The Conversation

Far-right activists on social media telegraphed violence weeks in advance of the attack on the US Capitol

Written by Alex Newhouse, Research Lead, Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism, Middlebury Institute of International Studies

The people who attacked the U.S. Capitol building lived up to their word to engage in violence.Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

The attack on the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6 was shocking, but no one following right-wing activity on social media should have been surprised. The attempt by President Donald Trump’s far-right supporters...

After a record 22 billion-dollar disasters in 2020, it's time to overhaul US disaster policy – here's how

Written by A.R. Siders, Assistant Professor, Disaster Research Center, University of Delaware

In a year tied for the warmest on record globally, the U.S. was hit with costly hurricanes, wildfires, storms and drought.AP Photo/Noah Berger and Gerald Herbert

The year 2020 broke disaster records across the country in destructive and expensive ways. The Atlantic had so many hurricanes, meteorologists ran out of tropical storm names for only the...

Gaming has benefits and perils – parents can help kids by playing with them

Written by Katie Headrick Taylor, Associate Professor of Learning Sciences and Human Development, University of Washington

Playing games can offer an insider's perspective on screen time quality and quantity.James Sheppard/Future via Getty Images

As the pandemic forced many Americans to hunker down at home, the video game industry saw record spending and profits in 2020. Interacting with other people through gaming became, for some players, essential for social...

What the 'doctor' title means for women of color with doctorates

Written by Cecilia E. Suarez, Assistant Professor, University of Florida

Despite their high level of education, women of color with Ph.D.s say they are still treated differently in their academic fields. Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Editor’s note: In a Dec. 11 Wall Street Journal op-ed, conservative author Joseph Epstein sparked widespread backlash, especially from women in academia, when he...

5 strategies for cultivating hope this year

Written by Jacqueline S. Mattis, Dean of Faculty, Rutgers University - Newark

How do we find hope when times are bleak?Peter Muhly/AFP via Getty Images

The raging coronavirus pandemic, along with political turbulence and uncertainty, have overwhelmed many of us.

From almost the start of 2020, people have been faced with bleak prospects as illness, death, isolation and job losses became unwelcome parts of our reality. On...

Thousands of Brazilians who won elections as Black candidates in 2020 previously ran for office as white

Written by Andrew Janusz, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Florida

Brazilian politicians' newfound embrace of Blackness leaves some of their Afro-Brazilian constituents skeptical.Dimitrii_Guzhanin/Getty

Brazil is undergoing a strange racial reckoning after bombshell revelations that thousands of veteran politicians had changed their self-identified race between the 2016 and 2020 elections.

Afro-Brazilians –...

The uncomfortable questions facing Capitol Police over the security breach by MAGA mob

Written by Tom Nolan, Associate Professor of Sociology, Emmanuel College

Outnumbered and overwhelmed.Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

When die-hard Trump supporters are able to storm the U.S. Capitol and forcefully occupy offices in the House and the Senate, questions over security are going to be asked.

I am an academic criminologist who in an earlier life served as a senior policy adviser at the...

Vaccine delays reveal unexpected weak link in supply chains: A shortage of workers

Written by Anna Nagurney, John F. Smith Memorial Professor of Operations Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Seniors in Fort Myers, Fla. wait for their COVID-19 vaccinations. At this site, 800 doses of vaccine were available.Octavio Jones via Getty Images

After the initial excitement following the authorization of the first COVID-19 vaccines, a harsh reality set in. People who want a vaccine can’t get it, some counties have more than others and olde...

It is difficult, if not impossible, to estimate the size of the crowd that stormed Capitol Hill

Written by Steve Doig, Professor of Journalism, Arizona State University

It is very difficult to estimate the size of the crowd that stormed Capital Hill because there is no aerial imagery.Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

Editor’s note: Stephen Doig is a data journalist and journalism professor at Arizona State University. In this interview, he explains good techniques for estimating crowd sizes, and why...

Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther gives a boost to diversity in STEM – a Black engineer's take on personal and professional inspiration

Written by Karl Zelik, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Vanderbilt University

Chadwick Boseman's portrayal of the Black Panther was an inspiration to people of color in science, technology, engineering and math fields.Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP

Chadwick Boseman played a superhero on the big screen, but he had a real-life superpower – the ability to inspire the next generation of underrepresented scientists, engineers and...