The recent arrest of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán has cast the spotlight on the Mexican drug cartels and the violence associated with them.  

But, what is less talked about, is how over the past decade increased access to the Internet, cellphones and other digital media has drastically changed the landscape of the drug wars in Mexico.

In a new article published in "Latin American Perspectives," Paul Eiss examines how both sides of the drug war - the cartel operatives as well as government and security forces - have used and responded to digital and social media.

Read more. 

How Do We Recognize a Chair?  

Our eyes do not send a replica picture of what they see to our brains.

So, how then are we able to seemingly without effort identify different objects and the world around us?

Recently, to recognize Marlene Behrmann for receiving the Cowan Professorship - or "Chair" - in Cognitive Neuroscience, CMU hosted a panel discussion on "How Do We Recognize a Chair: The Cognitive Neuroscience of Vision."  

CMU's David Plaut, New York University's David Heeger and Brown University's David Sheinberg brought their expertise together to shed light on how they approach determining how the visual system works.

Read more. 

Jeria Quesenberry Wins Distinguished Teaching Award  

Student Wins Unprecedented Back-To-Back State Department Scholarships 

For those in language studies, it is no secret that U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarships (CLS) are extremely competitive and coveted. When Dervla McDonnell was awarded one last year, it was quite an accomplishment.

But now the junior fine art and Japanese Studies major has won a second scholarship, making her one of the very few to participate in the CLS Program for two years in a row.

"With an acceptance rate of less than 10 percent, CLS is one of the most prestigious language programs for U.S. citizens," said Yoshihiro Yasuhara, assistant teaching professor of Japanese Studies. "So receiving the fully-funded scholarship for a second year in a row like Dervla McDonnell did is quite something, especially since she had 'never considered Japanese Studies very seriously until she came to CMU.'"

Read more. 

Treasury of Ability

More Dietrich College News 

Please note, due to the college's name change to the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the indicia is now "DC."   

Find out what's new with Patrick Flynn (DC'88), Erin Lucas Hamilton (DC'01), Missy Hammond Dunaway (BHA'10) and others in Class Notes.