The Conversation

Cybathlon: A bionics competition for people with disabilities

Written by Robert Riener, Professor of Sensory-Motor Systems, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

Millions of people worldwide rely on orthotics, prosthetics, wheelchairs and other assistive devices to improve their quality of life. In the United States alone, there are more than 1.6 million people with limb amputations. The World Health Organization estimates the number of wheelchair users to be about 65 million people worldwide.

It is...

Who should pay for our corn ethanol policy – Big Oil or gas stations?

Written by Tristan R. Brown, Assistant Professor of Energy Resource Economics, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Ethanol made from corn goes into our gas tanks. Now refiners who pay for the subsidy are complaining of rising costs. armydre2008/flickr, CC BY

When most of us refuel our car or truck with gas, we’re also filling up with ethanol – the E10 label on many gas pumps indicates that 10 percent of the fuel is ethanol.

The reason we run our...

Immigration: Five essential reads

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

Editor’s note: The following is a roundup of archival stories related to immigration and the presidential campaign.

Donald Trump took a last-minute trip to Mexico on Wednesday. He met with President Enrique Peña Nieto before appearing at a rally in Arizona, in which he sought to clarify his positions on immigration.

Those who were...

Why Colin Kaepernick is like George Washington

Written by Christopher Sebastian Parker, Associate Professor, Political Science, University of Washington

If you haven’t heard by now, the star quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Colin Kaepernick, refused to stand for the national anthem over the weekend.

This wasn’t the first time, and he plans to continue until conditions for people of color improve:

“I’ll continue to sit. I’m going to continue to stand with the...

To fix America’s child care, let’s look at the past

Written by Corey Shdaimah, Associate Professor, University of Maryland

Why is America missing good-quality child care?Philippe Put, CC BY

In what might be the most contentious election campaign season yet, the main presidential candidates seem to agree on at least one issue – that the policy around child care for American families needs improvement.

Donald Trump has said he would expand tax credits to enable...

How does a computer know where you're looking?

Written by Ann McNamara, Associate Professor of Visualization, Texas A&M University

How much information is too much? And where should it go?Heads-up display image from shutterstock.com

Imagine driving a car, using a heads-up display projection on the windshield to navigate through an unfamiliar city. This is augmented reality (AR); the information is used to not only guide you along a route, but also to alert you to salient...

Want to prevent lone wolf terrorism? Promote a 'sense of belonging'

Written by Robert F. Barsky, Professor of English and French Literatures, and Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University

This September, as they start the school year, French children aged 14 years old and upwards are going to get lessons on how to deal with a terrorism attack on their school. Meanwhile, the debate over the ban on wearing burkinis and whether they are, in the words of France’s prime minister, “a political sign of religious...

The U.S. wants Costa Rica to host refugees before they cross the border. Here's why

Written by Caitlin Fouratt, Professor of International Studies, California State University, Long Beach

San José, Costa Rica.Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Violence in Central America continues to push its citizens to seek refuge.

In July, the U.S. government announced a plan for Costa Rica to temporarily host up to 200 refugees from Central America while they are processed for placement in the U.S. or elsewhere.

Violence is an ongoing problem in...

Obama's Hawaiian marine preserve: Massive potential, monumental challenges

Written by Char Miller, W. M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis, Pomona College

The endangered Hawaiian monk seal is one of the 7,000 species that gained a measure of protection. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, CC BY

President Obama’s environmental record just went big. On August 26, he quadrupled the size of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the center of the Pacific Ocean, northwest of...

Is the Trans-Pacific Partnership dead? Seven essential reads

Written by Bryan Keogh, Editor, Economics and Business, The Conversation

President Obama plans to make a last-ditch push to get Congress to approve his signature Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal by urging senators to pass it in a lame-duck session after the election. The chances of that happening appear slim at best, however. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has already indicated he won’t bring it...