UChicago News

All clear after investigation briefly closes Metra station

Jeremy Manier — Sat, 19 May 2012 11:03 -0500

Chicago Police gave the all-clear Saturday morning after their investigation of a suspicious package near the 57^th Street Metra station determined the package posed no danger.

University of Chicago Police assisted Chicago Police and Metra Police after officials received a call reporting an unattended package near the station. While the package was being investigated, police closed the area immediately around the station.

At 9:50 a.m., the University of Chicago...

Admissions yield for College grows to 47 percent, with greater diversity

Jeremy Manier — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:05 -0500

The proportion of admitted undergraduate students who chose to attend the University of Chicago increased this year from 40 percent to 47 percent, reflecting greater diversity and broad enthusiasm for educational opportunities in the undergraduate College.

Such a large increase in admissions yield is unusual, and it is one indication of growing interest in the College among students of high ability around the world, said John W. Boyer, dean...

Martha Nussbaum honored with Prince of Asturias Award for Social Sciences

Meredith Heagney — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:26 -0500

Martha C. Nussbaum, the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics in the Law School, Philosophy Department and Divinity School, has received the 2012 Prince of Asturias Award for Social Sciences. The award is given by Prince Felipe of Spain to those whose work in various disciplines “...

New technique reveals unseen information in DNA code

Steve Koppes — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:00 -0500

Imagine reading an entire book, but then realizing that your glasses did not allow you to distinguish “g” from “q.” What details did you miss?

Geneticists faced a similar problem with the recent discovery of a “sixth nucleotide” in the DNA alphabet. Two modifications of cytosine, one of the four bases that make up DNA, look almost the same but mean different things. But scientists lacked a way of reading DNA, letter by letter, and detecting...

Institute of Politics to host bipartisan panel on 2012 presidential election

Sarah Galer — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:00 -0500

Leading political commentators will meet at the University of Chicago on May 29 for a bipartisan discussion on the current state of the U.S. presidential election, hosted by the new Institute of Politics.

The program, “Campaign 2012: A Halftime Update,” will begin at 5 p.m. at International House’s Assembly Hall. Doors will open at 4:15 p.m. The event also will be webcast through the...

Federalist Society honors Elder Dallin H. Oaks, JD’57

Sarah Galer — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:10 -0500

“If you only do in the legal profession what you get paid for, you will miss some of your choicest opportunities,” said Elder Dallin H. Oaks, JD’57, a distinguished Mormon leader, to a group of University of Chicago law students.

The students had gathered at the Law School on May 3 to present Oaks with the Federalist Society’s 2012 Lee Lieberman Otis Award for Distinguished Service to honor his years of dedicated...

Scholars, scientists explore cosmos and culture at Adler Planetarium event

Greg Borzo — Tue, 15 May 2012 11:50 -0500

Anthropologist George Murdock once conducted a cross-cultural survey of more than a thousand societies, which revealed a list of “cultural universals”—things that are found in every society. In addition to brewing alcoholic beverages, body adornment and sexual taboos, the list included a creation story, or an explanation of where we came from.

In other words, a cosmology.

Those are the same universals addressed by cultural activities, such as art, music,...

UChicago to webcast events from May 18-20 comics conference

Susie Allen — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:23 -0500

Update: Please note that the time for the panel discussion "Lines on Paper" has changed. The discussion will be webcast from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and will be the only event webcast on Sunday, May 20.

UChicago will provide live webcasts for a number of events from “Comics: Philosophy & Practice,” a conference on May 18-20 that will bring together 17...

Bertram Cohler, psychologist and esteemed teacher, 1938-2012

William Harms — Mon, 14 May 2012 10:54 -0500

Update: A memorial service for Bert Cohler will be held at 6 p.m. June 4 in Rockefeller Memorial Chapel.

Bertram Cohler, a UChicago psychologist and celebrated teacher who was an expert on family life and transitions, died May 9. Cohler, 73, was the William Rainey Harper Professor in the College.

Cohler’s primary appointment was in Comparative Human Development, with joint appointments held in Psychology, Psychiatry and...

Harris School, Economics graduate students organize conference on early childhood

Sarah Galer — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:40 -0500

On April 20 and 21, leading thinkers on early childhood development gathered at the University of Chicago to discuss a wide range of current research and its global implications, a culmination of two years of work by a group of driven UChicago graduate students.

An inspiration for the event’s content came from a yearlong series of workshops led by Nobel laureate James Heckman, who has pioneered the economic study of...