Our Future Transformed web series

A New Space Race

Jeannine Harvey — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 17:32:23 +0000

A New Space Race Jeannine Harvey Thu, 10/19/2023 - 13:32

Are we in a space race for cosmic resources? (Episode 6)

On the sixth episode of Our Future, Transformed, Hakeem Oluseyi, astrophysicist and research professor at ��AV, speaks with Mason President Gregory Washington about how the race to exploit cosmic resources has geopolitical implications and why we had to start from scratch in our attempt to return to the Moon.

^{For billions of years, the sun has been depositing helium-3 in the lunar regolith. Maybe we could go to the Moon and mine the helium-3. And now we also know there’s water on the moon, right? So the key thing is our technology and our aspirations have come to a level where just as the United States has outposts around the world that make it easier to get where you want to go, The Moon could be that for Earth.”}

Read the Transcript

Transcript EP 6: Our Future, Transformed: A New Space Race

Gregory Washington (00:10)

The recent Artemis mission that saw a NASA capsule orbit the moon was a huge step in preparation for an eventual visit to our nearest neighbor. How they do it?

Hakeem Oluseyi (00:24)

All my career, from a graduate student on, I've been hearing over and over again how we could not redo Apollo, right? The technology and the knowledge are lost, but yet here we are doing it again, and we soon will see Americans on the surface of the moon again and, hopefully a permanent presence.

Gregory Washington (00:47)

I'm the kind of person that says, okay, we did that; we already went to the moon. Why go back?

Hakeem Oluseyi (00:55)

Well, because, you know, why climb Mount Everest? I think it's a mixture of several things.

Number one, there's the scientific research component, okay? But there's also the economic opportunity that comes from having bases off Earth so that we could potentially take advantage of the resources that exist in outer space, like comets. Our economy now depends heavily on electronics, which require these very rare metals, rare on the surface of Earth but not rare in the core of Earth, which we don't have access to. But luckily, when other planets were forming early in our solar system, they differentiated just like the Earth did and all the heavy stuff saying to the center, but then later, they collided with something. And so now we have chunks of core stuff flying around out there; we're calling it asteroids. And so there's one asteroid out there that is, you know, at a value of more than something like a quintillion dollars, right, that we could potentially mine. So there's a third reason, and this is one that people don't like to talk about, but I think that there are geopolitical implications.

Gregory Washington (02:07)

And that was going to be my next question.

Hakeem Oluseyi (02:09)

Yeah.

Gregory Washington (02:10)

Are we on the dawn of a new race, a new space race?

Hakeem Oluseyi (02:15)

I think we are. I think we're already there, in fact, right? You know, sub, excuse me, low Earth orbit, orbital parameter space is being grabbed. And you look at the same thing for the moon.

So the question I have is, you know, the analogy I make, is it going to be more like the North Pole or the South Pole? And here's what I mean. All of us nations that are competitors, we exist in harmony at the South Pole because there is no military or commercial advantage to be gained there that anyone sees. But you go to the North Pole, not if it has melted, those continental shelves have oil. So everybody's fighting over it.

Gregory Washington (02:52)

Right.

Hakeem Oluseyi (02:53)

So what is going to be the case with the moon? What is it going to be the case with orbit?

What is going to be the case with Mars? We don't know the answer yet, but the thing is, is that we know the problem could potentially occur. So there's two things you want to do.

You want to get your treaties done, right, to keep the peace, but also just in case you

want to go and grab what you can grab while the gettings good, right? And, you know, that's the reality. You know, we have not reinvented human beings. We have not reinvented nations.

We're still in a competitive world, right? We're still in a dangerous world. So, you know, it's like hope for the best, but plan for the worst is kind of the approach.

Gregory Washington (03:32)

What do we know about the moon now that we didn't know before?

Hakeem Oluseyi (03:36)

Yeah. So the moon, we learned so much more and more and more about the moon. You know, the big surprise when the Apollo astronauts went up there, and they got some moon rocks and brought them back to Earth, it was, oh my goodness, the moon is made of Earth, right? But then we started studying the moon more, and we learned, you know, it's very different than far aside from the near side. And then people started thinking about fusion, and they thought, oh, maybe helium-3 is a better fuel to add to the deuterium than tritium because it's less radioactive initially. You know, for billions of years, the sun has been depositing helium-3 in the lunar regolith. Maybe we could go to the moon and mine the helium-3. It's not clear that that is a solution, but, you know, and now we also know there's water on the moon, right? So the key thing is our technology and our aspirations have come to a level where, just as the United States has outposts around the world in places like Guam, that makes it easier to get where you want to go. The moon can be that for Earth, right? The orbit is one thing, and then having a solid base where the gravitational cost of getting off that body is far less, and if that body has its own fuel right there, then that can be very valuable for taking advantage of.

Gregory Washington (04:55)

Going to Mars.

Hakeem Oluseyi (04:56)

The outer solar system. Exactly. And, you know, I really think that even though we may never colonize Mars, some people think we may. I think space tourism is a real thing that may happen.

Gregory Washington (05:10)

Outstanding.

Hakeem Oluseyi (05:11)

Yeah.

Gregory Washington (05:12)

So what new technologies, in your opinion, have to be developed in order to make this a reality?

Hakeem Oluseyi (05:18)

So they're already doing it, right? So it all depends. If you look, I think one of the key elements is fuel. So the big problem that Artemis had is that it still uses liquid hydrogen as the fuel. Liquid hydrogen, think about that, okay? It has to be like negative 450 degrees Fahrenheit. It's so low density. So keeping it inside of a hose is very difficult. Think about it like this. If you look at the difference in density between lead and water, the difference in density between water and liquid hydrogen is even greater.

Gregory Washington (05:49)

Then lead?

Hakeem Oluseyi (05:50)

Then lead, comparing lead and water.

Gregory Washington (05:52)

Wow.

Hakeem Oluseyi (05:53)

Yeah. So that stuff is very, very difficult to work with, right?

