The Conversation

Why your child still needs vaccines, even if you may not know someone with the disease

Written by Edward Bell, Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Drake University

Sleeping Beauty's castle at Disneyland, where a measles outbreak in 2015 led to children being sickened in several states. Jae C. Hong/AP

At the turn of the 21st century, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published an article about the 10 greatest public health achievements over the past 100 years, from 1900-1999. One of them was...

The myth of the college dropout

Written by Jonathan Wai, Research Scientist, Duke University

Mark Zuckerberg is, quite famously, a college dropout. But his case is the exception – not the rule.AP Photo/Paul Sakuma

When Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was asked to give this year’s commencement address at Harvard, he asked for advice from Bill Gates.

Zuckerberg said, “They know we didn’t actually graduate,...

Can March for Science participants advocate without losing the public's trust?

Written by Emily Vraga, Assistant Professor in Political Communication, George Mason University

What happens to their credibility when scientists take to the streets? February 2017 Stand Up for Science rally in Boston.Adam Salsman, CC BY-NC-ND

As the March for Science nears, questions about whether scientists can and should advocate for public policy become more important. On one hand, scientists have relevant expertise to contribute to...

The state of US forests: Six questions answered

Written by Thomas J. Straka, Professor of Forestry and Environmental Conservation (Forest Resource Management and Economics), Clemson University

Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina.Tjss99/Flickr, CC BY-NC

Editor’s note: The first Earth Day, on April 22, 1970, catalyzed a wave of laws to protect the environment and natural resources. Here Thomas Straka, a professor of forest economics and management and former industrial forester, answers questions about the current state of U.S....

Georgia's special election: What does a runoff mean for 2018?

Written by Jeffrey Lazarus, Associate Professor of Political Science, Georgia State University

Jon Ossoff speaks to supporters during an election-night watch party.AP Photo/John Bazemore

The past month has been fun for me.

Not only am I a political scientist who researches Congress and congressional elections, but I also live in Georgia’s 6th House district, which has been the focus of national attention for the past month or so. On...

Why the French presidential candidates are arguing about their colonial history

Written by Jennifer Sessions, Associate Professor of History, University of Iowa

When the French presidential elections begin on April 23, the world will be watching closely.

Polls are tightening up, but Marine Le Pen, of the far-right National Front (FN) Party, seems likely to get through to the second, runoff ballot on May 10. Will the xenophobic populism that brought Brexit to the U.K. and Donald Trump to the White House...

What Netflix can teach us about treating cancer

Written by Elana Fertig, Assistant Professor of Oncology Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Johns Hopkins University

A tumor under the microscope.Cropped from cnicholsonpath/flickr, CC BY

Two years ago, former President Barack Obama announced the Precision Medicine initiative in his State of the Union Address. The initiative aspired to a “new era of medicine” where disease treatments could be specifically tailored to each patient’s genetic code....

Why it's time for the Mormon Church to revisit its diverse past

Written by Benjamin Park, Assistant Professor of History, Sam Houston State University

Mormon missionaries pray before the start of a class in Mandarin Chinese language at the Missionary Training Center, in Provo, Utah.AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File

In an era where traditional church attendance has declined and the fastest-growing religious affiliation in America is the “nones” – those who claim no affiliation with an...

'Public goods' made America great and can do so again

Written by Marina v. N. Whitman, Professor of Business Administration and Public Policy, University of Michigan

Public goods come in many forms, from highways to magnificent mountains. Road sign via www.shutterstock.com

All Americans are lucky to live in a country brimming with public resources that everyone can share.

Many are provided by government and funded with our tax dollars, such as the highways that crisscross the country, the 84 million acres of...

Introducing 'Operator 4.0,' a tech-augmented human worker

Written by Thorsten Wuest, Assistant Professor & J. Wayne and Kathy Richards Faculty Fellow in Engineering, West Virginia University

Technology can help workers in many ways.Romero, Stahre, Wuest, et al., CC BY-ND

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has arrived. The first was the steam engine-driven Industrial Revolution; the second involved the innovations from Henry Ford’s assembly line. Third, microelectronics and computer power appeared on factory floors. Now,...