relapse, according to behavioral health psychologist D'Arcy King, EVP and chief strategy officer of Daggerwing Health.

It's about long-term sustained behavior change, she affirmed. That's what is missing in many cases. We don't necessarily give programs enough time to work or see success or even measurable results coming out of them.

And while programs with life-long goals sound nice on paper, clients need to demonstrate ROI on quarterly timelines. The key? Helping patients with chronic diseases prioritize disease management so it becomes automatic behavior and then recognize that connection, King added.

See also:3 Lessons on Behavior Change from Pokmon Go

It's hard for patients to say each day, I will take this on and I will win,' because then they burn out, she explained. It goes back to, as a patient, What are my priorities?' And for many who succeed in managing their disease, it's about prioritizing their condition in incremental ways so they have a better quality of life.

This eBook, spanning both HCP and consumer campaigns, elucidates how pharma marketers can leverage behavioral health learnings to help create that connection for patients. You'll find four case studies detailing how drugmakers and their marketing agencies use behavioral change techniques such as reframing, social learning, problem solving, and others to keep patients adherent to their treatment regimen, better communicate their symptoms, and reinforce healthy behaviors. And on later pages, six industry leaders share their thoughts on the pharma sector's progress in making behavioral science a key part of the marketing equation.

Continued here:
How pharma marketers are using behavioral science - Medical Marketing and Media

Maxim

If You Talk to Your Dog It Means You're Very Smart and Creative, Says Science Maxim According to behavioral science professor Nicholas Epsey from the University of Chicago, talking to your pet is a sign of intelligence and imagination, meaning people who chit-chat with their pets are smart and creative! Well, everyone except for those ...

Read the original here:
If You Talk to Your Dog It Means You're Very Smart and Creative, Says Science - Maxim

The Daily Dot

An Empathy Question New York Times Kelly Peters, chief executive of BEworks, a management consulting firm specializing in behavioral science, argued that the same data that makes it easier for Uber to nudge drivers into working an additional 30 or 60 minutes also makes it hard to escape ... Here's how Uber and Lyft psychologically manipulate their driversThe Daily Dot Uber's Behavioral Experiment On Drivers May Raise Ethical Questions, But It Is Hardly UniqueForbes Just How Creepy Are Uber's Driver-Nudges?New York Magazine Inc.com -CNET all 68 news articles »

Read the original:
An Empathy Question - New York Times

Sherry Pagoto, PhD

Sherry Pagoto, PhD, professor of medicine, has been selected as the president-elect of the Society of Behavioral Medicine by a vote of its membership. Dr. Pagoto was inducted at the societys annual meeting in San Diego on April 1.

Behavioral science has an enormous knowledge base that is ready for implementation in so many contexts, Pagoto said. The next step for us is creating partnerships that will facilitate that implementation.

Pagoto, a nationally recognized expert in weight loss, nutrition, digital health and skin cancer prevention, will serve as president-elect for one year and become president in April 2018. As president of the 2,300-member organization of scientific researchers, clinicians and educators, Pagoto will seek opportunities to increase the role of behavioral science in patient care, the digital health industry and health policy.

A licensed clinical psychologist, Pagoto focuses on leveraging digital health in the treatment of obesity and on cancer prevention. She is the co-founder of the UMass Center for mHealth and Social Media and co-chairman of the National Indoor Tan-Free Skin Smart Campus initiative. She has published more than 150 papers in peer-reviewed journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association and the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. She has earned numerous awards, including the Obesity Society Pioneer in mHealth/eHealth Award in 2014, the Society of Behavioral Medicine Early Career/Young Investigator Award in 2006 and the Society of Behavioral Medicine Distinguished Service Award in 2009.

Related links on UMassMedNow: UMMS study prompts universities to end affiliations with indoor tanning salons Sherry Pagoto raising awareness of dangers of indoor tanning on college campuses On-campus tanning booths create perception of endorsement, Pagoto tells Boston Globe Sherry Pagoto to raise awareness of tanning bed health concerns at Washington, D.C., forum UMMS study: Tanning beds widely available on or near college campuses, despite cancer risk

Read the original post:
Sherry Pagoto, PhD, inducted as Society of Behavioral Medicine president-elect - News from the University of Massachusetts

More than 300 Beaufort County students, all top finishers at individual school science fairs across the county, competed for honors at the recent Sea Island Regional Science Fair.

Six students won first-place awards in their categories, including one middle school student who earned Best in Show honors:

Jackie ORiordan, H.E. McCracken Middle: Antibiotic Resistance, zoology/medicine (Best in Show).

Alora Orr, River Ridge Academy: Powerful Nuts, botany/microbiology.

Calvin Bernstein, Hilton Head Island Middle: Building a Life-Size BB-8, math/engineering.

August Rios, Bluffton Middle: The Effect of the Water-to-Air Ratio in a Submarine to its Buoyancy, physics.

Luke McGuire, Beaufort High: Listening to Differences: Analyzing Bat Feeding Behavior, zoology/medicine (Rob & Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiative, Intel Excellence in Computer Science Award).

