Names have incredible significance to families, with so much thought, meaning and culture woven into them.

Rita Kohli, assistant professor of education, on the lasting impact of teachers who mispronounce minority student names


Aedes aegypti is literally probably the most dangerous animal in the world.

Omar Akbari, assistant professor of entomology, on how the spread of Zika virus is adding urgency to gene editing that could allow scientists to program mosquito populations to die off and how this idea is fraught with quandaries



Elizabeth McCarthy, postdoctoral scholar of botany and plant sciences, on how plants that look different from their parent species can have an evolutionary advantage


If you don't collect data on race, you actually don't understand what problems society has.

Karthick Ramakrishnan, professor of political science and public policy, on data disaggregation and how Asian ethnic groups are unfairly classified under the umbrella term, 'Asian'


We used to have fires all the time, and now we're getting huge areas, especially in the Sierra Nevada, where it hasn't burned since the 19th century. And so we're looking at an anomalous buildup of forest fuels and chaparral fuels throughout the state.

Richard Minnich, professor of geography, on the recent wildfires throughout Northern California and how it has much more to do with the current dangerous conditions than drought or climate change


(Star Trek is) built out of one of humanity’s most primal desires, which is to expand and seek out novelty.

Derek Burrill, professor of media and cultural studies, on Star Trek's 50th anniversary and its impact on American culture


Conditions have gotten increasingly bad (for farm workers) in a lot of respects. This really is a historic marker in an attempt to improve conditions for farm workers in a time that’s very rough for workers as a whole.

Devra Weber, associate professor of history, on California becoming the first state to require overtime pay for farm workers after a 40-hour work week


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