The Conversation

Scientists at work: Public archaeologists dig before the construction crews do

Written by Nina M. Versaggi, Director of the Public Archaeology Facility and Associate Professor,Anthropology, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Archaeologists on the front lines.Jonathan Cohen/Binghamton University, CC BY-ND

Armed with my sharpened trowel, 3-meter tape, shovel, shaker screen and peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I joined my first dig as part of Binghamton University’s Public Archaeology Facility back in 1975. Crews of archaeologists were shovel testing the proposed...

Russia's aggressive power is resurgent, online and off

Written by Frank J. Cilluffo, Director, Center for Cyber and Homeland Security, George Washington University

Russia is flexing its cyberattack muscles.Glove with Russian-flag keyboard via shutterstock.com

The Bear is back. It’s happening on the ground in and around Ukraine, inside the virtual inboxes of the Democratic National Committee and at American news organizations. Russian cyberattacks are yielding eye-popping headlines warning not only of a...

Polio eradication effort challenged, but not derailed

Written by Walt Orenstein, Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics, Global Health, and Epidemiology, Emory University

Decades of innovation, collaboration and old-fashioned sweat and tears have yielded the fewest polio cases to date, with the world on the cusp of complete eradication of polio. Yet to date, smallpox is the only disease that has been eradicated.

Those of us who work to eradicate polio have been extremely pleased that the number of polio cases has...

Rebuilding ground zero: How twin mandates of revival and remembrance reshaped Lower Manhattan

Written by Lynne B. Sagalyn, Earle W. Kazis and Benjamin Schore Professor Emerita of Real Estate at Columbia Business School, Columbia University

Lower Manhattan's new skyline.NYC skyline via www.shutterstock.com

From the beginning, rebuilding ground zero was fraught with strategic consequence, for the city of New York and for the nation.

The original World Trade Center complex, completed in 1973, represented the culmination of a decades-long effort to revitalize the city’s founding...

Corporate sponsors at Yosemite? The case against privatizing national parks

Written by John Freemuth, Professor of Public Policy and Senior Fellow Cecil Andrus Center for Public Policy, Boise State University

Camping under the Milky Way, Canyonlands National Park, Utah.Emily Ogden, National Park Service/Flickr, CC BY

The centennial of the National Park Service is inspiring an impressive amount of soul-searching about the agency and the lands for which it is responsible. This is timely and appropriate, as the NPS faces serious challenges that affect the...

The real reason the EpiPen and other off-patents are so expensive

Written by Timothy Holbrook, Professor of Law, Emory University

An injectable medication.From www.shutterstock.com

The rising price for EpiPens, a drug delivery system that is crucial for persons experiencing potentially life-threatening allergic reactions, has resulted in outrage. The price increase, from about US$94 for a two-pack of injectable epinephrine to more than $600 in just nine years, has members of...

David Duke, Donald Trump and the dog whistle

Written by Kirby Goidel, Professor of Communication, Texas A&M University

David Duke, the blow-dried wizard of Louisiana politics, is back. This time he is running to represent Louisiana in the U.S. Senate.

When asked by journalist Tyler Bridges if he appealed to the same voters as Donald Trump, Duke replied:

“He’s getting the same kinds of votes that I have gotten in Louisiana. He’s getting the same...

Fracking and health: What we know from Pennsylvania's natural gas boom

Written by Sara G. Rasmussen, Ph.D. Candidate in Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins University

The fracking industry has been an energy success story: Natural gas prices have decreased as fracking has skyrocketed, and natural gas now produces more electricity than coal does, which has resulted in improved air quality. The first states to begin unconventional natural gas development with fracking have cited potential economic, energy and...

Could gay-straight alliances reduce school bullying?

Written by Robert Marx, Ph.D. Student, Vanderbilt University

One in five students report being bullied in school.Girl Image via www.shutterstock.com

As students across the country zip up their backpacks and get on the bus for the first day of school, many will have more to focus on than memorizing their new schedules or making it to homeroom on time.

For some, the chief concern will be avoiding the bullying...

This little-known pioneering educator put coding in the classroom

Written by Therese Keane, Senior Lecturer in Education, Swinburne University of Technology

Seymour Papert lectures on LOGO, computers and education.Shen-montpellier, CC BY-SA

A man who was arguably the most influential educator of the last 50 years – though he was not widely known to the American public – died on July 31. A respected mathematician and early pioneer of artificial intelligence, Seymour Papert was 88. His career...