Deborah McDowell, UVA’s Alice Griffin Professor of English, taught students about Southern nostalgia for the “Lost Cause” of the Confederacy in the early 20th century, which inspired Charlottesville’s statues of Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. McDowell, director of UVA’s Carter G. Woodson Institute of African-American and African Studies, said Virginia politicians who helped establish Charlottesville’s Confederate memorial parks also backed laws that prevented racial integration, and permitted the forced sterilization of people with disabilities.
Fifteen years before Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy led an armed standoff against federal agents near his arid desert ranch, the devout Mormon combed through Latter-day Saints scripture and writings with his neighbor, another rancher upset about how the government regulates the public land around them. They compiled the works, highlighted and annotated, into an anthology called “The Nay Book,” named for rancher Keith Nay, Bundy’s late neighbor. Kathleen Flake, a UVA professor of Mormon studies, called the booklet an example of “radical libertarian dogma.”
Aside from the other risks it poses to your health, excess body fat can lead to an overproduction of certain hormones that disrupt ovulation. Your cycles may be less regular, you may ovulate less often, and you lower your chances of getting pregnant. On the flip side, too little body fat means your body may not produce enough hormones to ovulate each month or to sustain a pregnancy if you do conceive. Exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight. Just don't overdo it, says Dr. Christopher Williams, a UVA reproductive endocrinologist and author of “The Fastest Way to Get Pregnant Naturally.”
(Co-written by Douglas Laycock, a professor of constitutional law) The Supreme Court heard argument yesterday in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The issue is whether a conservative Christian baker who believes that weddings are inherently religious and that same-sex marriages are religiously prohibited can be required to design and create a cake to celebrate the wedding of a same-sex couple.
A new UVA study shows the text messaging service offered to high school seniors through the College Foundation of West Virginia has improved retention at some of the state’s colleges and universities.
Not getting adequate rest raises levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which can contribute to weight gain. “Many menopausal women have an issue with weight gain anyway, so not getting enough sleep can make that worse,” says Dr. JoAnn Pinkerton, professor of gynecology at the UVA Health System.
Buying holiday gifts can be a chore, especially if you’re getting something for people who want something “cool.” That’s an elusive quality. But UVA professor Lalin Anik recently published a case study on the subject, working with her students to identify the essence of cool.
Deforestation can also harm the climate in the short-term. “Forests play so many important ecological roles, including protecting drinking water supplies, cooling the Earth’s surface and regulating rainfall patterns,” said Deborah Lawrence, a UVA professor of environmental sciences. Forest loss, she added, threatens “hunger and malnutrition for those who can least afford it.”
A new nonprofit is taking UVA undergraduates far off-Grounds to help Albemarle County students prepare for college. Rise Together, led by UVA third-year student Bryan Christ and his mother, Gina, has brought dozens of UVA students to AVID classes at Western Albemarle High School and Walton Middle School for its mentoring program.
Several researchers with the UVA School of Medicine presented their most exciting findings of the year Tuesday during an event at the Pinn Hall Conference Center.
With Nevada Rep. Ruben Kihuen becoming the latest congressman embroiled in sexual harassment allegations, his once-rising political star may have come to a halt. But for a 37-year-old whose “entire life has been wrapped up in the profession of politics,” quitting might not be the only option, said Larry Sabato, founder and director of UVA’s Center for Politics. “All you need is a re-election to say that the voters have forgiven,” Sabato said.
If you're not much of a runner or jogger, power walking helps, too. The activity, which involves moving at a very fast pace while using your arms to help propel you forward and taking longer strides, helps you torch off approximately 564 calories per hour. “There is a strong relationship between intensity of exercise and fat-burning hormones,” according to Art Weltman, director of exercise physiology at UVA.
(By W. Bradford Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project at UVA) Last Thursday, I joined Isabel Sawhill, Jeremy Pope, and Christopher Karpowitz for a panel discussion at AEI about the 2017 edition of the American Family Survey. The AFS, which is sponsored by the Deseret News and the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy, covers a wide range of political and cultural issues that are important to American families – from the health of relationships to cell phone use. Three findings from the AFS jumped out at me.
Macular degeneration is the most common form of loss of vision among the elderly, and as many as 11 million people in the U.S. and nearly 200 million people worldwide have some form of age-related macular degeneration. But, in a big step forward against the condition, researchers at the UVA School of Medicine have discovered a possible trigger.
UVA’s Miller Center will shutter its “American Forum” program, which is broadcast live weekly from Old Ivy Road. The final episode will air in March.
Student leaders at Eastern Mennonite University recently added their names to a nationwide letter demanding more action be taken against hate groups in the United States. The statement, originating from UVA’s Student Council president, denounces the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville nearly four months ago.
Meet Joe Donnelly, the nation’s most vulnerable senator, who frustrates Democrats and Republicans alike. Can he survive this hyper-partisan era? In October, the nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking, run by UVA and Vanderbilt, tagged Donnelly with a title that is sure to follow him the next 11 months: The least effective Democrat in the U.S. Senate.
In her new book, "Supernormal: The Untold Story of Adversity and Resilience," clinical psychologist Meg Jay, an associate professor of education, tells the stories of her clients and students (names changed) who grew up with significant childhood adversity: the loss of a parent through death or divorce, domestic violence, an alcoholic parent, sexual abuse, bullying at home or school.
Seeking revenge can backfire – but not for the reasons you may think. UVA psychology professor Timothy Wilson and colleagues conducted a study in 2008 on the “paradoxical consequences” of revenge.
Not all business programs are created equal. Online publication Poets&Quants for Undergrads is out with its 2017 ranking of the country’s top undergrad business schools, and UVA’s McIntire School of Commerce is among the top five.