Explore the Hidden Wonders, Technology Happening Right Here in Dallas with Science in the City
AMAZING THINGS ARE HAPPENING ALL OVER DALLAS, BUT FEW PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF THEM. MANY TAKE PLACE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, HIDDEN DEEP WITHIN UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES AND MEDICAL BUILDINGS.
Many years ago, I worked near a research hospital in New York City that hung a giant red billboard off its skybridge. “Amazing Things Are Happening Here,” it said. The statement was presumptuous but effective. No longer would I wander past that aging structure without thinking of daring surgeries and experimental treatments.
As I drive around Dallas interviewing physicians and researchers, I think back to that sign and imagine it at local hospitals and universities.
Over the next five Saturdays, Dallas Morning News readers and members of the general public will have the chance to explore these important advances firsthand. Southern Methodist University, UT Southwestern Medical Center, the University of Texas at Dallas, UTDs’ Center for BrainHealth, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, and the nonprofit talkSTEM have partnered with The Dallas Morning News to connect the Dallas-Fort Worth community with researchers working at the frontiers of their fields. Those who register in advance will be able to visit research labs free of charge and take part in hands-on experiences created just for them.
HOW WE CAN USE BRAIN MAPPING AND VIDEO TO SOLVE PUZZLES — AND EVEN SPOT A LIAR
Many of us think that we can spot a liar by seeing classic "tells" — signs like shifty eyes, fidgety movements or smiling too much. But in lab settings, we’re often not much better than 50-50 at distinguishing liars from truth-tellers. Linda Ngyuen, a graduate student at UTD's Center for BrainHealth, wants to understand if we’re better at spotting liars by reasoning it out or going with our gut.