The Conversation

Fabiano Caruana is poised to do what no American has done since Bobby Fischer. Here's the path he took to get there

Written by Daaim Shabazz, Associate Professor of International Business, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

U.S. chess grandmaster Fabiano Caruana is set to vie for the world title.Soeren Stache/dpa via AP

Whenever a glimmer of chess talent is spotted in the United States, people often ask: “Is this the next Bobby Fischer?”

In the early 2000s, a diminutive, bespectacled young boy – who by age 9 was already battling seasoned competitors...

Colleges must confront sexual assault and sexual harassment head on

Written by Tricia Serio, Dean of the College of Natural Sciences, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Sexual assault and harassment are prevalent at U.S. colleges and universities.Jason Salmon from www.shutterstock.com

In the past month the National Science Foundation and a bipartisan group of U.S. senators both introduced measures that would require higher education leaders to review and report cases of sexual assault and harassment on their...

FDR's forest army: How the New Deal helped seed the modern environmental movement 85 years ago

Written by Benjamin Alexander, Lecturer in social science, New York City College of Technology, City University of New York

Bridge built by CCC workers, Shady Lake Recreation Area, Arkansas.Jerry Turner, CC BY-SA

Eighty-five years ago, on April 5, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order allocating US$10 million for “Emergency Conservation Work.” This step launched one of the New Deal’s signature relief programs: the Civilian...

MLK's vision matters today for the 43 million Americans living in poverty

Written by Joshua F.J. Inwood, Associate Professor of Geography Senior Research Associate in the Rock Ethics Institute, Pennsylvania State University

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. displays the poster to be used during his Poor People's Campaign in 1968.AP Photo/Horace Cort

On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, while fighting for a 10-cent wage increase for garbage workers. These efforts by King were part of a broader and more sustained initiative known as the Poor...

'Oklahoma!' at 75: Has the musical withstood the test of time?

Written by Ryan Raul Bañagale, Crown Family Professor for Innovation in the Arts, Colorado College

After opening in 1943, “Oklahoma!” was an instant hit and had a run of over 2,000 performances.Charles Lucas/AP Photo

Musicals have long depicted utopian worlds, offering an escape for audiences, if only for a few hours. When Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” premiered in March 1943, the musical was a...

Martin Luther King Jr. had a much more radical message than a dream of racial brotherhood

Written by Paul Harvey, Professor of American History, University of Colorado

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addresses marchers during his 'I Have a Dream' speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.AP Photo

Martin Luther King Jr. has come to be revered as a hero who led a nonviolent struggle to reform and redeem the United States. His birthday is celebrated as a national holiday. Tributes are paid to him on his death...

How Cambridge Analytica’s Facebook targeting model really worked – according to the person who built it

Written by Matthew Hindman, Associate Professor of Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University

How accurately can you be profiled online?Andrew Krasovitckii/Shutterstock.com

The researcher whose work is at the center of the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data analysis and political advertising uproar has revealed that his method worked much like the one Netflix uses to recommend movies.

In an email to me, Cambridge University scholar Aleksandr...

These are the VA's 3 main problems -- leadership isn't one of them

Written by Richard Lachmann, Professor of Sociology, University at Albany, State University of New York

White House physician Ronny Jackson.AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

President Donald Trump dismissed Secretary of Veterans Affairs David J. Shulkin on March 28 because he resisted plans to privatize VA medical services, according to Shulkin.

If confirmed, Shulkin will be replaced by Adm. Ronny Jackson, the White House physician who has no experience...

Cuba's new president: What to expect

Written by William M. LeoGrande, Professor of Government, American University

Leadership changes don’t happen often in Cuba – just one since 1959, in fact. That was in 2006, when President Fidel Castro fell ill and was replaced by his brother Raúl.

Raúl Castro turned out to be a real agent of change. But after two terms as president, the 86-year-old is stepping down. On April 19, the National...

Military mission in Puerto Rico after hurricane was better than critics say but suffered flaws

Written by Birthe Anders, Senior Fellow, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard University

Some 17,000 U.S. troops aided in the Caribbean relief effort after hurricanes Irma and Maria. That's roughly equivalent to the U.S. military's humanitarian mission in the Philippines after Typhoon Hiyan in 2013.U.S. Department of Agriculture

It’s been over six months since powerful back-to-back storms left “catastrophic” damage in...