The rise of pickleball has been rapid, growing in popularity since the pandemic. While the game is mostly promoted for its physical benefits in older adults, its greatest effect is shown in the social connections it builds.

According to the National Poll on Healthy Aging conducted by the University of Michigan and the AARP, 1 in 3 adults aged 50 to 80 reported feeling lonely or lacking companionship some of the time or often. Now known as a public health risk, loneliness is defined as the feeling that results from a perceived gap between a person’s desired social connections and their actual relationships.

Distinct from loneliness is the other public health risk of social isolation — an objective lack of social connections, encompassing few social roles, infrequent interactions and minimal participation in community activities. Further examinations on social connection point to both loneliness and social isolation in older adults presenting a major risk for premature mortality.

Florida State University’s Amy Chan Hyung Kim is an associate professor in the Department of Sport Management whose research focuses on promoting sport for health from a social epidemiological perspective. Of her many research projects, Kim has worked exclusively with the United States of America Pickleball Association and has produced research on pickleball’s benefits for retirees in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity.

While noting all the physical benefits of pickleball, from improved strength to cardiovascular health, Kim believes the less obvious one comes from a cognitive angle.

“Research has shown that playing pickleball strengthens older adults’ social connections and sense of community while reducing feelings of loneliness and isolation,” Kim said. “Part of this comes down to the court itself, which is considerably smaller than a tennis court and keeps players close enough to talk easily with partners and opponents throughout a match/rallies. This sets pickleball apart from activities such as running or walking alone, which improve fitness but rarely bring people together in the same way.”

An advocate for expanding the sport’s growth, Kim believes the solution to continued momentum is accessibility.

“The more durable path is a network of accessible courts and welcoming local programs that make it easy for anyone to pick up a paddle and stay with it,” Kim added. “Court access remains the single largest barrier, as many communities still rely on tennis courts marked with temporary lines or a handful of public courts that fill up before most people arrive. Dedicated courts, whether built from scratch or converted from underused facilities, would do more than any advertising campaign to sustain growth. Beyond facilities, the next step is to make the game welcoming to people who assume it is not for them, including younger adults, families and those who have never considered themselves athletic.”

To learn more about how pickleball bridges much-needed social connections in older adults, as well as how the sport has grown in popularity, media may reach associate professor Amy Chan Hyung Kim via email at kamy@fsu.edu.

Amy Chan Hyung Kim, associate professor, Department of Sport Management

How does the setup of a pickleball court help in building social connections?

The format of the game reinforces a sense of closeness, since players can rotate partners, share courts and often stay to talk long after the last point. These social connections, in turn, are closely tied to better mental health and psychological well-being, with studies reporting lower levels of depression, stress and anxiety among regular players, along with greater happiness and life satisfaction. For older adults, the combination of movement and companionship may be the most valuable aspect of playing pickleball.

While it’s clear that the benefits outweigh the negatives, what are some things older adults should be weary of when playing pickleball?

Injuries are the most common concern, particularly strains and sprains of the ankle, knee, shoulder and Achilles tendon, which often occur when players lunge or backpedal for the ball rather than letting it go. Falls deserve special attention as well, since a single fall can lead to a fracture that takes months to recover from. Footwear helps guard against both, and proper court shoes are worth the investment because running shoes are built for forward motion and offer little support during the side-to-side movement the game demands. Heat is another factor, especially in Florida, where playing in the middle of the day can lead to dehydration or heat exhaustion. Sunscreen matters just as much for anyone playing outdoors, since regular sun exposure over time raises the risk of skin damage and skin cancer. Finally, older adults managing heart conditions, joint replacements or balance problems should talk with their physician before starting, not to be discouraged from playing, but to set sensible limits. With a warm-up, appropriate footwear, sensible pacing and attention to the body’s signals, most of these concerns can be managed rather than avoided.

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As wildfire smoke spreads across parts of Canada and the United States, Florida State University experts are available to discuss the conditions fueling the fires, the risks to communities and the science behind wildfire response.

Extreme heat, below-average rainfall and dry vegetation have accelerated wildfire activity in Canada, sending intense smoke south across the border and into the Northeastern and Upper Midwestern United States. While wildfires are common in Canada, a heat dome in late June has increased the number of outbreaks. Nearly 950 active wildfires are burning according to the Government of Canada’s National wildland fire summary.

Simultaneously, an active wildfire season has taken place in the U.S. Close to 40,000 fires have burned through more than 3.6 million acres in 2026 — above-average activity for mid-July. A USA Today analysis of Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (MTBS) data shows that by the early 2020s, the average annual acres burned in the U.S. had nearly tripled compared to the 1990s.

