October 1, 2019 8:55 AM EDT
Our federal labor laws have a loophole: If you can get away with characterizing your employees as “students”, you don’t have to respect their right to unionize. Research institutions have been doing this to prevent graduate student workers, who are paid to teach and perform research for their institution, from forming an effective labor union. It’s a neat trick; could a “Walmart University” be on the horizon? Read more >
September 20, 2019 9:37 AM EDT
Each year, about 1.5 million people in the United States die from these diseases, and poor diet is a leading cause. As Americans, our individualistic mindset often causes us to quickly judge people, even ourselves, for the difficulty we experience trying to eat healthily. However, a close examination of the evidence shows that eating behaviors are strongly influenced by a disease-promoting food environment that is shaped more by corporate profit motives than it is based on our understanding of our neurobiology and nutritional needs. We have the power to reverse this trend and save lives. Read more >
September 11, 2019 11:36 AM EDT
Science increasingly underpins many of the global challenges the world is facing today. In turn, the ever-changing global political landscape also has a significant influence on our ability to pursue science needed to tackle these challenges. And in our interconnected 21st century, domestic policies set in one country inevitably have global repercussions. Read more >
July 30, 2019 10:21 AM EDT
Many factors cause disparities in who has access to healthcare, as well as the quality of the care they receive. Health disparities facing St. Louis are not unique to the city but are intensified by two primary factors: division between the city and county, and extreme racial segregation. Having two separate governments operating in the same municipal area means that multiple initiatives may be formed to tackle the same problems, but never communicate or share resources. While some services – such as the sewer district and certain medical centers – are shared, many more function independently, necessitating that organizations communicate and comply with two sets of legislatures and regulations. Read more >
May 29, 2019 9:50 AM EDT
Learning to be an effective science advocate isn’t just about developing advocacy skills and learning about science policy. It’s also learning about how you make advocacy a sustainable part of your life’s work. It’s easy to get frustrated, burnt out, and want to give up when change isn’t coming fast enough. Strategies for approaching advocacy in a thoughtful way can lead to more long-term gains and also make it feel less overwhelming. Read more >
