7.28.2022

Couple wearing face masks with smiles printed on them.

Secret smiles

What cues do we lose when a smile’s hidden beneath a mask? Paula Niedenthal’s research says it’s likely a lot more than we think. The professor of psychology studies emotions and, in particular, the nuances of smiles, and she says the pandemic’s left its mark on interpersonal communication. Smiles are complex, and without seeing the whole face, we’re unable to clearly read the social signals. That means people miss cues, or (perhaps worse) they imagine social signals that aren’t there. Niedenthal shares some ideas for compensating for our lack of “facial sourcing.” Read More

Life’s origins

As a PhD student, Lena Vincent wanted to pursue the biggest question—how does life begin?—through her research on the chemical origins of life in the lab of botany professor David Baum. Today, she is on the forefront of the young field of astrobiology. In 2019, Vincent led a study that has become an essential guide for other researchers trying to understand how, from a complex mix of chemicals, life could emerge. Read More

This story appeared in Letters & Science Magazine

Creative research

Many L&S students may be under the impression that research only happens in a lab. Senior Corina Robinson is here to tell a different story. In her first-person essay about her experience as an Undergraduate Research Scholar, Robinson shares her belief that research and creative practice need each other and says “the world does not move forward unless we have both.” Read More

Profile pic

In their deep dive into the dynamics of online relationships and the role of computer-mediated communication in our lives, Catalina Toma and her students discuss online dating—now the number-one modality by which couples meet. People construct various versions of themselves on social networking or dating sites. Not only do people lie online, she says, but “people are really terrible lie-detectors.” Read More

This story appeared in Letters & Science Magazine

Welcome, Chancellor Mnookin!

UW’s incoming chancellor, Jennifer Mnookin, sat down with UW Foundation and Alumni Association president and CEO Mike Knetter to talk about her background, interests and vision for UW. (She also asked for recommendations on places to explore around Wisconsin and commiserated with Knetter on last names that begin with two consonants.) Watch here

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