Media drives voters' opinions in presidential primaries
   Once a media darling, former Democratic presidential front-runner Howard Dean made headlines for his impassioned speech following a third-place finish in the Iowa caucus - but his depiction as an emotional, angry candidate could affect his standing with voters, says a Georgia State University communication professor. "The media will begin to scrutinize whoever the front-runner is," says Carol Winkler, an expert in political communication and the media. "First it was Dean, but it will turn to Kerry - especially if he wins New Hampshire." Though it's a "healthy function" of the media to critically examine candidates, since it allows voters to see how they react under pressure, it can also mean political disaster to presidential hopefuls who are portrayed negatively by the press, says Winkler. "Once the primaries move to multiple states, the media is going to have a huge impact on voters' opinions of candidates," Winkler adds. Contact her at 404/651-2592 or jouckw@langate.gsu.edu.

Sophisticated movie pin-ups create buzz for films
   First impressions are often the key to success, and no industry does them better than the big movie studios, according to Georgia State University's Stan Anderson, who has designed more than 80 film, Broadway and television posters. Anderson, an associate professor in the Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design, says competition is driving studios away from simple posters showing headshots of the film's stars floating over the movie's title. "Studios have discovered that film-poster designs must quickly distinguish their films from the barrage of others that are being released en masse each week," says Anderson. "As a result, film designers are becoming contemporary pop artists, creating avant-garde posters that are more conceptual - teasing the storyline of the film without giving away the plot." Anderson can also comment on the design concepts behind Oscar-nominated films. He can be reached at 404/651-0500 or stan450@bellsouth.net.

Research: Beauty is as beauty does
   Although many studies have shown that attractive people earn considerably more than their average-looking counterparts, pretty faces might not always fare well in group settings, according to a Georgia State University researcher. Attractive people are expected to be more helpful and cooperative than others - and when they're not, they lose their advantage, says Ragan Petrie, assistant professor of economics. "When they (don't meet expectations), others are less cooperative with them, and the beauty premium disappears," she says. Women benefit most from their looks when others aren't aware of their performance and contributions in group settings, Petrie found. When people's performance is considered, men of all attractiveness levels reap more rewards. Men are not stereotyped as being as helpful as women, so they benefit from exceeding the low expectations others have for them, she says. Contact Petrie at 404/651-4379 or rpetrie@gsu.edu.

Professor teaches substance abusers how to be better parents
   A Georgia State University social-work professor is trying to prevent child abuse by teaching struggling alcoholics and drug addicts how to become better parents. Jan Ligon, an associate professor of social work, has counseled nearly 250 substance abusers in the Atlanta Detention Center and DeKalb County Jail, following a parenting program implemented and found effective in Boston. The program now is being used in Georgia for the first time. "When authorities are called to respond to child abuse, neglect and family violence, substance abuse is the likely problem in almost 50 percent of cases," says Ligon. He conducts weekly parenting groups designed to help substance abusers improve their ability to relate to their children's needs and find ways to work with their children without using physical punishment - a key factor in childhood injuries and deaths. For more information, contact Ligon at 404/651-2210 or jligon@gsu.edu.

Education dean: Proposed standards will be detrimental to children's learning
   Student learning and achievement in Georgia could be adversely affected if state officials approve a policy to lower teacher qualifications, says the dean of Georgia State University's College of Education. The Georgia Professional Standards Commission, which sets guidelines for teacher certification, is considering allowing all college graduates - including those without teaching experience or formal instructional training - to teach in Georgia schools for up to five years, as long as they pass the Praxis basic-skills test. Though the proposed changes are meant to help solve the state's teacher shortage, they "will have a negative impact on the quality of education our children receive," says Ron Colarusso. "To increase teacher retention and recruitment, and to improve educational outcomes for students, (we can't) implement a policy that encourages a revolving door of untrained teachers," says Colarusso. Contact him at 404/651-2525 or rcolarusso@gsu.edu.

Lawsuits dampening the fun of music downloading?
   Even though the Recording Industry Association of America recently filed a second round of lawsuits against Internet file sharers, many music lovers are still illegally downloading the songs they want for free. Edward Rigdon, an associate professor of marketing who studies the 'fun factor' of online information searches, believes that for many file sharers, the thrill of downloading simply outweighs the risks. "The most fun thing in the world is to find something new online, such as seeing who can get that new album or movie downloaded first before its official release date," he says. Chris Lemley, a marketing instructor who was a pioneer in the legitimate online music-preview business in the mid-1990s, believes more people will pay for music downloads as more competitors enter the business, driving the price down from about 99 cents a song to 30 cents. "At that price, you're going to see less likelihood of people running the risk of paying damages for downloading," he says. Perry Binder, an assistant professor of risk management and insurance, believes the RIAA will be less friendly in settling lawsuits with file sharers this time around because of a recent federal appeals court ruling that makes it more difficult to obtain the identity of file sharers. Because of the subpoena process now involved in learning their identities, the RIAA will no longer be able to pre-notify file sharers and offer the opportunity of a settlement before the formal filing of a lawsuit. "Downloaders have been on notice for months that the record industry is serious about this problem," Binder says. Contact Binder at 404/463-9898 or pbinder@gsu.edu; Lemley at 404/651-1977 or clemley@gsu.edu; and Rigdon at 404/651-4180 or erigdon@gsu.edu.

Happening at Georgia State University:

Concert: 'The String's the Thing'
   It's not your father's string quartet - neoPhonia New Music Ensemble, under the artistic direction of Georgia State University's Nickitas J. Demos, explores many facets of contemporary music for strings during a concert at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 13 in the university's Recital Hall (corner of Gilmer Street and Peachtree Center Avenue). Works include Movement for String Quartet and Percussion, by Anne Richardson; Bliss for cello quartet, by Kari Henrik Juusela; and Among Vanished Aviators for solo banjo and electronic tape, written and performed by Paul Elwood. The concert is free. For more information, call 404/651-INFO.

Georgia State Leads is a biweekly e-mail publication from the Department of University Relations. For more information about the publication or to sign up to receive Georgia State Leads, contact Beth Flannigan at 404/651-3576 or bflannigan@gsu.edu.

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