Policy

Addressing bullying in STEM: a call for UGA to empower trainees

Bullying in academia Bullying continues to be a problem in academia. A recent global survey showed that 59% and 84% of participants either witnessed or experienced abusive supervision behaviors, respectively. Bullying in academia is difficult to address because a power differential exists within the mentor-mentee relationship. Graduate students and postdoctoral researchers (both referred to as

Image of a cycad

Botanical blackmarket: the hidden world of cycad poaching

A text comes in. It reads “Meet me at the abandoned gas station past Lexington and Thomas.” The car starts up and heads down the dimly lit streets. Soon, headlights illuminate the dark gas station. There is already a truck parked behind the shuttered garage. The buyer opens their car door and steps toward the

Wall of Destruction: The impact of the US-Mexico Border wall on wildlife

Growing up in Arizona, we were told that people could go to jail for damaging a Saguaro cactus. Saguaros are a protected symbol of the Southwest. Yet in 2019, videos shot by Kevin Dahl, the Arizona Senior Program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, recorded bulldozers uprooting Saguaro cacti and other desert shrubs at

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

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

Science Advising: Shaping Our Past, Present, and Future

Kelvin Droegemeier– you may be wondering why the internet has suddenly exploded with information about this man. Dr. Droegemeier was recently appointed to the prestigious position of Director of the Office of Science Technology and Policy (OSTP) under the Trump Administration. As OSTP Director (otherwise known as the President's Science Advisor), Dr. Droegemeier will be

Right To Try, A Legislative Placebo

On May 30th President Trump signed the “Right to Try Act” into law. This legislation lets terminally ill patients try experimental medications that have completed Phase 1 clinical trial testing but have not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). On the surface, this legislation seems like a victory for patients without

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