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The Power of the Printed Page Endures

Why aren’t more women serving in Congress? Senior Alana Eichner has spent the past year analyzing the successes and failures of women who ran as party nominees for the House of Representatives in the 2008 and 2010 elections. Her results contribute to the corpus of research on women in politics that most researchers have yet to tackle. More...

The Power of the Printed Page Endures

Despite gloomy predictions from publishing aficionados, he is in fact confident that the ink-and-paper book as we’ve come to know it isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

It’s Not Always About the Genes

Evelyn Fox Keller, the 2012 William Allan Neilson Chair of Research, has lectured on contemporary scientific problems, including the persistent discussion regarding medical genetics and the nature-nurture debate.

What's the Big Deal About Cloud Computing?

The research of Associate Professor of Computer Science Dominique Thiébaut focuses on “the cloud’s” significance in everyday life as well as on how scientists are tapping into it to accomplish complex computations

What Do You Know? And How Well Do You Think?

Smith is one of the first institutions of higher education to apply innovative teaching methods known as knowledge building to the liberal arts. With video.

Opinion / Instant Replay for Presidential Debates: A Logical Move

A Smith professor suggests that a team of logicians should review all statements made by political candidates during public debates.


Fall 2011

The Undead and the Digital

The vampires captivating the popular imagination on the big screen in the Twilight movies and in popular television series like True Blood are bloodsucking creatures of the digital age.

Discussing Dying and Death in America

Smith Professor Donald Joralemon is not only asking engaging questions about death in America. He’s inviting public input on the topic by posting a draft of his upcoming book on the Internet.

With Digital Mapmaking, Scholars “See” a New Virtual Landscape of Paris

How can scholars and their students visualize the complex and multilayered urban space of Paris without touring firsthand the famous city?

Learning How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep From Jet-Lagged Mice

What happens when the aging brain experiences sleep disruptions? Jet-lagged mice might help us understand.

Fossil Coral Dating Reveals Critical Clues About Sea-level Change

There is new evidence of sea-level oscillations during a warm period that started about 125,000 years ago.

Fear Eats the Soul: 9/11 and the Cycle of Fear and Violence

Psychological and social healing are aided by reconciliation with adversaries, says Joshua Miller, professor in the School for Social Work.

Reflections on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11

“I think the shock of 9/11 literally unhinged us, at Smith and nationally,” says John Connolly, who was serving as Smith’s acting president on September 11, 2001.

Using the Power of Computing to Understand the Interactions of Early Christians and Muslims

Smith professor Nicholas Howe’s work might some day contribute to improving Muslim-Christian relations.

What's In a Name?

A recently scholarly publication, authored by a Smith chemistry professor and his student, analyzes women’s roles in the discovery and development of named organic reactions.

Designing a New Solar Energy System at a Closing Landfill Site

Using solar panels to generate electrical power at the site of a soon-to-close landfill is a good way to capture new revenue. With video.

What Drew Settlers to the Peruvian Highlands?

Why thousands of bureaucrats, priests, artisans and farmers settled some 2,000 years ago in the Lake Titicaca Basin of the Andes and developed an important regional center there is a mystery.

Sleuths Find Clues to Ancient Environments in Bahamian Sands

Smith College geologists have discovered that polygonal sandcracks can develop without the usual necessary ingredient: mud.

Opinion / How Many Syrians Have to Die?

A Smith College professor asks why American and European policy makers are hesitating to call for the end of President Bashar al-Assad’s Baathist regime.



We Sing the Theory of Evolution

Some 150 years after iconic naturalist Charles Darwin pondered the natural world’s mysteries, excerpts from his writings are now scored to be sung in a newly commissioned work.

Is Jihad Meant as Devotion to God by the Sword?

A Smith scholar sees it as an obligation to explore how the concept of jihad came to legitimize Muslims fighting other Muslims, something proscribed as sinful in the early Islamic tradition.

Rethinking the End of Our Planet

As an astronomer and a paleontologist posit their predictions for the end of the planet, they agree on one point: humankind can subvert catastrophic events that would mean death for life on Earth.

In Modern Drama, Why Are the Characters So Often Entrapped?

Theater is supposed to tell us something. The play, through the plot, is designed to reveal to us—the audience—an element of truth. Or is it?



What’s the Best Way to Help the Body Fight Off Invading Bacteria?

Understanding which genes allow pathogens to evade the immune system’s fever response may lead to the development of therapeutic drugs.

How Can We Encourage Cheetahs in the Zoo to Behave as They Would in the Wild?

When zoo patrons visit big cats, they expect to see cheetahs doing things cheetahs do: running, jumping and exploring their surroundings.

Can Naturally Occurring Molecules in the Brain Be Used for General Anesthesia?

Naturally occurring compounds may prevent the “dicey game” that doctors must play in administering anesthetics to patients.