Duke economist Dan Ariely is taking questions Friday, but not from The New York Times, the NewsHour, Marketplace or other media outlets where he frequently appears.

The best-selling author of "Predictably Irrational" is speaking instead with members of the Duke community and anyone else who tunes into a live online session, the first in a new series of public "office hours" being organized by the Office of News and Communications.

Through a partnership with the live streaming company Ustream, Duke is arranging for Ariely to engage in a public conversation at noon Friday, Eastern Time. Viewers can watch the office hours event on the Duke University Ustream channel. They also can send questions by email to live@duke.edu, on the Duke University Live Ustream page on Facebook, or via Twitter with the tag #dukelive.

The James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at the Fuqua School of Business, Ariely offers fresh insights into everything from Wall Street turmoil to the actions of college students. His research has been called "full of dazzling insights" and "wildly original" by economists and others.

Ariely's blog, Predictably Irrational, recently featured short fictional stories by Duke undergraduates who took his class last spring. His podcast series, Arming the Donkeys, explores topics that range from gas taxes to gambling chimps. Among his many public appearances was a talk at Google now available on YouTube.

"We're always on the lookout for new ways to highlight Duke's faculty, and Dan is helping us experiment with online chats where Duke experts can interact not only with people on campus but also with alumni and anyone else with a question," said Michael Schoenfeld, Duke's vice president for public affairs and government relations. "It's an interesting use of new technology, and we're hopeful people will find it valuable."

Ustream is a live interactive internet platform for streaming video. It is a free ad-supported live broadcasting platform, which enables anyone to go live on the internet easily and quickly.