The Conversation

University scientists feel the pain of the government shutdown, too

Written by Nicholas Bond, Washington State Climatologist and Associate Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington

Federal and university employees normally work side by side on many big science projects.ITAE, CC BY-ND

I am very fortunate. My work involves research on topics of interest and importance (OK maybe I’m biased) related to the climate and oceanography of the North Pacific, and the weather of the Pacific Northwest.

My primary office is at the...

Are federal workers being forced into involuntary servitude?

Written by Michael H. LeRoy, Professor of Labor and Employment Relations, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

A TSA employee visits a food pantry.AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

Many federal employees are being ordered by the federal government to work without pay until a spending bill is enacted.

Some workers object, arguing that they are being pressured to show up for work with no clear prospect of a payday. Some individuals have sued claiming that this...

There's a wider scandal suggested by the Trump investigations

Written by Ofer Raban, Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Oregon

The New York district attorney dropped a financial fraud investigation of Ivanka Trump, left, and her brother, Donald Jr., right.AP/Seth Wenig

The scope of financial crimes unearthed so far by state and federal authorities investigating President Trump and his associates is remarkable.

Paul Manafort was found guilty of bank and tax fraud, and faces...

You can't control what you can't find: Detecting invasive species while they're still scarce

Written by Jake Walsh, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Wisconsin-Madison

There are 130 billion gallons of water in Wisconsin's Lake Mendota, and now, trillions of spiny water fleas.Corey Coyle/Wikimedia, CC BY

Most of the 10,000 ships lost to the bottom of the Great Lakes in wrecks over the past 400 years are still lost – hidden somewhere in 6 quadrillion gallons of water. Finding anything in a lake is a lesson in...

Not so long ago, cities were starved for trees

Written by Sonja Dümpelmann, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, Harvard University

In 1919, 1,376 new Norway Maples were planted along streets in Brooklyn.Department of Parks of the Borough of Brooklyn, City of New York

Many cities, in recent years, have initiated tree planting campaigns to offset carbon dioxide emissions and improve urban microclimates.

In 2007, New York City launched MillionTrees NYC, a program designed to plant...

Gene drive technology makes mouse offspring inherit specific traits from parents

Written by Kim Cooper, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego

Genetically engineered mice are invaluable for learning about human disease.

As mouse geneticists, we spend a lot of time waiting for mice to make more mice. Their small size, ease of care and willingness to mate have made mice the “mammal of choice” for scientists for more than a century. Indeed, these wriggly fur balls that strike...

Digital technology offers new ways to teach lessons from the Holocaust

Written by Jennifer Rich, Assistant Professor; Director of Research and Education for the Rowan Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Rowan University

A student speaks with Holocaust survivor William Morgan using an interactive virtual conversation exhibit at the the Holocaust Museum Houston in January 2019.David J. Phillip/AP

When it comes to understanding the horrors of the Holocaust – one of the key aims of International Holocaust Remembrance Day – most millennials are woefully...

What Trump and Pelosi can learn from a different kind of shutdown that crippled the nation

Written by Thomas Kochan, Professor of Management, Co-Director of the MIT Sloan Institute for Work and Employment Research, MIT Sloan School of Management

Two sides of a dispute are at an impasse.

Both refuse to negotiate until the other side gives in to their central demand, with no reason to compromise. Animosity between the parties deepens as they hurl personal insults. The stalemate seems intractable as public costs mount.

While this may sound like it’s describing the government shutdown,...

Venezuela power struggle plunges nation into turmoil: 3 essential reads

Written by Catesby Holmes, Global Affairs Editor, The Conversation US

Can one country really have two presidents?AP Photo/Boris Vergara

Just days after Venezuela’s authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro survived a Jan. 21 military coup attempt, the leader of Venezuela’s opposition-dominated legislature declared himself the country’s interim president.

“I swear to formally assume the...

Data privacy rules in the EU may leave the US behind

Written by Thomas Holt, Professor of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University

Should privacy mean different things depending which side of the Atlantic you live on?pixinoo/Shutterstock.com

France made headlines on Jan. 21 for fining Google US$57 million – the first fine to be issued for violations of the European Union’s newly implemented General Data Protection Regulations. GDPR, as it’s called, is meant...