Reporters seeking expert insight may contact the FSU faculty members listed below. Their expertise is organized by topic to help media quickly identify sources on fire modeling, disaster response, firefighter safety and catastrophic risk financing.

Fire modeling

Kevin Speer, former Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Institute (GFDI) director and professor of scientific computing

• Email: kspeer@fsu.edu
• Speer is an expert in climate change, from global ocean circulation to the dynamics of hydrothermal plumes. Recently retired, he served as director of the GFDI from 2011 to 2026 and was a leading expert on the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.

Disaster response

Yushun Dong, assistant professor of computer science

• Email: yushun.dong@fsu.edu
• Dong is part of FSU’s Resilient Infrastructure & Disaster Response Center (RIDER). As head of the Responsible AI Lab, Dong is leading a team working on a publicly available data-driven platform of U.S. nationwide wildfires empowered by AI technologies. 

Firefighter safety

Meredith McQuerry, director of the ThermaNOLE Comfort Lab

• Email: mmcquerry@jmc.fsu.edu
• McQuerry’s research uses the functional design process to engineer better performing protective clothing for first responders, military personnel, healthcare workers and athletes. She tackles personal protective equipment (PPE) issues that many firefighters deal with, ranging from improper fit, reduced mobility, low durability, chafing and overheating. 

Catastrophic risk financing

Charles Nyce, professor and Florida Surplus Lines Insurance director, Risk Management & Insurance Center

• Email: cnyce@wertheim.fsu.edu
• Nyce has authored numerous articles on risk management and insurance topics, including title insurance, IPOs, enterprise risk management, predictive analytics and natural hazards. He is a leading insurance expert on catastrophic risk financing and one of the nation’s top voices when it comes to insurance topics related to natural disasters.

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As Space Exploration Day approaches on July 20, global space agencies are advancing technologies that make discovery cheaper and safer. Still, human space exploration continues to capture the public’s imagination.

In 2018, the Pew Research Center conducted a study showing that 58% of adults feel human astronauts are essential to the future of the U.S. Space Program. The findings highlight the current dilemma faced in modern space exploration: balancing the efficient reality of robotic exploration against the cultural demand for a human presence.

Florida State University Professor of History Ronald E. Doel is a historian of science who has written about the history of planetary and space exploration. He has appeared in several media outlets, including C-SPAN, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Space.com and more.

Doel affirms that space missions involving humans invite a certain romanticism that robotics technology cannot duplicate.

“Space missions lacking human crews do not create strong memories or emotional connections, even if robotic missions have yielded much of what we now know about the Earth and other planets and moons in the solar system,” Doel said.

Robotic landers and rovers have become essential tools for collecting planetary data. But Doel argues that crewed missions offer something machines cannot fully replicate: a human perspective that helps audiences connect with unfamiliar worlds.

“Crewed missions offer audiences a different kind of understanding of foreign places – emotions and insights that are understandable in ways that scientific data is not,” Doel added. “There are times when the human eye can do better than available instruments to discern sudden, brief, discrete changes. Sketches of planetary features from the 19th century until quite recently that were done by humans using telescope eyepieces could capture more detail than photographs, since the eye could discern features that momentarily became visible in instances of remarkable atmospheric stability and stillness. Certain NASA leaders still believe humans can do science in ways that machines cannot.”

Media interested in interviewing professor Ronald E. Doel on the cultural demand for human space exploration in a world of advancing robotics may reach out to him via email at rdoel@fsu.edu.

Ronald E. Doel, professor of history, College of Arts and Sciences

With how much technology has advanced, sending a rover to space would likely be more efficient financially and far more risk averse. But the human element of space exploration remains so important, especially to the public. Why does sending humans to space remain so important despite the advancements we’ve made?

What do Americans know about space exploration? Ask many citizens, and they can describe and tell stories about the Apollo lunar landings and the space shuttle program. They are aware that an International Space Station is orbiting the earth with human beings on board. Older Americans can recall where they were, and how they felt, when Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon in July 1969, and when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded soon after liftoff in January 1986.

But ask about exploration of our solar system by unmanned robotic spacecraft – one of the major achievements of the 20th century into our own time – and many people draw blanks. Some are aware in general terms that spacecraft have visited Venus and Mars, and that probes reached planets in the outer solar system. Yet compared to familiarity with manned space missions, few Americans are familiar with the Viking, Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance landers and rovers on Mars, the Voyager mission of the 1970s and 1980s that visited Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, or the New Horizons exploration of Pluto in 2016. Fewer still know that a robotic lander parachuted through the thick atmosphere of Saturn’s largest moon Titan in 2005, photographing mountains, branching channels and dry riverbeds.

The Space Race captured the public’s attention while taking massive physical risks during the Cold War. As robotics continues to accelerate, and possibly handle more missions that humans once did, could this ultimately dull the excitement of space exploration?

