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Bio Prof Suggests Chocolate for Deficient Diets, Among Other Floss
Associate Professor Karen Bernd
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5/14/2004
Contact: Bill Giduz 704/894-2244 or bigiduz@davidson.edu
Mental Floss magazine has published its first book, Condensed Knowledge, with a little help from friends at Davidson. Peter Leese ’03 was the science editor of the fledgling publication while still a senior at Davidson. He got a favorite professor, Associate Professor of Biology Karen Bernd, involved and she’s written the biology chapter for the book.
“Yes all of biology,” Bernd joked in an email to departmental colleagues. “The initial conversation with the editors was quite humorous... PS. No, I don't get royalties. No there are no book signings in my near future. This is just the first thing that I have written that can be considered a 'mainstream' publication. I knew all those analogies I use in class would come in handy!”
Mental Floss magazine continues to garner critical raves and commerical success, with a recurring weekly gig of arcane intellectual tidbittery on CNN, steady coverage in mainstream news outlets like Newsweek, a board game in the works, and maybe even a marketing deal with a coffeehouse chain near you.
As for the book, it’s chock—chocolate?—full of information like the following item that Bernd wrote specifically with her colleague and fellow chocolate-lover Associate Professor of Biology Pam Hay in mind:
Four Excuses to Get a Prescription for Chocolate...
(Item #3 on the list—Ward Off Magnesium Deficiency)
Many of the enzymes (protein machines) in your cells require metals like magnesium to work. A magnesium deficiency can be a factor in anything from asthma to diabetes, migraines, stuttering, or even premenstrual syndrome. Food cravings can be the body's way of telling you about diet deficiencies, so to satisfy your craving, why not grab a chocolate bar and enjoy? It's a good source of magnesium. (For the record, so is broccoli, but broccoli cravings are less common for some reason.)
Using mainstream examples to explain often complicated topics is a favorite technique that Bernd learned early in her academic career.
“If you can’t teach an intro level course in your topic, then you don’t understand your topic,” she said. “Topics don’t need to be dumbed down, they need to be explained well. I think almost any topic can be accessible.”
And condensed.
Davidson is a highly selective independent liberal arts college for 1,600 students. Since its establishment in 1837, the college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently ranked in the top ten liberal arts colleges in the country by U.S. News and World Report magazine. Davidson is engaged in “Let Learning Be Cherished,” a $250 million campaign in support of student financial assistance, academic resources, and community life.
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