The Conversation

More universities are disinviting commencement speakers who might challenge students’ ideas, unraveling an apolitical tradition

Written by Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

College commencement ceremonies celebrate students' achievements, but also have become occasionally fraught with politics. photosbyjim/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Delivering a university commencement address used to simply be a unique kind of honor. Speakers stand before a podium, wearing a traditional graduation cap and robe, and offer graduates...

When a president settles his own lawsuit to create a fund for allies, fundamental questions about justice arise

Written by Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

A banner featuring President Trump on the outside of the DOJ building in Washington, D.C.Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Thomas Hobbes took a very dim view of rebels and insurrectionists. He believed that insurrectionists relinquish their status as citizens the moment they seek to overthrow the government and should never be rewarded for doing so.

Hobbes...

As goes CBS Radio News, so goes the idea that news media should serve the public interest

Written by Matthew Jordan, Professor of Media Studies, Penn State

Former CBS President William S. Paley, left, who once called broadcasting 'an instrument of American democracy,' speaks on his radio network in 1934.Bettmann/Getty Images

When CBS Radio News goes silent on May 22, 2026, Americans will lose access to news programming they’ve tuned into from their living rooms, kitchens and cars for nearly a...

How employers can support workers when they take medical leave

Written by Liza Barnes, Assistant Professor of Management, Drexel University

Sometimes you can't plan ahead before taking medical leave.Drs Producoes/E+ via Getty Images

Car crash. Cancer diagnosis. Mental health crisis. Autoimmune disease flareup.

A serious medical condition can turn your life upside down in an instant, making everyday tasks feel overwhelming. And if you’re employed, you may find that work emails...

Transgender youth and their families struggle to find gender-affirming care – even in states where it’s still legal

Written by Susan Radzilowski, Lecturer in Social Work, University of Michigan

In the face of a confusing and hostile political climate, trans youth and their families are often left to fend for themselves.Chalffy/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Imagine this scenario: In late 2025, a social worker sits down with a transgender teenager and his parents. The family is trying to decide whether, and when, to begin gender-affirming...

EPA is sidelining its independent chemical referee – and that endangers public health

Written by H. Christopher Frey, Professor of Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University

For decades, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has relied on an independent scientific program to answer two basic questions when chemicals come up for review: Does the chemical pose a threat to human health? If so, how much exposure is necessary before it becomes a problem?

The scientists involved in that program, known as the Integrated...

Quantum sensors use atoms, electrons and light as ultra-steady rulers – detecting faint motion, magnetism and gravity for navigation, medicine and science

Written by Alex Krasnok, Assistant Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Florida International University

This device measures acceleration and rotation by shining lasers into small clouds of rubidium atoms.Sandia National Laboratories

Quantum computers get a lot of attention, even though they are not ready for prime time, but quantum sensors are already doing useful work. These sensors measure fields, forces and motion so small that ordinary...

Solar activity follows an 11-year cycle – here’s how it controls eruptions and solar flares

Written by Yeimy J. Rivera, Researcher in Astrophysics, Smithsonian Institution

The Sun's surface is dynamic, affected by convection in its interior. NASA/Solar Dynamics Observatory

When you look up at the sky on a sunny day, the Sun might seem like a bright spot, unchanging in the sky. But the Sun is a complex, dynamic celestial body, wrapped in electrical currents and magnetic fields that constantly move and tangle as it...

For the first time in a decade, the next election could be less secure than the one preceding it

Written by Scott Shackelford, Professor of Business Law and Ethics, Indiana University

The Election Security Group turns intelligence about foreign election threats into warnings and offensive operations.Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images

With the 2026 midterms less than six months away, the Election Security Group would normally be busy helping prepare the nation’s election infrastructure. The federal task force typically...

How you map numbers in your mind isn’t universal, even among people who read the same language

Written by Olga Lazareva, Professor of Psychology, Drake University

Each person organizes quantities and gradients in their own mental space.AMarc/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Imagine taking out a 12-inch ruler and finding that the number 12 is on the left side and the number 1 is on the right side. For most native English speakers, this would be disorienting. We are used to seeing the numbers move from smallest to...