Gun Violence Is an Epidemic; Health Systems Must Step Up

The rate of gun violence continues to rise across America. There was nearly a 30 percent increase in homicides between 2019 and 2020, making it the largest one-year increase in six decades. The number of gun deaths in 2021 climbed even higher and is approaching the previous peaks in gun death rates in the early … Read more

To Keep Students in STEM fields, Let’s Weed Out the Weed-out Math Classes

All routes to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) degrees run through calculus classes. Each year, hundreds of thousands of college students take introductory calculus. But only a fraction ultimately complete a STEM degree, and research about why students abandon such degrees suggests that traditional calculus courses are one of the reasons. With scientific understanding and innovation … Read more

How Racism in Early Life Can Affect Long-Term Health

The scientific evidence is crystal clear: Early experiences literally shape the architecture of the developing brain. This widespread understanding is driving increased public support for universal pre-K to enhance school readiness for all children and level the playing field for kids who face adversity. But here’s something that’s less well-known by the public: Since the brain is … Read more

Being Denied an Abortion Has Lasting Impacts on Health and Finances

As the Supreme Court decides the future of abortion laws in the U.S., a key question to be considered is whether access to the procedure has positive or negative consequences for the people who get an abortion, and for society in general. Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization concerns the constitutionality of a new Mississippi … Read more

Being LGBT in Geoscience Is like Being Invisible

In 1972, long before conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion became commonplace, the Geological Society of America (GSA) held its first National Conference on Minority Participation in Earth Sciences and Mineral Engineering, where the first formal conversation about the lack of gender, racial and ethnic diversity in geosciences took place. Geoscience was, and continues to … Read more