Join Professor Sushma Subramanian in discovering the science of touch. In what she argues is our most important sense, she will examine the physical, emotional, and cultural aspects of touch and what this sense means, especially in an age of screens. Are we less in touch with our bodies? The physical world in general? How long have we been out of touch? This fascinating lecture will give you a new appreciation of this sense, including exploring the field of haptics and a look at labs that create the textures of everyday objects, from food to clothes.

Sushma Subramanian is an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Mary Washington. Her writing has appeared in Slate, The Atlantic, New York, and Discover, among others.