Join us for the 2008 TAA Conference at Harrah's in Las Vegas, June 19-21

2008 TAA Conference Registration
Deadline Extended! Early Registration Deadline is May 15, 2008

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$195 for Members before May 15, 2008 (after May 15, 2008, $245)
$245 for Non-Members before May 15, 2008 (after May 15, 2008, $295)

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Book your room at Harrah's at the special $99 conference rate by calling 888-458-8471. Use the special group code SHTEX8, when making your reservation.

The deadline for reserving a room at Harrah's for the special conference rate is May 19, 2008.

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Sessions

Textbook Track

KISS (Keeping It Simple Isn't Stupid): Making the Complex Comprehensible

Date: Friday, June 20, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Reno Room

Panelists: Brenda Berube, Professor, Medical Laboratory Science, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth; Janet Belsky, Professor, Psychology, Middle Tennessee State University; Michael D. Spieger, Professor of Psychology at Providence College; and Karen Morris, Distinguished Professor, Law, Monroe Community College

Four veteran textbook authors will share how they took a concept generally recognized as being difficult to explain, and made it comprehensible.

About the Panelists:

Brenda Berube is an Associate Professor of Medical Laboratory Science and the Associate Director of the Center for Teaching and Excellence at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMD). Most recently, she has published the Science of Human Ecology. The workbook is intended for non-science majors in undergraduate or secondary high school science classes. She has three national and four regional awards from the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS) recognizing her leadership in the construction of the Body of Knowledge for clinical laboratory scientist and clinical laboratory technicians in addition to her efforts in the design of Medical Errors and Patient Safety which defines the society's position on the laboratory's role in clinical safety. Berube has presented her work in both clinical laboratory science and science education with scholarly articles, abstracts, posters, presentations, and workshops across the United States.

Janet Belsky has spent the past 25 years writing textbooks in developmental psychology. She is the author of The Psychology of Aging (Wadsworth, 1999, now in its third edition); The Adult Experience ( Wadsworth, l997); and, most recently, Experiencing the Lifespan ( Worth Publishers, 2007). In addition, she wrote Here Tomorrow ( Johns Hopkins Press, l988), a book describing the social science findings on aging for older adults. Dr. Belsky, a professor in the Psychology Department at Middle Tennessee State University, is currently preparing the second edition of Experiencing the Lifespan, and in the process of planning her next writing project, a textbook on child development.

Michael D. Spiegler is a Professor of Psychology at Providence College. He has been a successful textbook and academic author for more than 35 years with several leading psychology textbooks, including Contemporary Behavior Therapy, Personality: Strategies and Issues, and Contemporary Psychotherapies for a Diverse World. He has presented workshops on textbook writing for the past 10 years, regularly reviews manuscripts for textbook publishers, and serves as a consultant/mentor to college textbook authors in diverse disciplines. He is currently writing a comprehensive Handbook for College Textbook Writing.