The Conversation

Donor-advised funds: Charities with benefits

Written by Philip Hackney, James E. & Betty M. Phillips Associate Professor of Law, Louisiana State University

Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan are giving billions to charity through their donor-advised fund instead of a traditional foundation.Jeff Chiu/AP Photo

Can you guess which U.S. organization raised the most money through charitable contributions in 2015? When we ask our students this question, most figure it was the United Way, the Salvation Army...

Techniques of 19th-century fake news reporter teach us why we fall for it today

Written by Petra S. McGillen, Assistant Professor of German Studies, Dartmouth College

German journalist and novelist Theodor Fontane.Wikimedia Commons

Donald Trump appears to have a straightforward definition of fake news: Stories that are critical of him or his presidency are “fake,” while those that praise him are “real.”

On the surface, the logic doesn’t hold up. But at the same time, the way Trump...

What's at stake as President Trump sits down with China’s Xi

Written by Greg Wright, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of California, Merced

The U.S. and China together account for one-third of global economic output, so there is a lot at stake as President Donald Trump meets with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, not least the fate of the world economy over the next few years.

And it is precisely the magnitude of the stakes involved that has led some observers to assume that both...

Yes, we can do 'sound' climate science even though it's projecting the future

Written by Kevin Trenberth, Distinguished Senior Scientist, National Center for Atmospheric Research

Nobody can observe events in the future so to study climate change, scientists build detailed models and use powerful supercomputers to simulate conditions, such as the global water vapor levels seen here, and to understand how rising greenhouse gas levels will change Earth's systems.NCAR/UCAR, CC BY-NC-ND

Increasingly in the current U.S....

With new technology, mathematicians turn numbers into art

Written by Frank A. Farris, Associate Professor of Mathematics, Santa Clara University

Mathematical visualization techniques led the author to create this virtual scene, showing shapes from the realm of mathematics bursting into the physical world.Frank Farris, CC BY

Once upon a time, mathematicians imagined their job was to discover new mathematics and then let others explain it.

Today, digital tools like 3-D printing, animation and...

Bosnia's 25-year struggle with transitional justice

Written by Brian Grodsky, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Graves at the memorial center Potocari, near SrebrenicaAP Photo/Amel Emric

The Bosnian war started 25 years ago this week.

Although bombs ceased falling in 1995, in many ways the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) are as divided as ever. The past two decades have repeatedly shown that divisions exacerbated by the war continue to permeate...

The unique case for rural charter schools

Written by Karen Eppley, Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, Pennsylvania State University

Rural schools are an often overlooked part of the public education system.Sascha Erni/flickr, CC BY

The recent appointment of Betsy DeVos as secretary of education has brought rural schools into the national conversation in ways never seen before. At her confirmation hearing, DeVos said that guns might have a place in schools in order to protect...

How the Trump budget undercuts security risks posed by pandemics

Written by Maureen Miller, Professor, Columbia University Medical Center

President Trump proposed a US$54 billion military budget increase to solidify the security of our nation. However, the government also recognizes pandemic threats as an issue of national security – one that knows no borders.

In the last four years, we have faced the Ebola epidemic – contained after significant loss of life – and...

Facial recognition is increasingly common, but how does it work?

Written by Jessica Gabel Cino, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Law, Georgia State University

Mapping a face is the starting point.Anton Watman/shutterstock.com

The Trump administration’s efforts to impose new immigration rules drew attention – and legal fire – for its restrictions on the ability of people born in certain majority Muslim countries to enter the U.S. In the frenzy of concern, an obscure piece of the...

Farmers can profit economically and politically by addressing climate change

Written by Matthew Russell, Resilient Agriculture Coordinator, Drake University

President Trump, congressional Republicans and most American farmers share common positions on climate change: They question the science showing human activity is altering the global climate and are skeptical of using public policy to reduce greenhouse gas pollution.

But farmers are in a unique position to tackle climate change. We have the...