This is an intriguing look at common assumptions about terrorists and terrorism that are discussed/debunked through empirical evidence. Certainly good to have different perspectives.
What a nice thing for a fellow scholar to do - one day I hope I can pay back in this way by funding travel to conferences or other means of assistance to fellows or researchers in my field.
I think that VR tourism can certainly help people who cannot or have not visited a location get as close to the real thing as possible. I recall a VR exhibit on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I got dizzy from the heights I sensed by looking through the goggles and could explore various parts of the structure. Very cool.
Again on the anniversary of George Floyd, I wanted to see what has been studies on the topic of use of force among police. I think it is interesting that this article looked at the issue behavioral and social science perspective.
Recent high-profile incidents involving the deadly application of force in the United States sparked worldwide protests and renewed scrutiny of police practices as well as scrutiny of relations between police officers and minoritized communities. In this report, we consider the inappropriate use of force by police from the perspective of behavioral and social science inquiry related to aggression, violence, and intergroup relations. We examine the inappropriate use of force by police in the context of research on modern policing as well as critical race theory and offer five recommendations suggested by contemporary theory and research. Our recommendations are aimed at policymakers, law enforcement administrators, and scholars and are as follows: (1) Implement public policies that can reduce inappropriate use of force directly and through the reduction of broader burdens on the routine activities of police officers. (2) For officers frequently engaged in use-of-force incidents, ensure that best practice, evidence-based treatments are available and required. (3) Improve and increase the quality and delivery of noncoercive conflict resolution training for all officers, along with police administrative policies and supervision that support alternatives to the use of force, both while scaling back the militarization of police departments. (4) Continue the development and evaluation of multicomponent interventions for police departments, but ensure they incorporate evidence-based, field-tested components. (5) Expand research in the behavioral and social sciences aimed at understanding and managing use-of-force by police and reducing its disproportionate impact on minoritized communities, and expand funding for these lines of inquiry.
On the anniversary of George Floyd, I thought it would be good to go back and see what the literature has found on the topic of police use of force. This article is not a journal article but does outline a study that shows that nonwhite officers are less often involved in use of force or apprehensions.
I really find this thread of research interesting. There have been a number of studies looking at search trends and mentions to determine sentiment or even the spread of disease. For example, flu outbreaks have been tracked based upon people searching for symptoms and treatments online. Pretty cool stuff and definitely needs more attention.
An important part of autonomous vehicles is the ability for sensors to detect objects. I have seen how this works in drones as well as the detection of drones. It is a pretty interesting thread of research but it has not yet been perfected in all areas. For example, we've probably read about Tesla's problems with identifying semi-trucks and have even driven underneath them,
I am glad to see phenomenological studies on mental health. I think there is a general lack of understanding what people actually go through and how they might describe it through their experiences. Being removed from the situation and the individual allows for more of (hopefully) an unbiased assessment.
I am intrigued by how much money is put forth by the Volkswagen Stiftung. This is a much needed fund of reasonable size. I encourage anyone can get access to this. It would be nice if it was also available to new faculty.
One of the downsides of drones is that they have parts that may break. Often these parts are not available on the secondary market. There is the potential to 3D print what is needed which is a great way to get around this challenge.
There are almost endless uses of drones. Here is a study on their use in farming and weed control. I am always blown away by how sophisticated imaging software and sensors can be. And how small they can be...
There is a lot of debate on carbon taxes and other "penalties" for emissions in this industry. I always wonder where that money goes, and it often goes to offset funds which I sometimes look at with a bit of skepticism. But all in all it is smart to have means to encourage the reduction in greenhouse gases and to fund programs to assist in this endeavor.
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