The Conversation

The most important dam you probably haven't heard of

Written by Jennifer Drake, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto

Large dams are major nation-building projects. They harness power to generate energy, provide water for large-scale irrigation and can help control flooding. And politicians often describe them as symbols of national power and technical prowess.

The early 20th century is known as the “golden age” of dam building in the United States....

Why has Japan's massacre of disabled gone unnoticed? For answers, look to the past

Written by Rachel Adams, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University

Is there an ongoing ambivalence toward people living with disabilities?James Emery, CC BY

On July 26, 2016 a man wielding a knife broke into Tsukui Yamayuriena, a home for the disabled outside of Tokyo and brutally murdered 19 people as they slept, while injuring another 26. Afterwards, he turned himself in to a local police station, with the...

Guns in Donald Trump's America

Written by Jonathan M. Metzl, Director, Center for Medicine, Health, and Society; Professor of Sociology and Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University

Donald Trump’s new outreach to “minority voters” is already showing signs of strain.

Soon after the shooting death of Nykea Aldridge, cousin of basketball star Dwyane Wade, Trump sent a controversial tweet:

Trump’s missive drew widespread condemnation for its opportunism and insensitivity, particularly in the context of...

Finding better ways to get hydrogen fuel from water

Written by Peter Byrley, Ph.D. Candidate in Chemical Engineering, University of California, Riverside

Hydrogen fueling stations like this could become more common if materials scientists and other researchers keep pushing for new breakthroughs.fueling station photo via shutterstock.com

With hydrogen power stations in California, a new Japanese consumer car and portable hydrogen fuel cells for electronics, hydrogen as a zero emission fuel source is...

A tale of two GDPs: Why Republicans and Democrats live in different economic realities

Written by Ian Anson, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Which economy do you live in?Partisan minds via www.shutterstock.com

Back in 1992, Democratic strategist James Carville uttered his famous recommendation to Bill Clinton ahead of the 1992 election: “It’s the economy, stupid!” Political scientists beat Carville to the punch, though: As far back as the 1950’s, scholars were...

How victims of terror are remembered distorts perceptions of safety

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

Are Americans safe from terrorism?

Forty-nine dead in Orlando, five in Dallas and three in Baton Rouge in 2016. Twelve dead in San Bernardino, three at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs and nine at a church in Charleston in 2015.

In addition, Americans watched ample news coverage of the attacks in Nice and Brussels in 2016, and two far...

Will a merged Tesla-SolarCity put a solar-powered battery in every home?

Written by W. Rocky Newman, Professor of Management, Farmer School of Business, Miami University

The linchpin to Tesla's proposed merger with SolarCity is the Gigafactory and whether it can lower costs and improve battery performance.Tesla Motors

One year ago Tesla Motors announced plans to build its Gigafactory to produce huge numbers of batteries, giving life to the old saying, “if you want something done right, do it yourself.”

By...

Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids sold as counterfeits in deadly new trend

Written by Samuel Banister, Research Fellow, Stanford University

In March and April, 56 people in the Sacramento area were hospitalized after taking Norco brand hydrocodone pills. Fifteen died.

But, as we discovered, these pills were not pharmaceutical hydrocodone at all. They were counterfeits containing fentanyl that were purchased on the street. Fentanyl is an opioid far more powerful than hydrocodone....

How men benefit from family-friendly tenure policies

Written by Kelly Bedard, Professor of Economics, University of California, Santa Barbara

Why aren't there as many female tenured professors?Sarah, CC BY-NC

On Friday, August 26, as we celebrate Women’s Equality Day – a day marking the 96th anniversary of the 19th Amendment that guaranteed women the right to vote – it is a time to reflect both on the progress that has been made on gender equality and on how much work...

Failed coup in Turkey means thousands are voting with their feet

Written by Ibrahim Sirkeci, Professor of Transnational Studies and Marketing & Director of Regent's Centre for Transnational Studies, Regent's University London

Turkey is facing a new danger – brain drain.

On July 15, a group within the Turkish military staged a coup.

It failed. But since then, the Turkish government has restricted rights and freedoms of its people. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has stepped up the pressure on Fethullah Gulen and his supporters. Gulen, a U.S.-based Muslim...