Residential segregation loses ground but remains alive
   A new study of residential segregation in 50 U.S. cities indicates that although more middle-class blacks and whites are living together in the same neighborhoods, blacks are still more likely to live in poorer areas. Georgia State University sociologist Robert Adelman examined residential patterns among middle-class blacks and whites from 1970 to 1990. He found that while residential segregation decreased overall over the two decades, segregation levels remained surprisingly high. Middle-class blacks also were more likely to live in neighborhoods with female-headed households and fewer college graduates. "There is still racial inequality in the United States, and race still matters," says Adelman. The study is published in the March issue of City and Community. For more information, contact Adelman at socrma@langate.gsu.edu or call 404/651-3752.

Geography students coach local kids
   Georgia State University students are spending their Saturdays bringing geography to life for kids at PATH Academy, an Atlanta school that prepares immigrant and refugee children for futures in top high schools and colleges. Members of the Georgia State chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon, an international geography honor society, deliver geography lessons to middle-school students in fun-filled, interesting ways. "The kids are loving it," says Michael Page, a geography graduate student who worked at PATH Academy in the past. "It is very hard to get geography teachers for middle-school children, and we hope our work helps increase children's geography knowledge so they score better on that portion of competitive tests." For more information, contact David Doran at ddoran1@student.gsu.edu.

Book: Cyberspace mapping helps us understand today's world
   In the past, the study of mapping, known as cartography, provided knowledge about the world's human populations and resources that influenced policymaking. Today, the mapping of cyberspace is just as important in understanding the population dynamics that can affect politics, according to Georgia State University geographer Jeremy Crampton, author of the new book "The Political Mapping of Cyberspace." By charting Internet access, for example, we can discover which parts of the world are least developed, says Crampton, who believes that cyberspace is not a "virtual reality" but a rich geography of political practices and power relations. "We think we follow politics fairly closely, but there is one area we've overlooked until now -- cyberspace," says Crampton. For more information, contact Crampton at jcrampton@gsu.edu or 404/651-1763.

Fifties fathers less progressive than thought
   The role fathers played in family life in the post-World War II era (1945-1960) is often used as a benchmark for comparing the culture of fatherhood today - and people commonly assume that fatherhood "scripts" of the time were fairly clear-cut. Although there has appeared to be pressure on men to become more involved with their children, a recent article in the Journal of Family History by Georgia State University sociologist Ralph LaRossa reveals a more complex picture. LaRossa reports that the culture of fatherhood in the postwar era was not a continuation of pre-war mores, nor was it more progressive. Reviewing parenting magazines, childcare manuals and family-oriented television shows, LaRossa found that fathers after the war were actually expected to be less involved at home. Expectations also changed within the era, with fathers in the late 1950s expected to be even less involved than fathers in the early 1950s. For more information, contact LaRossa at socrel@langate.gsu.edu or 404/651-1836.

Nutritionist teaches old folks new tricks for eating
   No one could reap greater benefits from eating well than the elderly, but nutritionists have long struggled to find the best strategies to get their messages across effectively. So last year, Georgia State University nutritionist Christine Rosenbloom decided to develop nutrition lessons for six centers in the metro-Atlanta area that provide food to the elderly. Rosenbloom's group tested the subjects on their nutrition knowledge before the six 30-minute lessons and found many were following outdated ideas and diet habits. "They didn't have up-to-date knowledge for managing their diseases with diet," says Rosenbloom. After the lessons, Rosenbloom tested the elderly groups again and found their knowledge had increased and was more accurate. The elderly also were more interested in finding out disease-specific information and how it related to their nutrition. A few months later, graduate student Dena Patacca did a follow-up study to find out how the elderly groups felt about the lesson plans. "They liked them. They liked the food treats at the end of the lesson plans the most," says Patacca with a laugh. The two studies were published in the Journal of Nutrition for the Elderly this month and are helping guide the development of nutrition-education strategies for America's elderly. For more information, contact Rosenbloom at 404/651-1102 or crosenbloom@gsu.edu.

Happening at Georgia State University:

Author to discuss the teaching of evolution
   Brown University biology professor Kenneth R. Miller, author of "Finding Darwin's God (A Scientist's Search for Common Ground between God and Evolution)" as well as three high-school and college biology textbooks, will speak at 7 p.m. April 2 in Library South Room 102 at Georgia State University. Miller will discuss special-interest groups' attacks on evolution education; the placement of warning stickers in his own biology textbook by the Cobb County Board of Education; and attempts by Georgia school superintendent Kathy Cox to remove the word "evolution" from the state curriculum. The lecture is sponsored by Georgia State's Department of Biology and Georgia Citizens for Integrity in Science Education. For more information, e-mail questions@georgiascience.org.

Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference to be held at Georgia State
   The third annual Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 9 in the Georgia State University Student Center. The conference is sponsored by the Department of Psychology and the Georgia State chapter of Psi Chi, the national psychology honor society. This year's conference will feature more than 40 presentations by metro Atlanta college and university students. The conference is open to the public, and registration is open online until April 2 at www.gsu.edu/~wwwpur/. For more information, e-mail purc@gsu.edu.

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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