Gregory Washington (05:57)

What's next for the Artemis program? This is a phase deal, right?

Hakeem Oluseyi (06:00)

Yeah.

Gregory Washington (06:01)

So what happens next?

Hakeem Oluseyi (06:02)

What we did is we sent a craft without humans, and there were a lot of sensors on board. And the thing that we're doing now, which, you know, why didn't we think of this before. The space environment and radiation affect female bodies differently than it affects male bodies. So they put mannequins on there with sensors to figure out how the radiation environment is going to affect females. But then, now, we're going to do the same thing with real humans next. And so I love the way that NASA says when the next step is going to happen. They say, not before 2024, not, you know, on this date in 2024, but not before a particular date. But after we do that, then we're going to put, just like we have an international space station orbiting Earth, we're going to have an orbiting space station orbiting the Moon. And then we're going to actually send humans to land on the surface of the Moon and start taking care of business. We'll build a new Moon base on the surface, and then after that, it can now serve as a staging area to go beyond.

Gregory Washington (07:00)

We have a number of our students in the audience. I'd like to open it up for questions. So, any questions you have would be greatly appreciated.

Student1 (07:11)

So how do you just forget how to go to the Moon? That's what I'm kind of confused about.

Hakeem Oluseyi (07:17)

Yeah, that was a long time ago. And you know, when you are, when you have a factory that builds things, you know, it's outfitted to do that. And when you no longer have that purpose, you repurpose that factory. You tear everything down. And also, if you think about it, in my lifetime, how did we store digital data? It started off with those big, big floppies, and it went to a smaller floppy, then a smaller floppy, then I had Jazz Drive and all these other things. I can't use that now. I used to have an old box of VHS tapes. What am I going to play that in? I'm a member of the Screen Actors Guild, all right? So now it's time to vote for Oscar winners. They send me DVDs. How am I going to watch those movies? Right? So, you know, things just get out of date. So keep that in mind as you develop new knowledge. How do you keep it? How do you preserve it? And how do you pass it on to the next generation?

Gregory Washington (08:12)

Well, we know our future is intact, and we know we have another place that we will all visit someday soon.

Hakeem Oluseyi (07:21)

Yes.

Gregory Washington (07:22)

So I want to thank you.

Hakeem Oluseyi (07:24)

Thank you.

Gregory Washington (07:25)

Thank you for spending time with us. And I want to thank all of you for the next episode of Mason, our future transformed.

Learn more

About the Series

Mason President Gregory Washington hosts a YouTube series titled “Our Future, Transformed: Mason Spotlights the World’s Grand Challenges.” The series features faculty experts speaking about some of the most debated and significant topics of our day with an audience of Honors College students. Experts in the first season discuss the key solutions to key issues, including water policies in the West, police reform, problems at our Southern border, clean energy, and getting more women into STEM fields.

Guest Bio

Hakeem Oluseyi served as the visiting Robinson Professor at ��AV from 2021-2023, and he is the president of the National Society of Black Physicists. He’s also the author of A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars.

In This Episode

Hakeem Oluseyi

Gregory Washington

Topics

Energy

News

Our Future Transformed web series

Honors College

Space

Women in STEM

Jeannine Harvey — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 16:07:04 +0000

Women in STEM Jeannine Harvey Wed, 09/13/2023 - 12:07

Can hands-on learning bring more women into STEM?

On the fifth episode of "Our Future, Transformed," Nathalia Peixoto, associate professor of bioengineering at ��AV, and a tireless advocate for the recruitment of women into STEM, speaks with Mason President Gregory Washington about rethinking the way tech fields are taught.

^{I hope that the current college students will be great role models for the next generation. So when they have their cousins and the little girls who ask, ‘What are you?’ And if you answer, ‘I'm an engineer’ already. We're halfway there.”}

_{^{Nathalia Peixoto}}

Read the Transcript

Transcript EP. 5: Can hands-on learning bring more women into STEM?

Gregory Washington (00:09):

I’m Mason, president Gregory Washington welcoming you to Our Future, Transformed, a series of conversations with Mason's leading experts about solutions to the grand challenges of today and tomorrow. I'm with Nathalia Peixoto, associate professor of bioengineering at Mason, and a tireless advocate in the recruitment of women and those from disadvantaged backgrounds into tech and engineering fields. Welcome to the show.

Nathalia Peixoto (00:44):

Thank you.

Gregory Washington (00:45):

You grew up in Brazil, right? And at a very early age you announced to your family that you wanted to be an engineer and a teacher. What was their reaction?

Nathalia Peixoto (01:00):

Um, yeah, that was very funny. For a long time I said that and my brother and my sister both laughed at me and said, no, you can't. You absolutely can't be an engineer, but you should be a teacher instead because you can't be two things. You gotta pick one and you can't pick engineering. It's like, okay. So it was, it was, um, tricky, uh, saying that I was going to be something that we had no role model for, right? So, um, our teachers were all women, um, and we knew no engineers were women, so, uh, it was nobody else. But I still, I still felt, felt very strongly I took apart a lot of things in the house. My mom was very mad at me all the time, and I was convinced that was a sign that I should be an engineer. So.

Gregory Washington (01:49):

Uh, you were also a first-generation student, and so how do you think that affects, uh, the career choices, uh, for those students?

Nathalia Peixoto (02:00):

Growing up, my mom had tried to go to college and left before her first year. She wanted to be an architect. Um, she never got to second year of college, and my grandma, I think left in eighth grade. So I remember talking to them, you know, what's, what, what is it that, that women do? And, and usually, um, women stay home and take care of the kids. Um, so all the women that I knew were, uh, doing that. I think this affects the choices of many people. So at Mason we have 50% first gen. I am the advisor of the Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers. And every time I talk to, um, a first-generation student, it is clear that we haven't transitioned to a more, to an education system where they understand what college is about. Um, last week I was talking to middle schoolers and they said, but I wanna start my own company.

