The Conversation

The grand jury's role in American criminal justice, explained

Written by Peter A. Joy, Henry Hitchcock Professor of Law, School of Law, Washington University in St Louis

Special Counsel Robert Mueller.AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Grand juries play a major role in the U.S. criminal justice system.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has called upon a federal grand jury to help him investigate Russia’s role in the 2016 election. It is a logical step in an investigation where there is some evidence that needs to be be...

Cities need more than air conditioning to get through heat waves

Written by Nicholas Rajkovich, Assistant Professor of Architecture, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

London plane trees, like these in Cadman Park in Brooklyn, New York, are one of the most popular species for shading urban streets.Molybdena, CC BY-SA

In May of this year, a hot spell broiled Boston. In June, extreme temperatures grounded Phoenix’s planes. Last week, Seattle suffered under record temperatures.

When a heat wave is forecast, the...

How Big Pharma is hindering treatment of the opioid addiction epidemic

Written by Robin Feldman, Professor of Intellectual Property, University of California, Hastings

Paul Wright, in treatment for opioid addiction in June 2017 at the Neil Kennedy Recovery Clinic in Youngstown Ohio, shows a photo of himself from 2015, when he almost died from an overdose. AP Photo/David Dermer

“A crippling problem.” “A total epidemic.” “A problem like nobody understands.” These are the words...

How 'Bambi' paved the way for both 'Fallout 4' and 'Angry Birds'

Written by Adam Bargteil, Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Realistic and stylized at the same time.Disney

When “Bambi” premiered in London on August 9, 1942, the fifth film from Walt Disney Animation Studios broke a lot of new ground. It was the first Disney film in which a character’s parent dies early in the film – which is now a common plot device, as in “The Lion...

Reengineering elevators could transform 21st-century cities

Written by Antony Wood, Executive Director, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat; Visiting Professor of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University Shanghai; Research Professor of Architecture, Illinois Institute of Technology

Can technology free elevators from their up-down cages?SIAATH/Shutterstock.com

In the 160 or so years since the first skyscrapers were built, technological innovations of many kinds have allowed us to build them to reach astonishing heights. Today there is a 1,000-meter (167-story) building under construction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Even taller...

US and Mexico immigration: Portraits of Guatemalan refugees in limbo

Written by Oscar Gil-Garcia, Assistant Professor, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Pedro and family.Manuel Gil, CC BY

Many of Guatemala’s refugees produced by its long civil war are still stateless today.

The war lasted between 1954 and 1996 and inflicted significant harm, particularly on indigenous Mayans. The conflict prompted 200,000 Guatemalans to flee to Mexico, where up to 43,000 refugees established settlement camps....

The missing elements in the debate about affirmative action and Asian-American students

Written by Michele S. Moses, Professor of Educational Foundations, Policy, and Practice, University of Colorado

Protest against racial quotas during a rally outside the Supreme Court in Washington in 2015.AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Media reports have stated that the Justice Department under President Donald Trump is planning to investigate a complaint of discrimination against Harvard University brought by a coalition of Asian-American groups.

From our...

Rural America: Where Sam Shepard's roots ran deepest

Written by John J. Winters, Adjunct Professor of English, Bridgewater State University

The Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sam Shepard died of complications from ALS on July 27, 2017, at his home in Kentucky.Jakub Mosur/AP

When Sam Shepard died on July 27 the world lost one of the greatest playwrights of the past half-century. He was an artist renowned for bravely plumbing his own life for material, spinning much of his own pain...

How affordable housing can chip away at residential segregation

Written by Michelle D. Layser, Research Fellow, Adjunct Professor of Law, Georgetown University

A federal housing incentive could have untapped potential.photastic/Shutterstock.com

With the health care debate stalling, Republicans are beginning to make more noise about tax reform. President Donald Trump has promised to make his bid to alter the code his next big battle, as has House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Though the low-income housing tax credit cou...

Heat waves threaten city dwellers, especially minorities and the poor

Written by Merrill Singer, Professor of Anthropology, University of Connecticut

Children run through an open fire hydrant to cool off during the kickoff of the 2016 Summer Playstreets Program in the Harlem neighborhood of New York, July, 6, 2016. AP Photo/Ezra Kaplan

Last week’s record-setting heat in the Pacific Northwest and current triple-digit temperatures in Arizona are the latest reminders that climate change is...