The Conversation

The meme endorsement you might have missed – and why it matters for 2020

Written by Heather Woods, Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Technology, Kansas State University

Memes played a role in 2016 – and they're set to play an even bigger one in 2020.Bernie Sanders Dank Meme Stash

On Jan. 19, the New York Times editorial board made history when it endorsed two candidates, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar, for president, concluding, “May the best woman win.”

This came on the heels on another key...

Hidden by a pleasant scent: The health consequences of flavor in e-cigarettes

Written by Weihong Lin, Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

A vape shop in New York City shows a line of flavorings on Jan. 2, 2020.Mary Altaffer/AP Photo, CC BY-SA

Millions of Americans are vaping, and some are getting sick. Since June 2019, 2,711 have been hospitalized and 60 have died due to EVALI (e-cigarette-associated lung injury), the devastating lung disease linked to e-cigarettes.

Five million users...

Beware the brokered convention that breaks up the party

Written by Calvin Schermerhorn, Professor of History, Arizona State University

Brokered conventions are a cloak-and-dagger affair. Just ask Henry ClayAP Photo

Despite numerous polls and seemingly endless debates, the identity of the next Democratic presidential candidate is still far from clear.

If the upcoming Iowa caucuses and winter primaries fail to winnow a crowded field, the July Democratic National Convention in...

E-cig flavors may be more than alluring; they could cause damage themselves

Written by Weihong Lin, Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

A vape shop in New York City shows a line of flavorings on Jan. 2, 2020.Mary Altaffer/AP Photo, CC BY-SA

Five million users...

Teaching kids how to make guitars can get them hooked on engineering

Written by Mark French, Professor of Mechanical Engineering Technology, Purdue University

You can't make a guitar without some STEM know-how.James Cordero, CC BY-SA

The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.

The Big Idea:

I’m part of a team of professors and high school teachers around the country that encourages high schools to teach kids to build guitars as a way of making science, technology, engineering and...

Why legislation is needed to make Holocaust education more prominent in public schools: 5 questions answered

Written by Jennifer Rich, Assistant Professor; Director, Rowan Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Rowan University

Roll call at the Buchenwald concentration camp.Everett Historical/Shutterstock.com

Editor’s note: Jennifer Rich, an assistant professor of sociology at Rowan University in New Jersey, is a Holocaust scholar and director of the Rowan Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Here, Rich explains how the “Never Again Education Act,”...

Worried about accidentally harassing a woman? Don't be

Written by Elizabeth C. Tippett, Associate Professor, School of Law, University of Oregon

Don't worry, an innocuous chat by the water cooler won't get you fired. Tetra Images/Getty Images

One of the consequences of the #MeToo movement is a simmering male anxiety that a harmless chat by the water cooler might somehow end in a harassment complaint to HR – or worse.

Harvey Weinstein’s criminal trial may reinvigorate those fears....

When will there be a coronavirus vaccine? 5 questions answered

Written by Aubree Gordon, Professor of Public Health, University of Michigan

A security guard wears a mask as she keeps watch at arriving passengers at Manila's international airport in the Philippines on Jan. 23, 2020, as part of efforts to contain the coronavirus. Aaron Favila/AP Photo

Editor’s note: The coronavirus that started in Wuhan has sickened more than 4,000 people and killed at least 100 in China as of...

A secret reason Rx drugs cost so much: A global web of patent laws protects Big Pharma

Written by Faisal Chaudhry, Professor of Law, University of Dayton

Advocates for lower drug prices held a vigil on Sept. 5, 2019 outside of Eli Lilly in New York City, honoring those who have lost their lives due to the high cost of insulin.Eric McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images

The high price of insulin, which has reached as much as US$450 per month, has raised outrage across the country. Sen. Bernie...

Puerto Rico earthquakes imperil island's indigenous heritage

Written by Jorge L. Chinea, Professor of History and Director, Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies, Wayne State University

Punta Ventana, a popular tourist attraction near Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, before and after the Jan. 6 earthquake.AFP/Getty/Wikipedia

Tremors and aftershocks are still rocking Puerto Rico, weeks after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake toppled buildings, killed at least one person and injured another eight on Jan. 7. Families have begun leaving the island...