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Maxwell School News

Thorson Weighs In on How People Feel About AI ‘Slop’ in BBC Article

“If a person is on a short-video platform solely for entertainment, then their standard for whether something is worthwhile is simply ‘is it entertaining?’,’ says Emily Thorson, associate professor of political science. “But if someone is on the platform to learn about a topic or to connect with community members, then they might perceive AI-generated content as more problematic.”

February 6, 2026

Self-Reported Survey vs. Wastewater-Based Epidemiology Measures of Cocaine Use on a College Campus

Shona McCulloch, Dessa Bergen-Cico, Teng Zeng, David A. Larsen

The study, co-authored by Dessa Bergen-Cico and David Larsen, both professors of public health, was published in PLOS One.

February 5, 2026

Visceral Love and More-Than-Human Interembodiment: Olive Trees as Sentient Kin in Sicily

Amanda Hilton

The study, authored by Assistant Professor of Anthropology Amanda Hilton, was published in Social Science & Medicine.

February 5, 2026

See related: Europe

Gap Analysis in Therapeutic Services for Birthing Individuals with Perinatal Mental Health Disorders

Md Koushik Ahmed, Robert H. Keefe, Brittany Kmush, Emily Shuman, Kathleen Walker, Robert A. Rubinstein, Robert Silverman, Andrea Shaw, Sandra D. Lane

Published in Social Work in Public Health, the article was co-authored by Robert Rubinstein, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology; Sanda Lane, professor emerita of public health; and Brittany Kmush, associate professor of public health.

February 5, 2026

Sicilianità versus Sicilianismo: Thinking from the South with Sicilian Oliviculturalists

Amanda Hilton

The article, authored by Assistant Professor of Anthropology Amanda Hilton, was published in Italian Studies.

February 5, 2026

See related: Europe

Murrett Talks to Newsweek, the Wall Street Journal and 570 WSYR About US-Iran Tensions

“Defining our mission objectives will be key for any use of force again Iran, that is, one which can credibly lead to meeting a strategic end state,” says Vice Adm. Robert Murrett (Ret.), professor of practice of public administration and international affairs.

February 5, 2026

McDowell Speaks With the AP and The World About the Value of Gold, US Trade Partners and the Dollar

There’s been “a real rupture in the way we think about how the world order, if we want to call it that, functions,” says Daniel McDowell, Maxwell Advisory Board Professor of International Affairs. In moments of instability, he explains, buying gold has historically been a sort of “psychological reaction” for some hoping to find a safe place for their money.

February 4, 2026

Who Should Be on Electronic Monitoring: Conceptualizations of Ideal Supervisees

Gabriela Kirk-Werner

The article, authored by Assistant Professor of Sociology Gabriela Kirk-Werner, was published in Punishment & Society.

February 3, 2026

Heflin Discusses USDA Sec. Rollins’s Three-Dollar Meal Claim With The Bulwark

“I was very confused,” says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs, about Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins’s three-dollar meal claim. “USDA has several established meal plans that they estimate the cost of each month. And none of those comes out to $3.”

February 3, 2026

A New Tool for Handling Multiracial and Multi-Identity Data in Health Research

Gabriel J. Merrin
This brief introduces CATAcode, a free software tool that helps researchers handle check-all-that-apply demographic data more thoughtfully. The tool reveals how coding decisions dramatically affect who is represented in research—decisions that inform health policy and resource allocation. 
February 3, 2026

See related: United States

Erin Hern Shares Expertise on Gender Discrimination for OECD

The Maxwell associate professor was an invited lead discussant for the organization as it prepares to update its Social Institutions and Gender Index, a widely used measure of international gender inequality.

February 2, 2026

Himmelreich Talks to Syracuse.com About the AI Policy Minor and AI in Teaching

“AI is going to have significant social impact. This will create policy challenges that require an understanding of the technology as well as the policy analysis skills,” says Johannes Himmelreich, associate professor of public administration and international affairs.
January 30, 2026

Wagner Weighs In on the Deployment of the National Guard in on LiveNOW from FOX

“The guard's role in law enforcement is unclear. The guards training in law enforcement across America is minimal at best...The vast majority of these people have absolutely no training or understanding in law enforcement, but they do know what the law of war is, and they're trained in the law of war,” says Alex Wagner, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs.

January 29, 2026

Sultana Discusses Hydro-Coercion and Water Justice in Counterpoint and Daily Star Articles

“For Bangladesh, water is far more than a resource; it is the vital pulse of our ecological resilience and the primary determinant of our human vulnerability. Yet, in the high-stakes geopolitical landscape of South Asia, our rivers are increasingly being reconfigured from lifelines into instruments of hydro-coercion,” writes Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment.

January 28, 2026

See related: Government, India, South Asia, Water

Pandemic Mask Mandates and Closures Were Linked to Increased Gun Violence

Douglas A. Wolf, Emily W. Wiemers, Iliya Gutin, Jennifer Karas Montez, and Shannon M. Monnat
This brief examines how masking requirements and activity restrictions were associated with gun violence across U.S. counties. The authors find that counties’ indoor masking requirements were linked to a 28% increase in gun violence, while business closures and restrictions were associated with a 4.2% increase. 
January 27, 2026

See related: United States

McDowell Speaks With Marketplace About Europeans Selling Off US Treasurys

“Any mass sale of Treasurys like that would likely cause severe disruptions that not only impact the U.S., it would also impact European banks and the entire global economy,” says Daniel McDowell, Maxwell Advisory Board Professor of International Affairs.

January 27, 2026

From Hydro-Hegemony to Hydro-Coercion

Farhana Sultana

The study, authored by Professor of Geography and the Environment Farhana Sultana, was published in Human Geography.

January 27, 2026

See related: Government, India, South Asia, Water

Bright, Blurred Boundaries in the US Military: Experiences of Immigrants and Children of Immigrants

Amy Lutz, Iwona Franczak

The study, co-authored by Professor of Sociology Amy Lutz and Ph.D. student Iwona Franczak, was publised in the Journal of International Migration and Integration.

January 26, 2026

Bybee Examines the Importance of Civility in Public Discourse on WBUR's ‘Here & Now’

“There is some sense that if they go low and you don't go high, then you end up being reduced to the level of the person you're disagreeing with. I would suggest something different, which is to focus on the real stakes,” says Keith Bybee, professor of political science.

January 26, 2026

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