Nathalia Peixoto (03:00):

And I said, well, you can do engineering and minor in business. And they asked, what is a, what's minor, who's a minor? And so the words major and minor are not the kind of thing we teach in high school, which is understandable, but I think this is not to our benefit. Um, as a university, we wanna have as many bright students as we can. Um, and if they know that they can, for example, minor in business while majoring in engineering, we'll get more, more girls. So this was a girl asking me, what is a major and what is a minor?

Gregory Washington (03:31):

So you've reached a certain status in your life and you are here in our bioengineering department in teaching and conducting research. Uh, do you feel as if you have reached your goal?

Nathalia Peixoto (03:51):

Absolutely. I feel I never thought that I was gonna live in the United States, so this is a dream for any Brazilian. Um, but I, it wasn't my dream, so this is way beyond what I thought I was gonna reach. Um, of course, I'm an engineer and I'm a teacher. Um, and now it feels to me that being a mentor or getting to learn what first generation students are going through and being there for them, um, has been beyond my expectations. Absolutely.

Gregory Washington (04:23):

Well, you're clearly investing time in our communities and, uh, talking to young people, and to young women about careers in science and tech and engineering. Is that how you pay forward or is there some other way?

Nathalia Peixoto (04:41):

Um, I think there's, there's more, but one of the things that I've done in the past that, um, I feel it was a good, it was a good investment of my energy, was when my daughter was five, she wanted to be a Girl Scout. And we went to these Girl Scout meetings and they were not engineering, they were making crafts, not

Gregory Washington (05:05):

Like cookies and crafts and stuff like that.

Nathalia Peixoto (05:07):

Yes, baking cookies is not engineering for me or sewing things, so I could not handle that . And instead I told her, why don't we offer an engineering badge? So Girl Scouts, you know, get badges for certain things that they do. So one problem was the girls were five, they didn't know how to read or write, so we designed an engineering badge that they brought, um, broken toys and we're gonna fix them. The idea was to reverse engineer the broken toys. And I brought, um, screwdrivers, uh, flat screwdrivers and Phillips screwdrivers, and they immediately understood what they were for. And we opened all those toys and looked inside and the girls were so take, they were so into this, like, oh, I found the brain, I found this brain of this toy. Can I take it apart? So by the end, we rarely fixed anything, but the girls were so, like, if this is engineering, that's what I wanna do.

Gregory Washington (06:07):

I’m sold.

Nathalia Peixoto (06:07):

Sold. So some of the parents were very mad at me because the girls went back home and wanted to take apart all, everything, even that worked. So including their cell phones and computers, they would always ask, can I take it apart? I'm an engineer, can I take it apart? And of course the parents were emailing me like, what did you do? But, um, but that was one of, I think, the best ways that I paid forward, you know, at that level of five-, six-year-olds. So if they are sold on how fun it is, um, I think we have a chance to get them, you know, at the college level, um, to come back and say, yes, that is what I want to do.

Gregory Washington (06:47):

So these tropes, the tropes are that girls and women are either not just interested in engineering and tech careers, or they feel overwhelmed by the subject matter and decide on other career options. What do you think when you hear such things?

Nathalia Peixoto (07:07):

Um, I think that's a pity. I think it's a huge loss. Um, I think women are interested. Um, it's a matter of, um,

Nathalia Peixoto (07:16):

Um, offering a diversity in teaching. So we talk about diversity, we want more diversity, but we never talk about diversity on the teaching side. Usually our teaching is very, um, it's lecture based and everybody's sitting and have to write. Um, I can't sit still for a long time, and actually in eighth grade, I left home to go to a vocational technical school because I could take classes that were hands-on. I believe we should offer the same diversity in the college, at the college level. So I wish we had at least two tracks, a track that's more theoretical, a track that's more hands-on engineering, where not only we would teach them how to take it apart, but to put it back together following rules, and then we can teach electronics and then we can teach what the laws are, right? So …

Gregory Washington (08:06):

But what is the one piece of advice you would give the students who are here listening to you today?

Nathalia Peixoto (08:16):

I hope that the current college students will be great role models for the next generation. So when they have their cousins, uh, the little girls who say, what, what are you? And if you answer, I'm an engineer already, we're halfway there.

Gregory Washington (08:30):

Outstanding. Outstanding. Thank you Professor Peixoto for your insight and effort. And thank all of you for joining us for Our Future, Transformed.

Learn more

Guest Bio

Nathalia Peixoto is an associate professor of Bioengineering with the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. Her research interests include implantable electrodes and systems, hybrid systems (cell cultures and electronics), control of assistive technology, bioMEMS (bio-micro-electro-mechanical systems), and experimental models of neuropathologies such as epilepsy and spreading depression.

About the Series

Mason President Gregory Washington hosts a new YouTube series titled “Our Future, Transformed: Mason Spotlights the World’s Grand Challenges.” The series features faculty experts speaking about some of the most debated and significant topics of our day with an audience of Honors College students. Experts in the first season discuss the key solutions to key issues, including water policies in the West, police reform, problems at our Southern border, clean energy, and getting more women into STEM fields.

Explore Honors College

In This Story

Gregory Washington

Nathalia Peixoto

Water Crisis

Jeannine Harvey — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 18:29:57 +0000

Water Crisis Jeannine Harvey Thu, 07/27/2023 - 14:29

Is Water the New Oil? | Episode 2

In this episode of "Our Future, Transformed," Mason President Gregory Washington speaks with Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm, Dean of the College of Science, about water, why there's too much in some places, too little in others, and what we can do, in a warming world, to avoid water catastrophes.

^{... if you look at human history, people have been battling for water since the ages. If you think about your first history lesson, water was in it, you know, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia. It’s been happening for a long time and it’s happening now and it will continue happening in the future.}

_{^{Dr. Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm}}

Read the Transcript

Transcript EP. 2: Our Future, Transformed: Is Water the new oil?

