Idea Lightbulb: Fully Realized

Tufts University Social Psychologist Michael Slepian once wondered what was the link between an idea and the image of a light bulb. And, fittingly, he had a great idea: to study the link between light and thinking. Slepian's study, conducted at Tufts, revealed the following:

"These findings suggest that it takes more than light to promote enlightenment. Instead, the researchers suggest our brains respond favorably to bare lightbulbs because they are familiar symbols of insight."

The above quote is from www.livescience.com, from an article that details his entire study. The full story can be accessed here.

Tufts Summer Session offers over a dozen different psychology classes. For a full course list and description, please access our site here!

Space Travel....not just for Lance Bass?

According to an article on MSNBC.com, space rides are now being offered for their lowest price yet--$102,000 a pop. According to the article, "Virginia-based firm Space Adventures has signed an exclusive deal with Armadillo Aerospace, a Texas-based company founded by computer game entrepreneur John Carmack, to sell space tourist seats on new suborbital rocket ships that are currently in development at Armadillo."

The rides will take guests up to 62 miles above ground, where the craft's engine is shut down momentarily so the visitors can experience weightlessness and view earth's horizon from their location in space.

The full article can be accessed here.

Interested in Space? Tufts Summer Session offers a course entitled, "Concepts of the Cosmos," an introductory course in astronomy. For more information regarding this and other classes, please visit the Tufts Summer Session Site.

Not-So-Modern "Modern Art"

Acclaimed photographer and early filmmaker Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904) was one of the artisitic pioneers of his time, coming to his fame during the same time as the industrial revolution. His work is currently being exhibited in New York City's Corcoran's gallery of art, but a full description and biography can be found in this New York Times Profile.

Photography is often considered to be one of the first forms of Modern Art, since the term firs came into use in the late 19th century. interested in artistic origins? Check out Tufts Summer Session's "Origins of Modern Art" course, which is being taught this year during the first session, through Tufts' Art & Art History department.

Obama says economic trouples are related to Auto Industry downfall

According to an AP article from yesterday's Boston Globe, Obama said "the auto industry was one of the biggest casualties of a recession fueled by risky lending and speculative trading practices of major financial institutions."

However, despite the downfalls of the past, the industry seems to be rebounding, meaning that economy is on the (albeit slight) upswing as well.

For more information, check out the full article here.

Professor of Mathematics Kim Ruane teaches a summer session course entitled "Financial Mathematics," which explores the math behind every day financial decisions. for more information on her course, and well as a description of her "car-buying project,"check out the Blog Post Here.

Facebook Launches New Features...Again

As part of his master plan to eventually take over the world (kidding...kind of), earlier today Facebook creater Mark Zuckerberg announced new additions to the site that will further integrate the popular social networking site into other online realms. By doing so, internet users will have a more personalized experience when browsing the web. For example, according to an article on CNN.com, "...if you're a Facebook user reading CNN.com, you'll be able to see what all your Facebook friends are looking at, view recommended stories and see which friends liked which stories."

Check out the full news story here.

Another change affects the nature of Facebook Fan Pages...instead of "becoming a fan" of something, users can now simply "like" the object, company, or organization. Test it out on the brand new Tufts Summer Session Fan Page !

Amid Downtrodden Economy, Retail Sales Up

According to an article in today's New York Times, U.S. retail sales in a variety of sectors rose 1.6 percent during the month of March.

"Increasingly, economists are saying that consumer spending, which accounts for 70 percent of the economy, may be more robust this year than previously thought," the article stated.

The full article can be accessed here.

Interested in consumerism and market trends through the ages? The history department of Tufts Summer Session is offering a course this summer, entitled: "Consumption, Power and Identity: History of Food and Clothing," that explores the history of goods consumption from the 1600's to the 2000's. A full course description, as well as a comprehensive list of summer courses can be found on the Tufts Summer Session web site.

Child Development Study links 4-H Participation with Community Involvement

According to the Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development at Tufts, children who participate in 4-H programs are "25 percent more likely to contribute to their communities than other youth." The study was cited recently in an article on www.farmersadvance.com, which can be accessed at the link below:

"4-H Taps Text Giving for New Fundraising Effort"

Interested in Child Development? Tufts' CD department offers many summer courses through Tufts Summer Session, such as "Child Life & the Hospitalized Child," "Technology and Learning: Virtual Communities for Children"and "Bilingual Children in U.S. Schools," among many more. For full course listings, check out the Summer Session site here.