The Conversation

Why Trump's EPA is far more vulnerable to attack than Reagan's or Bush's

Written by Walter Rosenbaum, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of Florida

The bad old days: Public and political support for the EPA was highest when environmental problems like air and water pollution were more obvious than current problems like climate change or endocrine disruptors. U.S. National Archives

For people concerned with environmental protection, including many EPA employees, there is broad agreement: The...

Cybersecurity of the power grid: A growing challenge

Written by Manimaran Govindarasu, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Iowa State University

Called the “largest interconnected machine,” the U.S. electricity grid is a complex digital and physical system crucial to life and commerce in this country. Today, it is made up of more than 7,000 power plants, 55,000 substations, 160,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines and millions of miles of low-voltage distribution lines....

The transgender bathroom controversy: Four essential reads

Written by Kaitlyn Chantry, Editor, The Conversation

Editor’s note: The following is a roundup of archival stories related to transgender issues in education.

On Feb. 22, President Donald Trump’s administration revoked protections allowing transgender students to use the bathrooms of their chosen gender identity. The joint letter from the Justice Department and Education Department...

How Iranian filmmakers like Asghar Farhadi defy the censors

Written by Kevin Hagopian, Senior Lecturer of Media Studies, Pennsylvania State University

Politics loom over this year’s Oscars, with many bracing for what the winners will – or won’t – say when they ascend the stage before millions of television viewers on Feb. 26.

One nominee, however, has already made a statement.

Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi’s “The Salesman” is one of five films...

Hidden figures: How black women preachers spoke truth to power

Written by Kenyatta R. Gilbert, Associate Professor of Homiletics, Howard University

Sojourner Truth Memorial in Florence, Massachusetts.Lynne Graves, CC BY-ND

Each semester I greet the students who file into my preaching class at Howard University with a standard talk. The talk is not an overview of the basics – techniques of sermon preparation or sermon delivery, as one might expect. Outlining the basics is not particularly...

Seeking truth among 'alternative facts'

Written by Peter Neal Peregrine, Professor of Anthropology and Museum Studies, Lawrence University

Part of what I do as an archaeologist is judge between competing claims to truth. Indeed, you could say this is the entire purpose of science. Before we make a judgment about what is true, there are facts that have to be examined and weighed against one another.

When Trump’s senior advisor Kellyanne Conway made her now infamous reference to...

How undocumented immigrants negotiate a place for themselves in America

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

Once undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers arrive on American soil, they run the risk of being stopped by law enforcement officials who are charged with investigating their status. A Feb. 17 memo released by the Department of Homeland Security reveals how great this risk will be under President Donald Trump.

The department is planning to...

Who exactly are 'radical' Muslims?

Written by Z. Fareen Parvez, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Indian Muslim woman Shagufta Sayyd prays in Mumbai, India.AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool

The Trump administration has been using the phrase “radical Islam” when discussing the “war on terror.” From his inauguration address to remarks to military leaders, President Trump has been warning against “Islamic terrorists.”

Many...

Decades into diabetes, insulin therapy still hard to manage

Written by Israel Hodish, Associate Professor, University of Michigan

Insulin syringes.From www.shutterstock.com

So, your doctor told you that you need insulin therapy for your Type 2 diabetes.

This is a common problem and likely to be more so in the coming years. About 29 million people in the U.S. have Type 2 diabetes, and another 86 million have prediabetes. About one in four people with Type 2 diabetes is on...

Broadband internet can help rural communities connect – if they use it

Written by Brian Whitacre, Professor and Extension Economist, Oklahoma State University

Using the internet is what matters.Woman on laptop via shutterstock.com

Being able to connect to the internet is crucial for many rural Americans. It allows them to buy goods and services that may not be available locally; market their own goods and services to a much larger area; connect remotely with health services that previously required...