It’s certainly possible. Even the novelty of humans flying to the moon wore off after the initial lunar landings (Apollo 11 and Apollo 12). When Apollo 13 flew towards the moon in April 1970, the major television networks of the time did not broadcast the early live telecast its astronauts beamed back to Earth – going to the moon had become routine. The subsequent oxygen tank explosion that ended the planned Apollo 13 landing and threatened the lives of its three astronauts did generate intense public interest, but this was a story of a possible shipwreck unfolding in real time – not a typical space mission.

When I teach “Space: A History,” I ask my students to informally interview a grandparent (or someone a few generations earlier) to share their memories of space missions. Their reports confirm a much greater familiarity with crewed space fights compared to robotic planetary missions (although some awareness of robotic probes was evident). A familiar response my students received – on robotic explorations – was ‘I heard something about this but didn’t follow it.’ 

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Following the U.S. Men’s National Team’s (USMNT) recent World Cup exit, Florida State University coaching expert and former FIFA-certified referee Tim Baghurst says the tournament highlighted longstanding challenges in the nation’s youth soccer development system.

Baghurst directs the FSU Center for Athletic Coaching (FSU COACH), which prepares coaches and sports professionals at all levels. The USMNT’s run to the Round of 16, including its first knockout-stage win since 2002, energized soccer fans across the country. But the team’s 4-1 loss to Belgium also renewed debate about whether the U.S. youth soccer development system is limiting the country’s ability to compete with the world’s best.

Baghurst’s research examines health modeling in sport, stress and burnout in coaching and methods for coach evaluation and certification. He argues that improving youth soccer in the U.S. requires stronger physical education programs and more accessible recreational sports for teens, not just changes at the elite club level.

“The quantity and quality of physical education programming, combined with a lack of recreational sports for teenagers, are forcing youth and parents to choose and specialize in a sport far too soon,” Baghurst said.

Baghurst said one consequence is the country’s growing reliance on expensive club soccer, which can limit who gets access to meaningful development opportunities.

“In the U.S., there has been a systematic shift away from high school soccer toward club-based play,” he said. “This is in part due to the quest to seek ‘better competition’ or be seen by college scouts. Club soccer in the U.S. is more of a pay-to-play system than European models.”

Media interested in speaking with Baghurst about the U.S. youth soccer development system can contact him at tbaghurst@fsu.edu.

Tim Baghurst, FSU COACH Director, Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences

In the U.S., youth soccer is more of a pay-to-play product, while in Europe, professional clubs tend to fund development. Can this difference tend to drain the talent pool in the U.S.?

Yes. In Europe, youth are often recruited to professional academies, many of which are funded by professional clubs, with parents not paying. Professional clubs view the cost as a potential investment in their future, recognizing that emerging talent could contribute to their adult teams or even be sold to another team for significant profit. Conversely, in the U.S., participation is often limited to those parents who can afford the costs. This can also weaken the talent pool, as clubs are incentivized to keep players on their teams regardless of their skill level or potential, because fewer players mean less revenue. 

How can both youth physical education and recreational opportunities be modified to enhance youth development in soccer in the U.S.?

As a former physical education professor and teacher who has taught abroad, I’m well aware that there isn’t enough quality physical education in U.S. schools compared to other nations. Physical education is made optional for students in many states far too early, despite evidence of its long-term benefits for health and academic success. 

Second, by the end of middle school, recreational sports for youth are an afterthought in most communities. By then, it is expected that they know which sport they are good at and are competing for their school and club teams, often both. If a child has not shown promise by the end of middle school, there is little chance they will have opportunities to develop those skills in a recreational setting unless participating in adult leagues. Without opportunities to learn with other recreational-level players their own age, it is unlikely a high school-aged athlete will ever learn a new sport, even if it is the one they are most suited to. 

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Staying fit can become more challenging as you enter your 40s, when natural biological changes begin to affect muscle mass, metabolism and more.

A massive Swedish study that tracked participants for nearly 50 years found that fitness, strength and muscle endurance begin declining around age 35. But the study also found that adults who became active later in life improved their physical performance by 10%.

Michael Ormsbee, director of the Florida State University Institute of Sports Sciences and Medicine (ISSM), is one of the nation’s top nutrition experts. He has appeared in numerous interviews sharing his expertise on topics that range from nighttime pre-sleep feeding strategies, the importance of protein, maximizing human performance, metabolic health and more.

Ormsbee says people don’t need to abandon workout routines that served them well in their 20s and 30s. They simply need to adjust them as they age.

“I don’t think you need a completely different playbook. You just need to be a little smarter about how you apply it,” Ormsbee said. “One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking they must train harder as they get older. In my experience, most people in their 40s are not overtrained. They’re under-recovered.”

