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Dr. Karl Deisseroth spent hours receiving congratulatory calls after learning early Monday that he had won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for helping establish a new field of brain science known as optogenetics. But the California scientist soon asked for a break from the celebrations for a much more routine responsibility preparing school lunches for his children. His children were asleep at the family's home in Stanford while their father spoke with journalists and well-wishers in the early hours of the morning. Deisseroth, 54, shared this year's medicine Nobel with German researchers Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for their work in optogenetics, a technique that uses light and genes to control neurons in living brains. A self-described night owl, Deisseroth, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and Stanford University professor, often works past midnight. After reviewing research papers and emailing students, he said he had just gone to bed when he received the call from the Nobel Assembly in Stockholm. “I almost felt as if I'd lost the power of forming words,” he told The Associated Press, adding that he recovered after a minute or two. He was soon able to take remote interviews with AP science reporters. Stanford's communications team helped arrange the interviews through a series of quick emails. “No real sleep was achieved,” Deisseroth said about an hour after the Nobel announcement. As the interviews continued by phone and Zoom, an AP photographer and videographer rushed to his Stanford home. The photographer arrived around 3:30 a.m. and saw Halloween decorations outside the house, with only one light on inside. Unsure whether he had found the right home, he eventually knocked on the door. Deisseroth's wife, Dr. Michelle Monje-Deisseroth, answered and welcomed the photographer inside. The Nobel laureate was sitting on the couch, taking calls. Monje-Deisseroth, also an HHMI investigator and a Stanford pediatric neuro-oncologist, stayed beside her husband when she was not preparing coffee for Stanford communications staff who had joined the celebration. Deisseroth said he was surprised that his research had received the Nobel Prize. His wife, however, was not surprised. He discussed his research with Hegemann and Nagel and its potential impact on patients. “As a physician-scientist, I am a psychiatrist. I care about patients and my patients who have autism, who have depression,” he said, adding that he valued the hope the research could bring. At the same time, he said he remained interested in basic science and in understanding how the brain works, processes information and produces the qualities that make humans unique. After finishing the interviews, Deisseroth told Stanford staff that he needed an hour-long break starting at 6:30 a.m. His children would soon wake up and needed lunches before heading to school, he said. When a Stanford representative wondered whether neighbours might be disturbed by the late-night activity, Monje-Deisseroth appeared unconcerned. They live in faculty housing, she said, adding that “there are a lot of Nobels in the neighborhood.”

An almost empty classroom on the remote Greek island of Kalamos is highlighting a wider population crisis affecting Greece and other parts of Europe. Chryssa Ntalaka, the only teacher at the island's last school, has just two students this year. When they leave for middle school on mainland Greece next year, the school is expected to close. The nearby kindergarten was shut three years ago, although toys and children's books remain on its shelves. “Usually, teachers are placed on these islands against their wishes,” Ntalaka told The Associated Press. “Whereas for Kalamos there are teachers and kindergarten teachers, as far as I know, who want to come — but there are no children.” Falling enrollment has prompted Greek authorities to close 75 schools this year and suspend or extend classes at more than 400 others. The trend is part of a broader demographic problem across Europe. The region has 16 of the world's 20 oldest populations, according to the World Population Review. Remote islands and mountain communities are often affected first as young people leave and public services disappear. About 17 million people live on more than 4,000 islands across the European Union, while Greece has around 200 islands. Kalamos now has only about 80 permanent residents. A decade ago, around 40 children attended its local schools and daycare. Seven teenagers from the island now travel by ferry to attend school on the mainland. They sometimes miss classes when strong winds make the journey unsafe. Antonis Aivaliotis, one of the students, said he would like to remain on Kalamos but sees little opportunity there. “Of course I would like to stay here,” he said. “I love Kalamos. It is my home. But there's no development at all.” Similar problems are affecting remote islands in Croatia, Japan and Italy. On Italy's Stromboli island, a school reopened last month after being closed for 20 years, with only one student. The European Union's fertility rate fell to a record-low 1.34 children per woman in 2024, well below the 2.1 rate needed to maintain a stable population. The EU has announced plans for an island strategy, while 146 million euros ($164 million) has been spent over the past five years to modernize schools in four Greek island groups.

