UChicago News

Women donate less to charity than men in some contexts

William Harms, UChicago News — Fri, 24 May 2013 14:08 -0500

Given the chance, women are more likely than men to opt out of a request to give a charitable donation, a group of economists have found.

The issue of which gender is more generous has been debated for years. A new field experiment conducted by scholars at the University of Chicago and University of California, Berkeley shows that when it’s easy to avoid making a donation, such as not responding to a door-to-door solicitor, women are less likely than men to give.

The...

Multiple research teams unable to confirm high-profile Alzheimer’s study

John Easton, UChicago News — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:00 -0500

Teams of highly respected Alzheimer’s researchers failed to replicate what appeared to be breakthrough results for the treatment of this brain disease when they were published last year in the journal Science.

Those results, presented online Feb. 9, 2012, suggested that the drug bexarotene (marketed as Targretin) could rapidly reverse the buildup of beta amyloid plaques (Aβ)—a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease—in the brains of mice....

Joseph Ceithaml, former Pritzker dean of students, 1916-2013

John Easton, UChicago News — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:02 -0500

Joseph J. Ceithaml, dean of students emeritus for the Pritzker School of Medicine and the Biological Sciences Division and professor emeritus of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Chicago, died on Saturday, May 11. He was 96.

Ceithaml served as dean of students in medicine and the biological sciences from 1951 to 1986, shepherding the academic careers of 2,914 future physicians and 1,460 research biologists. He was a central figure in shaping the character of...

Students interpret Earth as text in Geophysical Sciences field methods course

Chelsea Leu, UChicago News — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:56 -0500

Chelsea Leu, a third-year in geophysical sciences, spent spring break learning scientific field methods at San Salvador in the Bahamas with a group of other University of Chicago students and faculty members. The trip followed weekly seminars that met during the Winter Quarter. The News Office commissioned her to write this story about her experience.

Next to a small lake on an island in the Bahamas, Sue Kidwell directs three undergraduate students on the proper way to take...

Soledad O’Brien to deliver keynote May 28 at Rockefeller Chapel

Michael Drapa, UChicago News — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:27 -0500

Award-winning journalist and CNN special correspondent Soledad O’Brien, who has focused her career on telling untold and important stories, will deliver a keynote address at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28.

O’Brien will talk about her life experiences and family, and will discuss identity, community and social responsibility. She will highlight critical points in her journey, including social media, the accountability of reporting personal stories...

Professors at public research universities help UChicago graduate students plan next move

Dianna Douglas, UChicago News — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:10 -0500

University of Chicago graduate students looking for a teaching position at a public research university recently got an insider’s look into that hiring process and work environment. Almost 100 students gathered in Ida Noyes Hall last month to hear the advice of UChicago graduate alumni who now work as professors in public universities. They shared what it takes to land a job and how to develop the teaching, research, and other professional skills necessary to succeed at that job....

Amit Seru honored for research on mortgage-backed securities market

UChicago News — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:08 -0500

Amit Seru, an associate professor of finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, has been named a co-recipient of the 2013 AQR Insight Award. It honors his research on how to identify and quantify misreported loans in the $2 trillion market for private mortgage-backed securities.

The award, sponsored by AQR Capital Management, recognizes unpublished research papers that provide the most significant, new practical...

Scav Hunt 2013 in pictures

UChicago News — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:44 -0500

Veronica Guerrieri named top Italian economist younger than 40

UChicago News — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:53 -0500

Prof. Veronica Guerrieri, who studies labor markets and financial market frictions at Chicago Booth, has received the Carlo Alberto Medal, given every two years to the top Italian economist younger than 40.

The award, which recognizes outstanding research in economics, is given by Collegio Carlo Alberto, a foundation in Torino, Italy dedicated to advancing research and education in the social sciences....

Women leaders nourish students’ confidence while teaching networking skills

Tyler Leeds, UChicago News — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:16 -0500

The University of Chicago Women’s Board and the Urban Education Institute volunteer committee welcomed nearly 60 young women from the University of Chicago Charter School’s Woodlawn Campus to the Quadrangle Club on Wednesday, May 8 for an opportunity to network with female leaders in Chicago.

The program, titled Pearls with Power Tea, was as much about learning how to network as it was about networking. Nycole Buckner, a counselor at the Woodlawn Campus, emphasized how...