One of the greatest (and, in my opinion, most overlooked) aspects of science is that it is a process inherently founded on and driven by community. Almost all ongoing research questions are derived from prior research, and the outputs of ongoing research will inevitably inspire new lines of work and discovery. Scientific discoveries are ultimately […]
Visual Search
At this point, we’ve probably all spent more time than we want to think about on Zoom calls. Whether that’s meeting with students or collaborators when we’re spread across countries (or the planet), or committee meetings, or even social events, if you’re reading this, you’re probably more familiar than you want to be with a […]
I’m embarrassed to admit this, but one thing that I’ve been struggling with lately is finding my glasses on my desk at work. I set them down and suddenly they’re nowhere to be found. I’ve even occasionally had to ask another person to come and help me find them. Why is this so challenging? Even […]
I hate going grocery shopping, so when I go to the supermarket, I usually have a shopping list and try to quickly find what I want in the sea of grocery objects on each aisle to finish as soon as possible. I guess I’ve got better at this over the years, but I still don’t […]
Many of us have collected things at some point in our lives, whether it’s coins, records, CDs, or stuffed animals. You might be surprised by the range of weird and wonderful things that people like to collect. Some examples I’ve seen around the internet include sugar packets, traffic cones, and umbrella covers. Visually, collections are […]
Sometimes, it seems like the most simple tasks are also the most frustrating. Take the junk drawer in your kitchen, for example. They’re in every home, we’re not proud of them, and whenever we spend several minutes looking for the vegetable peeler when cooking dinner, we promise ourselves that one day, we will get this […]
As many office workers transitioned to working from home last year, there has been an unprecedented rise in the number of pet adoptions. And as any dog or cat owner will attest, caring for a pet comes with many challenges. Your cat might block your view of your computer screen all day, but when it’s […]
Imagine that you’re in the center of a busy city watching a pedestrian traffic signal for your cue to walk. The green walking man gives the go-ahead and you start walking, a police car siren sounds and its emergency vehicle lighting flashes, capturing your attention, and sending you back to the sidewalk as the police […]
Finding your office key amidst your building key, the lab key, your house key, the other house key in case you need to cat-sit for a friend is like finding a needle in a haystack. People who have tons of keys develop elaborate organizational systems, clumping together keys for similar places―like the Psychology building―which can […]
Have you ever had a conversation with someone who constantly averted their gaze? Why do you think that is? If you are like most people, you might suspect a myriad of reasons, with most being categorically not good. You might suspect that your conversational partner is socially uncomfortable, disinterested in the conversation, hiding something, or […]