The Conversation

Why the withering nuclear power industry threatens US national security

Written by Michael E. Webber, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Deputy Director of the Energy Institute, University of Texas at Austin

After spending $9 billion on a nuclear power plant construction in South Carolina, project developers have pulled the plug. SCE&G, CC BY

These are tough times for nuclear power in the U.S. Power plants under construction are facing serious delays, halts and cost overruns. Utilities in South Carolina abandoned a project to complete construction...

What the Google gender 'manifesto' really says about Silicon Valley

Written by Marie Hicks, Assistant Professor of History, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Oh the terrible irony.Photo by Mar Hicks

Five years ago, Silicon Valley was rocked by a wave of “brogrammer” bad behavior, when overfunded, highly entitled, mostly white and male startup founders did things that were juvenile, out of line and just plain stupid. Most of these activities – such as putting pornography into PowerPoint...

Tracing the links between basic research and real-world applications

Written by Benjamin F. Jones, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Strategy, J. L. Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

Basic research and applications coexist in a tangled two-way ecosystem.lenggirl/Shutterstock.com

What does hailing a ride with Uber have to do with 19th-century geometry and Einstein’s theory of relativity? Quite a bit, it turns out.

Uber and other location-based mobile applications rely on GPS to link users with available cars nearby. GPS...

Thinking beyond Trump: Why power companies should be investing now in carbon-free electricity

Written by Jennifer Morris, Research Scientist, Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The first U.S. offshore wind farm, near Block Island, Rhode Island, started delivering commercial electricity in December 2016.AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

When utility executives make decisions about building new power plants, a lot rides on their choices. Depending on their size and type, new generating facilities cost hundreds of millions or even...

The untold stories of women in the 1967 Detroit rebellion and its aftermath

Written by Lisa Biggs, Assistant Professor, Theatre and Performance Studies, Residential College in the Arts and Humanities, Michigan State University

People gather around a truck to get food on Detroit's east side in July 1967. The food was brought to the riot-stricken area by the Crisis Council, one of the many organizations aiding residents.AP Photo

The movie “Detroit,” which tells the story of the 1967 Detroit rebellion, has received mixed reviews since its release. Some praised...

Seeing without eyes – the unexpected world of nonvisual photoreception

Written by Thomas Cronin, Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Color-changing cells in an Atlantic squid's skin contain light-sensitive pigments.Alexandra Kingston, CC BY-ND

We humans are uncommonly visual creatures. And those of us endowed with normal sight are used to thinking of our eyes as vital to how we experience the world.

Vision is an advanced form of photoreception – that is, light sensing. But...

MalwareTech's arrest sheds light on the complex culture of the hacking world

Written by Roderick S. Graham, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Old Dominion University

Which hat would you wear?crystalfoto/Shutterstock.com

The arrest of a British cybersecurity researcher on charges of disseminating malware and conspiring to commit computer fraud and abuse provides a window into the complexities of hacking culture.

In May, a person going by the nickname “MalwareTech” gained international fame –...

Want to fix America's infrastructure? Build in the places that need help the most

Written by Gregory Burge, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Oklahoma

How can we limit urban sprawl?kla4067, CC BY

Political debates over U.S. infrastructure spending are painfully incomplete. The discussion focuses almost exclusively on how much money should be spent, ignoring important questions about what projects are most needed and where those projects should be placed.

In the U.S., two-thirds of the population...

Do college presidents still matter?

Written by Richard Freeland, Professor of History and Higher Education, Northeastern University

Three influential college presidents: Charles Eliot of Harvard (in office 1869-1909), Robert Maynard Hutchins of the University of Chicago (1929-45) and Drew Faust of Harvard (2007-18).AP Photo/Edward Kitch/Charles Krupa

Drew Faust’s recent decision to step down as president of Harvard has inspired much commentary about who should be the next...

Why Medicaid matters to you

Written by Sharona Hoffman, Professor of health law and bioethics, Case Western Reserve University

As more and more seniors need care, their budgets will be strained. As a result, they may rely on Medicaid.gagliardiImages/Shutterstock.com

Efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare have been suspended for the time being, and many Americans are breathing a sigh of relief. But Obamacare is far from safe, and the same is true for one of the key...