Dr. Gregory Washington:

I’m Mason President Gregory Washington welcoming you to the second episode of “Our Future, Transformed,” a series of conversations with Mason’s leading experts about the grand challenges of today — and tomorrow. My guest today is Dr. Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm, dean of Mason’s College of Science, to talk about the water crisis and how we solve it. When we think about water as a grand challenge, the first question that actually comes to my mind is, is water the next oil?

Dr. Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm:

I think it is and it probably has been for a long time. And if you look at human history, people have been battling for water since the ages. If you think about your first history lesson, water was in it, you know, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia. It’s been happening for a long time and it’s happening now and it will continue happening in the future.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

So in the D.C. region where we are here today, there have been some notable examples of urban flooding. What is the driver? What’s going on?

Dr. Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm:

Well, I think, you know, the, you know, one thing about water that’s very easy to understand but very difficult to predict is that water moves. You know, you have water in the atmosphere, you have water in the oceans, you have water in rivers. It’s moving all the time. It’s moving at different rates. So what ends up happening in places that we’ve seen, and certainly in the National Capital region where urban flooding is becoming a bigger, bigger issue. We had huge floods in Southwest Virginia just a, you know, a few months ago, around the major Washington, D.C. area, there’s urban flooding all the time is, is the fact that water has become concentrated in places where we have just built too much infrastructure. When we build cities, when we build roads, what we’re doing is that we’re replacing natural systems that can regulate water flow, they can absorb it, they can prevent flooding from happening to, to pavements and buildings that tend to concentrate water. And that’s where we’re having the problem.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Around the globe there have been examples of devastating wildfires, and then we see these massive examples of flooding in Pakistan not too long ago globally, and then also in many of, a number of our western states as well. What are the challenges to addressing these issues and how might we overcome them?

Dr. Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm:

Well, you know, the wildfires typically originate when the soil gets too dry, and then vegetation becomes natural fuel for fires to propagate. That is what was happening in the Amazon, that’s what was happening In Australia just a few years back, and certainly in California that continues to be the case, right? A drought will very likely result in wildfires spreading, spreading quicker. The solution to that is to really build systems that can store water and regulate, essentially, the, the moisture content of the soils. Soil is the biggest regulator of water around the world. You know, you think about big rivers, big lakes containing vast amounts of water. But the largest amount of water worldwide is contained in soils. And soils are the big regulator, and natural systems are the big regulators of water. So trying to allow natural systems to store water in a way that they prevent these things from happening is going to be a big part of how we solve these issues.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Given that a sizeable amount of the globe’s population lives in, in either climates that have very little water, or no water at all, do we have any great examples of water management, any great examples that we can point to and ask the question, how are some of these other countries responding to either flooding or lack of water? How are they responding to it in ways that actually can help us here in the U.S.?

Dr. Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm:

Yes, I always point to the example of the, of countries in the Middle East as the most water scarce but also as countries that have learned to live with little water in a moderately successful way. And so, water conservation, building infrastructure that stores water, using natural systems, the term these days is nature-based solutions, is using nature to store water. Those are the ways you can actually mitigate the big peaks towards floods or mitigate the big valleys towards, towards floods, towards droughts.

Dr .Gregory Washington:

Is it fair to compare those entities to, to the U.S. and what we can do in the U.S.? Is it, in some sense, we’re very, very different, right? So talk a little about that.

Dr. Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm:

Yeah, so that’s a great question, and let me tell you where it is that we’re most different. The biggest difference between the U.S. and other countries is, is how we manage water. So, and let’s take the example of the western states cause, you know, in, in the U.S. we speak a lot about water rights. There’s a, there’s a big, there’s big water legislation that apportions water in a way that does not take into consideration the physical variables. So there are commitments for water to be delivered in places where you just don’t have enough water. It’s like I’ve committed to pay you a salary of water where I’m running out funds, and no matter what you’re going to expect that salary even thought I have no money.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

You have no water to give them.

Dr. Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm:

Exactly, exactly, yes.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

And so what happens then?

Dr. Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm:

So I think we have to, in the U.S. I think we have to tune our legislation and our water legislation, in particularly in the western states, towards the fact that, you know, the climate is changing, population has changed in the distribution, the economies have changed. And, um, and, you know, speaking of California again, we cannot be subsidizing farmers to grow almonds that are exported to other parts of the world and think that the natural aquifers and water systems in California are going to pick up the bill. And that has to change. And that is happening in many parts of the country, but it is particularly severe in the western states.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

So I would like to now open it up to our student audience for questions on this topic.

Student:

Thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us. My question really talks about or is pertaining to coastal flooding and how much of that has to do with climate change and deforestation. I know there’s a little bit of talk about certain cities such as Norfolk, Va., going underwater in a couple of years or a few years in time. But I was just wondering, how much of that is due to climate change or other factors such as deforestation?

Dr. Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm:

Globally, around, you know, and that’s certainly the same thing in the United States, about 60 percent of the population, globally and in the United States, live within 60 miles of a coastline. That’s where we have built a majority of our infrastructure, that is where everybody lives. And what we’ve seen historically over, for the past over 100 years, is that sea level rise have been rising and rising and rising. I grew up in Miami, and Miami they have something that’s called sunny day flooding. That means, it floods when there is no rain. It’s just the water coming up and flooding, and flooding significant property. This is starting to happen all over the world. We know it is a combination of temperature increase because of global warming. So, you know, you know, a little bit of physics – you know, the temperature increases, water expands, so seawater expands, and because seawater is a lot of water, it’ll really, really start rising up and flooding. The other piece that contributes to this is that, you mentioned is deforestation. So when we take out trees and we clear out land, the water moves through the land much, much quicker. So rivers that naturally drain into coastal areas do so much faster. So you have more freshwater coming in, sea level going up. The result is that you, you know, we have a significant increase in, in coastal flooding around the world, certainly here in this country.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Thank you, Dr. Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm for your participation today. And I want to thank all of you for your participation in this episode of “Our Future, Transformed.”

