The Conversation

How does assisting with suicide affect physicians?

Written by Ronald W. Pies, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, Lecturer on Bioethics & Humanities at SUNY Upstate Medical University; and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine, Tufts University

When my mother was in her final months, suffering from a heart failure and other problems, she called me to her bedside with a pained expression. She took my hand and asked plaintively, “How do I get out of this mess?”

As a physician, I dreaded the question that might follow: Would I help her end her...

Abortion freedom of speech battle heading to the Supreme Court

Written by Robert A. Sedler, Distinguished Professor of Law, Wayne State University

Protesters outside the Supreme Court await a court decision in June 2016. Rena Schild/shutterstock.com

Whether you’re for abortion or against – can the state force you to say anything about it? What about posting a notice with information for the other side? This year, the U.S. Supreme Court must decide.

A 2015 California law, the...

Driverless cars might follow the rules of the road, but what about the language of driving?

Written by Abdesalam Soudi, Sociolinguist, University of Pittsburgh

In cities and countries around the world, drivers use a range of hand signals to communicate with other drivers.Lightspring/Shutterstock.com

Recently, while on my way to the University of Pittsburgh’s campus, I made a quick “Pittsburgh left” – taking a left turn just as the light turns green – while facing a driverless...

Scientist at work: I've dived in hundreds of underwater caves hunting for new forms of life

Written by Tom Iliffe, Professor of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University

Author Tom Iliffe leads scientists on a cave dive.Jill Heinerth , CC BY-ND

Maybe when you picture a university professor doing research it involves test tubes and beakers, or perhaps poring over musty manuscripts in a dimly lit library, or maybe going out into the field to examine new crop-growing techniques or animal-breeding methods. All of...

From bad to worse? 5 things 2018 will bring to the Middle East

Written by James L. Gelvin, Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History, University of California, Los Angeles

Syrian Democratic Forces looking toward the northern town of Tabqa, Syria.Syrian Democratic Forces, via AP

It’s always dangerous to make predictions about the Middle East.

After all, few experts foresaw Anwar al-Sadat’s trip to Jerusalem in 1977, which led to the first peace treaty between Israel and an Arab state, nor did they predict...

Trump's offshore oil drilling plans ignore the lessons of BP Deepwater Horizon

Written by Donald Boesch, Professor of Marine Science, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Skimming oil in the Gulf of Mexico during the Deepwater Horizon spill, May 29, 2010.NOAA , CC BY

The Trump Administration is proposing to ease regulations that were adopted to make offshore oil and gas drilling operations safer after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. This event was the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Eleven workers died in the...

The fallout of police violence is killing black women like Erica Garner

Written by Christen A. Smith, Associate professor, University of Texas at Austin

Erica Garner takes part in a candlelight vigil.REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

The sting of the premature death of 27-year-old Erica Garner, daughter of Eric Garner, is still fresh.

On Christmas Eve, Erica Garner suffered a massive heart attack which caused extensive brain damage. She died on Dec. 30. This latest loss emphasizes something we have known:...

When charities let telemarketers gouge donors

Written by Brian Mittendorf, Fisher College of Business Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Accounting & Management Information Systems (MIS), The Ohio State University

Some telemarketers retain nearly all of the charitable dollars they solicit.Gajus/Shutterstock.com

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine recently called Ohio Cops for Kids a “purported charity” when he sued the group for allegedly defrauding donors in his state.

The complaint claims that the group spent merely 2 percent of the money raised...

Architecture in 2018: Look to the streets, not the sky

Written by Sean Weiss, Assistant Professor of Architecture, City College of New York

In Los Angeles, the architecture firm KTGY is repurposing shipping containers to build a transitional apartment complex for the homeless.KTGY

A decade after the global economic collapse, urban development is booming.

This is good news for architects. Indeed, 2018 promises to be a favorable year for the profession: A spectacular array of sleek...

Did far-right extremist violence really spike in 2017?

Written by William Parkin, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, Seattle University

White nationalist demonstrators guard the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va.AP Photo/Steve Helber, File

Intense media coverage of a so-called “alt-right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that turned deadly last August fueled the notion that far-right violent extremism in the U.S. in 2017 was a growing and severe threat.

But...