Holiday Survival Guide: Drexel Experts Available to Comment on Family, Frolicking and Feasts

PHILADELPHIA, November 27, 2012

Experts from Drexel University are available to help news media with the following stories on celebrations, culture, health and business this holiday season:

Gifts and Celebrations

• Don’t give the gift of your identity

  Dr. Rob D’Ovidio, associate professor of criminal justice, can offer tips on how to avoid becoming a victim of fraud and other cybercrimes while shopping online. Read more. – Contact Alex McKechnie

• Holiday fashion for parties

  Director of Drexel’s Fashion and Design & Merchandising Department Roberta Gruber can talk about what to wear to dazzle at this year’s holiday parties. – Contact Alex McKechnie

• Cooking up a holiday feast

  Chef Charles Ziccardi, a professor in Drexel’s culinary arts program, can discuss – and demonstrate – how to whip up a holiday feast with a fresh twist on seasonal favorites. – Contact Alex McKechnie

• Making a shopping list and checking it twice

  Drexel Design & Merchandising Professor Joseph Hancock with more than 20 years retailing experience—after having worked for The Gap Corporation, The Limited, Inc., the Target Corporation—can talk about shopping trends this holiday season. – Contact Alex McKechnie

• What kids are asking Santa for

  Michael Glaser, director of Drexel’s Product Design program and a leader in the global design community, can talk about the hottest toys for 2012 and this year’s toy trends. – Contact Alex McKechnie

• The batteries that keep on running

  Dr. Bruce Eisenstein, an electrical and computer engineer, can offer tips on how to make your batteries last longer. – Contact Britt Faulstick

Culture and Relationships

• The “War on Christmas”

  Many Christians believe there is a movement from non-Christians to strip the holiday of its religious meaning. Dr. Doug Porpora, a sociology professor, can take a closer look at the issue. – Contact Alex McKechnie

• America’s culture of excess

  Communications professor Dr. Ron Bishop can talk about America’s culture of excess during the holidays, exemplified by outrageous Christmas light displays, as discussed in his book “MORE: The Vanishing of Scale in an Over-the-Top Nation.” – Contact Alex McKechnie

• Be the life of the party

  Dr. Argie Allen, a Drexel expert in couples and family therapy, can offer tips on how to avoid sensitive family issues around the holidays. – Contact Rachel Ewing

Healthy Holidays

• So your belly won’t roll like a bowl full of jelly

  Dr. Stella Volpe, a Drexel professor of nutrition and exercise physiologist with expertise in obesity and diabetes prevention, is available to offer tips on serving heart-healthy party foods, how to avoid overindulging at the buffet table, five “do’s and don’ts” to maintain (not gain), and how to make your New Year’s resolutions stick by beating boredom at the gym. – Contact Rachel Ewing

• Healthy holiday eating strategies

  Nyree Dardarian, faculty member in Nutrition Sciences and registered dietitian with expertise on weight management and metabolism, can offer tips and recipes to maintain weight and stay healthy through the holiday season – Contact Rachel Ewing

• Say ‘no’ to a side of Salmonella

  Dr. Jennifer Quinlan, a food safety expert, can recommend safe food preparation techniques to avoid foodborne illness. – Contact Rachel Ewing

• Daylight fading

  Dr. Don McEachron, a biomedical engineering professor, can comment on how the body’s natural rhythms can be thrown off kilter during the stressful holiday season leading to the “winter blues,” the feelings of depression during this time of year that are clinically termed Seasonal Affective Disorder. – Contact Britt Faulstick

• Holiday blues

  Dr. Christine Nezu, a professor in Drexel’s department of psychology and College of Medicine, can offer ways to fight holiday depression and stress this season. – Contact Alex McKechnie

Business of the Holidays

• Tempted by the deal

  Dr. George Knox, an assistant marketing professor in Drexel’s LeBow College of Business, can discuss impulse shopping during the holiday season and what consumers can do to avoid buyer’s remorse and unplanned purchases. – Contact Niki Gianakaris

• It’s all about shopping

  Dr. Bert Rosenbloom, a leading expert on the management of marketing channels, retailing, e-commerce and distribution systems, can comment on how retailers are expected to fare during this holiday season. – Contact Niki Gianakaris

• The challenge for small businesses

  Dr. Donna DeCarolis, a professor of management, can discuss what small business owners can do to increase holiday profits.  – Contact Niki Gianakaris

• How full is your gas tank

  Dr. Shawkat Hammoudeh, a professor of economics and international business, can comment on the price of gas this holiday season and what consumers can expect at the pump. – Contact Niki Gianakaris