UCLA Author Motivates Local Youth to Be Drug Free

    WASHINGTON, DC, October 09, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Dr. Sean Young, executive director of the UCLA Center for Digital Behavior and UC Institute for Prediction Technology (UCIPT), presented his new bestselling book, "Stick with It: A Scientifically Proven Process for Changing Your Life-for Good," to local Civil Air Patrol cadets on Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Oct. 2. The talk was part of a program to increase knowledge, both among CAP members and the community, about the dangers of drug abuse.

Young's book takes a fascinating look at the science of behavior, which is filled with crucial knowledge and practical advice to help everyone successfully alter their actions and improve their lives. Whether it's absent-minded mistakes at work, a weakness for junk food, a smart phone addiction, or a lack of exercise, everyone has some bad habit or behavior that they'd like to change. But wanting to change and actually doing it - and sticking with it - are two very different things.

In the presentation, he outlined techniques that CAP cadets, ages 12-20, can use to achieve their goals. He provided scientific examples from his own research, examples from the business world, and a presentation with virtual reality headsets developed together with CAP Senior Member David Bychkov at UCLA.

Young is an authoritative new voice in the field of behavioral science. He knows a great deal about habits - how we make them and how we can break them. Young and his UCIPT associates at the UCLA Center for Digital Behavior study cutting-edge and best practices for changing and predicting behavior, with particular expertise in health and medicine. He is also a leading HIV and drug-abuse researcher, having pioneered the use of online peer intervention models to encourage positive behavior-change in high-risk communities.

About Civil Air Patrol's Tuskegee Squadron:
The Tuskegee Cadet Squadron was chartered in December 2013 on the military base, which is the newest local squadron under National Capital Wing and the only squadron located within the boundaries of the District of Columbia. It was named in honor of the illustrious Tuskegee Airmen from WWII. The squadron's primary focus is to provide the supervisory, administrative, and training requirements needed to conduct CAP's cadet programs.

About UCIPT:
The University of California Institute for Prediction Technology (UCIPT) is a multidisciplinary, multicampus collaborative, accelerating innovations that leverage social technologies to predict human behaviors and outcomes. Some examples of potential research applications include:

- Tracking risk behaviors to predict disease, crime, poverty, or other negative outcomes and inform intervention efforts
- Discerning predictors of political opinion, social and moral values, academic success, or community involvement
- Understanding how and why people use certain technologies, buy certain products, or follow certain trends

The ultimate vision is to become a highly interdisciplinary, multisector hub of researchers, data scientists, and community partners that utilize, evaluate, and refine our tools and techniques for a broad array of applications.

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