May 13, 2017

Surviving Domestic Violence

Why do people get trapped in abusive relationships, sometimes for years or decades, and what can they do to escape? A domestic violence survivor shares her harrowing story. Then, a recent research study shows the average teenager on social media may get exposed to some risky content, and some parents may not be aware of it at all.

Episode Segments:

Escaping Domestic Violence Gwendolen Wilder, domestic violence survivor, and author of It's Ok To Tell My Story!: Surviving Common Law Domestic Violence shared her story of years of domestic violence and her eventual escape. She talked about the hurdles that prevent women from leaving abusive relationships. She discussed the sources of help and support available to victims, and offered advice for how to take the difficult step of leaving.
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Teens and Risky Online Content Pamela Wisniewski, PhD , Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Central Florida led a study at Penn State that found that teens rarely talk to their parents about potentially risky online experiences. She said that parents and children often have much different perceptions of and reactions to the same online events, such as cyberbullying, sexual exchanges and viewing inappropriate content online.
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InfoTrak: Cigarette Litter Cigarettes are the most common form of litter in the world, with more than 5.6 trillion filters finding their way into the environment every year. Richard M. Gersberg, PhD, Professor and Head of the Division of Environmental Health in the Graduate School of Public Health led a study that found that 50% of fish died when exposed to water polluted by cigarette butts. He talked about the reasons behind the findings and the overall environmental impact.
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Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode

Gwendolen Wilder Ms. Gwendolen Wilder served honorably for twenty-one years in the United States Air Force (USAF) as an Equal Opportunity (EO) Director, Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) Director, Education and Training Instructor, and Logistical Readiness Officer, both in the continental U.S. and abroad. While still in the USAF, Gwendolen started her own small business, The Mediation and Equal Opportunity Resolution Center (ME Resolution Center), which provided a connection for a more positive work-life balance through investigations, mediations, counseling, coaching, and training. Gwendolen’s combined military experience, educational expertise, real-life experiences, and natural counseling ability enabled her to help clients identify their challenges’ “root causes,” while she inspired motivation and provided resourceful tools so that they could attain their emotional, physical, and/or business goals. Gwendolen successfully retired her business in 2016 in order to focus on continuing her personal self-management, traveling, and writing books centered on domestic violence. Ms. Wilder’s extensive experience in education, training, counseling, contract negotiations, settlements, and the like proved beneficial not only with managing her domestic and international customers, but her personal life as well. As the CEO of the ME Resolution Center, Ms. Wilder’s patience, attentiveness, and meticulousness, combined with years of training, education, and life experiences, enabled her to develop her talent of connecting with clients in such a manner that it appeared effortless. She assisted individuals in recognizing their full potential, increasing their communication skills, and settling disagreements in contracts valued over $5 million for such well known clients as Homeland Security, the United States Secret Service, and the United States Department of Agriculture. Gwendolen is also a domestic violence survivor; she knows first-hand what it’s like to experience physical, financial, psychological, and emotional abuse both in a traditional and common-law marriage; combined, they lasted off and on for twenty-one years. This is why she was so devoted to spreading knowledge and providing assistance in any way possible to help not only the victims, but their friends, family members, and workplace colleagues. More importantly, she’s a divorced, successful mother of a wonderful son. Gwendolen 's Website

Pamela Wisniewski My name is Pamela Wisniewski (pronounced WIZ-NES-KEY). I am currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida College of Engineering and Computer Science. Previously I was a Post Doctoral Researcher at Penn State University in the College of Information Sciences and Technology. I have a Ph.D. in Computing and Information Systems from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. My dissertation research focused on interpersonal boundary regulation within online social networks, such as Facebook. My research interests include Human-Computer Interaction, Social Computing, Digital Youth, and Privacy. I have a Master of Science in Decision and Information Sciences from the University of Florida, and I have worked as a systems developer in the financial services and medical consulting fields, predominantly leveraging Microsoft technologies. Pam's Website