In The News

November 27, 2012 $2.3 million grant from National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) to fund research
Psychology Researchers Receive $2.3 Million NIAAA Grant to Study Genetics of Alcohol Abuse
Drs. Kim Fromme and Kathryn Paige Harden have received a $2.3 million grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) to study genetic influences on drinking and other risky behaviors.
The five-year grant will support a project that follows Fromme’s previous NIAAA-funded longitudinal study, “The UT Experience!”, which examined drinking and other behavioral risks among more than 2,000 entering freshman at The University of Texas at Austin.
October 4, 2012 Patrick Quinn is the recipient of the Helmreich Presidential Endowed Fellowship.
Pat Quinn receives Helmreich Fellowship
The Psychology Department’s Fellowship and Awards Committee (Becky Bigler, Marlone Henderson, and Rebecca Neal) has selected Patrick Quinn as a recipient of a $7,000 Ralph and Caroline Helmreich Endowed Presidential Fellowship. Patrick has been lauded for his “exceptional academic record.” The award will help to further his studies and program of research.
May 20, 2011 Reagan Wetherill receives the 2011 Outstanding Dissertation Award
Dr. Reagan Wetherill has received the Outstanding Dissertation Award for 2011. Dr. Wetherill is currently on a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California at San Diego. Her research was supported by an NRSA grant from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and by the Waggoner Center for Addiction Research. The grant was co-sponsored by Drs. David Schnyer and Kim Fromme.
Dissertation Title: “Alcohol-induceds fragmentary blackouts: Associated memory processes and neural correlates”
May 6, 2011 Arizona State University News (Science & Tech)
Professor researches alcohol behaviors in bar lab
The research of Dr. Will Corbin, former Postdoctoral Fellow from the SAHARA Lab, is featured in this article in the ASU News. Dr. Corbin conducted his first lab based alcohol research in the SAHARA Lab. The goals of Corbin’s current research are to improve the understanding of factors that lead to the development of alcohol-related problems and to develop effective programs for reducing alcohol-related harms.
May 2, 2011 The New York Times
Maybe Just Drunk Enough to Remember
Dr. Fromme and former graduate student Dr. Reagan Wetherill describe their research on alcohol-induced blackouts for an article in The New York Times.
December 14, 2009 UT Office of Public Affairs “Further Findings” Blog
Shedding light on blackouts
Tim Green interviews Kim Fromme on the SAHARA Lab’s research on blackouts, which can result from drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. By examining the memory processes of those who are vulnerable to experiencing blackouts and comparing them to those who are not vulnerable to blackouts, Dr. Fromme and graduate student, Reagan Wetherill, hope to shed light on how memory deficits occur during periods of alcohol intoxication.
September 8, 2008 ABC News
Reagan Wetherill, graduate student researcher in Kim Fromme’s “Sahara Lab”, makes an appearance in an ABC News video that explores the phenomenon of student binge drinking.
August 27, 2008 USA Today
Students mark 21st birthdays with ‘extreme’ drinking binges
“College students today celebrate 21st birthdays with an average of 12 drinks for men and nine for women, finds the most in-depth picture yet of the consequences of extreme partying. The University of Texas-Austin research found 78% of students cited ill effects, including hangovers (54%). Of 44% who had blackouts, 22% found out later they had sex, and 22% got in a fight or argument. And 39% didn’t know how they got home.”
May 17, 2004 The Oprah Winfrey Show
To learn more about women’s social drinking patterns, the Oprah Winfrey show visited the SAHARA Lab in the Department of Psychology on the University of Texas campus. Nine stay-at-home moms participated in a “happy hour” in which they had free access to their preferred alcoholic beverages in the simulated bar of the SAHARA Lab. Graduate students Marc Kruse, Amee Patel, andReagan Wetherill served as bartenders while Dr. Fromme provided her observations about the women’s drinking. Breathalyzer and behavioral tests indicated a greater degree of impairment than the women expected. This segment was part of a larger show on Women and Alcohol that aired April 19, 2004.