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90-Second Lectures

Have 90 Seconds?

Learn something life-changing — or just find a conversation starter.

We're curious. We ask scholarly questions; sometimes we ask offbeat questions. In this video lecture series, find out what happens when we give our faculty 90 seconds to ask (and answer) an intriguing question.

The University of Dayton values academic freedom and diversity of opinion. Any views expressed by an individual faculty member should not be construed as representing the opinions of the University of Dayton.

Newest Lecture

HOW TO TEACH APPLIED CREATIVITY 

Creativity is more than "art-making." Applied creativity is a mindset that can be applied to engineering or to business or any other field of thought. In this 90-Second Lecture, Brian LaDuca shares four steps for teaching applied creativity.

Most Popular Lectures

Why does everyone hate Nickelback?

Erin O'Mara, Ph.D., and Toby Rush, Ph.D., look at the music of Nickelback and the psychological factors that influence peoples' opinions of the band.

Can you lift the Empire State Building with the weight of a notebook?

Learn about the power of simple machines and watch us lift a car using a lever and fulcrum. Drew Murray, Ph.D., gives a simple explanation of mechanical advantage.

 

90-Second Lecture Archive

Creativity is more than "art-making." Applied creativity is a mindset that can be applied to engineering or to business or any other field of thought. In this 90-Second Lecture, Brian LaDuca shares four steps for teaching applied creativity.


Are there simple tips you can take to be happy? In this 90-Second Lecture, Jack Bauer, Ph.D. explores what research tells us about happiness. What can you do to live a happier life? Dr. Bauer shares insights about choices you can make and things you can do experience more happiness. He suggests that happiness is about what we do and especially why we do it. Happiness is primarily about doing things for the purpose of good experiences for both oneself and others, rather than for the purpose of social status or self-image.


Your online information has probably already been hacked, but there are simple, easy steps you can take to better protect your online accounts. In this 90-Second Lecture, Dr. Dave Salisbury, director of the University of Dayton Center for Cybersecurity & Data Intelligence, provides tips for protecting your data.


Kids sustain concussions in many ways. Can children with concussions return to school? In this video, Dr. Susan Davies explains how a trained team of medical and school professionals can work together to help kids safely return to school and play.


Autonomous systems need to be able to make decisions based on what they encounter in their environment. In this 90-Second Lecture, Dr. Vijayan Asari explains how autonomous systems see and process visual data to interpret a scene.

How can we solve the problem of "missing self" in a virtual reality environment? In this 90-Second Lecture, Dr. Ju Shen explains some of the strategies being developed at the University of Dayton IVIDIA Lab to display the user's physical appearance.


We often hear about the jobs that are lost because of free trade, but Americans also benefit from trade. In this 90-Second Lecture, Trevor Collier, Ph.D., looks at the economic impact of free trade.

Erin O'Mara, Ph.D., and Toby Rush, Ph.D., look at the music of Nickelback and the psychological factors that influence peoples' opinions of the band.


Ruth Thompson-Miller, Ph.D., looks at the lasting effects of Jim Crow legal segregation laws and psychological consequences for survivors.

Anthony Talbott, Ph.D., looks at how we can apply social scientific method to the study of human trafficking.


Drew Murray, Ph.D., compares the energy density of gasoline to batteries (and more).

Young children are like scientists. Their purpose in life is to make sense of their world. Shauna Adams, Ed.D., helps us discover how play can be a powerful learning tool.

Couples who communicate well tend to be happier. But what happens when we work with couples to improve communication skills? Lee Dixon, Ph.D., explores this question and why teaching better communication skills might have an unintended effect.


Games of "chance" are easier than you might expect — with a little statistical thinking. Michael Gorman, Ph.D., explains how to determine the optimal strategy.

We know sustainability is good for the environment. But how does it impact the rest of our lives?  Kevin Hallinan, Ph.D., looks at the economic impact of two sustainability initiatives — investing in energy efficiency improvements and buying local foods.

In this 90-Second Lecture, Dr. Toni Moore explains "inside-out leadership" and how it can light a spark in future leaders of Catholic schools.

Learn about the power of simple machines and watch us lift a car using a lever and fulcrum. Drew Murray, Ph.D., gives a simple explanation of mechanical advantage.

Our body parts work together. Changing the direction our knees bend could result in some very odd adaptations. Kimberly Ritterhoff explains why.


The Joker did a public service when he burned a pile of cash. Learn from Marc Poitras, Ph.D, how taking a dollar out of circulation makes our money more valuable.

The truth about Columbus and why the story we learned in grade school falls a little flat.  Bill Trollinger, Ph.D., explains.