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n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m J a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 9 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 9 WHAT'S YOUR SIGN? Welcome to Connecticut. Now, get out. W hat kind of user-friendly enterprise erects signs tell- ing customers not during what hours it is open, but when it's closed? Turns out it's not a user-friendly enterprise at all, but the state's Department of Transportation, which operates the rest stops and "welcome" centers (our ironic quotations marks, not theirs) on interstate highways. (ese are not to be confused with state-run service areas, which lease space to commercial concessionaires such as McDonald's, Mobil, etc.). Except that it doesn't really operate them very much -- at least not since the beginning of 2017, when during yet another state budget brawl someone decid- ed that rather than move a few numbers around to come up with a measly $1.1 million to pay 12 workers, the DOT would instead close the buildings at the centers entirely. According to DOT spokesper- son Kevin Nursick, some creative DOT officials managed to beg, borrow (and perhaps even steal) enough nickels and dimes from other transportation line items to pay workers to keep the buildings open for one shi each day — 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (ey're state workers, okay?) Score one, sort of, for the good guys. But the signs announc- ing "Open 8:30-3:30" confused countless motorists, who thought the entire rest/welcome areas were closed, not just the buildings them- selves, and thus just kept on going, especially if they had to, um, go. So those signs were replaced by the passive-aggressive-sounding "Closed 3:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m." signs, the making of which of course also required dipping into the DOT budget even further. A N I M A L M A G N E T I S M N o one doubts that dogs and humans share an inextricable bond. Indeed, the link between humans and their four-legged friends is so profound, it's become the subject of a wave of new research dedicated to how dogs think. Researchers studying dog cog- nition, like those at Yale's Canine Cognition Center, are proving that what humans thought they knew about dogs was only the tip of the iceberg. Founded in 2013 by Yale psy- chology professor Laurie Santos, director of Yale's Comparative Cog- nition Laboratory and the Canine Cognition Center, the center's team of researchers investigates what dogs know and how they learn. "Dogs have become the focus of a lot of experimental study for a few reasons," Santos says. "First, dogs provide a really cool window into the sorts of cognitive abilities that make the human mind unique. By comparing human cognition to that of dogs, we can learn more about the kinds of abilities that might make humans special. Second, studying dogs gives us insight into man's best friend. So many people are curious what's going on inside their dogs' heads, and these studies give us a window into what our furry friends are thinking." Each year since the center's in- ception, about 500 dog "volunteers" and their guardians participate in scientific studies. Dogs solve puz- zles, play games and are rewarded with copious quantities of treats. "Dogs are motivated for different reasons. Some are food-motivat- ed. Some respond better to look- ing-time studies," CCC Lab Manag- er Yiyun Huang explains. "Dogs are a fascinating species. Anyone who owns a dog can identify with dogs and their social intelligence and empathy. We want to see how dogs are learning from people and if they categorize people." Over five years, the research team has made important discoveries about canine cognition in relation to the human experience. "We've discovered that there are important limits on the extent to which dogs learn from humans," says Santos. "For example, we found that dogs don't blindly copy what their guardians teach them." Which suggests that dogs may in some ways be more rational than humans. n Sheepskin dog: At Yale's Canine Cognition Center, four-legged 'volunteers' can even earn Yale degrees (sort of). But now, at least, drivers really needing a "rest" stop between 3:30 p.m. and 8:30 a.m. may avail themselves of the lovely port-a- potties adjacent to the parking area. Nursick says he's hopeful funding can be restored during the new biennial state budget talks in the new year with the new administration. But in the meantime, he can at least boast that, "We made something out of, literally, nothing." n — M.C.B.

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