Professor's experimental approach explores science, technology, society and the environment
For Yelena Gluzman, science and theatre have much in common. And she’s intimately familiar with both. That makes her a great fit as the newest addition to Media and Technology Studies in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta, where she’s teaching a new course on the interrelations of science, technology, society and environment.…
The grief from the loss of a companion animal is real
Grief over the death of a beloved pet needs to be more recognized and respected, according to new research. A study of women 55 and older living alone revealed intense feelings of sorrow after losing a companion animal, but they were careful about who they shared their feelings with, fearing a dismissive response, said Cary Brown,…
Time away from home contributes to low morale and difficulty maintaining healthy habits
The mental health of contract workers who fly in and out of Alberta’s oil sands compares poorly with that of the general population, according to a new report co-written by University of Alberta sociologist Sara Dorow. In one of the first studies in Canada to examine mental health and well-being in the fly-in, fly-out (FIFO)…
Extroverts find a way to connect whereas introverts are less adept at maintaining their fewer connections
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, many assumed introverts had an advantage over extroverts in surviving isolation because they prefer to be alone. “This couldn’t be a better situation for introverts who have long found the world to be too much with them,” wrote Joanne Kaufman in a New York Times article called “Loving the Lockdown.” Another…
Baseball fights are highly ritualized cultural behaviour
There's no crying in baseball, as Tom Hanks says in A League of Their Own. But there is fighting. When it happens, the violence is minimal, the brawl is short-lived and no one sheds a tear. Why is that? “Baseball fights are highly ritualized cultural behaviour,” explains U of A archeologist André Costopoulos. “Everybody involved knows…
Is it ethical to frighten people for the 'greater good'?
Long before David Attenborough brought his soothing voice to the explication of animal behaviour for the BBC Life series, the North American television public had been introduced to the majesty and oddities of the natural world through Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. I remember lying on my stomach in my grandparent’s living room watching programs…
Daily positive messages are designed to help emergency personnel cope with trauma of the job, similar to successful Text4Hope
Two free text messaging services have been launched to support the mental health of Alberta’s first responders. Text4PTSI and Text4Well-being are designed to help emergency personnel cope positively with feelings of stress, anxiety, depression, disturbed sleep and suicidal thoughts, said project lead Vincent Agyapong, clinical professor of psychiatry and global mental health in the University of Alberta Faculty…
Without safeguards, the abuse of dream tech is inevitable
By 2030, could an agency record everything we dream? Danish member of parliament Ida Auken thought so. In her 2016 blog post on the World Economic Forum’s website and republished by Forbes, “Welcome to 2030: I Own Nothing, Have No Privacy and Life Has Never Been Better,” Auken envisioned a person saying, “Once in a…
As the world’s favoured search engine, dominant email service and most popular video provider, Google has immense power over public opinion
“The Google of today is a monopoly gatekeeper for the internet,” reads the U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit against the tech giant. The document filed on Oct. 20 alleges the company has used exclusionary agreements to block out competitors. Google accounts for 80 per cent of U.S. internet searches and 30 per cent of U.S.…
Your intuition works by drawing your attention to something your analytical brain can’t see. And it has your best interests at heart
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts rushed to provide advice and offer expertise on how to respond in the face of crisis. Much of it was very helpful – and overwhelming in its sheer volume. That has subsided significantly. Perhaps consultants got busy with other things or ran out of things to say.…
For Yelena Gluzman, science and theatre have much in common. And she’s intimately familiar with both. That makes her a great fit as the newest addition to Media and Technology Studies in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta, where she’s teaching a new course on the interrelations of science, technology, society and environment.…
