Dakota Pipeline, Gender Discrimination, Gerrymandering

Dakota Pipeline and the Army Corps Guest: John Freemuth, PhD, Professor of Environmental Policy, Boise State University, Executive Director of the Andrus Center for Public Policy Construction for a portion of the Dakota Access Pipeline is on hold since the US Army Corps of Engineers announced, Sunday, it would not allow the oil pipeline to cross under a dammed-up section of the Missouri River that is a water source for the Standing Rock Sioux Indian reservation, which is about a half-mile away. Instead, the Army Corps said it will conduct an environmental review to consider alternative routes for construction. That could delay the $3.8 billion pipeline by months – or years.  The companies building the pipeline are expected to appeal the decision and may be counting on President-elect Trump to reverse the situation when he takes office.  The Effect of Religious Experiences on Our Brains Guest: Jeffrey Anderson, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Radiology, Director of the fMRI Neurosurgical Mapping Service, University of Utah When someone has a religious experience, what’s really going on? A fascinating effort at the University of Utah called The Religious Brain Project is answering that question using brain imaging. They’ve just released their first findings, which were focused on a couple dozen devout young members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who agreed to lie in an MRI machine while reading scripture and watching uplifting church videos.  The Best Schools Might Not Be Best for Your Child Guest: Jorg Spenkuch, PhD, Professor of Economics, Northwestern University Our school system is not doing a good job of serving high-achieving students. If you’re a parent of a kid who is bored in class day in and day out, wouldn’t you jump at the chance to move him to a more advanced class or a top school?  Challenging Gender Discrimination in Nepal Guest: Cecile Shrestha, Associate Director of Philanthropy at WaterAid One in three people around the world lacks access to adequate sanitation – in