The key, Ormsbee said, isn’t doing more. It’s recovering better and being more intentional about the habits that support long-term strength and health.

“Recovery starts to matter more,” Ormsbee emphasized. “Your body can absolutely adapt and get stronger, but you must give it the resources to do that. The fundamentals really don’t change. Strength training is still one of the best things you can do. Aerobic fitness is still incredibly important. Protein still matters. Sleep is still king.”

Media interested in interviewing ISSM Director Michael Ormsbee about ways to stay fit through your 40s and later may reach out to him via email at mormsbee@fsu.edu.

Michael Ormsbee, FSU Institute of Sports Sciences and Medicine Director, Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences

Does your body require a different type of training/dietary regimen as you age in your 40s?

What changes is how intentional you must be. If you’re sleeping six hours a night, skimping on protein, always rushing from one thing to the next, and trying to train like you did at 25, eventually that’s going to catch up with you. I’d rather see someone train consistently, recover well and stay healthy for years than go all out for a few months and end up injured or burned out.

What would be three of the most critical pieces of advice for those looking to stay in shape and live a healthy lifestyle in their 40s?

First, make recovery part of the plan. Exercise is the stimulus. Recovery is where your body actually adapts. Everyone wants to know about the latest recovery gadget, but the biggest wins are still the basics. Get enough sleep. Eat enough calories and protein. Stay hydrated. Plan recovery weeks when needed. Keep moving on your off days. Manage stress. Those simple habits consistently outperform the flashy stuff.

Second, don’t stop lifting weights. As we get older, maintaining muscle becomes one of the most important things we can do for our health. Muscle supports metabolism, bone health, physical function, and helps you stay active as you age. You don’t have to train like a competitive athlete, but you should challenge your muscles a few times each week. It’s one of the best investments you can make in your future. You don’t stop moving because you get old, you get old because you stop moving.

Third, stop chasing perfection and focus on consistency. Health is built from what you do most of the time, not what you do once in a while. You don’t need the perfect workout or the perfect diet. You need habits you can stick with for years. A few quality workouts each week, enough protein, good sleep, and staying active will beat the all-or-nothing approach every time.

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Shark Awareness Day, observed every year on July 14, encourages a better understanding of sharks and the important role they play in healthy marine ecosystems.

Summer fears often focus on shark attacks instead of far more common dangers such as rip currents, extreme heat or even dehydration. On average, shark attacks cause one to two fatalities nationally per year, while rip currents result in more than 100 annual deaths and heat-related illnesses contribute to nearly 2,400 deaths each year, according to 2023 data from the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

Florida State University Associate Professor of Psychology David March studies threat perception, or how people judge and respond to danger. He leads the March Research Laboratory that examines how automatic and deliberate thinking shape perception, decision making and behavior. March says people naturally process dramatic events such as shark attacks differently than more common but less visible dangers, shaping how they think about risk before they ever step onto the beach.

“There is an evolved bias toward acute, identifiable physical threats,” March said. “A shark is a clear and imaginable agent of harm. It has teeth, movement, intentional behavior and the capacity to cause immediate bodily harm. In contrast, rip currents and dehydration are more diffuse, gradual and harder to visualize as ‘attackers.’ They do not fit the evolved threat prototype, even though they may be more dangerous in practical terms.”

That imbalance, March said, is especially clear among beachgoers who may understand the ocean more as a place of recreation than as a changing natural environment with less visible risks.

“Threat perception is not simply a response to objective danger. It is shaped by experience, attention, cultural messages and how easily a threat can be imagined,” March added. “For tourists, the beach may feel generally safe and recreational, while the most emotionally available danger is the shark. The result is misallocated fear, leading to vigilance toward the wrong threat and underpreparedness for the risks most likely to cause harm.”

Media interested in interviewing associate professor of psychology David March about the misplaced summer fears of shark attacks may reach out to him via email at march@psy.fsu.edu.

David March, associate professor, Florida State University Department of Psychology

Statistics show shark attacks are rare, yet rip currents and extreme heat claim far more lives. Why do so many people worry more about sharks at the beach?

Sensationalized news coverage contributes to an overperception of how often shark attacks occur. This reflects the availability heuristic: because shark attacks are dramatic and widely reported, examples of them come to mind easily, which makes them feel more common than they actually are. In contrast, dangers like rip currents or dehydration may be statistically more frequent, but they are less likely to receive the same kind of vivid media attention.

This availability effect is paired with the especially vivid and emotionally intense nature of shark attacks. The idea of being attacked by a large predator is easy to imagine, visually graphic, and associated with fear and pain. Those affective reactions can make the risk feel more immediate and serious, even when the actual probability is low. As a result, when someone is at the beach, they may become more vigilant about signs of sharks than about less dramatic but more likely dangers.