Learn more

About the Series

Guest Bio

Dr. Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm is the Dean of the College of Science at ��AV. He is a hydrologist and water resources engineer with research interests in modeling of surface and groundwater systems, climate-hydrology-vegetation interactions, remote sensing applied to hydrologic cycle processes and water quality, and modeling of the water-energy-food nexus. Read more.

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Learn about College of Science

Understand. Innovate. Succeed.

The College of Science at ��AV blends traditional science education with sought-after programs in molecular medicine, climate dynamics, planetary science, forensic science, environmental studies, and geoinformation science to prepare students for exciting careers at the cutting edge of interdisciplinary scientific domains. Read more.

In This Episode

Gregory Washington

Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm

Evidence-Based Policing

Jeannine Harvey — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 17:04:21 +0000

Evidence-Based Policing Jeannine Harvey Thu, 07/27/2023 - 13:04

Is evidence-based police reform possible? | Episode 4

In the fourth episode of “Our Future, Transformed,” Laurie Robinson, the two-time assistant U.S. attorney general and a Robinson Professor Emerita at ��AV, speaks with Mason President Gregory Washington about building greater trust between law enforcement and citizens and applying science to policing.

^{I understand the frustration and I think the defunding conversation has led to some good conversations about reimagining policing. I don’t agree with just abolishing police departments. I think that we need protection. And so we need to start with what policing needs to be.}

_{^{Laurie Robinson}}

English Transcript

Transcript EP. 4: Our Future, Transformed: Is There a Solution for Over Policing?

Dr. Gregory Washington:

I’m Mason President Gregory Washington, welcoming you to Our Future Transformed a series of conversations with Mason's leading experts about solutions to the grand challenges of today and tomorrow. Joining us is Laurie Robinson, professor emeritus at Mason, and former Clarence J. Robinson, Professor of Criminology, Law, and Society. The two-time former Assistant U.S. Attorney General is here to talk to us about building greater trust between law enforcement and citizens and applying science to policing. Welcome to the program.

Laurie Robinson:

Thank you.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

After Michael Brown was killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, you were appointed by President Barack Obama as co-chair of the White House Task Force on 21st-century policing, and I think you were on that task force with then Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey. So, the task force made 59 recommendations for police reform, and it had a significant impact, as your own research showed, 40% of the nation's largest police departments changed their training and use of force policies in the two years after the report's release. And so that was a significant outcome. Why, then did you and Charles Ramsey reconvene the task force in 2023?

Laurie Robinson:

Mr. President, we reconvened the group in early February this year after the tragic death of Tyree Nichols in Memphis because we felt that despite all of the police departments around the country that had made changes based on our report and other recommendations, that there has not been enough broad action from what we would call the whole of government and the whole of communities. To address this that, that there are still many things, including problems of poverty, of racism, of systemic society, wide issues that need to be addressed. And we thought, okay, let's get the wise heads of our task force together and see what we can do to address these issues.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

This is really interesting that you would say that as a follow up to the previous question we had. So, talk a little bit about what did the evidence say? So, you convened this entity in 2014. Have this tremendous impact, have change, real change? Then you reconvene in 2023. Did the evidence substantiate, that there had been no change? What are things that had gotten worse? What are things that had gotten better?

Laurie Robinson:

Well, that's a really good question. We have a lot of evidence that within police departments that adopt that any number of them have adopted particular suggestions of changes in policy and practice that we recommended. They've eliminated chokeholds, they’ve changed no-knock warrants. They've done particular things and change use of force policies, as you alluded to. Just to cite some specific examples, but what we had not reckoned with, I think sufficiently was the setting in which the police departments are operating and what needs to happen is a what we call whole of government and whole of community approach to recognize that where you have communities facing a lot of poverty and facing a systemic racism from the past as an example, that that there is a natural conflict there, if they feel there's over-policing and harm occurring from that.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

So, does this task force have an official status?

Laurie Robinson:

Well, that's a really good question, No. We had no official status. However, interestingly the Domestic Policy Council in the White House, has not once but twice asked us for briefings. In fact, we just did one yesterday.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Outstanding, outstanding. So, my understanding is there are eight recommendations and of the eight, which is the most important?

Laurie Robinson:

Well, the first one is actually the most important because it talks about the need to change the mission of policing from simply reducing crime to a broader one of community safety.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

That is a significant outcome, to say the least. Right? Because it kind of changes the fundamental mission of the police force.

Laurie Robinson:

Right. And it has to be done in concert with the entire community and in concert with education and public health and housing etc.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Now the report does not lay all the blame on police practices. Right? You call for addressing the underlying drivers of crime and call on the federal government to support community-based organizations and local and state governments in creating safe communities. Even so, why do you believe the nation remains? As the task force report says, stuck when it comes to fixing policing?

Laurie Robinson:

Well, there are some other issues involved here. And one of the most significant ones and we addressed this in the report is the culture of policing. And we do talk in the report about the need to address that culture that the culture needs to be one much more about a culture of guardians, guardians of the community rather than warriors. I mean, there's a place for warrior culture, which is if you're dealing with terrorists and dealing with a violent drug gang. But the essence of the culture has to be about protectors of the community. And that actually goes back to Plato's vision of protectors of democracy. So, that's one point. But a second point, which goes to our the organization of our government, and that is that in our in our country, we have 18,000 police departments. We are completely decentralized in our system. And by contrast, the United Kingdom has 35 police departments. It's completely centralized. And it's all, you know, if they wanted in the home secretary's office in London to change the policy on use of force, they could issue an edict on a Friday, today, and on Monday they could have that policy issued and out and do the training on Tuesday.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Amazing.

Laurie Robinson:

Yes.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

You once said, as it relates to crime, that the more we rely on evidence rather than just emotion the greater the positive impact we will have. What do you mean by that?”

