To help adults and children stay safe while having fun this summer, the University of Iowa is offering a list of experts who can talk about everything from bike safety to preventing sunburn. ©istockphoto.com/loongar

Media tip sheet: Experts for summer fun, safety, and keeping young minds challenged

Monday, June 9, 2014

Written by: Office of Strategic Communication

The following story tip sheet is being made available to news editors and directors. Contact information for individual stories are listed below.

Summer officially begins June 21, but Iowans are already celebrating the warm weather by hitting beaches, parks and pools across the state. To help adults and children stay safe while having fun this summer, the University of Iowa is offering a list of experts who can talk about everything from bike safety to preventing sunburn (or worse).

Additionally, we’re offering experts from the UI College of Education who can provide tips to parents for keeping their kids fresh academically during the summer break from school.

TV stations from outside the Iowa City area that would like to interview subjects remotely via two-way video, or media looking for experts not included here, may call Stephen Pradarelli in the UI Office of Strategic Communication at 319-384-0007, or email stephen-pradarelli@uiowa.edu.

Summer skin safety

Expert: Marta Hemmingson-VanBeek, MD, Clinical Associate Professor, Dermatology, UI Health Care

Quote: "There is no such thing as a healthy tan, but you can still have fun in the sun with the proper UV protection,” VanBeek says.

Expert contact: marta-vanbeek@uiowa.edu, 319-356-2856

UI communications contact: Jennifer Brown, 319-356-7124, jennifer-l-brown@uiowa.edu

Children and bike safety

Expert: Jodie Plumert, Professor and Chair, UI Psychology Department

Additional Information: Plumert can also comment on general indoor and outdoor child safety.

Expert Contact: jodie-plumert@uiowa.edu319-335-2405

UI Communications Contact: Amy Mattson, 319-384-0070 or amy-mattson@uiowa.edu

Bike safety

Expert: Pam Hoogerwerf, Coordinator, Community Outreach and Injury Prevention, UI Health Care

Quote: "On average, nearly 1,000 bicyclists die each year and there are about 50,000 reported injury-producing bike-car crashes each year. It is important to teach good safety habits to kids so they can become better cyclists when they grow up.”

Additional Information: Hoogerwerf can also comment on general outdoor/playground safety for kids.

Expert contact: pamela-hoogerwerf@uiowa.edu, 319-353-7972

UI communications contact:Jennifer Brown, 319-356-7124 or jennifer-l-brown@uiowa.edu

Older adult falls prevention

Expert: Carri Casteel, associate professor of occupational and environmental health

Quote: "As the weather improves, many people – including elders – get outside for recreation and exercise. A properly designed physical activity program, including recreational walking, keeps elders active, improves strength, and can help prevent a fall."

Expert contact: carri-casteel@uiowa.edu or 319-384-4388

UI communications contact: Bill Barker, william-barker@uiowa.edu or 319-384-4277

Lawn mower safety

Expert: Charles Jennissen, M.D., director of pediatric emergency medicine at UI Children's Hospital

Quote: “Parents can create a bad habit and potentially dangerous situation when they take their small children along for a ride on the riding mower,” Jennissen says. "Not only do a lot of serious injuries occur when a child slips off a lap, but every time the child sees the mower moving it's a signal for another ride. A child running up to a moving mower creates a hazardous situation where they may be run over.”

Additional information: Jennissen can also comment on ATV safety

Expert contact: charles-jennissen@uiowa.edu,

UI communications contact: Jennifer Brown, 319-356-7124, or jennifer-l-brown@uiowa.edu

Exercising and working in the summer heat

Expert: Kevin Kregel, professor and Chair of Health and Human Physiology

Quote: "Working and exercising in hot summertime conditions may pose special hazards to safety and health, including dehydration and an increase in body temperature. Young children and older individuals are especially vulnerable in these circumstances. It is important to understand the signs and symptoms associated with heat stress, as well as appropriate precautions and behaviors that can help individuals cope with warm weather conditions."

Additional Information: Heat stress and heat stroke; dehydration; heat acclimation

Expert contact: 319-335-7596 or kevin-kregel@uiowa.edu

UI communications contact: Amy Mattson, amy-mattson@uiowa.edu or 319-384-0070

Safe play on farms

Expert: Marizen Ramirez, Associate Professor, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, College of Public Health

Summary: When school is out, summer is a time of outdoor play for children. The Safe Play Area on Farms program helps parents learn how to create safe play areas on farms or ranches. Strategies include building fenced-in play areas that reduce exposure to dangerous hazards, and improved supervision. If you are interested in Safe Play program materials, please feel free to contact Dr. Ramirez.

Additional Information: Ramirez can also comment on other strategies used to help children stay safe at school, at home, and in the community. She works with the Injury Prevention Research Center, which has programs on teen driving safety, bullying prevention, and disaster planning.

Expert contact: marizen-ramirez@uiowa.edu, 319-335-4425

UI communications contact: Bill Barker, 319-384-4277, william-barker@uiowa.edu

Keeping kids engaged as active learners over the summer

Expert: Renita Schmidt, associate professor, Elementary Education, UI College of Education, Department of Teaching and Learning

Quote: "There are many ways to sharpen kids’ learning skills during their break from the academic school year. A good place to begin is by thinking about what intrigues your child and what your child likes to do during free time. We all love to learn more about what interests us!”

Additional Information: Schmidt can also comment on children’s and young adult literature, elementary reading and writing, literacy performance assessment and evaluation, and qualitative research methods.

Expert contact: renita-schmidt@uiowa.edu, 319-335-5589