Question of the Week

As we look forward to 2023, the health of the domestic economy remains a concern as high costs linger, hiring slows, and salaries stagnate. Many industries in the United States and abroad have increased costs due to supply chain issues and other factors, leading to some of the highest inflation in recent memory. In this episode Doug Most and Laurence Kotlikoff discuss inflation and the changing economic landscape, domestically and globally. 

For the transcript for this episode, visit: https://www.bu.edu/article/2022/how-will-inflation-affect-the-economy-in-2023/

Learn more about Kotlikoff’s research here: https://www.bu.edu/econ/profile/laurence-j-kotlikoff/
https://kotlikoff.net/

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As awareness of its importance rises, mental health has become a topic of much discussion in higher education, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. SPH researcher Sarah Lipson investigates mental health impacts among young people, primarily students. In this episode Sophie Yarin and Lipson discuss new insights and numbers behind the ever-changing mental health landscape in higher education

For the transcript for this episode, visit: https://www.bu.edu/articles/2022/the-conversation-around-mental-health-is-changing/

Have a question or topic idea for a future episode? Send an email to today@bu.edu. Bonus points if you attach a voice memo with your question.

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Maxwell Palmer, an associate professor of political science at Boston University, discusses the history of midterm elections and provides background on what has shifted in Massachusetts since 2014. Palmer also explains how he thinks things might play out in the upcoming elections, and reminds listeners of the importance of voting in every election.

For the transcript for this episode, visit: https://www.bu.edu/articles/2022/why-are-midterm-elections-important

Register to vote here - https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote

Have a question or topic idea for a future episode? Send an email to today@bu.edu. Bonus points if you attach a voice memo with your question.

Never miss an episode. Subscribe to Question of the Week anywhere you listen to podcasts.

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Jonathan Feingold, a Boston University School of Law associate professor, discusses the history of affirmative action in the United States and provides details into how policies can shape race relations in higher education. He also analyzes how he thinks the two upcoming Supreme Court cases involving Harvard and UNC will play out.  

For the transcript for this episode, visit: https://www.bu.edu/articles/2022/will-the-supreme-court-end-affirmative-action/

Never miss an episode. Subscribe to Question of the Week anywhere you listen to podcasts. 

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We all know someone—perhaps an uncle or a friend’s mom on Facebook—who is a climate change denier. Although the science is clear, misinformation still runs rampant, says Arunima Krishna, COM assistant professor of mass communication, advertising, and public relations, who studies public perceptions of climate change. In this episode, Krishna explains how climate misinformation spreads, who believes it, and how to engage with people who deny climate change. 

This episode uses clips from here, here, here, here, and here. 

Have a question or topic idea for a future episode? Send an email to today@bu.edu. Bonus points if you attach a voice memo with your question.

Thomas Perls, director of BU’s New England Centenarian Study, explains how and why some people live to 100 years old. While genetics plays a huge role in whether someone becomes a centenarian (or supercentenarian), Perls says we can still do four things to increase our chances of living longer. 

Find Perls’ Life Expectancy calculator here. 

Learn more about the New England Centenarian Study (NECS) here. The study is funded by the National Institute on Aging, the William M. Wood Foundation, and the Martin and Paulette Samowitz Family Foundation. 

Have a question or topic idea for a future episode? Send an email to today@bu.edu. Bonus points if you attach a voice memo with your question.

In this episode, Grace Saathoff (CFA'22, COM'22) and Emily Worden, a CFA Arts Leadership and Innovation lecturer and career coach, tackle some of new graduates’ biggest concerns about entering the job market for the first time. Tune in for some practical advice and helpful job hunting tips for recent graduates.

In this episode, BU researchers Gael Orsmond and Sharada Krishnan offer a multifaceted perspective on how and why young women may have a different autistic experience compared to young men.  In recent years, an increasing amount of anecdotal evidence has surfaced about the differences in how autism presents between girls and boys. On social media apps such as TikTok, women are now sharing their stories of going undiagnosed until adulthood, leading many to question why late diagnosis seems to occur primarily in women. While some researchers believe this may be a result of biological differences, others point to bias in testing and ways that autistic women might present their disability differently. Are autistic girls being overlooked and underdiagnosed? BU researchers Gael Orsmond and Sharada Krishnan weigh in on this  question. 

