The Conversation

How to design a public play space where kids practice reading and STEM skills

Written by Brenna Hassinger-Das, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Pace University

A spinning wall puzzle helps kids develop spatial skills and understand how different objects relate to one another.Sahar Coston-Hardy Photography, CC BY-NC-ND

A park bench can be so much more than just a place to sit and wait. Perhaps it has a puzzle built into it, or weights that allow children to make measurements.

As researchers who study the...

On 50th anniversary of Attica uprising, 4 essential reads on prisoners' rights today

Written by Matt Williams, Breaking News Editor

Some of the demands by prisoners in 1971's Attica rebellion still resonate today.

On Sept. 9, 1971, nearly 1,300 incarcerated men at Attica Correctional Facility in New York state took control of the facility, prompting a multiday standoff with authorities that ended in a massacre.

The incident resulted in the deaths of 43 people, many of them...

¿Por qué se fortaleció la tormenta Ida en el Noreste tan rápido después de haberse debilitado?

Written by Russ Schumacher, Associate Professor of Atmospheric Science and Colorado State Climatologist, Colorado State University

El vecindario de Manayunk en Philadelphia fue inundado por los restos del huracán Ida.AP Images/Matt Rourke

Las lluvias históricas ocasionadas por el huracán Ida desbordaron ciudades en el Noreste del país la semana pasada, golpeando algunas con más de 7,62 centímetros de lluvia por hora. El agua...

Government and charitable actions likely kept millions of Americans out of food insecurity during the pandemic

Written by Craig Gundersen, Professor of Economics, Baylor University

Families found themselves in need of food assistance during the pandemic.Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto

Despite the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the vulnerable in the United States, the percentage of Americans in food-insecure households held steady in 2020 at 10.5%, figures released on Sept. 8, 2021, show.

Although unchanged from 2019, the...

Black Lives Matter: How far has the movement come?

Written by Kwasi Konadu, Professor in Africana & Latin American Studies, Colgate University

Many grassroots Black Lives Matter activists are demanding more accountability and transparency from the movement's increasingly centralized and well-funded leadership.Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Black Lives Matter has been called the largest civil movement in U.S. history. Since 2013, local BLM chapters have formed nationwide to...

Packaging generates a lot of waste – now Maine and Oregon want manufacturers to foot the bill for getting rid of it

Written by Jessica Heiges, PhD Candidate in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley

Packaging for consumer products represents a large share of U.S. solid waste, and barely half of it is recycled. iStock via Getty Images

Most consumers don’t pay much attention to the packaging that their purchases come in, unless it’s hard to open or the item is really over-wrapped. But packaging accounts for about 28% of U.S....

What schools teach about 9/11 and the war on terror

Written by Jeremy Stoddard, Professor of Curriculum & Instruction, University of Wisconsin-Madison

A survey of U.S. history teachers found they teach about 9/11 primarily on the date of the anniversary. Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images

The phrase “Never Forget” is often associated with the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But what does this phrase mean for U.S. students who are too young to remember? What are...

The science of product placements – and why some work better than others

Written by Beth L. Fossen, Assistant Professor of Marketing Kelley School of Business, Indiana University

New Balance shoes are front and center in a scene from 'Ted Lasso.'Product Placement Blog/Universal Television

In “The Variant,” an episode from the Disney+ hit streaming show “Loki,” it’s tough to miss the barrage of product placements, with fast-paced action and dialogue taking place in front of Charmin toilet paper,...

Data science education lacks a much-needed focus on ethics

Written by Jeffrey C. Oliver, Data Science Specialist, University of Arizona

Undergraduate students need to learn the responsible use of data science as well as the nuts and bolts.Hill Street Studios/Stone via Getty Images

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

Undergraduate training for data scientists - dubbed the sexiest job of the 21st century by Harvard Business Review - falls...

How threats of hellfire helped keep 'immodest' women in their place – from the ancient world to 'My Unorthodox Life'

Written by Meghan Henning, Associate Professor of Christian Origins, University of Dayton

For centuries, societies have used visions of the afterlife to discipline people's behavior.DEA / G. Nimatallah/De Agostini via Getty Images

In the opening of Netflix’s popular new show “My Unorthodox Life,” fashion mogul Julia Haart explains that she grew up thinking that dressing provocatively had eternal consequences:

“It...