Together, media sensationalism, availability, vivid affect, and evolved sensitivity to acute predators prepare us to overperceive the risk of shark attacks, leading to greater concern that is oversized relative to the actual danger. This is especially the case when we are at the place where such a threat may occur.

One behavioral data point suggests that a large portion of rip current fatality victims are out-of-state tourists — many who visit beaches more for leisure. How much does mindset play a role in these types of fatalities, and how does this tie into threat perception overall?

Experience likely plays an important role because it shapes both how people approach the beach and which threats they know how to recognize. Tourists with less regular beach exposure may see the beach primarily as a leisure setting rather than a dynamic natural environment with changing surf, currents, heat and other hazards. They also have fewer ordinary, uneventful beach experiences to counter the cultural narrative that sharks are the major ocean danger. At the same time, they may be less familiar with rip currents, less likely to recognize their warning signs, and less likely to have encountered public messaging that treats them as a serious threat. This stacks the deck toward underperceiving common but less vivid dangers while overperceiving dramatic but rare ones.”

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Viral social media content from international visitors attending the FIFA World Cup is showing how everyday interactions across the United States can become a form of citizen diplomacy that may help reshape global perceptions of the country.

Whether it’s fans from Japan marveling at Texas barbecue, Scotland’s Tartan Army spreading goodwill in Boston or German content creators becoming enamored with Buc-ee’s, international visitors have consistently shared positive reactions to American hospitality, food and local culture.

The social media content offers a contrast to some perceptions of the United States. According to the Pew Research Center, some of Europe’s hottest soccer hubs stated that they believed the U.S. was plagued by “very strong partisan conflicts.”

Florida State University Professor of Sociology Deana Rohlinger studies mass media, social movements, digital participation and democratic processes. She said the FIFA World Cup offers one of the largest examples of citizen diplomacy, when ordinary people act as informal ambassadors and generate goodwill that governments cannot easily create.

“Social scientists have known for decades that when people from different groups interact under positive conditions, stereotypes often break down. The World Cup is one of the largest examples imaginable,” Rohlinger said.

While diplomacy is often viewed as a top-down process led by governments and political leaders, citizen diplomacy works from the bottom up. International visitors’ own perceptions change by experiencing what U.S. culture is about.

“Part of why this resonates is that it pushes back against a story we’ve been telling ourselves for years,” Rohlinger added. “So much of what we encounter emphasizes polarization, conflict and dysfunction that those images start to define how we see ourselves. Then outsiders, people with no reason to flatter us, arrive expecting one thing and encounter another. Their reactions interrupt the narrative. They provide a more generous, and probably more accurate, reflection of who we are.”

Media interested in learning more about citizen diplomacy and how the FIFA World Cup is influencing perceptions of the U.S. may contact Professor of Sociology Deana Rohlinger via email at drohling@fsu.edu.

Deana Rohlinger, professor of sociology, Florida State University College of Social Sciences and Public Policy

How does citizen diplomacy become so effective in the case of FIFA World Cup visitors experiencing the United States?

 Part of what makes these moments powerful is that visitors arrive with expectations shaped by headlines and social media. Then they encounter something more mundane and more human: strangers striking up conversations, neighbors helping with directions, someone insisting they have to experience Buc-ee’s, or introducing them to the marvel of a Big Gulp. These small interactions sound trivial, but they leave impressions. And because so many of us are watching these encounters unfold online, the goodwill extends far beyond the people who were actually there. Visitors show up expecting a divided, unwelcoming country, discover something different, and then tell the world. That’s how the script gets flipped. 

How can this type of positive social media content boost morale to U.S. citizens and their own thoughts/opinions of their country?

There’s something powerful about hearing these positive reactions from strangers. Praise from people who don’t owe us anything feels more credible than self-congratulation. The effect is probably temporary, but moments like this remind people that the angry, divided portrait we carry around is only part of the picture. Everyday interactions, ordinary kindness and even shared excitement over things as mundane as Buc-ee’s or a Big Gulp point to another side of American life that often gets lost in the headlines.

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As the United States prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its independence July 4, Florida State University’s Institute for Governance and Civics is making experts available to discuss the nation’s history, constitutional traditions, civic culture and future challenges.

The institute has four faculty members available for interviews on topics ranging from the U.S. Supreme Court and constitutional government to education policy, free speech and the role of states in American democracy.

The available experts include:

Ryan Owens, IGC Director

• Email: owens@fsu.edu
• Areas of expertise: Civics and higher education; law and courts; U.S. Supreme Court; judicial behavior.
• Story angles:
  • How has America thrived for 250 years?
  • What does the Supreme Court need to do to ensure another 250 years?
  • What does higher education need to do to sustain America for another 250 years?
  • Is patriotism bipartisan?
  • What trends do we see regarding upcoming generations of Americans?

