Trending News

Crowd-funded Dams

     Infrastructure development is a major issue in many countries of the developing world. Countries with developing economies often suffer from a negative balance of trade and weak institutions, making lenders unwilling to lend. Governments of these countries are forced to borrow with heavy interest rates, further increasing budget deficits. This cyclical economic problem

A Warmer Climate Means Stronger Hurricanes

The start of the 2018 hurricane season and recent presidential controversy have brought hurricanes back into the public eye. The first major hurricane of the 2018 season, Hurricane Florence, made landfall the morning of Friday, September 14th on the Atlantic coast of the Carolinas. To date, Florence has caused an estimated $38 to $50 billion

Social Insurance: Holes in the Safety Net

This article is part of an opinion editorial series on topics under the umbrella of Social Insurance. Topics have been chosen based on common gaps in knowledge of Social Insurance. Part 1 of this series is on the topic of the social safety net and some groups that fall through its holes. The social safety

Your Latest [Artificial] Intelligence Report

With the technology introduction of the personal assistant Siri and the promise of a completely self-driving car from Tesla soon, artificial intelligence (AI) is radically changing the modern world. AI is an umbrella term to describe advancements that allow machines to learn from experience, adjust to new inputs, and perform human-like tasks. AI learns and

Maternity Care (Or Rather Lack Thereof) in STEM

In recent decades, we have seen an increase in women holding STEM related careers. Today, 25% of workers in STEM fields are female. It is time to begin the conversation on how policies, whether at the institute level or federal level, are going to affect our growing workforce of women. Although reliant on the growing

Major Red Tide Hits Florida Beaches

Red Tide: Swimming not recommended. Shellfish harvest closed. Signs, such as in the associated picture, can be seen at many of Florida’s Gulf Coast Beaches due to a red tide. An excess of toxic microscopic algae in the water is causing a hazard to wildlife, human health, and local businesses. While the current bloom of

Bioterrorism & Chemical Weapons: Part 1

Smallpox blankets given to Native Americans. Gas chambers in concentration camps. Chemical weapons in the Syrian War. Russian spies poisoned by a nerve agent. What do these have in common? Each weaponizes chemical or biological agents. With today's strained political and foreign affairs climate, there is an ever-looming possibility of war and the use of

2017-2018 Monarch Numbers Down: A Battle on Two Fronts

This year's overwintering monarch butterfly population experienced a 14.77% decrease from the previous winter, following the trend of steady decline observed over the past two decades. These overwintering monarchs represent the individuals that survived the long-distance migration from as far north as Canada all the way down to Mexico. Causes of Decline There are several

2017 Nobel Prize in Physics

On Tuesday, October 3rd the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Rainer Weiss, Barry Barish, and Kip Thorne for their contributions to the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). On February 11th, 2016, LIGO announced the first detection of gravitational waves, a monumental moment in science. Gravitational waves were predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916,

The More You Know: Presidential Candidates’ Answers to Science Policy Questions

by Natalie Eldredge The White House, Washington, D.C. by Diego Cambiaso Here's why you should be paying attention to the latest presidential campaign news: whether you hate or love politics, the outcomes of our elections have very real impacts on all of our lives. To catch up on the most recent comments by both candidates,

Zika Virus: The Deadliest Animals on Earth Strike Again

“Zika virus could be bigger global health threat than Ebola, say health experts” – The Guardian “Zika Virus a Global Health Emergency, W.H.O. Says” – The New York Times “Zika virus raises more questions than answers for pregnant women” – Los Angeles Times Mosquito season is about to swing into full force here in the

What's the Point of the International Space Station(ISS)?

On March 1st, astronaut Scott Kelly returned to Earth after 340 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS). But why was he even up there for so long in the first place? What is the ISS? According to NASA, the ISS is a “convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and

Scroll to Top