In This Issue:

Readers' Poll

How long should people be allowed to occupy a table in a crowded coffee shop?

Blended Wing Body aircraft prototype

No mere flight of fancy

Though he's already made great contributions to aeronautics, UCI engineering professor Robert Liebeck won't give up on two things: teaching and an experimental plane that could transform air travel. Shown: a prototype of the blended-wing-body jet, a Boeing-NASA effort.

Mary Gilly seated at outdoor table

Marking their territory

Business professor Mary Gilly explores how customers stake out tables at coffeehouses and cafes. A marketing expert, she studies the sometimes unintended results of efforts to control consumer behavior.

Daniele Piomelli

Finding his bliss

A love of discovery led UCI's Daniele Piomelli to determine how the body’s own marijuana-like chemicals can be utilized to treat stress, pain and obesity — and positioned him as a spokesman for the medicinal use of cannabis.