Indian actor Vijay Deverakonda has revealed that his wife and fellow actor Rashmika Mandanna tells him “I love you” at least 10 to 15 times a day, stressing the importance of expressing love even in a long-term relationship. The couple, who are preparing for the release of their upcoming film Ranabaali on October 16, shared their views on love and relationships during an appearance on Prakhar Gupta's podcast. The film marks their first on-screen collaboration since their marriage. During the conversation, Gupta compared love to a car that drives itself, allowing people to enjoy the journey without having to control every turn. Agreeing with the idea, Rashmika said relationships still require consistent effort, even when love comes naturally. She observed that people often make considerable efforts for others but sometimes neglect the people closest to them. Rashmika said couples may gradually stop exchanging simple expressions of care, such as wishing each other good morning, asking how they are doing or showing interest in their day. Over time, partners may assume that such expressions are unnecessary because the other person already knows how they feel, she explained. This can eventually lead to questions about why those small gestures have disappeared. She added that couples should continue making such efforts regardless of how long they have been together or whether they are married and have children. According to Rashmika, love should feel natural, but people should also willingly express it through small, meaningful actions. When Gupta asked Vijay whether his understanding of love was similar to hers, the actor praised his wife's approach to relationships. “She makes sure she tells me ‘I love you’ at least 10-15 times a day. And she tells me that it's important that I express,” Vijay said. He explained that although he constantly feels love for his wife, he sometimes needs a reminder that feelings should also be communicated through words. Vijay said Rashmika has helped him understand how the demands of everyday life can cause people to overlook simple but important gestures in a relationship. He also praised her maturity in understanding relationships, saying her approach has influenced how he expresses his feelings. Meanwhile, their upcoming film Ranabaali draws inspiration from one of the darkest chapters in Indian history — the devastating Madras Famine of 1876-78. The film is scheduled to be released in theatres on October 16. Source: NDTV

Doctors are renewing warnings about the risks energy drinks pose to children and teenagers, citing their high caffeine content and potential to cause serious health problems. The warning comes after a newly formed coalition of doctors urged the Big 12 Conference to pause its sponsorship deal with Monster Energy and called on the NCAA to review energy drink marketing aimed at young people. The doctors cited the deaths of three children, including 16-year-old South Carolina student Davis Cripe, who died in 2017 after consuming an energy drink. “He chugged an energy drink — like, just trying to be cool,” Davis' father, Sean Cripe, recalled. Doctors say excessive caffeine can cause abnormal heart rhythms, increased heart rate, sleep problems, dehydration, agitation, high blood pressure and seizures. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children and teens avoid energy drinks altogether. A federally funded Monitoring the Future survey found that 23 percent of 12th graders, 20 percent of 10th graders and 18 percent of eighth graders reported consuming energy drinks daily. Depending on the product, a serving can contain 80 to 300 milligrams of caffeine. The pediatrics academy recommends limiting caffeine to 100 milligrams a day for those aged 12 to 18, while younger children are discouraged from consuming caffeine. Dr. Matthew Nelson, an Idaho cardiologist involved in the campaign, said energy drink sponsorships could make children mistake the products for sports drinks. “The kids will think of them as sports drinks, which they’re not,” he said. Dr. Tamara Hannon, an Indiana pediatrician, said caffeine and other stimulants increase heart rate and nervous system activity, potentially overwhelming the body. Children with conditions such as high blood pressure face greater risks, but excessive stimulant intake can also harm otherwise healthy children, including athletes. Davis had no known heart condition and had consumed a Mountain Dew and a McDonald's latte earlier that day before drinking the energy drink and suffering an arrhythmia, according to the coroner. “We didn’t understand they could be deadly,” Sean Cripe said. The American Beverage Association said its members voluntarily disclose caffeine levels on labels and do not sell or market energy drinks in K-12 schools. Monster said more than 100 billion energy drinks have been sold and safely consumed worldwide over more than 30 years. The Big 12-Monster deal includes the company's logo on football and basketball jerseys, fields and courts, as well as digital and social media platforms. The NCAA said it lacks authority over conference and school sponsorship agreements but provides educational resources on caffeine and student-athlete health. Health officials advise parents, teachers and coaches to educate children about excessive caffeine and the difference between energy drinks and sports drinks, which are designed to replace fluids and electrolytes lost during exercise. “We just pray parents will use our stories, our tragedies, our grief, to have an impact on their own kids,” Cripe said.