James Strickland, Constitutional Liberty Branch Head; Associate Professor of Political Science

• Email: jms25s@fsu.edu
• Areas of expertise: Interest groups; legislatures and subnational politics in the United States.
• Story angles:
  • He can discuss the recent student-run constitutional convention.
  • Was James Madison correct about interest groups?
  • What is the role of states today versus states earlier in America’s 250 years?

James V. Shuls, Educational Liberty Branch Head

• Email: jvs24b@fsu.edu
• Areas of expertise: K-12 finance; teacher policy; education reform.
• Story angles:
  • How has the “right to learn” issue evolved over time?
  • How does education today compare to education at earlier times in America?
  • What does K-12 education need to do to sustain America for another 250 years?

Denise Harle, Conscience Liberty Branch Head, First Amendment Clinic Director

• Email: dharle@law.fsu.edu
• Areas of expertise: Constitutional law; appellate practice; First Amendment rights.
• Story angles:
  • Why is the First Amendment so important to America’s 250th?
  • What do free speech and religious liberty mean for Americans today versus 250 years ago?
  • How can we create a culture that respects individual rights to expression and thought?

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As Father’s Day approaches on June 21, a Florida State University licensed marriage and family therapist is examining how cultural and societal changes have reshaped modern fatherhood.

Long viewed as the “helper” or “secondary parent” in raising children, fathers are increasingly taking on a more central role in family caregiving. According to a recent Pew Research Center study, most Americans (57%) say it’s extremely or very acceptable for men to take care of the home and children while their wife works for pay.

Jamila Holcomb, an associate teaching professor at the FSU Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, teaches students about the complexity of family life. As a therapist, she helps support individuals and families as they heal from trauma and navigate mental health and relationship challenges.

Holcomb says that fatherhood has evolved from a provider-focused role to a relationship-focused one.

“The definition of a ‘good father’ has transformed significantly over the last 25 years,” Holcomb said. “We have moved away from viewing fatherhood primarily through the lens of financial provision or discipline and toward a broader understanding of fathers as active caregivers, co-parents and emotional supports within the family system. Today, fatherhood often includes being involved in daily childrearing, contributing to household responsibilities and creating secure, emotionally connected relationships with children.”

Holcomb believes that research highlighting the benefits of involved fathers is helping drive this shift.

“One important shift is that research has increasingly demonstrated that fathers play a meaningful role in children’s social, emotional and behavioral development,” Holcomb added. “Studies examining father involvement have found that engaged fathering is associated with positive developmental outcomes, including improved social and psychological outcomes for children. Validating the importance of the fatherhood role has led to greater societal awareness and psychoeducation, and an increased interest in fathers adapting to this evolving role.”

Media interested in discussing the evolving role of fathers may contact Holcomb via email at jholcomb@fsu.edu.

Jamila Holcomb, associate teaching professor, FSU Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences

What is another big reason behind the role of fatherhood changing over time?

One major factor is the changing landscape of families and gender roles. As more women pursue higher education and build careers, many families require a more equitable division of household and caregiving responsibilities. We also now have a greater understanding of the “invisible labor” or “mental load” involved in maintaining a household. This involves the planning, anticipating, organizing and emotional management that often goes unnoticed and unrewarded. Research and public discourse have highlighted how this invisible labor can disproportionately fall on mothers and contribute to stress and burnout (Ciciolla & Luthar, 2019). This creates an even greater need for fathers to participate not only in completing tasks, but in sharing responsibility for managing family life.

Do present-day fathers face more societal pressure to be around and active compared to the fathers of previous generations?

I think there is more societal pressure on fathers to be more present and active, but I don’t view that pressure as inherently negative. Much of this shift is coming from our evolving understanding of child development, our expanding ideas about masculinity and a recognition that nurturing and emotional connection are important aspects of fatherhood. For many generations, traditional gender roles limited fathers’ identities to being providers or authority figures, while caregiving and emotional expression were often assigned primarily to mothers. As those expectations change, fathers have more opportunities to develop and express qualities like nurturance, vulnerability and emotional availability. These are all qualities that will greatly improve their own health and well-being, as well as their relationships with their children. 

Now that fathers are increasingly encouraged and expected to take on more active parenting roles, it is important that we collectively continue to support fathers in doing that. We should all be advocating for changes in workplace policies, greater community support and continued expansion of cultural norms that value involved fatherhood.

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June marks Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, an opportunity to foster public understanding for the most proactive brain health habits. A Florida State University Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine professor is reframing the way we look at brain health, helping individuals form a whole-body approach to reduce dementia risk.

