The Conversation

The Nobel Prize for Physics goes to topology – and mathematicians applaud

Written by Kevin Knudson, Professor of Mathematics, University of Florida

Math doesn't get its own Nobel, but is the foundation for much Prize-winning research.Tim Ereneta, CC BY-NC

David Thouless, Duncan Haldane and Michael Kosterlitz received the 2016 Nobel Prize for Physics for their work on exotic states of matter. They were inspired by the observation that some materials have unusual electrical properties –...

Why one-size-fits-all approach does not work for teacher quality

Written by Gerald K. LeTendre, Professor of Education, Pennsylvania State University

What is teacher quality?Jeremy Wilburn, CC BY-NC-ND

Most of us know the difference a good teacher makes in the life of a child. Many global institutions working to improve access to education, such as the United Nations, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and Education International agree that “teacher quality” is...

In parts of the world, bride price encourages parents to educate daughters

Written by Natalie Bau, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Toronto

Cultural norms play an important role in determining whether girls will be send to schools.Global Partnership for Education - GPE , CC BY-NC-ND

Education is one of the engines of economic growth and development. More education leads to higher incomes. For individuals living in low-income countries, an additional year of education increases wages by...

Biofuels turn out to be a climate mistake – here's why

Written by John DeCicco, Research Professor, University of Michigan

Soybeans and corn are two of the most widely planted crops in the United States and the main feedstocks used to make biofuels.www.shutterstock.com

Ever since the 1973 oil embargo, U.S. energy policy has sought to replace petroleum-based transportation fuels with alternatives. One prominent option is using biofuels, such as ethanol in place of...

How saying you're multiracial changes the way people see you

Written by Robert L. Reece, Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology, Duke University

Race and perceived beauty are closely intertwined.'Faces' via www.shutterstock.com

Last month, rapper Kanye West posted a controversial casting call for his clothing line, Yeezy, mandating “multiracial women only.” Many objected, arguing that West had insulted darker-skinned black women.

But Kanye was only adhering to something fairly...

Should NSA and Cyber Command have separate leadership?

Written by Stuart Madnick, Professor of Information Technology and Engineering Systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Should one person lead two different government agencies?U.S. government images

The National Security Agency is the nation’s digital spying organization. U.S. Cyber Command is a military unit focused on cyberwarfare. Does it make sense for one person to lead them both at the same time?

That has been the case since Cyber Command’s...

Tired of getting stuck with needles? Ask your doctor to just say 'once.'

Written by Christopher Moriates, Assistant Dean for Healthcare Value, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin

Patient and doctor in hospital room.From www.shuttertock.com

There are few worse ways to awake a person than with a needle stick in the arm to draw blood. If you have ever spent the night in a hospital, chances are the first thing that happened in the morning was a vampiric nurse or lab technician, following doctor’s orders, standing over...

Kaine vs. Pence: Two key moments from the debate

Written by Kyle C. Kopko, Associate Professor of Political Science, Elizabethtown College

Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence took the debate stage Tuesday evening. As America was getting acquainted with the vice presidential candidates, we asked two scholars to pick a key quote from the evening and tell us why it was important.

Justin Buchler, Case Western Reserve University

“I tried to stand for the ancient...

Before Nobels: Gifts to and from rich patrons were early science's currency

Written by Vera Keller, Associate Professor of History, University of Oregon

Galileo demonstrates a telescope to the doge of Venice. Giuseppe Bertini

While the Nobel Prizes are 115 years old, rewards for scientific achievement have been around much longer. As early as the 17th century, at the very origins of modern experimental science, promoters of science realized the need for some system of recognition and reward that...

What Twitter's streaming experiment means for the future of live TV

Written by Amanda Lotz, Professor of Communication Studies and Screen Arts & Cultures, University of Michigan

The roll-out has been a bit clunky, but there's potential.'Bird' via www.shutterstock.com

Yet another way to watch television has emerged.

More than two million viewers watched some of the Thursday night NFL football game on Twitter each of the last three weeks, and several million more used it to watch the first presidential debate.

For those who...