The Conversation

Better ways to foster solar innovation and save jobs

Written by Edward Barbier, Professor of Economics, Colorado State University

Most of the growing number of jobs in the solar industry have more to do with maintaining and installing panels than manufacturing them.only_kim/Shutterstock.com

The U.S. solar industry is nervously awaiting President Donald Trump’s decision whether to impose punitive duties on imported solar panels and related equipment or even restrict some...

Who forced the cigarette companies to run those anti-smoking ads?

Written by Stanton Glantz, Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco

Judge Gladys Kessler's ruling in 2006 was the basis for tobacco companies' corrective statements now airing on TV and placed in newspapers.Tobacco Free Kids, CC BY-SA

You may have seen ads run by the big cigarette companies listing the dangers of smoking and that they manipulated cigarettes to make them more addictive.

The path to the...

Sí o sí, se celebra la Navidad en Puerto Rico

Written by Evelyn Milagros Rodriguez, Research, Reference and Special Collections Librarian, University of Puerto Rico - Humacao

Muchas partes de Puerto Rico siguen impactadas por Huracán María pero el pueblo se prepara para la Navidad.Lorie Shaull/flickr, CC BY-SA

Read in English.

Es un dicho popular que Puerto Rico celebra la “Navidad más larga del mundo”.

Los puertorriqueños comenzamos nuestros preparativos navideños desde el...

Puerto Ricans aren't giving up on Christmas

Written by Evelyn Milagros Rodriguez, Research, Reference and Special Collections Librarian, University of Puerto Rico - Humacao

Though much of Puerto Rico remains devastated by Hurricane Maria, people are preparing to celebrate the holidays.Lorie Shaull/flickr, CC BY-SA

Leer en español.

Some say Puerto Rico has the longest Christmas in the world.

For Puerto Ricans, who are 85 percent Catholic, Christmas starts after Thanksgiving, continues through Christmas Day, and...

Why parents should check twice before offering holiday sweets

Written by Sarah Irvine Belson, Associate Professor of Education, American University

A first-grader eats a candy cane while watching the inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009.Chris O'Meara/AP

Over the holidays, most families will indulge in sugary treats. But before you offer your child a candy cane or chocolate coin, consider what research tells us about how kids perform in math is affected by what they eat for lunch – and...

During the holidays, giving gifts to the dead can help you cope with grief

Written by Jenna Drenten, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Loyola University Chicago

A toy truck left at a tombstone in a Montreal cemetery.Marc Bruxelle/Shutterstock.com

Every December, my family decorates two Christmas trees: one for our living room and one for the cemetery, where my sister is buried.

She died when she was 15 years old. Twenty years later, we still buy a new ornament each year to place on her mini graveside...

The 2017 national security strategy: A scorecard

Written by Peter Dombrowski, Professor, Strategic Research Department, Center for Naval Warfare Studies, US Naval War College

Donald Trump laying out a national strategy, Dec. 18, 2017.AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

The U.S. Congress mandates that each presidential administration produce a “national security strategy,” although it does not specify when or how often. The periodic reports usually arrive with little public fanfare – beyond the intense...

Untrustworthy memories make it hard to shop ethically

Written by Rebecca Walker Reczek, Associate Professor of Marketing, The Ohio State University

You probably don't remember the Kathie Lee sweatshop scandal of the mid-1990s. What about the more recent debacles? AP Photo/Michael Schmelling

Imagine a shopper, Sarah, who is concerned about child labor and knows about groups like the Fair Wear Foundation that certify which brands sell ethically produced clothing. Hours after learning that fashion...

Why Americans will never agree on oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Written by Scott L. Montgomery, Lecturer, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to a great diversity of wildlife -- one reason environmentalists oppose oil and gas drilling. US Fish and Wildlife Service, CC BY-SA

After decades of bitter struggle, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge seems on the verge of being opened to the oil industry. The consensus tax bill Republicans are trying...

The US may be in for a tough flu season: 4 questions answered

Written by Irena L. Kenneley, Associate Professor of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University

An annual vaccine is your best protection against the flu.REDPIXEL.PL/shutterstock.com

Editor’s note: This year, Australia suffered a record number of flu infections. This has some experts concerned that the U.S. will suffer a harsh flu season as well. Irena Kenneley, associate professor of nursing at Case Western Reserve University, explains...