The Conversation

Opportunities to practice real-life philanthropy bring academic benefits

Written by Kajsa Larson, Associate Professor of Spanish; Faculty Coordinator of Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project classes, Northern Kentucky University

College students participating in philanthropy-based courses are 38% more likely to graduate. master1305/Getty Images

A crisis shelter for battered women. A nonprofit that provides wigs and makeup for breast cancer patients. An organization that helps parents of children addicted to heroin.

All three of these groups have benefited from US$2,000...

Biden's ambitious energy plan faces headwinds, but can move the US forward

Written by Scott L. Montgomery, Lecturer, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington

Fast electric vehicle charging stations at a rest stop on Interstate 95 in Maryland.Earth and Main/Flickr, CC BY-SA

President-elect Joe Biden calls climate change an existential threat to America’s environment, health, national security and economy, and has promised a clean energy revolution to counter it. Biden has pledged that on his first...

How Joe Biden did so well in Georgia

Written by Bev-Freda Jackson, Adjunct Professorial Lecturer, American University School of Public Affairs

In Atlanta, people gather to dance and celebrate the election of Joe Biden as the next president.AP Photo/Brynn Anderson

For nearly 30 years, the state of Georgia has voted reliably Republican in presidential elections. Not since 1992 has the state backed a Democrat for president. Now, the hand recount of 2020 election ballots has confirmed Joe...

How Biden might stimulate the sputtering US economy: 4 questions answered

Written by R. Andrew Butters, Assistant Professor of Business Economics, Indiana University

The economy will be one of the president-elect's top priorities in January. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

Editor’s note: President-elect Joe Biden has said fixing the economy will be one of his administration’s top priorities when he takes office in January. R. Andrew Butters, assistant professor of business economics and public policy at...

Why Trump's election fraud claims aren't showing up in his lawsuits challenging the results

Written by Steven Mulroy, Law Professor in Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Election Law, University of Memphis

Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani alleges election fraud during a news conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters, Nov. 19, 2020, in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo

There seems to be a real disconnect between the claims of widespread fraud, a stolen election and illegal voting made by President Donald Trump and his allies and the a...

Rural hospitals are under siege from COVID-19 – here's what doctors are facing, in their own words

Written by Lauren Hughes, Physician, Associate Professor of Family Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Small rural hospitals across the country are struggling to find enough space, staff and supplies.AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

It’s difficult to put into words how hard COVID-19 is hitting rural America’s hospitals. North Dakota has so many cases, it’s allowing asymptomatic COVID-19-positive nurses to continue caring for patients to...

Keeping indoor air clean can reduce the chance of spreading coronavirus

Written by Shelly Miller, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder

Open windows and doors to boost air flow and help remove airborne particles. Daniela Torres/EyeEm via Getty Images

The vast majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs indoors, mostly from the inhalation of airborne particles that contain the coronavirus. But in spite of the obvious risks posed by being inside, according to the Centers for Disease...

Amid a raging pandemic, the US faces a nursing shortage. Can we close the gap?

Written by Rayna M Letourneau, Assistant Professor of Nursing, University of South Florida

American Nurses Association, CC BY

With a sharp increase in U.S. COVID-19 cases this fall and hospitals nearing capacity in parts of the Midwest and West, health care workers nationwide are scrambling to save lives – at great personal risk.

But the extraordinary number of people flooding U.S. hospitals has shined a spotlight on another...

COVID-19 vaccines were developed in record time – but are these game-changers safe?

Written by William Petri, Professor of Medicine, University of Virginia

The pandemic rages as the world waits for COVID-19 vaccines.Peter Zelei Images/Getty Images

There are now two COVID-19 vaccines that, at least according to preliminary reports, appear to be 94.5% and 95% effective. Both were developed in a record-breaking 11 months or so.

I am an infectious diseases specialist and professor at the University of...

Five reasons Trump's challenge of the 2020 election will not lead to civil war

Written by Alexander Cohen, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Clarkson University

Pro-Trump supporters, including Infowars host Alex Jones, hold a 'Stop The Steal' protest Wednesday in Atlanta as Georgia's recount nears the end. Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

Some Americans fear that the deep political divisions in the country and President Donald Trump’s determination to challenge the results of the election will cause...