Tierney Lorenz, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, will give the talk “Sexy Times Call For Sexy Measure: How Scientists Study Sexual Desire, Pleasure and Orgasm” at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 22 in the Nebraska Union Auditorium.

The talk will also be livestreamed via Zoom and registration is required. It is free and open to the public.

The fifth talk in the CAS Inquire series “Pain and Pleasure” will offer a tour of how sexual response is measured, what has been learned, and why pleasure matters for women’s mental and physical health.

“Psychological science has revealed amazing things about how our brains and body create and react to feelings of pleasure from food, drugs, social interactions, smartphones — you name it,” Lorenz said. “Conspicuously missing from this list, though, is sexual pleasure. How do you even begin to study something so taboo, so messy, and yet so vital to human wellbeing?”

She is director of the Women, Immunity and Sexual Health lab, which studies the interactions between women’s sexual and reproductive health, and mental and physical health. She also contributes to the Minority Health Disparities Initiative.

The CAS Inquire program gives students the chance to connect with college thought leaders and other inquisitive students, discussing ideas via an interdisciplinary series of public lectures. Over the span of three years, students take specialized courses, help with facilitating the program, and enjoy additional benefits. Interested freshmen can apply to the program or be nominated by faculty. The program launched in 2019 with the theme “Rise of the Machines.”

The current series will culminate in a panel discussion with all of the speakers in March. Videos of the previous speakers are available on the program’s webpage.