Is it money, power, and fame? Or rather fear and punishment? For nearly 40 years Richard Ryan and Edward Deci, the founders of self-determination theory, have sought to answer the question of human motivation.

A university can acquire (and abandon) a lot of traditions over 150-plus years. “Tradition guru” University archivist Melissa Mead takes us on a little tour of some of our quirky graduation traditions—then and now.

When conducting field research around the world, young social scientists can often feel as if they are starting from scratch. A new website envisioned by political scientist Gretchen Helmke will help scholars share resources with other social scientists on the ground.

Egyptian sisters Yasmin and Ayaa Elgoharry will each graduate from the Warner School with master’s degrees in education leadership, becoming the first in their family to earn college degrees.

Egyptian-born sisters Yasmin and Ayaa Elgoharry came to the U.S. aged seven and 11. Having nearly dropped out of high school, they are now each graduating with a master’s in educational leadership from the Warner School of Education.

A new pilot study finds that children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and their families benefit from a multi-component intervention, with the biggest change seen on the parents’ abilities to respond to their children’s needs.

To mark Jefferson’s birthday, Thomas Slaughter’s class is in for a rare treat: a historically accurate lunch, culled from the actual Monticello cuisine and prepared according to recipes taken directly from Thomas Jefferson’s Cookbook and Dining at Monticello.

Study shows children also benefit when mothers receive therapy for depression. Part of the improvement is a result of shifting the mother’s vantage point with time-limited therapy that focuses on resolving symptoms and interpersonal issues.

In his lecture “Locker Room Talk: Pussies, Guns, and Video Gaymers,” William Cheng, assistant professor of music at Dartmouth College, will explore some of the challenges of conducting field research in online arenas such as multiplayer games and Internet threads.

For those suffering from dysphoria­—general unhappiness or elevated depressive symptoms—a Rochester study has found that experiencing or even just anticipating uplifting events in daily life was related to feeling less depressed that same day.