The Conversation

In its troubled hour, polling could use an irreverent figure to reset expectations

Written by W. Joseph Campbell, Professor of Communication Studies, American University School of Communication

Pollsters predicted a much higher vote for Joe Biden, including in Florida, where workers at the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Office in Largo process voters' ballots on Nov. 3.Octavio Jones/Getty Images

Polling is hardly a flamboyant field that attracts a lot of colorful characters. It is a rather reserved profession that now finds...

In appealing to 'give each other a chance,' Biden recalls the democratic charity of Abraham Lincoln

Written by Christopher Beem, Managing Director of the McCourtney Institute of Democracy, Co-host of Democracy Works Podcast, Penn State

President-elect Joe Biden speaks on Nov. 7, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

On Nov. 7, in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, Joe Biden delivered his first speech as president-elect. In declaring victory, Biden spoke directly to those who didn’t support him.

“And to those who voted for President Trump, I understand...

Biden's climate change plans can quickly raise the bar, but can they be transformative?

Written by Edward R Carr, Professor and Director, International Development, Community, and Environment, Clark University

The next administration will need to carefully weigh the economic, social and environmental impacts of both climate change and the policy responses.Jim Watson/Getty Images

The day Joe Biden becomes president, he can start taking actions that can help slow climate change. The question is whether he can match the magnitude of the challenge.

If his...

Buying a coronavirus vaccine for everyone on Earth, storing and shipping it, and giving it safely will all be hard and expensive

Written by Nicole Hassoun, Professor of Philosophy, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Boxing up humanitarian aid at UNICEF's vast warehouse in October of 2020AP Photo

Infectious diseases do not respect borders.

An estimated 3 billion people in low-income countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America are likely to lack access to a COVID-19 vaccine for years after it becomes available. In poor nations, many communities lack the...

Oil field operations likely triggered earthquakes in California a few miles from the San Andreas Fault

Written by Thomas H. Goebel, Assistant Professor, University of Memphis

Activity in the San Ardo oil field near Salinas, California, has been linked to earthquakes.Eugene Zelenko/Wikimedia, CC BY

The way companies drill for oil and gas and dispose of wastewater can trigger earthquakes, at times in unexpected places.

In West Texas, earthquake rates are now 30 times higher than they were in 2013. Studies have also linked...

How you can help veterans every day

Written by Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, Distinguished Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University

U.S. Army veteran Derek Martin gives his son a big hug at a veteran support group cookout on Nov. 7, 2015. Jon Hatch/Digital First Media/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images

As the nation celebrates our 17 million living veterans, it is also important to know that the number of these heroes who are ending their own lives prematurely is rising.

In...

Conservatives backed the ideas behind Obamacare, so how did they come to hate it?

Written by Christopher Robertson, Professor of Law, Boston University

Mitt Romney, left, and Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House, in a presidential debate in Des Moines, Iowa. Both men backed some of the original ideas of the ACA.Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo

The Affordable Care Act is back before the U.S. Supreme Court in the latest of dozens of attacks against the law by conservatives fighting what they now...

How to host a safe holiday meal during coronavirus – an epidemiologist explains her personal plans

Written by Melissa Hawkins, Professor of Public Health, Director of Public Health Scholars Program, American University

Holiday events will need to be a little different due to the pandemic. Funwithfood/E+ via Getty Images

Like many people in this unusual year, I am adjusting my family’s holiday plans so that we can all be safe during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

I am an epidemiologist and mother of four with a large extended family. Given the serious nati...

Russia's rigged elections look nothing like the US election – they have immediate, unquestioned results there

Written by Regina Smyth, Professor of Political Science, Indiana University

Not in Russia: An election observer takes notes as Gwinnett County workers process ballots in Lawrenceville, Georgia, Nov. 6.Jessica McGowan/Getty Images

The 2020 election, in which Joe Biden is the projected winner, is not what a rigged election looks like.

Rigged elections are organized. Vote counts certainly don’t play out in front of the...

Why we didn't get a vaccine by Election Day – but why we may get one soon

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

Pfizer stock surged higher on Nov. 9 after the company announced its vaccine is "90% effective" against COVID-19 infections. KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images

A COVID-19 vaccine was not ready before the general election, as many people, including the president, had hoped. But there are promising signs that one may be available soon.

A sparse press...