The Conversation

How Trump's harsh education cuts undermine his economic growth goals

Written by Shaun M. Dougherty, Assistant Professor of Education & Public Policy, University of Connecticut

A student learns to operate a mill in an advanced precision machining class. AP Photo/Carlos Osorio

The Trump administration has some ambitious goals that include trillions in tax cuts, a significant military buildup and a fresh investment in infrastructure.

The White House released details of how it plans to pay for it all in its full budget...

Some graduation gifts really are better than others

Written by Selin Malkoc, Assistant Professor of Marketing, The Ohio State University

'Gift' via www.shutterstock.com

Graduation season is upon us, and for many graduates, it’s a moment they’ll want to remember for the rest of their lives.

Yet families often wonder about the best way to mark this special occasion. The graduation gift, of course, is one way. But then comes the tough part: deciding on the gift.

I recently...

Research transparency: 5 questions about open science answered

Written by Elizabeth Gilbert, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The Medical University of South Carolina

Opening up data and materials helps with research transparency.REDPIXEL.PL via Shutterstock.com

What is “open science”?

Open science is a set of practices designed to make scientific processes and results more transparent and accessible to people outside the research team. It includes making complete research materials, data and lab...

7 in 10 smartphone apps share your data with third-party services

Written by Narseo Vallina-Rodriguez, Research Assistant Professor, IMDEA Networks Institute, Madrid, Spain; Research Scientist, Networking and Security, International Computer Science Institute based at, University of California, Berkeley

Where are all the data going?nmedia via shutterstock.com

Our mobile phones can reveal a lot about ourselves: where we live and work; who our family, friends and acquaintances are; how (and even what) we communicate with them; and our personal habits. With all the information stored on them, it isn’t surprising that mobile device users take...

America's mass incarceration problem in 5 charts – or, why Sessions shouldn't bring back mandatory minimums

Written by Tanya Golash-Boza, Professor, University of California, Merced

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is pushing for stricter sentencing in criminal cases.AP Photo/Frank Franklin II

Today, the United States is a world leader in incarceration, but this has not always been the case.

For most of the 20th century, the U.S. incarcerated about 100 people per 100,000 residents – below the current world average. However,...

The steps that can help adults heal from childhood trauma

Written by Shanta R. Dube, Associate Professor, School of Public Health, Georgia State University

Taking care of your kids can mean taking care of yourself, too.Shutterstock

Editor’s note: May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This article is the third in a series exploring how research into adverse childhood experiences – or ACEs – is helping researchers, therapists, parents, educators and the medical community better...

Why killing coyotes doesn't make livestock safer

Written by Megan M. Draheim, Lecturer in Conservation Biology and Human Dimensions of Wildlife, Virginia Tech

Coyote at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado.USFWS/Flickr, CC BY

Few Americans probably know that their tax dollars paid to kill 76,859 coyotes in 2016. The responsible agency was Wildlife Services (WS), part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Its mission is to “resolve wildlife conflicts to allow people and...

The US and Mexico: Education and understanding

Written by Earl Anthony Wayne, Visiting Professor of International Affairs, Hamilton College

The University of California-Mexico Initiative Education Working Group created Project SOL, an online curriculum program that teaches students in their native language.University of California, Riverside

Last week, officials from the U.S. and Mexico revitalized their commitment to fight cross-border smuggling of drugs, arms and money. U.S....

The rising homegrown terror threat on the right

Written by Arie Perliger, Director of Security Studies and professor, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Mourners embrace at a vigil for Richard Collins III, who was stabbed to death in College Park, Maryland.AP Photo/Brian Witte

The murder in College Park, Maryland of Richard Collins III, an African-American student who had recently been commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army and was days away from his graduation from Bowie State...

When Trump met NATO: Blunt talk and meaningful silences

Written by Simon Reich, Professor in The Division of Global Affairs and The Department of Political Science, Rutgers University Newark

World leaders met in Brussels for the NATO Summit 2017.AP Photo/Matt Dunham, Poo

Donald Trump’s electoral campaign was notable for his abrasive statements and blunt assessments about a variety of issues. Among his more unforgettable claims was his suggestion that NATO was “obsolete.”

This comment was largely founded, it seems, on a...