Laurie Robinson:

I'll go back, Mr. President, to just a quick anecdote about when I was first working in criminal justice, I was working for the American Bar Association. Many decades back when I was a young person coming into the field. And I went to cover a hearing in the U.S. Senate about criminal justice. And I thought, I'm really going to learn a lot from what the senators raised. It was about the Federal Criminal Code. About reforms. And I sat there, I was taking notes and really excited about what I would learn. And one senator said to the other, well, here's what I think we should do. And he said, my brother-in-law once had a case, and such and such and such and such. And I thought, is that the way they come to make decisions in a random case that came up? And I've always remembered that even though it was many decades back and it made me start really thinking about how do we come to policy decisions and from that and obviously over a number of years I really focused more and more on how we make decisions and the importance of evidence and research and science in forming both policy and practice in criminal justice. And when I was in the Justice Department later with Janet Reno during the Clinton administration and then with Eric Holder in the Obama years, I made this connection between science and policy and practice of very high priority, and particularly in the Obama administration, Eric Holder was a very big supporter of this initiative with me. And we set up a what works clearinghouse in the Justice Department that still exists today. So that practitioner knows whether it's police, or judges, or probation officers, or anyone else can just go there or students here at Mason to say what works in addressing domestic violence or what works in reducing juvenile justice recidivism, and find out what we know from research.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Professor Robinson, thank you for sharing your insights. Thank you, Mason Honors College students, for your thoughtful questions and feedback. And thank you all for joining us for Our Future Transformed.

Spanish Transcript

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Soy el presidente masón Gregory Washington, dándole la bienvenida a nuestro futuro transformado una serie de conversaciones con los principales expertos de Mason sobre las soluciones a la gran desafíos de hoy y de mañana. Se une a nosotros Laurie Robinson, profesor emérito en albañil y ex Clarence J. Robinson, profesor de criminología, derecho y sociedad. El dos veces ex asistente de EE. el fiscal general está aquí para hablar con nosotros sobre la construcción de una mayor confianza entre la policía y los ciudadanos y la aplicación de la ciencia a la policía. Bienvenido al programa.

Laurie Robinson:

Gracias.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Después de que Michael Brown fuera asesinado por la policía en Ferguson, Misuri, en 2014, usted fue designado por el presidente Barack Obama como copresidente del Grupo de Trabajo de la Casa Blanca en el siglo XXI Vigilancia. Y creo que estabas en ese grupo de trabajo dentro Comisionado de policía de Filadelfia Charles Ramsey. Bien. Así que el grupo de trabajo hizo 59 recomendaciones por la reforma policial, y tuvo un impacto significativo, como mostró su propia investigación, 40% de los más grandes del país los departamentos de policía cambiaron su entrenamiento y políticas de uso de la fuerza en los dos años después de la publicación del informe. Y ese fue un resultado significativo. ¿Por qué, entonces y Charles Ramsey ¿Volver a convocar el grupo de trabajo en 2023?

Laurie Robinson:

Señor. Presidente, volvimos a convocar al grupo a principios de febrero de este año después de la trágica Muerte de Tyree Nichols de porque sentimos que a pesar de toda la departamentos de policía de todo el país que había hecho cambios basado en nuestro informe y otras recomendaciones, que no ha habido suficiente acción amplia de lo que llamaríamos a todo el gobierno y toda la comunidad.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Bien.

Laurie Robinson:

Para abordar esto, que que aun quedan muchas cosas, incluyendo problemas de pobreza, de racismo, de la sociedad sistémica, temas amplios que necesitan ser abordados. Y pensamos, bueno, vamos a llegar los sabios jefes de nuestro grupo de trabajo juntos y ver qué podemos hacer para abordar estos asuntos.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Esto es muy interesante que dirías eso como seguimiento a la pregunta anterior que teníamos. Así que habla un poco sobre ¿Qué decía la evidencia? Entonces convocó a esta entidad en 2014. Tener este tremendo impacto, tiene cambio, cambio real? Luego te vuelves a reunir en 2023. ¿La evidencia cambió sustancialmente, que no habia habido cambio? ¿Y si las cosas hubieran empeorado? ¿Cuáles son las cosas que mejoraron?

Laurie Robinson:

Bueno eso es una muy buena pregunta. tenemos mucha evidencia que dentro de los departamentos de policía que adopte eso, que muchos de ellos han adoptado sugerencias particulares de cambios en la política y práctica que te recomendamos. Han eliminado los estrangulamientos, sin órdenes de llamada. Han hecho cosas particulares y han cambiado políticas de uso de la fuerza, como usted mencionó. Sólo por citar algunos ejemplos específicos, pero con lo que no habíamos contado, creo que fue suficiente el escenario en el cual los departamentos de policía están operando y qué es todo un gobierno y toda la comunidad acercarse reconocer que donde tienes comunidades enfrentando mucha pobreza y frente a un racismo sistémico del pasado como ejemplo, que que hay un conflicto natural ahí, si sienten que hay un exceso de vigilancia y el daño que ocurre de esto, que allí.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Una vez dijiste, en relación con el crimen, que cuanto más, confiemos en la evidencia en lugar de solo en la emoción, mayor será el impacto positivo que tendremos. ¿Que quieres decir con eso?

Laurie Robinson:

Bueno, fue tal vez no sea la forma más ingeniosa de lo dije. fue una cita que di en un podcast que hice el año pasado. Y creo que la esencia de esto es que no deberíamos estar actuando emocionalmente. Deberíamos actuar en base a la evidencia. y basado en la ciencia. Y volveré, Senior Presidente, una breve anécdota acerca de cuando estaba trabajando por primera vez en la justicia penal, estaba trabajando para la Asociación Americana de Abogados. Muchas décadas atrás cuando yo era un joven entrando el campo. Y yo fui para cubrir una audiencia en los EE.UU. Senado sobre justicia penal. Y pensé, realmente voy a aprender mucho de lo que plantearon los senadores. Se trataba del código penal federal. Se trata de reformas. Y me senté allí, estaba tomando notas y muy emocionado sobre lo que aprendería. Y un senador le dijo al otro: bueno, esto es lo que creo que deberíamos hacer. Y él dijo: Mi hermano en la ley una vez tuvo un caso y tal y tal y tal y tal. Y yo pensé que la forma en que llegan a tomar decisions en un caso aleatorio que surgió, y siempre lo he recordado aunque fue hace muchas décadas y me hizo empezar realmente pensando en ¿Cómo llegamos a las decisiones políticas? y algo de eso y obviamente durante varios años realmente me concentré cada vez más sobre cómo tomamos decisions y la importancia de la evidencia y la investigación y la ciencia en la información tanto la política como la práctica en la justicia penal. Y cuando estaba en la Justicia Departamento más tarde con Janet Reno durante la administración Clinton y luego con Eric Holder en los años de Obama, Hice esta conexión entre la ciencia y la política y la práctica de cuán alta prioridad, y particularmente en la administración Obama, Eric Holder fue un gran partidario de esto iniciativa conmigo. Y establecimos una cámara de compensación de obras flotantes en el Departamento de Justicia que todavía existe hoy. Para que el practicante sepa si es policia o jueces u oficiales de libertad condicional o cualquier otra persona puede ir allí o estudiantes aquí en Mason decir lo que funciona para abordar violencia domestica o lo que funciona en la reducción de la reincidencia en la justicia juvenil, y averiguar lo que sabemos de la investigación.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

También este grupo de trabajo ¿Tiene un estatus oficial?

Laurie Robinson:

Bueno, esa es una muy buena pregunta, aunque. No teníamos pasos oficiales. Sin embargo, interesante nosotros la política interior Consejo en la Casa Blanca, no lo ha hecho una vez pero dos veces nos pidió sesiones informativas. De hecho, acabamos de hacer uno ayer.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Excepcional, excepcional. Entonces mi entendimiento son sus ocho recomendaciones y de los ocho, ¿Cuál es el más importante?

Laurie Robinson:

Bien, El primero es en realidad lo mas importante porque habla de la necesidad para cambiar la misión de la policía de simplemente reducir el crimen a un más amplio uno de la comunidad eso es.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Un resultado significativo, por decir lo menos. Bien. Porque cambia un poco la misión fundamental de la fuerza policial.

Laurie Robinson:

Bien. Y tiene que ser hecho en concierto con toda la comunidad. Bueno. En concierto con la educación y salud pública y vivienda y.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Ahora el informe no pone toda la culpa en las prácticas policiales. Bien. Llamas para direccionar los impulsores subyacentes del crimen y pide al gobierno federal para apoyar a las organizaciones comunitarias y los gobiernos locales y estatales en la creación de comunidades seguras. Aún así, ¿Por qué crees que la nación permanece? Como dice el informe del grupo de trabajo, atascado cuando se trata de arreglar la vigilancia?

Laurie Robinson:

Bien, hay algunos otros problemas involucrado aquí. Y uno de los más significativos, y abordamos esto en el informe es la cultura de la policía. Y hablamos en el informe. sobre la necesidad de abordar esa cultura que el la cultura necesita ser uno mucho más sobre una cultura de guardianes, guardianes de la comunidad en lugar de guerreros. Quiero decir, hay un lugar de cultura guerrera, que es si eres tratar con terroristas y tratar con una violenta banda de narcotraficantes. Pero pero la esencia de la cultura tiene que ser sobre protectores de la comunidad. Y eso en realidad se remonta a Platón. visión de protectores de la democracia. así que ese es un punto. Pero un segundo punto, Cual va a son la organización de nuestro gobierno, y es que en nuestro en nuestro país, tenemos 18.000 departamentos de policía. Estamos completamente descentralizados en nuestro sistema. Y por el contrario, el Reino Unido tiene 35 departamentos de policía Está completamente centralizado. Y es todo, ya sabes, si quisieran en el hogar oficina del secretario en Londres cambiar la política sobre el uso de la fuerza, podrían emitir un edicto un viernes hoy, y el lunes podrían tener eso póliza emitida y fuera y hacer el entrenamiento el martes.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Asombroso.

Laurie Robinson:

Sí. Y te cuento una anécdota rápida. Allá por los años noventa, yo representé el fiscal general, Janet Reno, en una conferencia en Alemania, y se relaciona con la formación sobre armas de destrucción masiva. Mirando hacia adelante a las cuestiones del terrorismo. Y yo informé cómo estaba resultando difícil para hacer ese tipo de entrenamiento y llegar a los jefes de policía estatales y locales. Mm. y un alemán jefe del ministerio se me acercó después y tipo de me regañó, ¿por qué en el mundo Janet Reno no acaba de ordenar todos los jefes de policía en Estados Unidos tomar este entrenamiento? Y yo le dije, Bueno, yo soy siento decirte, pero ella no puede ordenar cualquier jefe de policía en Estados Unidos tomar este entrenamiento en algo de nivel. Bueno, este es un tipo grande y tempestuoso. Y me bramó. Bueno, no entiendo lo que escribió. Y yo dije, cada policia local El departamento es completamente independiente. Bueno, en estos gobiernos muy centralizados, ellos simplemente no entienden ese tipo de cosas.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Ah, lo entiendo. Yo lo entiendo. Entonces cuando miramos lo que está pasando en muchas comunidades en América hoy, hay una falta de confianza fundamental entre la policia y las comunidades a las que apoyan.

Laurie Robinson:

Si.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Y entonces, ¿cómo puede esto se restablece la confianza? ¿Y qué debe hacer el individuo? hacen los ciudadanos privados para facilitar eso?