Maile Paulmeier, Bluffton High: A Comparative Analysis of Alternative Heating Methods of an Artificial Nylon Muscle, Math/Engineering.

With their first-place finishes, McGuire and Paulmeier will travel to Los Angeles in May to compete in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. ORiordan will also make the trip as a middle school-level observer.

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, with more than $4 million in college scholarships and prize awards, is expected to draw more than 1,700 competitors from 75 countries. More than 7 million students competed at the local level.

Were so proud of these young people and their extraordinary work, superintendent Jeff Moss said. The creativity and scholarship and hard work that go into these projects are amazing.

First, second, third and honorable mention honors were awarded in categories of botany and microbiology; chemistry and biochemistry; environmental science; mathematics, engineering and computer science; physics; social and behavioral science; and zoology and medicine in the high school and middle school divisions.

The independent nonprofit Sea Island Regional Science Fairs mission is to identify, encourage and support student talent in the physical, biological, engineering and behavioral sciences.

Its volunteers judge about 25 individual school fairs in addition to regional fairs for elementary, middle and high school students. Its pool of about 50 judges is composed mostly of retired engineers, scientists and doctors who volunteer between November and April to help support science in education through science fairs and other activities.

View original post here:
Beaufort County students recognized at regional science fair ... - Bluffton Today

Richard Thaler and Sherry Turkle among key national thought leaders to speak at IMCA's 2017 Annual Conference Experience.

Denver, CO (PRWEB) March 27, 2017

More than 1,600 financial service professionals will gather to learn the latest on investment and wealth management from more than 50 of the industry's foremost thought leaders at the Investment Management Consultants Association's (IMCA) 2017 Annual Conference Experience(ACE), April 30May 3, San Diego Convention Center.

General session speakers will feature internationally-known experts, including:

General sessions, super sessions, and workshops offer ACE attendees a variety of learning options based on tracks that align with their interests, including: Practice Management Strategies, Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA)/Investment Strategies, Certified Private Wealth Advisor/Private Wealth Advice, Business Development Strategies, Institutional Investing and the Art and Science of Wholesaling.

Topics for ACE sessions are 100 percent peer-reviewed and based on IMCA's Investment and Wealth Matrix, a foundation for all IMCA educational offerings focusing on nine key investment and wealth domains: statistical and economic fundamentals, portfolio construction and risk management, traditional and alternative investments, portfolio theory and behavioral finance, application of the investment consulting process, human dynamics, wealth management strategies, legacy planning and advising high-net-worth clients.

ACE registration is now open. Early bird registration ends March 31, 2017.

For detailed conference information, visit IMCA 2017 ACE.

Journalists interested in receiving conference credentials or using IMCA's on-site conference video studio should contact Greta Gloven, ggloven(at)imca.org, (303) 850-3079, or on Twitter @IMCA, conference hashtag #IMCA17.

###

About IMCA Established in 1985, IMCA is a nonprofit professional association and credentialing organization with individual members and certificants in 37 countries around the world. IMCA members collectively manage more than $2.5 trillion, providing investment consulting and wealth management services to individual and institutional clients. Since 1988, IMCA has offered the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA), which meets international accreditation standards (ANSI/ISO 17024) for personnel certification. The CIMA certification consistently distinguishes those who meet a global standard of competency and skills in investment management from those who do not. IMCA's Certified Private Wealth Advisor (CPWA) certification is suited for wealth management professionals working with high-net-worth clients. In 2016, IMCA conferences and education hosted nearly 4,500 attendees. IMCA and Investment Management Consultants Association are registered trademarks of Investment Management Consultants Association Inc. CIMA, Certified Investment Management Analyst, CIMC, CPWA, and Certified Private Wealth Advisor are registered certification marks of Investment Management Consultants Association Inc. Investment Management Consultants Association Inc. does not discriminate in educational opportunities or any other characteristic protected by law.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/03/prweb14188357.htm

Go here to see the original:
Father of Behavioral Science and the "Margaret Mead" of Digital Culture Among Key Speakers at Investment ... - Benzinga

The National Institute of Justice says two-thirds of released inmates will be rearrested within three years. A new University of Virginia program is aiming to change that.

Two UVA professors, in partnership with Edovo, a Chicago-based education technology firm, are launching a program that will develop, implement and evaluate a tablet-based re-entry module to strengthen inmates transitions back into society after they complete their sentences.

Ben Castleman, an assistant professor of education and public policy in the Curry School of Education, and Jennifer Doleac, an assistant professor of public policy and economics in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, are working on the project.

This high recidivism rate signals our collective failure to help formerly incarcerated individuals build stable lives after prison, Doleac said. By leveraging interactive technologies and behavioral insights, we can provide prisoners with more personalized information and supports during this often-challenging transition, and reduce the probability of recidivism.

Before release, the module will help inmates create a personalized transition plan. Post-release, it will provide ongoing information to inmates to keep them on track.

Castleman and Doleac will pilot the intervention in two county jails, and in subsequent years plan to expand the intervention to additional facilities across the country. The individuals participating in the study will create a personalized transition plan that is customized and adapts to their areas of concern, and after release will be provided with ongoing information to maintain stability and help fulfill their personalized plan.

