The Conversation

Why student absences aren't the real problem in America's 'attendance crisis'

Written by Jaymes Pyne, Quantitative Research Associate, Stanford University

Economic hardships, lack of transportation and family crises can keep kids out of school.Fertnig/E+ Collection via Getty Images

Nationally, one in six children miss 15 or more days of school in a year and are considered chronically absent. Education officials have lamented that all this missed instruction has for years constituted an attendance...

A quick guide to climate change jargon – what experts mean by mitigation, carbon neutral and 6 other key terms

Written by Wändi Bruine de Bruin, Provost Professor of Public Policy, Psychology and Behavioral Science, USC Price School of Public Policy, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Climate jargon can feel overwhelming.Illustration by Dennis Lan/USC, CC BY-ND

As a major U.N. climate conference gets underway on Oct. 31, 2021, you’ll be hearing a lot of technical terms tossed around: mitigation, carbon neutral, sustainable development. The language can feel overwhelming.

“It sounds like you’re talking over...

What did billions in aid to Afghanistan accomplish? 5 questions answered

Written by Mohammad Qadam Shah, Assistant Professor of Global Development, Seattle Pacific University

International Committee of the Red Cross rehabilitation center staff members assist a Taliban member on Oct. 11, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan.Bulent Kilic/AFP via Getty Images

The government of Afghanistan and that country’s economy relied heavily on foreign aid until the U.S. withdrawal. That support is on hold, although the United States and...

The pandemic has made it even harder for one in three Americans to obtain healthy, affordable food

Written by Sheril Kirshenbaum, Associate Research Scientist, Michigan State University

Free bagged lunches are ready for distribution at a public school in Fayette, Miss., on March 3, 2021.AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

The Conversation, CC BY-ND

COVID-19 has made food access more challenging for many communities. In Michigan State University’s Fall 2021 Food Literacy and Engagement Poll, 31% of the people we talked to said the...

From Black Death to COVID-19, pandemics have always pushed people to honor death and celebrate life

Written by Nükhet Varlik, Associate Professor of History, Rutgers University - Newark

Death waits for no man – and pandemics drive the point home.Pieter Brueghel the Elder: 'The Triumph of Death', CC BY

After last year’s Halloween was very much plagued by doubt and worry thanks to a global pandemic with no clear end in sight, Halloween 2021 may feel especially exciting for those ready to celebrate it. Thanks to ongoing...

Supreme Court rulings always include the perspective of a white male, but often exclude viewpoints of Black and Latina justices

Written by David Orentlicher, Professor of Law and Co-Director, Health Law Program, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court on December 3, 2018, in Washington.Jonathan Ernst-Pool/Getty Images

In recent decades, much progress has been made in diversifying the Supreme Court. While only white males served as justices for more than 175 years, the court now includes three female justices, one Black and one Latina justice.

Despite the...

4 key issues to watch as world leaders prepare for the Glasgow climate summit

Written by Rachel Kyte, Dean of the Fletcher School, Tufts University

A mural near the site of COP26, the 26th Conference of Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Glasgow sits proudly on the banks of the river Clyde, once the heart of Scotland’s industrial glory and now a launchpad for its green energy transition. It’s a fitting host for the United...

Type of ultraviolet light most effective at killing coronavirus is also the safest to use around people

Written by Karl Linden, Professor of Environmental Engineering and the Mortenson Professor in Sustainable Development, University of Colorado Boulder

UV light at most wavelengths can kill COVID–19. andriano_cz/iStock via Getty Images

Scientists have long known that ultraviolet light can kill pathogens on surfaces and in air and water. UV robots are used to disinfect empty hospital rooms, buses and trains; UV bulbs in HVAC systems eliminate pathogens in building air; and UV lamps kill bugs...

4 key issues to watch as world leaders gather for the Glasgow climate summit

Written by Rachel Kyte, Dean of the Fletcher School, Tufts University

A mural near the site of COP26, the 26th Conference of Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Glasgow sits proudly on the banks of the river Clyde, once the heart of Scotland’s industrial glory and now a launchpad for its green energy transition. It’s a fitting host for the United...

Kids with obesity need acceptance from family and friends, not just better diet tips, to succeed at managing their weight

Written by Amanda Harrist, Professor in Human Development and Family Science, Oklahoma State University

Obesity intervention programs tend to focus on healthy food and physical activity. But is that enough? kali9/E+ Collection via Getty Images

Hundreds of programs over the past four decades – from the removal of junk food from school vending machines to Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign – have tried to get...