The Conversation

With a tight federal budget, here's where to focus clean energy research funding

Written by Erin Baker, Professor of Industrial Engineering applied to Energy Policy, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Checking the power output of a photovoltaic concentrator array built by Martin Marietta, Inc., at Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico.USDOE/Flickr

The U.S. Department of Energy spends US$3-$4 billion per year on applied energy research. These programs seek to provide clean and reliable energy and improve our energy security by...

6 reasons why stopping terrorism is so challenging

Written by Gary LaFree, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Maryland

Counterterrorism officer at work in Times Square, New York. AP Photo/Kathy Willens

A January 2017 Pew survey showed that Americans rate terrorism as the top priority for the Trump administration and Congress. They put the issue ahead of the economy, education, jobs and health care costs.

For the past 12 years as Director of the National...

6 reasons why stopping worldwide terrorism is so challenging

Written by Gary LaFree, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Maryland

Counterterrorism officer at work in Times Square, New York. AP Photo/Kathy Willens

For the past 12 years as Director of the National...

Breaking down their own stereotypes to give veterans more career opportunities

Written by Eileen Trauth, Professor of Information Sciences & Technology, and Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Pennsylvania State University

Veterans and service members on the job hunt.Office of Congressman Mike Quigley

Military veterans have a higher unemployment rate than nonveterans, according to federal statistics. One reason may be that when veterans seek civilian jobs, they often face stereotypes from hiring managers. But another set of stereotypes may come into play as well:...

US civil service's preference for hiring military vets comes at a hidden cost

Written by Gregory B. Lewis, Professor of Public Management and Policy, Georgia State University

The federal government has long shown a hiring preference for veterans to help them find jobs following their service.Sara D. Davis/AP Images for U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation

An important way the U.S. shows its gratitude to veterans who have fought America’s wars is by giving them a leg up in getting a job with the federal government.

Th...

How data is transforming the music industry

Written by Brian Moon, Assistant Professor of Music, University of Arizona

Data from what we download and listen to can now be mined to create and promote future songs.'Music Men' via www.shutterstock.com

Fifteen years ago, Steve Jobs introduced the iPod. Since then, most music fans have understood this has radically changed how they listen to music.

Less understood are the ways that raw information – accumulated...

What Trump missed in his address on tolerance - American Muslims

Written by David Mislin, Assistant Professor, Intellectual Heritage Program, Temple University

President Donald Trump delivers a speech to the Arab Islamic American Summit on Sunday, May 21, 2017, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.AP Photo/Evan Vucci

President Donald Trump, like his predecessors before him, has discovered the potent language of religious tolerance and interfaith unity when discussing Islam, as he demonstrated in his speech in Saudi...

Mueller's threats to resign reveal his character

Written by Douglas M. Charles, Associate Professor of History, Pennsylvania State University

Former FBI Director Robert Mueller testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington in 2011.AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File

On May 17, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed a special counsel to investigate ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

The man he chose was James Comey’s predecessor as FBI director, Robert...

What is moral injury in veterans?

Written by Holly Arrow, Director, Groups and War Lab, University of Oregon

What is moral injury?Truthout.org, CC BY-NC-SA

On Memorial Day, Americans remember those who died while in service to the country. In the past five years, a large proportion of these deaths have been suicides.

Popular media often link military suicide with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which does indeed have a documented association with...

Yale grad students' hunger strike can't turn the tide for labor

Written by Raymond Hogler, Professor of Management, Colorado State University

Protesters holding a candlelight vigil at Yale President Salovey's home.Local 33 UNITE HERE

On April 24, graduate students at Yale University announced a hunger strike in support of Local 33 of Unite Here, a labor union that represents workers in a variety of industries (including higher education) in dozens of cities across North America.

Their...