(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.
UVA graduate Jeremy Kemp was trying to think of ways to shave his cost of living while saving up to hike the Pacific Coast Trail in 2018, so he stopped paying rent. Instead, he bought a cargo van for $5,000 and spent two weeks insulating it, building a bed and tacking patterned fabric to the ceiling.
Virginia garnered bowl eligibility on Nov. 4 after defeating Georgia Tech. It was the only win since Oct. 14 for the Cavaliers. UVA’s last bowl game was Dec. 31, 2011, when it lost 43-24 to Auburn in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. The last time Virginia won a bowl game was in 2005, when it defeated Minnesota, 34-31 in the Music City Bowl.
The aftermath of Aug. 12 in Charlottesville prompted many responses, including a report that was released on Friday citing multiple problems with the police response to the white supremacists that rallied over the summer. But there have also been calls for more regulation of weapons and private militias in the city. While not about weapons specifically, there is now a state lawsuit against private militias. Philip Zelikow, attorney and White Burkett Miller Professor of History at the University of Virginia, recalled a case that can provide a precedent for Charlottesville.
A group of scientists from the University of Virginia is seeking to improve the lack of stability in the crystal structure of hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites (HOIPs), in order to extend the durability of their performance; an achievement that may be particularly interesting for the development of more efficient solar cells.
Forty-three U.S. students were awarded the 2018 Marshall Scholarship, the largest class of scholars since 2007, according to the British Embassy. Among the recipients are John Chellman, University of Virginia, Royal Holloway, University of London; Attiya Latif, University of Virginia, University of Oxford; and Porter Nenon, University of Virginia, University of Manchester.
Yolanda King and Attallah Shabazz, daughters of slain civil rights leaders Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, spoke at the University of Virginia on this day in 1986.
A group of UVA students went for runs on Saturday to help keep Heather Heyer's memory alive. Together We Run is a series of run-a-thons that take place all across the country, with proceeds benefiting local charities.
AI also has a disconcertingly human habit of amplifying stereotypes. Ph.D. students at UVA and University of Washington examined a public dataset of photos and found that the images of people cooking were 33 percent more likely to picture women than men. When they ran the images through an AI model, the algorithms said women were 68 percent more likely to appear in the cooking photos.
An industrial hemp research program kicked in 2015 in Virginia. About 80 acres have been planted on farms in 12 counties so several universities, such as the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech, can study best cultivation practices and marketability for the crop, a process that’s ongoing.
A new organization called ‘The Solar Energy Work Group,’ is offering help to homeowners and business owners to install solar energy on their property. It has come up with a roadmap for a solar-based economy in Southwestern Virginia that includes workforce training in the region and the promise of jobs to go with it. The Solar Workgroup is an effort of the University of Virginia’s College at Wise and the environmental advocacy group Appalachian Voices.
Virginia appears a likely choice for the Military Bowl in Annapolis, Md., on Dec. 28.