Two Faculty Members Present TEDx Talks in 2017

Samantha Joel and David Strayer have presented their findings on the national stage at a pair of TEDx events, one in Salt Lake City and another in Manhattan Beach, California. Each presentation focuses on a question central to the professors' studies, but explores the way the answers to those questions may help people in their daily lives.

Are romantic matching algorithms possible, and can computers help speed up the search for your one true love? There are many services available today that bring new technologies into the dating game, but how much of this is supported by science? Dr. Samantha Joel, relationships researcher, sought to answer this question using advanced machine learning techniques, and what she found may surprise you. Watch the video.

Are there benefits to leaving technology behind and reconnecting with nature? Dr. David Strayer, who researches attention, tested this question by looking at differences in brain activity when people took a short break from their smartphones.  Spending each day caught up in a web of connections to the fast-changing world is all to easy to do, but what are we missing when we forget to unplug? Watch the video.

Congratulations to Sam and David on their excellent performances!