One professor will moderate discussions at the Smithsonian Institution on how the romance novel is created and its place in literature. Another found that teenagers' earliest dating experiences influence the relationships they have as adults. A third plans to involve students in her research about self-esteem among singles.

Pam Regis (right), McDaniel English professor and author of "A Natural History of the Romance Novel" will interview several best-selling romance writers at the Smithsonian Institution over the coming months.

The series begins Oct. 19, when Regis will interview Suzanne Brockman, author of the "Troubleshooter, Inc." series and the "Tall, Dark & Dangerous" series.

"I'll ask her about her incredibly strong heroes - who are Navy SEALs, FBI agents, and the like, and about her equally strong heroines, who are sometimes in the FBI or the military themselves," Regis said. "I will also ask her about her openly gay hero and the depiction of single-sex courtship."

Regis will host additional seminars Nov. 9, Dec. 7, Jan. 11, and Feb. 1. Click here for a complete list of authors and ticket costs.

Assistant Professor of Psychology Stephanie Madsen (left) interviewed nearly 200 young adults in order to learn how their dating behavior as adolescents influenced their relationships as adults. There were some key similarities in all solid relationships, Madsen found.

"Caring, mutual respect, and good conflict resolution predicted good relationships," Madsen said.

Her work was prominently featured in The Wall Street Journal on Sept. 8 in an article titled "The Case for Going Steady: Studies Say Teen Dating Habits Affect Marriage Skills." Madsen's research found that young people who dated moderately (an average of seven partners per year at age 16) fared the best in long-term relationships later in life. Those who dated many more people had the poorest relationships.

"When you ask people about the best times in their lives and the worst times in their lives, it all comes back to their relationships," Madsen said.

Assistant Professor of Psychology Wendy Morris (right) found that most single men and women don't know they are discriminated against both socially and economically. Her dissertation, "The Effects of Stigma Awareness on the Self Esteem of Singles," examined how the singles' self esteem changed when they learned about the stigma.

It boosted the women's perception of themselves, but did not change the men's. Morris hopes to include students in her research that will now focus on the reasons why.