The Conversation

'Lennon Walls' herald a sticky-note revolution in Hong Kong

Written by Jeff Hou, Professor of Landscape Architecture, University of Washington

Hong Kong's first Lennon Wall appeared in 2014.Wpcpey/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong have physically reshaped the city. As a scholar of urban landscapes, I have been interested in how the citizens and activists made use of the urban environment during the movement, including walls of Post-it sticky notes...

How a heritage of black preaching shaped MLK's voice in calling for justice

Written by Kenyatta R. Gilbert, Professor of Homiletics, Howard University

Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the Freedom March on Washington in 1963.Bettmann/Contributor via Getty images

The name Martin Luther King Jr. is iconic in the United States. President Barack Obama mentioned King in both his Democratic National Convention nomination...

Why bosses should let employees surf the web at work

Written by Stephanie Andel, Assistant Professor of Psychology, IUPUI

Cyberloafing may not be a waste of time after all. GaudiLab/Shutterstock.com

If you’re like most workers, you don’t spend 100% of your time at the office doing what you’re supposed to be doing.

In fact, on average, U.S. workers spend about 10% of their work day surfing the internet, emailing friends or shopping online. This...

Identifying aquatic plants with drones could be the key to reducing a parasitic infection in people

Written by Chelsea L. Wood, Assistant Professor of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington

Researchers operate inexpensive drones to 'see' the areas with the highest likelihood of parasites.Chelsea L. Wood/University of Washington, CC BY-ND

For the majority of people on Earth, parasites are a fact of life. These organisms live inside the human body, causing debilitating or fatal diseases. Among the parasitic diseases, one of the very...

What is a bar mitzvah?

Written by Jonathan D. Sarna, University Professor and Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University

The Jewish ritual of bar mitzvah. which marks a 13-year-old young man’s assumption of religious and legal obligations under Jewish law.Israel_photo_gallery, CC BY-ND

It is a common scene on many a Saturday morning in cities and towns across the United States to see seventh- and eighth-grade boys and girls, a few not Jewish at all, gather in...

I asked people why they don't vote, and this is what they told me

Written by Andrew Joseph Pegoda, Lecturer in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies; Religious Studies; and First Year Writing, University of Houston

People have different reasons for not showing up on Election Day. Burlingham/Shutterstock.com

At least 40% to 90% of American voters stay home during elections, evidence that low voter turnout for both national and local elections is a serious problem throughout the United States.

With the 2020 presidential election approaching, directives for...

A Navy scandal sheds light on the nature of bribery and the limits of free speech

Written by Marcus Hedahl, Associate Professor of Philosophy, United States Naval Academy

Numerous officers who served in the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet are caught up in a massive bribery scandal.Information Systems Technician 3rd Class Nicholas A. Galladora/U.S. Navy

It seems like everyone’s talking about bribery these days – but I, and anyone else who works for the federal government, have to limit what we can say about...

Black kids and suicide: Why are rates so high, and so ignored?

Written by Rheeda Walker, Professor of Psychology, University of Houston

Black youth may be less likely to share their thoughts of loneliness or depression than other youth, which could be a reason for higher rates of death by suicide among black youth.Motortion Films/Shutterstock.com

Teen suicide rates among black youth are increasing. In 2016 and again in 2018, national data revealed that among children age 5-11, blac...

The first step in managing plastic waste is measuring it – here's how we did it for one Caribbean country

Written by Clyde Eiríkur Hull, Professor of Management, Rochester Institute of Technology

Plastic waste that started as packaging clogs tropical landfills. apomares/Getty Images

Countries around the world throw away millions of tons of plastic trash every year. Finding ways to manage plastic waste is daunting even for wealthy nations, but for smaller and less-developed countries it can be overwhelming.

We recently carried out a study...

Why teen depression rates are rising faster for girls than boys

Written by Jean Twenge, Professor of Psychology, San Diego State University

One-fifth of U.S. teen girls reported experiencing major depression in 2017.Tgraphic/Shutterstock.com

We’re in the middle of a teen mental health crisis – and girls are at its epicenter.

Since 2010, depression, self-harm and suicide rates have increased among teen boys. But rates of major depression among teen girls in the U.S. increased...