In the News
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December 6, 2021
“In the hands of state legislatures committed to eradicating abortion access, and federal appeals courts stacked with judges nominated to do the same, abortion access will be dramatically curbed. … Clinics will close. States will have accomplished what overruling Roe in its entirety would allow them to do: eliminate abortion access in many states,” wrote Leah Litman, assistant professor of law.
NBC News -
December 3, 2021
Joseph Eisenberg, professor of epidemiology and global public health, says travel bans could help buy time for vaccine makers, but there could be a big cost in future reporting of new strains: “The cost-benefit obviously is if the ban results in these countries being less likely to do this kind of surveillance and provide this kind of information that’s incredibly valuable about new strains because they don’t want these repercussions of having these travel bans, then the net may be a negative with respect to the future.”
USA Today -
December 3, 2021
“Launching a new program like this is destined to be a failure. Poor families will be the most affected since they will have to navigate a system that not even policymakers seem to understand besides dealing with the uncertainties about the program’s future,” said Luciana de Souza Leão, assistant professor of sociology, on a program proposed by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to beef up financial assistance to the less fortunate ahead of next year’s election.
The Washington Post -
December 3, 2021
“We’re trying to bring people from different parts of the university — not only engineers, but we have people from across disciplines such as psychology, more human-machine-interaction type people, because there are lots of angles to this problem we are trying to solve when it comes to safety,” said Necmiye Ozay, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, on creating a group of varied thinkers to tackle the challenges of driverless technology.
BBC -
December 2, 2021
“Kids have been through enough these last two years. I think families recognize that, and don’t want their children to endure any additional trauma,” said Gabriel DellaVecchia, research fellow in education, who favors allowing parents to decide whether their child repeats a grade. “I don’t like the fact that it’s the government that tells (parents), ‘We’re going to retain your kid.’ This idea that you can’t learn later or get caught up is false.”
The 74 -
December 2, 2021
The more parents talk with their preschool children during shared TV time, the more likely those kids are to have higher curiosity levels when they reach kindergarten, says Prachi Shah, associate professor of pediatrics and psychiatry: “Our findings reinforce the importance of parent conversation to promote early childhood development and curiosity, especially for children from under-resourced families.”
Asian News International (India) -
December 2, 2021
Elyce Rotella, lecturer of economic history, says the invention of the typewriter — along with other pieces of technology like adding machines and the Dictaphone — was a critical factor driving women into the office: “All of these machines transform the office and dramatically increase the size of the clerical labor force and create opportunities for women. But the typewriter is key. It’s not the key, but it is certainly crucial.”
Marketplace -
December 1, 2021
“When the American public sees giant and highly profitable corporations paying no tax, it undermines their faith that the tax code is fair. … Making companies pay at least 15 percent in taxes on the profits they report to shareholders sounds like a good idea because it is. It’s a smart policy that will improve the tax code and help finance investments in the nation’s future,” wrote Reuven Avi-Yonah, professor of law.
CNN -
December 1, 2021
“I think that inflation in 2022 will be at a lower rate than inflation in 2021. … Sometimes when people think about inflation, they think that the problem is the price is getting higher. But the problem is really demand outstripping supply, and inflation is a way to bring that into balance,” said Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics.
Marketplace -
December 1, 2021
“I don’t think there’s anything unique about Michigan,” said Adam Lauring, associate professor of microbiology and immunology, on the state’s COVID-19 surge. “This is exactly what happened in November of last year. The timing is almost exact. … Until we build up enough immunity, through vaccination or infection, we’re going to continue to have these surges.”
The Guardian (U.K.)
