Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences – Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences

We were lucky to survive the Berlin Wall’s fall

Dallas Morning News Originally Posted: Nov. 9, 2019 Thirty years ago this week the impossible happened: the Berlin Wall fell. More accurately it was crushed by Berliners both East and West who’d had enough of the scar across their cityscape. Like crowds before them, in Leipzig and Dresden in East Germany, in Budapest and Warsaw too, demonstrators demanding change stared down soldiers and police, and won. We were lucky to survive. Crowds can be dangerous. Call that same group a mob and one immediately understands why. They spasm often without coordination or regard for their organizer’s peaceful intent, easily undone by a single protester who breaks rank to toss a brick, or by a trembling young recruit gripped by fear and too tightly gripping his [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2019-11-11T09:31:03-08:00 November 11th, 2019|Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Faculty News, History|Comments Off

Is it possible to change your personality? Yes, if you’re willing to do the work involved

Fox 4 Originally Posted: Nov. 5, 2019 DALLAS (SMU) – Want to be more outgoing? Or less uptight? In an interview with Fox4ward’s Dan Godwin, SMU psychology professor Nathan Hudson said that it is possible for people to change aspects of their personality. But it will require some work on your part. You can view the video on Hudson’s website. Forbes and Psychology Today also did a piece on the research. Watch the Video

By Katherine Nickles| 2019-11-05T09:22:31-08:00 November 5th, 2019|Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Faculty News, Psychology|Comments Off

Historical data confirms recent increase in West Texas earthquakes

SMU Research Originally Posted: Nov. 4, 2019 A new analysis of historical seismic data conducted by The University of Texas at Austin, SMU and other academies has found that earthquake activity in West Texas around Pecos has increased dramatically since 2009. The study, published Nov. 4, 2019, in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, is important because it leverages old, unmined data to track seismic activity over nearly the past two decades – much further back than other studies— to show that activity has increased during the past decade in an area of the Permian Basin that is being heavily developed for oil and gas. Although researchers have generally thought that to be true, the statewide TexNet earthquake monitoring system has been gathering data [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2019-11-05T09:21:00-08:00 November 4th, 2019|Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Earth Sciences, Faculty News|Comments Off

New Research Study Points to Potential of Oleandrin as Therapeutic Strategy for Treatment of HTLV-1, Which Affects Between 10 Million to 15 Million Worldwide

BusinessWire Originally Posted: October 29, 2019 A 2019 research publication from Robert Harrod (Department of Biological Sciences) was cited on Businesswire. This work was the product of a collaboration with investigators at the UT-Houston M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. The paper was published in the Journal of Antivirals & Antiretrovirals: Hutchison T., Yapindi L., Malu A., Newman R.A., Sastry K.J., & Harrod R (2019). The botanical glycoside oleandrin inhibits human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 infectivity and Env-dependent virological synapse formation. J. Antivirals & Antiretrovirals 11(2), 1-11. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191029005927/en/New-Research-Study-Points-Potential-Oleandrin-Therapeutic

By Katherine Nickles| 2019-10-31T08:52:22-08:00 October 31st, 2019|Biology, Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Faculty News|Comments Off

SMU 2019 Homecoming Weekend: November 7-10

SMU News Originally Posted: October 29, 2019 It's time to GO BIG and COME HOME for SMU Homecoming. We have big plans for you to come back, give back and celebrate this year's Homecoming celebration. Come back to the Hilltop November 7 - 10 for a weekend full of events, football and fun on the Boulevard. READ MORE Come join us and connect with Dedman College alumni, students, faculty, family and friends for tailgating on the Boulevard for Homecoming Weekend. Food and drinks provided but you must register before Monday, November 4. Registration is now live.

By Katherine Nickles| 2019-10-29T08:35:42-08:00 October 29th, 2019|Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Events|Comments Off

Alumni Spotlight. A Day in the Life: Matt Alexander, CEO of Neighborhood Goods

D Home Originally Posted: Sept. 2019 issue The entrepreneur is maniacal about wake-up times, loves his Peloton, and is hopelessly addicted to Mi Cocina in Highland Park. 6:05 a.m. I have become maniacal about sticking to the same wake-up time, regardless of time zone. If I’m at home, I’ll brew coffee (usually using Sightglass beans from Neighborhood Goods) and catch up on news, Slack, and email. If I’m traveling, I’ll go have breakfast. I try to avoid looking at email until I’ve eaten or had coffee. 7:30 a.m. Much of my time before 9 a.m. is reserved for catching up on work and email. Around 7:30, though, I try to do some exercise of sorts. I’m quite addicted to our Peloton but occasionally go to [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2019-10-25T07:26:59-08:00 October 25th, 2019|Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences|Comments Off

Why do birds migrate at night?

Mother Nature Network Originally Posted: September 30, 2019 While plenty of birds — such as swallows, hawks and hummingbirds — migrate during the day, the majority of land birds travel at night. Although it would seem more difficult to fly when it's dark, there are good reason for the nighttime maneuvers. "Migration at night has at least three advantages," writes Herb Wilson, a professor of biology at Colby College, in Maine Birds. "Birds do not have to worry about falcon or hawk attacks. Second, the air in the atmosphere is usually less turbulent than during the day. Lastly, the air is cooler at night. A migrating bird produces a huge amount of excess heat that needs to be released. Most of the heat is lost from [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2019-10-21T10:11:54-08:00 October 23rd, 2019|Chemistry, Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Faculty News|Comments Off

Some Personality Traits Are Easier To Change Than Others

Forbes Originally Posted: September 2019 A growing number of studies in psychology are showing that personality is more “changeable” than previously thought. Personality changes as we age; it changes as we learn new things and are exposed to new environments. But which aspects of personality might be easiest to change, and which might be most difficult? New research appearing in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology may hold the answer. A team of researchers led by Nathan Hudson of Southern Methodist University designed an experiment to test which of five core personality traits would change most over the course of a 15-week intervention. Interestingly, they found that the personality trait of “agreeableness” showed the most improvement while the trait “openness to experiences” showed the least improvement. To arrive [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2019-10-21T10:06:33-08:00 October 21st, 2019|Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Faculty News, Psychology|Comments Off

Jill DeTemple is teaching local students and faculty nationwide how to effectively navigate hot-button topics

Dallas Morning News Originally Posted: October 17, 2019 I don’t know about you, but the sorry state of what passes for debate these days — hair-trigger anger and social media carpet-bombing — beats me into believing that thoughtful discussion about life’s toughest stuff is dead and gone. Too often, I wind up feeling timid, tentative or just plain tired-head around hot-button issues. That’s why I went back to college last week to look into what I had heard were powerful efforts by one professor and her students to revive civil discourse. I didn’t find a magic potion for what ails society, but I did come back with better ideas on how to reengage. The timing couldn’t have been better, given the hotbed of political emotions [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2019-10-17T08:42:50-08:00 October 17th, 2019|Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Faculty News, Religious Studies|Comments Off

In Memoriam – Edward R. Biehl, Ph.D.

Edward R. Biehl, Ph.D. passed away yesterday, October 14, 2019. Professor Biehl’s career in the Chemistry Department, including department chair, spanned from 1962 until he retired as Professor Emeritus in 2017. He was the recipient of many teaching, research and professional awards and authored many publications. Arrangements are pending. We send our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Professor Biehl.

By Katherine Nickles| 2019-10-16T06:51:27-08:00 October 16th, 2019|Chemistry, Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences|Comments Off