The Conversation

Should we scoff at the idea of love at first sight?

Written by James Kuzner, Associate Professor of English, Brown University

Jules Salles-Wagner's 1898 painting 'Romeo and Juliet.'Wikimedia Commons

For a lecture course I teach at Brown University called “Love Stories,” we begin at the beginning, with love at first sight.

To its detractors, love at first sight must be an illusion – the wrong term for what is simply infatuation, or a way to sugarcoat...

What teenagers need to know about cybersecurity

Written by Sanjay Goel, Professor of Information Technology Management, University at Albany, State University of New York

Everyone's using technology – but they're not all as safe as they could be.Akhenaton Images/Shutterstock.com

Now that school is back in session, many high schoolers have new phones, new computers and new privileges for using their devices – and new responsibilities too. High schoolers today are more technology-savvy than average adults....

US prisoners' strike is reminder how commonplace inmate labor is – and that it may run afoul of the law

Written by Ruben J. Garcia, Professor of Law, Co-Director of UNLV Workplace Law Program, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Prisoners in 17 U.S. states went on strike on Aug. 21 by refusing to eat or work to call attention to a number of troubling issues, including dilapidated facilities, harsh sentences and other aspects of mass incarceration in America.

As we approach Labor Day, the strike places a spotlight on the questionable practice of putting prisoners to work...

This 19th-century argument over federal support for Christianity still resonates

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

President Donald Trump with pastor Paula White during a dinner for evangelical leaders in the White House, on Aug. 27, 2018.AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Since taking office, President Trump and his administration have strongly championed religious liberty, but only of a particular kind. At this week’s White House dinner for evangelical leaders,...

Cafeteros en Colombia luchan por adaptarse a un clima cambiante

Written by Jessica Eise, Ross Fellow in the Brian Lamb School of Communication Doctoral Program, Purdue University

El fértil y montañoso terreno del eje cafetero de Colombia sufre el tremendo impacto de los cambios climáticos, como implacables tormentas y más altas temperaturas.Eddy Milfort/flickr, CC BY-SA, CC BY , CC BY

En la región cafetera de Risaralda, Colombia, pequeños arbustos se alinean a lo largo de la...

Teaching the public more science likely won't boost support for funding, but sparking their curiosity might

Written by Matthew Motta, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Science of Science Communication, University of Pennsylvania

Kindling interest might be better than filling people with facts.Chris Nguyen/Unsplash, CC BY

After 19 months without a director, the Trump administration recently tapped meteorologist Kelvin Droegemeier to lead the the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy. Perhaps surprisingly, given the administration’s previous...

Making college more affordable

Written by Jill Tiefenthaler, President, Colorado College

Has the cost of higher education in the U.S. put college out of financial reach? DRogatnev/www.shutterstock.com

Editor’s note: When it comes to the cost of higher education in the U.S., signs of trouble abound.

For instance, states now rely more heavily on tuition to finance their public colleges and universities than on government funding.

Priv...

Los Angeles wants to use the Hoover Dam as a giant battery. The hurdles could be more historical than technical

Written by Anthony F. Arrigo, Associate Professor, Writing Rhetoric and Communication, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

The shrinking supply of Colorado River water is evident at the Hoover Dam on the border of Arizona and Nevada.AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

Los Angeles is looking into whether it should spend an estimated US$3 billion on a massive, 20-mile underground pumped hydropower storage system that would be connected to the iconic Hoover Dam on the Colorado...

For the parents of gender-nonconforming kids, a new approach to care

Written by Tey Meadow, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Columbia University

Self-knowledge rarely comes packaged in a single coherent narrative. Yet this is the expectation we have of the children in our lives.Billion Photos

Ari had a difficult time talking about his gender.

He had always been feminine, insisting on wearing only androgynous clothing, flowing pants in bright colors, patterned shirts and scarves. His hair...

Why synthetic marijuana is so risky

Written by C. Michael White, Professor and Head of the Department of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut

This photo provided by New York Police Department shows packets of synthetic marijuana seized after a search warrant was served at a newsstand in Brooklyn, New York.New York Police Department/AP Photo

The Green, a gathering place in New Haven, Connecticut, near Yale University looked like a mass casualty zone, with 70 serious drug overdoses over a...