We have seen this approach work in other contexts, particularly in postsecondary education, where weve leveraged personalized text messaging to help students receive and maintain financial aid, Castleman said.

Currently, there is little rigorous evidence on how to improve re-entry outcomes for incarcerated individuals.

The program is supported by nearly $600,000 in funding from the Charles Koch Foundation and J-PAL North America, a lab based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that aims to reduce poverty through various policy initiatives.

Criminal justice recidivism is one of four initiatives coming out of a new lab at UVA. The Nudge4 Solutions Labs other priorities are to remedy educational inequality and chronic unemployment and to improve veterans education on a national scale.

With partners ranging from school districts and higher education systems to criminal justice facilities, state workforce commissions and the United States Army, we are able to combine the expertise and insights our partners have in the field with the design and analytic experience our team brings, lab director Castleman said. Enhancing these robust partnerships with an understanding of how people navigate complex decisions, the latest interactive technologies, creative design and robust analytic approaches, we believe we can move the needle on some of todays most significant challenges.

In 2016, Castleman joined forces with then-First Lady Michelle Obamas office to utilize a text message-based intervention to provide young Americans with information and reminders about applying to colleges, navigating the financial aid process and dealing with loan repayment. Combined with parallel projects led by The Common Application and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Castleman and colleagues reached more than 1 million students with timely information about college and financial aid decisions and resources.

Within five years, we were able to test and show the success of a relatively inexpensive solution that significantly impacted students success in college, and then scale this strategy to reach more than a million students across the country, Castleman said.

This week, a new study from his lab, Nudging at a National Scale, revealed that providing students with concrete planning prompts to complete the Free Application for Student Aid can increase college enrollment at a national scale by as much as two percentage points.Researchers at UVA, Harvard University, University of Pittsburgh, and West Point assessed the impact of a national financial aid nudge campaign that reached 450,000 high school seniors through the Common Application.

Even with various efforts to increase FAFSA completion rates over the last several years, hundreds of thousands of students nationwide who would be eligible for financial aid do not apply for it, Castleman said. Our study shows that nudges on how and when to complete FAFSA can generate positive increases in enrollment at a national scale.

Read the original:
UVA Professors Use Behavioral Science and Technology to Improve Prisoner Re-Entry Outcomes - University of Virginia

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - March 20, 2017) - Leading non-profit behavioral design firm ideas42 today unveiled a unique approach to highlighting and resolving key behavioral problems in cybersecurity with the launch of an original, serialized novella.

The new "true-crime"-style short story Deep Thought: A Cybersecurity Story dramatizes the human factors in cybersecurity and is followed by a robust index of key insights from behavioral science that can be used to improve security protocols. The narrative, to be released in multiple installments, highlights the human actions and decisions that often compromise digital information and computer security. These range from password issues to more complex concerns such as coding practices and organizations' resource investment choices.

Despite public and private sector investments in sophisticated security systems, the level of risk is immense. In the search for answers, efforts have been heavily skewed toward finding technological solutions. However, up to 80% of the cost attributed to cyber-attacks is actually a result of human error.

With Internet access rapidly expanding across the globe and the proliferation of greater connectedness across business, finance, and individuals, ensuring privacy and security is more important than ever, as underscored by recent high-profile breaches such as the hacking of American political party systems during the 2016 election cycle.

"It is because of the urgency around strengthening cybersecurity that we chose to present our insights as an engaging novella instead of using the more traditional white paper approach," said ideas42 Executive Director Josh Wright. "With the release of a unique piece like Deep Thought: A Cybersecurity Story and our supporting analysis, we hope to reach more leaders and decision-makers who can take needed steps to increase the strength of their organizations' digital networks."

The first installment of ideas42's novella debuted today at New America's Cybersecurity for a New America conference and can be read at ideas42.org/cyber.

"Simply clicking on a bad link can be devastating to network security, and the strongest security network in the world is only as good as the human with the password," continued Wright, "Furthermore, human error in security is not limited to end-users. The challenges around understanding and addressing human behavioral factors in cybersecurity present a rich vein of opportunity for making the system as a whole more robust."

ideas42's work in cybersecurity is supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Cyber Initiative in partnership with New America's Cybersecurity Initiative. The goal is to focus on behavioral insights and solutions that can be adopted quickly and brought to scale. For a full copy of the novella and behavioral insight appendix contact us at cyber@ideas42.org. For a video introducing the novella, click here.

About ideas42

ideas42 has a clear mission: to use our unique experience at the forefront of behavioral science to change millions of lives. We create innovative solutions to tough problems in economic mobility, health, education, consumer finance, energy efficiency and international development. Our approach is based on a deep understanding of human behavior and why people make the decisions they do. Working closely with our partners from government, foundations, NGOs and companies, we have more than 80 active projects in the United States and around the world.

Embedded Video Available: https://youtu.be/GkU5UIpw9IE

Excerpt from:
ideas42 Channels Unique Behavioral Science Approach to ... - Yahoo Finance