The Conversation

This math puzzle will help you plan your next party

Written by Gary Chartrand, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, Western Michigan University

Mapping connections at your next shindig.unclibraries_commons

Let’s say you’re planning your next party and agonizing over the guest list. To whom should you send invitations? What combination of friends and strangers is the right mix?

It turns out mathematicians have been working on a version of this problem for nearly a century....

The true failure of foreign language instruction

Written by Catherine Snow, Professor of Education, Harvard University

Far fewer Americans speak a second language than in most other developed countries – and the problem starts in the classroom.Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com

A recent report from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences calls for more attention to language teaching in the U.S. The report notes that U.S. students have much less access to...

A trans soldier in the ancient Roman army?

Written by Tom Sapsford, Lecturer, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

The Roman army at the Battle of Cannae. The painting depicts the death of Roman consul Paulus Aemilius.John Trumbull (The Athenaeum / Yale University Art Gallery), via Wikimedia Commons

In a series of recent tweets, Donald Trump proposed to ban transgender people from serving in the U.S. military. This proposal would reverse the inclusive policies...

Henry David Thoreau’s views of 19th-century media resonate today

Written by Mark Canada, Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Indiana University

A statue of Henry David Thoreau in front of a replica of his cabin in Concord, Massachusetts.Chris Devers, CC BY-NC-ND

The world knows Henry David Thoreau as a writer whose perspectives on nature and society remain relevant today.

This summer, Thoreau would have turned 200 years old. What would he say about the media itself, now that Americans must...

Facing the threat from North Korea: 5 essential reads

Written by Danielle Douez, Associate Editor, Politics + Society, The Conversation

People watch news on missile launch in Pyongyang, North Korea.AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin

Editor’s note: The following is a roundup of archival stories related to North Korea.

North Korea has launched repeated tests of ballistic missiles, which it claims are now advanced enough to carry a nuclear warhead as far as the United States. Although experts...

Is your drinking water safe? Here's how you can find out

Written by Susan Boser, Extension Educator, Water Resources, Pennsylvania State University

Six million people in Pennsylvania and neighboring states get their drinking water from the Susquehanna River. Major pollution sources include agriculture, urban development and industry.Nicholas A. Tonelli, CC BY

America’s drinking water infrastructure is aging and in serious need of modernization. Pipes are overdue for replacement, and...

A big hurdle do-good companies face

Written by Saerom Lee, Assistant Professor, Department of Marketing, The University of Texas at San Antonio

Consumers often distrust mission-driven groups that earn profits. Brian A Jackson/Shutterstock.com

Have you ever wondered who collects the clothes you stuff into that donation drop box in your neighborhood? Chances are, you assumed it was a nonprofit, but that box actually may instead belong to a for-profit social venture. If you don’t know...

Are State Department cuts a major setback for genocide prevention?

Written by Nadia Rubaii, Co-Director, Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention, and Associate Professor of Public Administration, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

There are many indications that human rights and international justice are not priorities for President Donald Trump’s administration.

As Foreign Policy has reported, one of the likely victims of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s reorganization and cuts at the State Department...

When do moviegoers become pilgrims?

Written by S. Brent Rodriguez-Plate, Visiting Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Hamilton College

Pilgrims at Lourdes.Nick Thompson, CC BY-NC

Among the millions of travelers heading out for the summer holidays, some are choosing an unlikely destination: a rusted bus on the edge of the Alaskan wilderness.

Fairbanks Bus 142 (aka the “magic bus”) is where the 24-year old Chris McCandless died in 1992. Well-educated and economically...

Welfare as we know it now: 6 questions answered

Written by Laura Hussey, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

When President Bill Cllinton officially ended welfare as we knew it, he was flanked by women who had received Aid to Families with Dependent Children.Reuters/Stephen Jaffee

President Donald Trump’s proposed budget would slice US$21.7 billion over a decade, or 13.1 percent, from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) –...