Music fills a small dance studio in Burkina Faso's western city of Bobo-Dioulasso, with vibrations traveling through the rubber-covered floor as Yaya Sanou uses his face and body movements to guide a group of deaf and non-verbal dancers. Unable to hear the music, the dancers follow its rhythm through vibrations, touch and visual signals using a technique developed by Sanou. Known as Vibra-Signe, the method has gained attention both in Burkina Faso and abroad through the performances of the Fientan dance company, which Sanou founded about a decade ago for deaf and hard-of-hearing dancers. The technique combines vibrations, touch and visual cues to translate music into movements. Dancers perform barefoot so they can feel percussion through the floor, while taps, hand signs, gestures and facial expressions help them follow changes in tempo and emotion. Fientan won a gold medal for dance creation at the 2023 Francophone Games in Kinshasa, the capital of Congo. The group has also performed its latest production, “Adepte de mon être,” or “Devoted to my being,” in Germany and Ivory Coast. In Burkina Faso, where resources and government support for people with disabilities remain limited, the technique has helped dancers build confidence and improve their social skills. The group's name itself reflects that message. Fientan means “without disability” in the local Dioula language. “This teaching method is an opportunity for us and also a solution to a problem,” dancer Adama Sanou said through sign language. “It gives young people the possibility to express themselves and say what they want to say.” Teaching and empowering deaf dancersYaya Sanou began dancing years ago on the streets of Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso's second-largest city. He combined traditional dances he learned at home with modern styles. He later noticed that children at the Institut des Jeunes Sourds du Faso, a local school for deaf children and others with disabilities, had few opportunities to socialize. Sanou decided to teach them dance and eventually developed the Vibra-Signe technique as his group attracted more children from Bobo-Dioulasso and surrounding areas. He said learning the method can take time because dancers must become familiar with following vibrations, rhythm and body movements. But he said the results have been rewarding for both him and his students. “With this project, we give these young people the possibility to express themselves and to say what they want to say,” he said. Limited support for deaf childrenThere is no recent official data on the number of deaf and hard-of-hearing people in Burkina Faso. The country's 2019 census recorded about 46,500 people aged 2 and older who had significant difficulty hearing or could not hear at all. Burkina Faso, a country of about 24 million people, has introduced education programs and other measures aimed at improving the lives of people with disabilities. However, rights advocates and experts say there are still shortages of teachers, sign-language interpreters and other support services. American Sign Language is taught in schools, but it does not necessarily match the local languages used by families at home. Many deaf children also do not learn sign language until they start school, sometimes as late as age 10. A study by Burkina Faso's Institute of Social Sciences found that 58% of respondents had a negative perception of deafness, with some viewing it as a “curse” or “spiritual punishment.” Disability advocate Philo Camara said Vibra-Signe could help promote inclusion for children with disabilities and could potentially be adapted for use in education and other programs. Dance offers a new pathAt Fientan's studio in Bobo-Dioulasso, dancers have developed their own ways of communicating and identifying themselves. Souleymane Barro, a 24-year-old deaf dancer, uses a sign that combines the letters “B” and “S” from his name. “As a deaf person, it is difficult to get ahead,” Barro said. “But I am working to become a professional and teach the younger ones to dance.” Some dancers have also faced opposition from their families because of traditional attitudes. “When I suggested it to my father, he did not like it at first but I kept dancing,” said another dancer named Sanou, who is not related to Yaya Sanou. During a recent rehearsal, children gathered around to watch the dancers. The music played continuously as Sanou guided them with his hands, face and body. The dancers carefully watched him and repeated his movements. Ouaramata Sanou, 26, once watched the group from the sidelines. Joining the dancers, she said, has transformed her life. “Before, I watched people doing things, dancing, and I did nothing,” she said. “But now I dance, and I can travel.”

