The University of Chicago Magazine

The University of Chicago Magazine, February 1943, capturing stories of the University in wartime: sudden prioritization of war research, United Service Organizations on the Midway, and physical fitness training in preparation for military service.

The Summer/26 issue is here, with stories about the restorative power of nature; Frances Oldham Kelsey, PhD’38, MD’50; imaginative illustration; democracy in India; and much more. Plus, an inside look at the Chicago Minds campaign. https://mag.uchicago.edu/issue/summer26

“The picnic ended up being a four-hour Spanish feast. Along with pan con tomate, jamón iberico, picos (small, crunchy breadsticks), and a liter of a Catalonian chocolate milk drink called Cacaolat, Nieves and Judith had brought a Tupperware full of cubed tortilla de patatas.” Read about tortilla de patatas and try the recipe for yourself: https://mag.uchicago.edu/university-news/tortilla-de-patatas-con-cebolla

“I had only learned about castells four hours earlier, on a class excursion to Tarragona, where a photo of a pillar made of people standing on each other’s shoulders hung from a city wall.” Shiloh Miller, AB’26, reflects on becoming part of a human tower while studying abroad in Barcelona. https://mag.uchicago.edu/university-news/assembling-experience

Can you learn to be wise? “There are several things that psychologists and scientists say you shouldn’t be able to learn, like absolute pitch. However, our research shows that as an adult, you have a lot of mutability and ability to learn.” Psychologist Howard Nusbaum, LAB’72, studies how we learn from experience. https://mag.uchicago.edu/science-medicine/wise-words

Turning away, says associate professor of English Ben Saltzman, is “the most ambiguous gesture because it often entails covering up the face, and the face is a source of expression, a source of information.” In his new book Saltzman studies the complex meanings of this easily overlooked gesture. https://mag.uchicago.edu/arts-humanities/dont-look-now

The University of Chicago Magazine, Spring 1984, featuring stories on the state of civil rights in Canada, the University's role in the Hyde Park community, and the plan for the International Solar Polar Probe—affectionately called "the Egg."

The Alumni News section of The University of Chicago Magazine features more than 40 bylined columns written by volunteer class correspondents. Full of news about jobs, awards, books, travels, hobbies, marriages, babies, and miscellaneous gossip, it’s the section many readers flip to first. Class correspondents often ask their classmates to share what’s new. We thought we would ask Dorthea Juul, AB’72, PhD’89, and Rory McGann, SB’25—the longest-serving class correspondent and the newest member of the corps—to answer a few questions themselves. https://mag.uchicago.edu/university-news/class-correspondence

A constructed language, or conlang, is an invented language with its own vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation, like Esperanto, Klingon, and the various languages of Lord of the Rings. Meet the creators of UChiconlang, UChicago’s own constructed language and listen to the alma mater in UChiconlang.

The University of Chicago Magazine, Midsummer 1934, with feature stories including how the University and Hyde Park changed in the 40 years following the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Cover photo of Bartlett Gymnasium (now Bartlett Dining Commons).

Dan Bulla, AM’07, has made his mark on Saturday Night Live with music-driven digital shorts. At the show’s 50th anniversary, he joined Adam Sandler onstage to perform a song they cowrote. Read about Bulla’s comedy career: https://mag.uchicago.edu/arts-humanities/funny-business

(Photography by Dave O., Copyright 2026, The Chicago Maroon. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.)

“Almost all humor involves some kind of deception, involves some kind of trickery, some kind of misdirection,” says linguist Jason Riggle. In The Language of Deception and Humor, students explored how these two modes interact and help us make meaning. https://mag.uchicago.edu/arts-humanities/talking-out-both-sides-your-mouth

Nick Varsam, AB’83 (front right), shared this photograph of his intramural (IM) football team celebrating on the Midway around November 1980. “I believe we were only one pitcher of beer into our IM football championship celebration,” Varsam writes. Other team members pictured here include Larry Wilt, AB’84; Craig Peters, EX’83; Charles Episalla, AB’83; Kenny Davis, AB’83; Larry Mendelsohn, AB’83; Krikor Topouzian, AB’82; and Barry Peterson, AB’83. (Photo courtesy Nick Varsam, AB’83)

Artist and critic Maria Porges, MFA’79, began making ceramic sculptures again after teaching a course on the history of ceramics during the pandemic. The ancient vessels she taught about served as inspiration: “there are some of them I want to recover and bring back into the world as a living shape.” https://mag.uchicago.edu/arts-humanities/recovered-craft