TikTok clips from here and here. 

One month since Russia invaded Ukraine, the war has reached a stalemate, raising concerns about whether fighting could spill over into neighboring countries. Are we on the verge of another world war? To understand the current situation, we spoke with Joshua Shifrinson, a BU Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies associate professor of international relations. 

In the aftermath of two years of pandemic disruptions to the hospitality and tourism industries, Makarand Mody, an SHA associate professor of hospitality marketing, sheds some light on the future of travel in 2022. Mody discusses flexcations, the popularity of AirBNB and VRBO, the return to city tourism, and more.

We talk to Boston University student Irene Kim (@ireneykim) about how she became a TikTok influencer and how she finds time to record her viral food reviews between work and school. Irene also shares her strategy for gaining followers, and how much companies are willing to pay her for munching on their products.

TikTok clips courtesy of @ireneykim

Mark Williams, Boston University Questrom School of Business executive-in-residence and a master lecturer in finance, considers if, and how, President Biden could forgive student loans. Williams discusses who is impacted the most by student debt, the politics of student loan forgiveness, and the effects of the current COVID-19 student loan pause.

Clips from here and here.

Rena Conti, a Questrom School of Business associate professor of markets, public policy, and law, studied insurance claims and reimbursements data and found payments towards ivermectin for COVID-19, plugged by right-wing media despite its unproven efficacy, may have topped $130 million last year. 

News clips from here and here. 

Boston University School of Public Health professor Lauren Wise shares an update on her research into whether COVID-19 vaccines impact the menstrual cycle. Wise is the principal investigator of PRESTO, or the Pregnancy Study Online, and in 2021 she was among a group of researchers awarded $1.67 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health to conduct this research. In this episode, Wise shares her initial insights into the research on the COVID vaccine’s potential impact on menstruation and other health outcomes, such as fertility.

You can also read this interview here. 

Vaping among teenagers declined sharply in 2021, the second consecutive year to see a big decline. With research and debate continuing about whether using e-cigarettes can actually help a person quit smoking traditional cigarettes, BU Today spoke with Andrew Stokes, an assistant professor of Global Health at the BU School Public Health

College of Arts & Sciences political scientist Lauren Mattioli assesses Joe Biden one year after his election. Promising to abandon Trumpism, the president has lowered the rhetorical thermostat, Mattioli says, but in areas like immigration, Biden is disappointing supporters with a populist politics, while GOP obstructionism imperils the rest of his agenda.

In this episode, College of Fine Arts Dean Harvey Young considers possible successors to Daniel Craig and discusses his pick for the next James Bond. Young also talks about his favorite and least favorite of the actors who’ve played 007 and how the stereotypes of early James Bond movies have changed over time.

Episode art image credit: Pinewood Studios. Music from here and here. Clips from here, here, here and here.

A conversation with Thomas Whalen, a BU College of General Studies associate professor of social sciences, about whether a new mayor can improve a city. Whalen also discusses the upcoming historic Boston mayoral race between Michelle Wu and Anissa Essaibi George (CAS’96) and how previous mayors have brought about transformative changes in the city.

To find out more about the upcoming mayoral election in Boston, check out WBUR’s voting guide. 

Adrienne Young (SSW’21), a member of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, wanted to see Boston University change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day to celebrate the people who were in America long before Christopher Columbus arrived. BU administrators agreed, and this year for the first time, BU will celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day instead.

Learn more about the campaign to make Indigenous People’s Day an official state holiday in Massachusetts here. 

Linda McClain, a BU School of Law professor of law, discusses what it would mean to codify Roe v. Wade, after Texas enacted one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. McClain also talks about previous attempts to codify Roe v. Wade, the Women’s Health Protection Act, and the future of abortion access in this country.

Note: A few days after this podcast was recorded, the US House of Representatives passed the Women's Health Protection Act. The act now goes to the Senate, where it is considered to be unlikely to pass.

To learn more about what the Texas Abortion Law means for the Future of Roe v. Wade, check out BU Today’s recent interview with Nicole Huberfeld, a BU School of Public Health and School of Law professor.

And you can learn more about the Women’s Health Protection Act here.