The Conversation

Is partisan gerrymandering illegal? The Supreme Court will decide

Written by Jonathan Entin, Professor Emeritus of Law and Adjunct Professor of Political Science, Case Western Reserve University

One person, one vote.David Goldman/AP Photo

One of the first cases that the Supreme Court will hear this term could make a huge difference in how legislative and congressional districts are drawn. In Gill v. Whitford, Wisconsin Democrats claim that Republicans drew lines that virtually guarantee GOP control of both houses of the state legislature.

A...

Defying Trump, Alabama elects Roy Moore – and embraces the same old politics of rage

Written by David Hughes, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Auburn University at Montgomery

The Roy Moore and Luther Strange Republican primary runoff in Alabama wasn’t quiet, staid or dignified.

Set against the backdrop of Strange’s appointment by the former – and now disgraced – Gov. Robert Bentley, Strange and Moore jockeyed to position themselves as President Donald Trump’s most reliable Senate...

Defying Trump, Alabama GOP picks Roy Moore – and embraces the same old politics of rage

Written by David Hughes, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Auburn University at Montgomery

The Roy Moore and Luther Strange Republican primary runoff in Alabama wasn’t quiet, staid or dignified.

Brewing a great cup of coffee depends on chemistry and physics

Written by Christopher H. Hendon, Assistant Professor of Computational Materials and Chemistry, University of Oregon

What can you do to ensure a more perfect brew?Chris Hendon, CC BY-ND

Coffee is unique among artisanal beverages in that the brewer plays a significant role in its quality at the point of consumption. In contrast, drinkers buy draft beer and wine as finished products; their only consumer-controlled variable is the temperature at which you drink them....

What it's like to be gay and in a gang

Written by Vanessa R. Panfil, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Old Dominion University

Some gay gang members are open about their sexuality, but others remain in the closet, fearing they could endanger themselves or the status of their gang. Devin/Pexels, FAL

There are many stereotypes of and assumptions about street gangs, just as there are many stereotypes and assumptions about gay men. Pretty much none of those stereotypes...

Interior Secretary Zinke invokes Teddy Roosevelt as model, but his public land policies don't

Written by John Freemuth, Professor of Public Policy and Executive Director, Andrus Center for Public Policy, Boise State University

Public lands along the south fork of the Snake River in southeastern Idaho.BLM, CC BY

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s recommendations to shrink four national monuments and allow fossil fuel development activities on others is just the latest sign that this administration sees natural resource use and extraction as the highest priority for...

How to select a disaster relief charity

Written by David Campbell, Associate Professor of Public Administration, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Actress Jennifer Garner, a Save the Children trustee and ambassador, helped distribute supplies after Hurricane Harvey.Anthony Rathbun/Save the Children via AP Images

Harvey. Irma. Jose. Maria. Massive earthquakes. Epic floods. As with previous disasters, millions of Americans have already made donations to help with the latest ones.

A telethon packe...

Mexico’s road to recovery after quakes is far longer than it looks

Written by Morten Wendelbo, Lecturer, Bush School of Government and Public Service; Research Fellow, Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs; and, Policy Sciences Lecturer, Texas A&M University Libraries, Texas A&M University

Workers clear debris on Sept. 25, 2017 from the top of a building that collapsed in Mexico City after the Sept. 19 earthquake. AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

In the span of just 11 days, Mexico was devastated by two major earthquakes that destroyed buildings and claimed lives across southern and central Mexico. The official death count was higher than...

The surprising connection between 'take a knee' protests and Citizens United

Written by Elizabeth C. Tippett, Assistant Professor, School of Law, University of Oregon

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones joined his team in taking a knee before a game on Sept. 25.AP Photo/Matt York

Citizens United, the Supreme Court ruling that some fear is destroying American democracy, may also be showing us how to heal it.

The most recent example of this is the reaction to President Donald Trump’s comments suggesting that...

Why don't big companies keep their computer systems up-to-date?

Written by Douglas C. Schmidt, Professor of Engineering, Computer Science and Computer Engineering, Vanderbilt University

It's not so easy to keep up with technology.alphaspirit/Shutterstock.com

The Equifax hack, exposing 143 million people’s personal data to unknown cybercriminals starting in March but not made public until mid-September, was entirely avoidable. The company was using out-of-date software with known security weaknesses. But it appears that with...