Technology
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What is an Ideal Framework to Regulate Exploration in Space?
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When President Obama signed the SPACE Act on November 20, 2015, the U.S. government officially recognized a vision of the future that could previously only be found in the pages of science fiction. Section 51303 of the Act declared: “A United States citizen engaged in commercial recovery of an asteroid…
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A New Warfront: North Korea’s Cyber Threats
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In November 2011, a group of hackers called Guardians of Peace (GOP) attacked Sony Pictures networks in condemnation of The Interview, a satirical movie which targets Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea. Despite the GOP claiming itself to be unaffiliated with the government, an FBI investigation revealed that the North…
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Baby Boomers Are Crowding Out Millennial Scientists
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Scientific innovation has positioned the United States as the global economic leader in the 21st century. However, a 2015 Bureau of Labor Statistics report suggests a problem for the future of STEM in the U.S. The report found that after years of pushing young people to study the sciences, there is a significant…
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Autonomous Vehicles Save Lives, But Barriers Still Abound
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After years of rapid technological advances, autonomous vehicles are poised to revolutionize the motor vehicle industry. As society speeds toward a driverless future, policymakers are looking to implement regulatory mechanisms to maximize the public benefit. In “Preparing a Nation for Autonomous Vehicles: Opportunities, Barriers and Policy Recommendations,” Daniel J. Fagnant…
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Connecting the Disconnected: How Technology Can Accelerate Human Progress
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It is impossible to understate the impact that information and communication technology (ICT) has had on the social and political environment of the 21st century. Scholars have argued that improvements in ICT lead to significant economic growth—in part, by development assistance programs aimed at connecting people to the internet. This…
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Innovation and Climate Change: A Framework for Effective Environmental Policy
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Climate change and environmental degradation may be the greatest existential threats the world will face for generations to come. After entering in to office in January 2017, the Trump administration signaled that it would pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement, dealing a blow to the spirit of global cooperation…
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Risks and Regulations of the Sharing Economy
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The concept of a sharing economy, which includes businesses such as Uber and Airbnb, enables people to utilize an item or service without acquiring actual ownership. While its increasing popularity brings benefits to users, it nevertheless poses a number of risks. In his recent study, “Share and Share Dislike: The…
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Gender, Pop Culture and Politics in Technology: Lessons From the Past
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A study published by UNESCO in 2015 stated that globally, women represented only one-third of all researchers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields as of 2011. Yet, computing was a field heavily influenced by women in the early days of electronic computers. Now, in order to increase gender…
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Using Technology to Enhance Government Transparency and Counter Corruption
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In recent years, advancements in information and communication technologies (ICTs) have revolutionized processes for the exchange of information and allowed for more openness and transparency. Two key types of ICTs have had a strong impact in this regard. The first is “e-government,” which refers to the use of information technologies…
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How Big Data and Education Technology Are Changing K-12 Education
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Gone are the days when someone was overwhelmed with joy simply because Amazon or Pandora correctly discerned his or her tastes. It is no longer a secret that businesses are collecting consumers’ digital footprints and translating them into personalized services through cloud computing and machine learning in this era of…
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Harnessing GPS Data for the Future of Electric Cars in Europe
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Driving a Tesla may sound exotic, but electric cars are anything but a novel idea. The first successful electric automobile in the U.S. debuted in 1891. Over the last century, the development of electric vehicles (EVs) has been intimately tied to the oil market; in recent years, growing environmental concerns have…