Julia Sheffler is the director of the Integrative Science for Healthy Aging research program in the FSU College of Medicine. Her research focuses on improving scientific understanding of risk and resiliency factors related to late-life health and cognitive functioning.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 55 million people live with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias worldwide. In the United States, approximately 7.4 million people aged 65 and older live with Alzheimer’s — an irreversible brain disorder that erodes memory and thinking skills.

Sheffler helps people build the knowledge, skills and confidence to make changes that are scientifically supported in combatting cognitive decline; while also paying attention to their own health, preferences, values and daily life to find an approach they can maintain over time.

“The best lifestyle change is often the one a person can realistically sustain,” Sheffler said of how individuals can best prevent cognitive decline through changes of their own. “For some people, improving diet may be the most impactful starting point. For others, it may be quitting tobacco, reducing alcohol use, increasing movement, improving sleep, or spending more time with friends and family. The reality is that even very healthy dietary patterns may not work the same way for everyone, in part because individuals differ in how their bodies metabolize and respond to nutrients.”

Sheffler’s research allows her to develop personalized strategies for individuals that integrate important factors such as nutrition, movement, mental health and social connection. By forming healthy habits that benefit the whole body, individuals are supporting their own brain health.

“The message I most want people to know is that brain health is not something we should only think about after memory problems begin,” Sheffler added. “Many of the same behaviors that support the heart, blood vessels, metabolism, mood, and sleep also support the brain. Even small, sustainable changes can be meaningful when they become part of a person’s everyday life.”

Media interested in understanding Julia Sheffler’s critical research and practical habits for promoting brain health may reach out to her via email at julia.sheffler@med.fsu.edu.

Julia Sheffler, assistant professor, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine

Based on your research and understanding, how much does a person’s background dictate their lifetime risk for dementia?

A person’s background can play a meaningful role in dementia risk, but I would not say it “dictates” their future. Dementia risk is shaped by a combination of factors, including genetics, medical history, education, socioeconomic context, neighborhood resources, access to healthcare, stress exposure and lifestyle factors. Some of these begin very early in life and can accumulate over time. For example, opportunities for high-quality education, access to nutritious foods, safe places to be physically active and good preventive healthcare can all influence brain health across the lifespan.

At the same time, one of the most important messages is that dementia risk is not fixed. Even for individuals who may be at higher risk because of family history, vascular risk factors, or social and environmental barriers, there are still meaningful opportunities to support brain health. My work focuses on identifying realistic, accessible ways to help people make and sustain changes that may reduce risk, especially in communities where those resources have not always been easy to access.

You’ve done a lot of research on nutrition as it relates to Alzheimer’s and dementia. Would you consider nutrition the single-most important lifestyle change someone can make to help prevent cognitive decline in the future?

I would say nutrition is one of the most important lifestyle factors for brain health, but I would be cautious about calling it the single most important one for everyone. Brain health is influenced by many interconnected behaviors and health conditions, including diet, physical activity, sleep, stress, social connection, blood pressure, diabetes, heart health, and mental health. Nutrition is powerful because it touches many of those systems at once. What we eat can affect inflammation, vascular health, metabolism, gut health, and other biological pathways that are highly relevant to cognitive aging. We are not yet at the point where we can provide precise, individualized nutrition recommendations for brain health on a large scale.

Since establishing the Integrative Science for Healthy Aging Program, has there been an “a-ha” moment in your research? Something you’ve stumbled upon that you feel is most important for people to know when it comes to dementia and brain health?

One of the biggest “a-ha” moments for me has been appreciating just how closely brain health is connected to the rest of the body, especially metabolism. We often think about memory and thinking abilities as being separate from physical health, but the brain is an extremely energy-demanding organ. It depends on healthy blood vessels, stable metabolic function, and a steady supply of fuel to work well. When systems like blood sugar regulation, cardiovascular health, inflammation, or lipid metabolism are disrupted, those changes can also affect the brain over time.

That connection has shaped much of my work. I have become increasingly interested in how nutrition and other lifestyle behaviors may support brain health by influencing multiple systems at once, including vascular and metabolic health, inflammation, sleep, mood, and daily functioning. It has also made me think about dementia prevention as something that needs to be practical and whole-person focused. It is not enough to tell people that a certain diet or exercise routine may be good for the brain; we need to help them understand why these changes matter and support them in making changes they can actually sustain. The “best” intervention for one person may actually be very different for someone else. 

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A promising new pancreatic cancer drug that nearly doubled survival times in a recent clinical trial is drawing attention not only for its potential impact on patients, but also for the university research that helped make it possible.

