Features
Growing numbers
For 40 years, the General Social Survey has cultivated a vast body of knowledge about Americans’ personal attitudes and opinions. Plus: “Survey Says.”
Channeling Carrie
Kimberly Peirce, AB’90, revives the pop culture classic.
Curators’ choice
Keepers of University collections reveal the pieces closest to their hearts.
Point man
Charles K. McNeil, PhB’25, was the point man in sports gambling.
Her children’s keeper
Davida Williams, AM’82, helps foster families navigate trauma and find trust.
Top shelf
They were the best of spines.
Editor’s Notes
How they stacked up
The sound and fury of selecting contest winners.
Letters
Readers sound off
Alumni and friends share memories of Marilu Henner, X'74; avian encounters; a contentious Paul Robeson concert; noisy Ida Noyes; architectural inspiration; sculptor Freeman Schoolcraft; and more.
On the Agenda
Strong solutions
Matthew Tirrell, Pritzker director of the Institute of Molecular Engineering, discusses the partnership between UChicago and Ben-Gurion University to make fresh drinking water cheaper and more plentiful.
C Vitae
In the court of public opinion
Harvey Levin, JD’75, purveyor of celebrity news at TMZ, wrestles with issues of journalistic ethics and privacy.
Alumni Essay
Character studies
Anne Ford, AM’99, questioned her own academic ability—then she started asking questions of others.
UChicago Journal
Due north
A new dorm and dining commons on the site of Pierce Tower will remake 55th and University.
Big game hunter
Developer Alex Seropian, SB’91, redefined video games—and he sees profound changes to come.
Set on notes
Easley Blackwood Jr. composes music, and palindromes, with spirit and precision.
Tactical response
Studying terrorism’s social context produces complicated answers about its causes.
Rose up
Jud Newborn, AM’77, PhD’94, tells the story of Munich’s anti-Nazis.
Class dispersed
UChicago dips a toe into long-distance learning with its first two online course offerings.
Interview: Sense of direction
New UChicago athletic director Erin McDermott has experience and high expectations.
William Rainey Harper’s Index: Power source
Argonne gets up to speed with a new supercomputer.
Fig. 1: Goldilocks unlocked
Many more planets than previously known appear to have conditions that are just right for life.
Original Source: A wing and a prayer
“There is so much more to Renaissance art that people never see.”
For the record: University news
An electromagnet’s long journey, India’s new central banker, a child welfare leader takes charge at Chapin Hall, and Booth opens for business in Hong Kong.
Citations: Faculty research
Researchers investigate the hair’s breadth between reptiles and mammals, find social activism is afoot, and survey how stress tests cells.
Peer review
Releases
The Magazine lists a selection of general-interest books, films, and albums by alumni. For additional alumni releases, browse the Magazine’s Goodreads bookshelf.
Notes
Highlights from the latest alumni news columns.
That’s squirrelly
Call it nuts—but UChicago’s first family of football had an unusual pet.
Where are they now?
A team effort: A UChicago basketball legend excels in a new arena, giving thanks to those who provided assists.
Deaths
University obituaries
Recent faculty, staff, board, and alumni obituaries.
Lite of the Mind
Intelligent decline
How a UChicago student (d)evolves into a being almost purely of thought.