Texas Tech Experts Available for Thanksgiving Stories

Thanksgiving is coming up, and Texas Tech University has a handful of faculty members who can add expertise to your stories.

So, whether you’re searching for comments about healthy eating during the holidays, shopping for bargains as early as Thanksgiving Day, or the latest and greatest blockbuster movies, Texas Tech experts are available.

Family Dynamics

Jacki Fitzpatrick, associate professor of human development and family studies, (806) 742-3000 ext. 263 or Jacki.Fitzpatrick@ttu.edu.

• Fitzpatrick can speak to the nature of contemporary families, including to multiple family structures and the relevance of food to family dynamics.

Thanksgiving Meals

Jamie Cooper, assistant professor of nutritional sciences, (806) 742-3068 or jamie.cooper@ttu.edu.

• Cooper can speak to healthy choices on Thanksgiving. She has advice about how families can avoid over-eating as well as how to provide options for guests with specific dietary needs.

Martin Binks, associate professor of nutritional sciences, m.binks@ttu.edu.

• Binks can speak to recent trends in obesity and obesity research and how these issues can be problematic during the holiday season.

Movies

Rob Weiner, associate library and pop culture expert, Texas Tech University Library, (806) 834-5126 office, (806) 780-8775 mobile, or rob.weiner@ttu.edu.

• Weiner can speak to the trend for Thanksgiving weekend to begin a big push for Oscar-contending films and why movies see high attendance levels at this time of the year.

Black Friday

Lin Humphrey, doctoral candidate in marketing, Rawls College of Business; 2011 Academic of the Year from the Global Mobile Marketing Association awards; (806) 742-3188, or william.humphrey@ttu.edu.

• This year, with more stores planning to be open on Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday will be even bigger than ever. Humphrey can speak to the evolution of Black Friday and how it has become the biggest day(s) of the year in the retail industry. He can also talk about how the digital age helps glamorize the shopping experience and encourage shoppers to engage with specific stores.

Debbie Laverie, Jerry S. Rawls and Minnie Stevens Piper Professor in marketing, (806) 834-3953, or debbie.laverie@ttu.edu.

• Laverie can speak to the economic outlook for retailers and how much consumers will spend this Black Friday.

Find Texas Tech news, experts and story ideas at www.media.ttu.edu.