Winter 2010: Of Note

Screenshot from Futurity site

Good news for research

By Paige P. Parvin 96G

Emory is one of thirty-five leading research universities to partner in launching Futurity, an online research channel covering the latest discoveries in science, engineering, the environment, health, and other subjects.

The site (www.futurity.org), which went live last spring, has featured a number of Emory researchers and discoveries, including immunologist Max Cooper’s research on an unusual set of tools for fighting infection, a discovery that sheds new light on water and ice by physicist Eric Weeks, and a flu vaccine skin patch developed at Emory and Georgia Tech.

“Futurity allows major research universities like Emory and its peers to build a bridge between the academic community and the public,” says Nancy Seideman, executive director of media relations and associate vice president of communications. “It gives us a dynamic portal with clear writing and a lot of multimedia that communicates the cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research that is shaping our understanding of ourselves and our world.”

Futurity is the latest in a growing number of Internet-based resources where Emory has established an active presence. Big Think (www.bigthink.com), a global online forum of ideas, offers interviews with more than a dozen Emory experts on subjects ranging from the molecular origins of life to the ethics of a dignified death. Downloads of Emory lectures, events, and speeches are available on iTunesU. The University partners with a number of online health blogs and news sites, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s “Better Health” and Health.com. And you’ll find Emory on popular social media outlets such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

The University also has developed its own new avenues to communicate research news through two blogs: eScienceCommons, which covers the best of the social and natural sciences at the University, and Emory Health Now, which highlights health science news.