“God reigns and the Son shines.” The message appeared on the electronic sign of Resurrection Lutheran Church in mid-September, drawing attention from drivers passing along a road running between expanding residential areas and cornfields in a Twin Cities suburb. The church regularly changes its sign, posting messages that range from humorous and practical to thoughtful, in an effort to inspire people and catch the attention of motorists and passersby. Heather Hultgren, who oversees the daily messages, said the purpose is to remind people that they matter and are loved by God. Posting messages outside churches is a long-standing tradition, but U.S. churches have increasingly turned to creative and humorous signs in recent decades. The messages are intended to brighten commuters’ days, encourage reflection and possibly reconnect people who have drifted away from Christianity. “It’s a way to bring something lighter in the world,” said the Rev. Karna Moskalik of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Stillwater, Minnesota. Moskalik favors welcoming messages, including the familiar “CH - - CH What’s missing? U R!” Some humorous church signs have become popular on social media. Messages created by an Our Savior’s pastor in the early 2000s were collected in a book titled “If there were no Lutherans, would there still be green Jell-O?” At Madison Avenue Baptist Church in New York City, a heatwave-inspired message read, “Lord, whatever you’re baking, it’s done.” Elizabeth Pustinger said people sometimes stop to ask about the historic church’s sign and later attend services. The Rev. Susan Sparks called such signs “a very powerful ministry,” citing her favorite: “Honk if you love Jesus, text if you want to meet him.” Rolf Jacobson, a professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, said humor can help people cope with tragedy and explore difficult questions. “God’s business is turning mourning into gladness, Good Friday into Easter Sunday,” he said. One perennial favorite puts the message more bluntly: “Too hot to keep changing sign. Sin bad. Jesus good. Details inside.”

Two giant pandas arrived in Atlanta on Sunday as part of a new agreement between the Chinese and US governments, bringing the animals back to the city after a two-year absence. Ping Ping and Fu Shuang left Chengdu in southwestern China early Sunday aboard a specially designated “FedEx Panda Express” Boeing 777, officials said. Under an agreement between Zoo Atlanta and the China Wildlife Conservation Association, Atlanta is now one of three US zoos housing giant pandas. The others are the San Diego Zoo in California and the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C. “This is a thrilling day for Zoo Atlanta and a historic moment for the City of Atlanta, the state of Georgia, and beyond,” Zoo Atlanta President and CEO Raymond B. King said in a statement. The pandas will not immediately be available for public viewing. Zoo officials said they will spend about a month in quarantine inside a biosecure area of the wildlife park’s new giant panda complex. A specific date for their public debut has not yet been announced. Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the pandas’ arrival during a three-day summit with US President Donald Trump. The agreement was among the few concrete outcomes from the state visit, which featured expressions of goodwill but did not resolve longstanding differences between the two countries. Atlanta’s previous giant pandas left the city in 2024. The latest 10-year loan agreement was announced in April, although no arrival date was initially given. Both pandas were born in 2020 and were raised at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Ping Ping is male and has distinctive dark circles around his eyes, while Fu Shuang is female and has a slightly protruding forehead, according to China’s Xinhua News Agency. China has long used giant pandas in international diplomacy, lending the animals to foreign zoos as a symbol of goodwill and allowing agreements to expire when relations become strained. Xi has described the panda program as an expression of “friendship between the Chinese and Americans.”

