Faculty members will mix food and facts Wednesday during this year’s first brown-bag research luncheon for the College of Professional Studies.

College of Professional Studies Dean James Lankford said the lunch/research presentations give faculty members the opportunity to discuss a variety of issues.

“The lunch/research presentations include a broad range of areas and generate research ideas,” Lankford said.

Some programs deal with the topics of rehabilitation, health and hearing loss, he said.

“The purpose of these luncheons is to inform faculty as well as the NIU community on research information,” Lankford said.

“These luncheons also provide general applications to everyday life.”

In the past, presentations have included a variety of topics, including how humor relates to health issues.

Elizabeth Kay from NIU’s Allied Health Services and Sondra King from the department of human and family resources will speak Wednesday on the topic: “An Innovative Blend Between the Public and Private Sectors.”

King headed seven workshops for the Nutrition, Skills and Training Services Institute in Illinois. The workshops are sponsored by the Department of Public Aid and geared to service providers for low-income populations.

Jody Ryan, who received a Ph.D. in communicative disorders from NIU, will speak Oct. 21 at the program.

Ryan’s topic is entitled “Auditory Temporal Processing and Aging: Does It Take Longer for Old Ears to Hear?”

Future speakers include Greg Long from the Communicative Disorders Department, Mary Pritchard from the Department of Human and Family Resources, and John Stolte from NIU’s gerontology program.