The latest issue of the University of Delaware Research magazine is chockful of interactive features, from how to develop a healthy information diet during these challenging times, to one student’s spectacular adventure at Mount Kīlauea.

Among the highlights: 

• “The Life Cycle of a Fact” provides insight into the rigorous process that lies at the heart of science, and how knowledge comes to be, with assistance from Catherine Grimes, professor of chemistry and biochemistry. 

• “Getting the Message Right” in public communication is more important than ever, and Tricia Wachtendorf, director of the Disaster Research Center, Jennifer Horney, founding director of the epidemiology program, and Amy Bleakley, professor of communication, share some of their top tips for communicating effectively.  

• “Adding Peril to a Pandemic” recognizes the other epidemic that emerged with COVID-19 — the infodemic — and considers how society can navigate issues of free speech and accountability, with Jennifer Lambe, associate professor of communication, and Tom Powers, director of the Center for Science, Ethics and Public Policy. 

• In “What Happens When Communication Is Blocked?,” Isaí Jess Muñoz, associate professor in UD’s School of Music, reveals the background behind his widely acclaimed recording of the music of Catalonia, a once-repressed region of Spain. 

• Kīlauea volcano offered up an incredible spectacle while Abigail Nalesnik, doctoral student in geology, was there doing fieldwork. Check it out in “True Adventures.”

• What do you really know about plastic pollution, and how can you help stem this growing problem? Take the quiz and find out.

UD Research showcases the excellence, discoveries and inventions of UD’s faculty, staff and students. The digital magazine is produced through a collaboration of the Research Office and the Office of Communications and Marketing.