Legendary folk singer Sharda Sinha’s iconic Chhath song Pahile Pahil Hum Kayin has struck an emotional chord with audiences after featuring in Tamannaah Bhatia-starrer Vvaan: Forest of the Forrest. For people in Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh, Chhath is more than a festival. It is deeply connected to their cultural identity, with families coming together for the four-day celebration and Sharda Sinha’s songs often forming part of the festivities. Vvaan: Forest of the Forrest, starring Tamannaah Bhatia, Shweta Tiwari, Sidharth Malhotra, Sunil Grover and Anup Soni, was released on Sept. 25. Although the film received mixed reviews, its Chhath-related sequence featuring Sinha’s song drew strong appreciation from audiences. Some social media users had earlier suggested that the film’s Chhath song would have been more effective in Bhojpuri. However, the filmmakers kept Sinha’s song as a surprise for viewers. Directed by Arunabh Kumar and Deepak Kumar Mishra, the film features Pahile Pahil Hum Kayin during a scene showing Shweta Tiwari and Anup Soni preparing for the festival. Nishant Singh, a filmmaker associated with The Viral Fever, shared a video of the scene and wrote, "What an experience it was to listen to Ma Sharda in a theatre. Do not miss this in theatres if you love Chhath Puja." The scene prompted an emotional response from social media users. One user wrote that the film would work because of "Chhathi Maiya," while another said the song gave them "goosebumps." "Chhath and Sharda Sinha's voice are always a goosebump moment, every single time," another user commented. A fourth user, who said they were not originally from Bihar, described the song as having a "magical quality" that gave them goosebumps whenever they heard it. Another recalled childhood memories associated with the song and said it made them emotional every time they heard it. "It's not just a feeling, it's culture," an Instagram user wrote. Sharda Sinha’s legacy Sharda Sinha, widely known as the "Voice of Chhath" and "Bihar's Kokila," was one of Bihar's most celebrated folk singers. She contributed to Hindi, Maithili, Magahi and Bhojpuri music. Her Chhath songs, particularly Pahile Pahil Hum Kayin, have become closely associated with the festival and continue to be heard during celebrations and on social media. Sinha received the Padma Shri in 1991 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2000 for her contribution to music. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2018. Born in Supaul district of Bihar, Sinha also lent her voice to popular songs including Kahe Toh Se Sajna from Maine Pyar Kiya and Taar Bijli from Gangs of Wasseypur Part 2. However, she remained particularly popular for her devotional Chhath songs, which captured the festival’s traditions and connected with listeners across generations. Sinha was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2017 and died at AIIMS Delhi in November 2024 at the age of 72. Her songs continue to remain an important part of Chhath celebrations and her musical legacy. Source: NDTV

With no mountains nearby to practice in, Austrian yodeling enthusiasts have found an unusual alternative — an underground parking garage that creates echoes similar to those heard in the Alps. “It’s not too dissimilar to the high mountains,” yodeling teacher Anna Maria Gutschi said while leading a group of about 30 people through an empty parking garage earlier this week. “You have wide hallways; you have walls that reflect a lot.” Gutschi works for the Styrian Volksliedwerk, a cultural organization that promotes traditional folk music in Graz, a city in southeastern Austria. Although Graz is not located in the high mountains, it sits in a flat basin surrounded by hills and low mountain ranges on the edge of the Alps. The organization has been offering yodeling courses in unusual locations as a way of keeping the traditional art alive in modern times. The sessions can be held in places ranging from underground car parks and canals to gas stations, as long as the acoustics are suitable. Up to 30 people can take part in each session. “It’s a form of communication from mountain to mountain — just like that, without the need for a phone,” Gutschi said as she demonstrated the rising and falling sounds of yodeling. “And it’s not as boring as writing an SMS. Sounds much better, too,” she added. Gutschi described yodeling as a musical tradition in which the sound builds upward through different notes. “The energy is rising, it’s rising and rising,” she told her students. “Ever higher and then it wants out on top and there it goes.” For more than an hour, the group walked through Graz’s largest underground parking garage, practicing until they reached its deepest section, where the acoustics created the strongest echoes. Some participants were experienced yodelers, while others were trying it for the first time. Jamey Sohn, a South Korean student studying sustainable development in Graz, joined the course to experience Austrian culture. “When I actually came here, it was a lot more — well, I wouldn’t say easy per se, but it’s a lot more approachable than I first expected,” Sohn said. From Alpine communication to musical traditionYodeling developed centuries ago in the Alps as a way for people to communicate across long distances. It was also used between people and animals. Cattle could recognize their owners’ voices and return to the stable from a distance. Over time, the traditional form of singing developed into a musical genre and gained international popularity, particularly through the American musical film “The Sound of Music.” For Thomas Button, a yodeling teacher originally from New York state, the practice is “like a form of meditation. Singing meditation.” Local yodeling enthusiast Rudolf Schmidhofer said performing together creates a strong sense of energy and connection. “It’s hard to describe how much power you get from yodeling together, the energy from within,” he said. “The togetherness, the polyphonic kind of yodeling where you must listen to each other.” “I’m still a student when it comes to this, but I like it very much,” he added.