The Conversation

What Americans can learn from other cultures about the language of gratitude

Written by Jeremy David Engels, Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences, Penn State

A family holds hands and prays before a Thanksgiving meal. skynesher/E+ via Getty Images

Families and friends traditionally gather to express gratitude during this time of year. Many also participate in acts of service and charity as a way of giving back to their local communities.

As communication scholars who study intercultural communication, we...

Want to take an online course? Here are 4 tips to make sure you get the most out of it for your career

Written by Anne Trumbore, Executive Director of Digital and Open Enrollment at the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia

Hiring managers often prefer nondegree credentials from top universities over credit-bearing certificates from for-profit institutions. Drazen_/E+ Collection via Getty Images

The “Great Resignation” has left a lot of people with time on their hands. And while this time may be a welcome respite from the daily grind, most folks will need...

Russian anti-satellite weapon test: What happened and what are the risks?

Written by Wendy Whitman Cobb, Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, US Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies

If a satellite is destroyed, the debris fans out in orbit and poses serious threats to other satellites or crewed spacecraft. ESA/ID&Sense/ONiRiXEL via WikimediaCommons, CC BY-SA

On Nov. 15, 2021, U.S. officials announced that they had detected a dangerous new debris field in orbit near Earth. Later in the day, it was confirmed that Russia had...

Cancers are in an evolutionary battle with treatments – evolutionary game theory could tip the advantage to medicine

Written by Anuraag Bukkuri, PhD Student in Integrated Mathematical Oncology, University of South Florida

Anticipating when cancer cells become resistant to treatment can help oncologists more quickly adjust their therapies.CHRISTOPH BURGSTEDT/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images

Cancer was the second leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2020. Although billions of dollars have been poured into cancer research, the results are still disappointing for...

Congress is waiting on the CBO for its Build Back Better report – but how did fiscal scorekeepers come to be so powerful in politics?

Written by Philip Rocco, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Marquette University

You know they're waiting, just anticipating ... for CBO figures they don't yet possess.Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

“How much will it cost?” This question, perhaps more than any other, bedevils Congress’ efforts to change public policy. And whatever problems a major piece of legislation might purport to...

Journalism in middle America got communities through the pandemic

Written by William Thomas Mari, Assistant Professor of Media law and Media History, Louisiana State University

Journalists and news organizations had to be resilient to serve their communities during the pandemic.Illustration E+/Getty Images

News of the pandemic’s devastating effect on journalism was conveyed by headlines across the nation telling of newsroom closures, layoffs and furloughs.

Journalism was in trouble in 2020. In fact, it had been in...

The concrete effects of body cameras on police accountability

Written by Suat Cubukcu, Professorial Lecturer, American University

Police officers wear body cameras in Oakland, California, on Dec. 4, 2014.Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

Without video evidence, it’s unlikely we would have ever heard of George Floyd or witnessed the prosecution of his killer, a Minneapolis police officer.

The recording of Floyd’s killing echoed the documentation in the deaths of Michael...

How getting kids to make grocery lists and set the table can improve their vocabulary and willingness to learn

Written by Diana Leyva, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh

Children can help make grocery lists and confirm the parent has bought everything on the list. Antonio Diaz/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Reading, writing and math are often thought of as subjects that children learn in school. But as a psychologist who researches how families can help support learning at home, I have found that children can also learn...

Gun violence soared during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study finds – but the reasons why are complex

Written by Paddy Ssentongo, Assistant Research Professor of Neural Engineering, Penn State

Gun violence spiked in more than half of all U.S. states in the first 13 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

CC BY-ND

In a new study, we found that the overall U.S. gun violence rate rose by 30% during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the year before. In 28 states, the rates were...

Infrastructure matters for wildlife too – here's how aging culverts are blocking Pacific salmon migration

Written by Ashlee Abrantes, Ph.D. Candidate in Environmental Science & Policy, University of Washington

A culvert in Seattle's Lake City neighborhood, rated 67% passable for salmon. Ashlee Abrantes, CC BY-ND

As the Biden administration prepares to make the biggest investment in U.S. infrastructure in more than a decade, there’s much discussion about how systems like roads, bridges and electric power grids affect people’s daily lives....