Volume 106, Number 1
Sept–Oct/13

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.