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is marking its 10th anniversary with celebrations, even as it faces pressure from the administration of President Donald Trump over how American history is presented in federally supported museums. The museum, which opened on Sept. 24, 2016, plans a weekend of events at its National Mall location and The Wharf along the Washington Channel. The celebrations will begin Thursday with activities throughout the museum and include a discussion titled “Understanding America,” featuring Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, the museum's founding director. The anniversary will also have a family-style feel, including a performance of Stevie Wonder's “Happy Birthday.” “Our anniversary is really founded through this theme of ‘Welcome Home. Our Legacy Continues,’” said Shanita Brackett, the museum's acting director. “It means we are planning our next 10, frankly 20 years of exhibitions right now.” The museum, often affectionately called the “Blacksonian” by visitors and supporters, has come under scrutiny from the Trump administration. Trump signed an executive order last year seeking changes at a number of federally supported museums and landmarks. The Interior Department has also removed dozens of displays from national monuments that focused on social activists, people of color, women and LGBTQ people, among others. The order directed federal officials to work with Congress to prevent the Smithsonian from using federal funds for exhibits that allegedly “degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with federal law.” However, museum officials say their work has continued without interference. “We have not changed any exhibitions. We haven't changed our language. We know that what we do is steeped in scholarship,” Brackett said. ‘No changes’ to museum's missionThe Smithsonian receives funding from both the federal government and private sources. Its funding structure and governance, which includes lawmakers from both parties, private donors and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, have made it more difficult for the administration to directly control its exhibits. Still, supporters of the museum have expressed concern about possible changes to its exhibitions over the past two years. Trump's administration has also announced measures aimed at the Smithsonian. Trump ordered signs to be placed outside some Smithsonian buildings warning visitors that they could encounter exhibits presenting what the administration considers an inaccurate portrayal of American history. Brackett said the museum remains committed to its original mission of presenting “the unvarnished truth of African American history and culture.” “We know that Black history is a part of American history, and it's our job to ensure that everyone who comes to this museum, who engages in our programming, who visits us online, understands exactly how all of this evolved,” she said. She said the museum also seeks to show how African Americans' contributions have helped advance the United States. “There are no changes to exhibits other than rotating objects that need conservation,” Brackett said. Some visitors had feared that displays such as the casket of Emmett Till and a Greensboro lunch counter at the nearby National Museum of American History might have been changed to address concerns from the administration. Brackett said there had been no such changes. “Nothing has changed,” she said. More than a century of advocacyThe idea of creating a major landmark on the National Mall to recognize African American contributions dates back more than 100 years. In 1915, Black Civil War veterans urged lawmakers to establish a memorial honoring their contributions to the war, during which many had fought for their own freedom. The proposal moved forward slowly over the following decades. Later, efforts to honor the legacy of the civil rights movement gained support among lawmakers. Congress approved the museum in 2003, and it opened its doors on Sept. 24, 2016. At the opening ceremony, then-President Barack Obama described African American history as an important part of the broader American story. “It is a glorious story, the one that's told here. It is complicated, and it is messy, and it is full of contradictions, as all great stories are,” Obama said. Over the past decade, the museum has welcomed nearly 14 million visitors from 200 countries and more than 26,000 school groups, according to the Smithsonian. The 10-story museum has five floors above ground that focus on African American art and cultural achievements, while five underground floors explore the community's deeper history. Its exhibitions present both the difficult and triumphant chapters of African American history and their place in the wider history of the United States. Visitors eager to experience the museumA day before the anniversary, Shallary Duncan of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, visited the museum for the first time. “With all of the changes in our country, it made me yearn to be here. I don't want to see any changes that would mitigate the reality of this experience,” said Duncan, a psychologist and self-described history enthusiast. She said it was important for African Americans to have a voice in preserving their history. “We know that African Americans have been in this country for as long as the country has been here, so it's important for us that we are a part of a voice that says this is real, our history is real and we don't want it to change,” she said. More than a dozen students from a group of historically Black colleges and universities also visited the museum Wednesday to learn from its exhibitions. Some said they had been visiting since childhood. For Jaina Dotson, a student at Tuskegee University studying architecture, the visit was especially meaningful. She had visited the museum as a child while growing up in Maryland and wanted to see how her perspective had changed. The visit also connected with her studies, as she had researched the museum's design for an architecture project. “Looking at the outside facade, the corona, and the intention of the design behind that, as well as the layout of the museum itself, was an integral part of my research,” Dotson said. “The layout of the museum, its architecture, is really important for the experience. So it'll be fun to actually experience that as a patron.”