Since the first case of AIDS was reported in the United States more than 30 years ago, prevention programs have been successful at curbing the number of new cases of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. But those programs are often aimed at young people. Psychologist John Fife (Virginia State University) is working to address what he says is a critical need for HIV interventions that target older Americans, specifically older African Americans. He says religious organizations play a key role. And: Cataracts cause decades of blindness for millions of people, and there aren’t enough surgeons trained in the five-minute procedure to remove them. Glenn Strauss (Help Me See) is working with engineers to design a virtual simulator that will train 30,000 specialists in the surgery in an effort to give developing countries access to the life-changing operation.

Later in the show: Today when we vote, we enter a private space, secretly make our choice, and go about our day. Don Debats (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Fellow) explains that early voting wasn’t just public; it was a raucous, drunken community festival. Plus: It’s hard to find a smile in a 19th century photograph—instead, you’ll see stern faces and stiff poses. Historian Richard Straw (Radford University) tells the story of one early photographer who broke the formal rules and took candid shots instead.