In recent clinical trials by oncology company Revolution Medicines, patients who received daraxonrasib live an average of 13.2 months. The rate nearly doubled the average of 6.7 months for patients in the study who received standard chemotherapy.

Pancreatic cancer has a five-year survival rate of about 3% once it spreads to other parts of the body. Daraxonrasib targets the KRAS gene, which was once deemed “undruggable.” Breakthroughs by university scientists helped lay the foundation for collaboration between universities and biotech companies that led to the drug’s development.

Florida State University chemist James Frederich is the Werner Herz Associate Professor and head of The Frederich Laboratory in the FSU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He focuses on developing new strategies and tactics to prepare architecturally complex natural products that exhibit important biological activity in living systems. Frederich’s research specialties include chemical biology, synthesis and catalysis.

Frederich said the success of daraxonrasib reflects the vital role universities play in advancing high-risk scientific discoveries. FSU has its own history of innovation, including chemist Robert Holton’s pioneering work on the cancer drug Taxol in the late 1980s.

“This is a wonderful example of the impact of translational academic research,” Frederich said of the recent pancreatic cancer treatment. “Revolution Medicines started as an academic startup seeking to explore a high-risk, high-reward mechanism for cancer therapy. Academia uniquely provides the freedom to pursue such risky ventures. When they succeed, the results are often paradigm-shifting.”

Frederich said the value of academic research is often overlooked once groundbreaking treatments reach patients.

“It is sometimes easy to forget that academic research can change the world,” Frederich added. “Daraxonrasib, and the mechanism underlying its action, serves as an excellent reminder of the long-term return on investing in academic science.”

Media interested in interviewing James Frederich about the role of universities in developing cancer-treating drugs may reach out to him via email at jfrederich@fsu.edu.

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As the job market for recent graduates becomes more competitive, a Florida State University career preparation expert offers timely perspective on how students can break through, and what employers are really seeking.

FSU Career Services Assistant Vice President Rob Liddell emphasizes that opportunity still exists for those who are prepared despite flattening hiring demand. Employers are increasingly filling roles through internship conversions and alternative pathways, including project-based and hybrid positions, placing a premium on candidates who can demonstrate real-world experience and professional maturity.

“Graduates who engage deeply and consistently through internships, research, leadership and skill building are standing out from the competition surrounding entry-level hiring,” Liddell said, noting that today’s market rewards tangible evidence of readiness.

He also highlights a persistent challenge: employers often struggle to assess communication and leadership skills. At FSU, more than 95% of students complete a foundational career-readiness course that helps them build portfolios and document competencies through hands-on experiences.

As artificial intelligence reshapes industries, Liddell underscores that human-centered skills are becoming even more valuable. Creativity, adaptability, ethical judgment and emotional intelligence are increasingly essential in a workforce where technology handles routine tasks.

Liddell is available to discuss how students can navigate a shifting workforce, and why preparation, not panic, is the defining factor for success. Media can reach out to Liddell for interviews by emailing him at rll18l@fsu.edu.

Rob Liddell, assistant vice president, Florida State University Career Services

In your experience of being involved in career preparation, how do you best sum up the current climate we’re living in with college graduates entering the work force?

While the early career landscape is evolving, it is far from discouraging. It stands to reason that for well-prepared graduates and for institutions, like Florida State, that intentionally align education, experience and workforce demand, this is a moment of strategic advantage. Hiring organizations are prioritizing candidates who demonstrate applied experience, transferrable competencies and professional maturity. College graduates are entering a more selective market that rewards preparedness. Adjacent to tradition hiring, career entry points are expanding into project-based work, rotational or hybrid roles, contract and post-baccalaureate internships, and entrepreneurial pathways.

With AI weighing so heavily on several industries, what do you believe are the irreplaceable human competencies that they need to excel in the work force?

Many have approached AI-generated content with suspicion as they might have experienced occasional hallucinations, surface-level syntax or incoherent logic. Routine and technical tasks are becoming increasingly automated within the workplace. This development has placed premium value on distinctly human capabilities — the competencies that are difficult to replicate, scale, or substitute and that drive value, trust and impact for others. Among these irreplaceable human competencies are initiative and agency; creativity and innovation; ethical judgment and values-based decision-making; adaptability and intellectual agility; emotional intelligence and relational acumen; leadership and informal influence; integrative critical thinking; and persuasive communication.

In a world of abundant tools, the differentiator is not access; it is an ability to take action across novel and ambiguous situations. Taking action in this type of environment highlights the need for meaningful human connection across team collaboration, client relationships and navigating human dynamics (resolving conflict) in complex organizations. Further, as AI fetches and creates more content and information, human competencies will add important clarity and credibility by telling compelling stories, influencing complexity into alignment and action, and in communicating nuance.

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