While working on grant proposals, North Platte native Kendra Schmid, Ph.D., assistant professor of biostatistics in UNMC’s College of Public Health, got an unexpected call … from a producer at "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
The producer wanted her to be interviewed on an upcoming show about women, desire and attractiveness. Just days after that phone call, Dr. Schmid arrived in Chicago to discuss her research on facial attractiveness.
"It was such a whirlwind of activity and preparation," Dr. Schmid said. "The producers asked me to evaluate the famous faces of several celebrities and explain how their facial features impacted their attractiveness score."
Dr. Schmid’s research uses the golden ratio to measure the geometry of the face and rate attractiveness on a scale of one to 10. Her research was published in Pattern Recognition magazine in August 2008.
A YouTube video about the attractiveness of the candidates in last fall’s presidential campaign put her research software program in the spotlight. (Click here to view the video.)
The story was picked up by The Associated Press and sent to media outlets around the world. A Discovery Channel producer heard about her research and decided to include it a two-hour documentary called, "The Science of Sex Appeal." An "Oprah" producer watched that documentary and contacted Dr. Schmid to come on the show.
On Friday, Dr. Schmid will be one of the guests featured on "The Oprah Winfrey Show — Sex: Women Reveal What They Really Want." The program examines the science of attractiveness, including voice, smell and facial symmetry.
"I had an amazing time on the show," Dr. Schmid said.
"People may be shocked (myself included) that a statistician would get this much media attention. But, I hope the exposure shows that math can be interesting, fun and applicable in all areas of life."
"The Oprah Winfrey Show" airs in Omaha on KMTV (CBS) at 4 p.m. In Lincoln, on KOLN/KGIN (CBS) at 3 p.m. In North Platte, on KNOP (NBC) at 3 p.m. The show is for mature audiences only.
Sidebar:
Science Cafe in May
Dr. Schmid will discuss the science of attractiveness at the Science Cafe’ May 5.
Science Cafe’s involve a face-to-face conversation with a scientist about current science topics. They are open to the public (21 and older), and take place in casual settings such as pubs and coffeehouses. A science cafe’s casual meeting place and plain language create a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere for people with no science background. Join the conversation from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Slowdown.
For more information, visit www.unmc.edu/sciencecafe.
In case you missed it
"The Science of Sex Appeal," which featured UNMC’s Kendra Schmid, Ph.D., will be rebroadcast on the Discovery Channel on Saturday at 7 p.m and 10 p.m. CDT. Dr. Schmid appears in the first hour of the documentary.
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through their commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC’s research funding from external sources now exceeds $82 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,400 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 513 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.
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