The Conversation

What Comey learned from theologian Reinhold Niebuhr about ethical leadership

Written by Christopher Beem, Managing Director of the McCourtney Institute of Democracy, Pennsylvania State University

Former FBI Director James Comey.AP Photo/Susan Walsh

While James Comey’s most recent clashes with President Trump are foremost on everyone’s minds, he’s had quite a career. He was the U.S. attorney responsible for taking down the New York mafia, the acting U.S. attorney general who stopped the policy that George W. Bush’s...

Self-driving cars and humans face inevitable collisions

Written by Peter Hancock, Professor of Psychology, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Industrial Engineering and Management Systems, University of Central Florida

Self-driving cars and human-driven vehicles are bound to collide as the technology improves.Tempe Police Department via AP

In 1938, when there were just about one-tenth the number of cars on U.S. roadways as there are today, a brilliant psychologist and a pragmatic engineer joined forces to write one of the most influential works ever published on...

Why are some _E. coli_ deadly while others live peacefully within our bodies?

Written by Erika A. Taylor, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Environmental Studies, Wesleyan University

From a human perspective, some strains are good, some are evil.fusebulb/Shutterstock.com

E. coli outbreaks hospitalize people and cause food recalls pretty much annually in the United States. This year is no different.

Obviously some E. coli can be deadly for people. But not all strains of these bacteria make you sick. In fact, you have a variety...

States are favoring school choice at a steep cost to public education

Written by Derek W. Black, Professor of Law, University of South Carolina

Colorado teachers rally outside the state Capitol April 16 to demand more funding for schools.Colleen Slevin/AP

Teacher strikes are generating a healthy focus on how far public education funding has fallen over the past decade. The full explanation, however, goes beyond basic funding cuts. It involves systematic advantages in terms of funding,...

Lynching memorial shows women were victims, too

Written by Evelyn M. Simien, Professor of Political Science and Africana Studies, University of Connecticut

National Memorial for Peace and Justice.AP Photo/Brynn Anderson

A memorial to victims of lynching in the U.S. is now open in Alabama.

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice is a six-acre site that overlooks Montgomery, the state capital. It uses sculpture, art and design to give visitors a sense of the terror of lynching as they walk through a...

Lynching memorial will show that women were victims, too

Written by Evelyn M. Simien, Professor of Political Science and Africana Studies, University of Connecticut

National Memorial for Peace and Justice.AP Photo/Brynn Anderson

A memorial to victims of lynching in the U.S. opens in Alabama on April 26, 2018.

Argentina's abortion legalization debate ignites soul searching on women's rights

Written by Virginia García Beaudoux, Professor of Political Communication and Public Opinion, University of Buenos Aires

Leer en español.

As an Argentinean scholar of gender in politics, I’m normally called to provide commentary on some fairly depressing statistics.

For example, there are just two women who head Argentina’s 20 federal government ministries. And last year, Argentinean women earned nearly 25 percent less than men for the same work.

In...

Argentinos empiezan a contemplar los derechos de la mujer, comenzando con el aborto

Written by Virginia García Beaudoux, Professor of Political Communication and Public Opinion, University of Buenos Aires

Unas 200 mil mujeres argentinas marcharon el 8 de marzo para el Día Internacional de la Mujer, muchas reclamando la legalización del aborto.AP Photo/Tomas F. Cuesta

Read in English.

Como profesora argentina especialista en género y política, normalmente las noticias sobre las que me toca escribir son bastante deprimentes....

Women in tech suffer because of American myth of meritocracy

Written by Banu Ozkazanc-Pan, Visiting Associate Professor of Engineering, Brown University

Will they disrupt the tech sector? Reuters/Eduardo Munoz

The American dream is built on the notion that the U.S. is a meritocracy. Americans believe success in life and business can be earned by anyone willing to put in the hard work necessary to achieve it, or so they say.

Thus, Americans commonly believe that those who are successful deserve to...

Why genetics makes some people more vulnerable to opioid addiction – and protects others

Written by Jill Turner, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina

Every day, 91 Americans die from an opioid overdose. Rates of abuse of these drugs have shot up over the past 15 years and continue to climb.

Why is this happening? Is there hope for helping individuals with opioid addiction?

From a scientific standpoint, addiction is a disease. And, as researchers who study opioid addiction, we’re hopeful...