The Conversation

Coal ash spill highlights key role of environmental regulations in disasters

Written by Brian J. Gerber, Associate Professor, College of Public Service and Community Solutions and Co-Director, Center for Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Arizona State University

Environmental regulations generally improve communities' preparedness and resilience during disasters.AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

Heavy rains following Hurricane Florence has led to the release of toxic materials in North Carolina. A breached dam caused the shutdown of a power plant and the release of coal ash – the byproduct of burning coal...

Why do so many people fall for fake profiles online?

Written by Arun Vishwanath, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

Do you want to be friends with this person?Sasun Bughdaryan

The first step in conducting online propaganda efforts and misinformation campaigns is almost always a fake social media profile. Phony profiles for nonexistent people worm their way into the social networks of real people, where they can spread their falsehoods. But neither social media...

Relaxed environmental regulations heighten risk during natural disasters

Written by Brian J. Gerber, Associate Professor of Public Service and Community Solutions and Co-Director, Center for Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Arizona State University

Environmental regulations generally improve communities' preparedness and resilience during disasters.AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

Heavy rains following Hurricane Florence have raised concerns over the release of toxic materials. Ash from coal-fired power plants stored at a landfill has spilled out and the state of North Carolina has said dozens of...

Here's how Trump-era politics are affecting worker morale – and what managers can do about it

Written by Wayne Hochwarter, Professor of Organization Behavior, Florida State University

Politics are creating divides in the office.fizkes/shutterstock.com

Pundits are projecting this year’s midterm elections to be nasty, polarizing and “epic.”

They’re also expected to stress a lot of Americans out in every part of their lives. And that includes at the office.

I recently conducted a study on a broad range of...

Should all Nobel Prizes be canceled for a year?

Written by Brian Keating, Professor of Physics, University of California San Diego

A postage stamp printed in Norway showing an image of Alfred Nobel, circa 2001.catwalker/Shutterstock.com

If you ever meet someone who claims to have nearly won the Nobel Prize in mathematics, walk away: You’re dealing with a deeply delusional individual. While there isn’t, and has never been, a Nobel in mathematics, the desire to claim...

Memo to Kavanaugh's defenders: Passage of time doesn't erase youthful mistakes in the criminal justice system, especially for people of color

Written by Eileen M. Ahlin, Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice, Pennsylvania State University

President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh.AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

The accusation of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, made by California professor Christine Blasey Ford, has been met with a variety of responses.

Among those responses has been the idea that what happens when someone is young should not...

El huracán María causó 2.975 muertos en Puerto Rico, pero gran parte del desastre pudo evitarse

Written by Morten Wendelbo, Research Fellow, American University

Hace un año, el presidente Donald Trump les dijo a los puertorriqueños que deberían estar agradecidos de que el huracán María no hubiera causado una “verdadera catástrofe como sucedió con Katrina” en 2005.

En el momento en que Trump hizo esas declaraciones se habían registrado tan...

One big problem with how Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos are spending a small share of their fortune

Written by Ted Lechterman, Postdoctoral Fellow, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main

Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos are becoming bigger donors.Invision and AP/Evan Agostini

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife, MacKenzie Bezos, recently announced a plan to spend US$2 billion of their $164 billion fortune on homeless shelters and preschools.

Since Jeff Bezos has taken flack for giving away far less of his money than some other...

The US has become a nation of suburbs

Written by Christopher Boone, Dean and Professor of Sustainability, Arizona State University

Suburbanites now outnumber urban and rural dwellers.Ursula Page/shutterstock.com

Since 1970, more Americans have lived in the suburbs than central cities. In 2010, suburbanites outnumbered city and rural dwellers combined for the first time. We Americans live in a suburban nation.

Despite several concerted efforts by city governments to lure...

Binge drinking and blackouts: Sobering truths about lost learning for college students

Written by Jamie Smolen, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Florida

Young adults at a tailgate. Young adults are more likely than older adults to binge drink and are at greater risk when they do.Monkey Business ImagesShutterstock.com

Tens of thousands of college students nationwide will cheer for their football teams this weekend. Some of those who show up for the game after tailgate drinking may not remember the...