Laurie Robinson:

Esa es una muy buena pregunta. En estableciendo confianza, como lo pensamos, se trata de comunicación y honestidad Apertura y responsabilidad. Y básicamente, eso es sobre comunicación. Y He visto los jefes de policia exitosos que han hecho esto, especialmente si su si ha habido una mala situación ir a una comunidad y luego empezar a salir regularmente y no solo hablar, sino escuchar, haciendo una gran cantidad de escuchar. Y no puede ser únicamente con, digamos, un grupo de ministros mayores que son no voy a hablar en un dificil camino hacia él o ella. Tiene que ser hablar con los jóvenes, a la gente infeliz, a toda una gama de personas que han vivido en esa comunidad y son felices, infelices, enojado. Es y tampoco es uno y hecho. No lo haces solo una vez. Lo haces una y otra y otra vez. Parte de eso también es reconocer los problemas que tiene la policia han contribuido a. Es muy, muy importante. He oído a varios jefes decir eso. Y de hecho, con nuestra inicial grupo de trabajo en 2015, tomamos mucho testimonio alrededor del país y escuchamos de los jefes quien dijo habían salido a la comunidad cuando empezaron y terminaron eso, reconoció lo que el qué el departamento había hecho para erosionar la confianza.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Comprendido. Comprendido. que les dices a esos ¿Quién quiere desfinanciar a la policía?

Laurie Robinson:

Bueno, Yo pienso Entiendo la frustración y creo que la desfinanciación la conversación ha llevado a unas buenas conversaciones sobre la reinvención de la policía. no estoy de acuerdo con solo abolir los departamentos de policía. Creo que necesitamos protección. Creo que la policía necesita hacer un trabajo. esta volviendo a las conversaciones anteriores sobre la protección de la comunidad pero sin hacer daño. Y entonces tenemos que empezar con lo que debe ser la policía. Volver a la conversación original sobre la misión.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Te lo agradecemos. Y ahora quiero abrirlo A todos ustedes. Cualquier pregunta aquí para el profesor Robinson?

Student 1:

Profesor, gracias por su tiempo hoy. Mi hombre No localidad en el condado de Prince William un par de años atrás, terminaron su asociación entre la policia local y el patinaje sobre hielo preocupaciones o súplicas de la comunidad junto con la ley de inmigración. ¿Cuál crees que es el papel vital para la policia deberia estar preocupada inmigración e inmigración ¿cumplimiento de la ley?

Laurie Robinson:

Mi vista es que en el pasado, al menos, esto no se manejó bien. Así que sería cauteloso como jefe de policía local si yo fuera jefe de policia local en restablecer ese tipo de relación. creo que si I.C.E. estaban manejando eso de manera justa, en lugar de toparse con como eran en ese momento, corriendo a los juzgados para agarrar a la gente y ese tipo de cosa, que lo consideraría. Pero cualquier espalda sobre el tema de trabajar en sociedad con la comunidad, no parecía una buena alianza. Así que tendría que tener muchas garantías antes de firmar el papeleo.

Student 1:

Gracias profesor.

Student 2:

Gracias por estar aqui. Y esto te escuché hablar las soluciones siendo instituciones centralizadas. Piensas qué que actualmente es políticamente posible porque gran parte del gobierno parece estar preocupado por derechos de los estados y ellos mismos?

Laurie Robinson:

Enviar a los departamentos de policía combinados?

Student 2:

Sí, lo hacen. Es posible comerciar con el estado.

Laurie Robinson:

Sí. Sí. No, no creo que sea así. no estaba sugiriendo que nuestro sistema es malo. Es, es, es simplemente una realidad nuestra, de, de nuestro sistema federal de sugerimos en nuestro informe de 2015 que algunos departamentos muy pequeños podría querer colaborar con otros departamentos en cosas como entrenamiento, equipo compartido, ese tipo de cosas. Y creo que eso tiene sentido. Pero incluso eso fue hubo cejas levantadas sobre eso por esa sensibilidad. Y alguien comentó, ya sabes, este es un tema político, alguien de la Casa Blanca. De hecho, también podríamos, ya sabes, este es un tema politico porque todo alcalde quiere tener su o su propio jefe de policía. Y uno le dijo: de esos 18.000 departamentos de policía, la mitad de ellos tienen diez o menos oficiales de policía juramentados. Así que eso es diminuto, diminuto agencias, que en cierto modo es muy bueno porque realmente conocen su grupo de constituyentes. Así que eso es bueno para la policía comunitaria, pero no es tan bueno, por ejemplo, en poder tener entrenamiento sofisticado porque probablemente tienen muy poca gente para cubrir todos los turnos y ellos envían la mitad de ellos fuera para el entrenamiento. Así que hay muchos desafíos. De este modo.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Y entonces el profesor Robinson, gracias por compartir tus conocimientos Gracias. Estudiantes universitarios Mason Honor por sus atentas preguntas y retroalimentación y gracias a todos por unirse a nosotros para Nuestro Future Transformar.

Learn more

Guest Bio

Laurie Robinson is a Clarence J. Robinson Professor Emerita of Criminology, Law and Society at ��AV. Robinson served twice – during the Clinton and Obama Administrations — as a Senate-confirmed, Presidentially-appointed Assistant Attorney General heading the Justice Department’s research and criminal justice grants agency, the Office of Justice Programs.

In This Story

Gregory Washington

Laurie O. Robinson

The Southern Border

Jeannine Harvey — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 19:33:55 +0000

The Southern Border Jeannine Harvey Thu, 06/15/2023 - 15:33

Is the southern border creating its own culture? (Episode 3)

In the latest episode of the Mason digital series "Our Future, Transformed," associate professor Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera describes a southern border that plays against stereotypes of drugs, violence, and undocumented immigration, and where "borderlanders" are creating their own culture.

^{It's about trade, it's about culture, music, a different way of life, because we’re talking about two countries, and we're talking about two cultures together that sometimes mix and form what is called a third country, un tercer país.}

Dr. Gaudalupe Correa-Cabrera

English Transcript

Transcript EP 3: Our Future, Transformed: Is the Southern Border Creating its Own Culture?

Dr. Gregory Washington:

I am Mason President Gregory Washington welcoming you to another episode of Our Future, Transformed, a series of conversations with Mason's leading experts about solutions to the grand challenges of today and tomorrow. Today I'm joined by Dr. Guadalupe Carrera-Cabrera of Mason's Schar School of Policy and Government to talk about the challenges and opportunities along the U.S.-Mexico border. In the news, the situation on the U.S.-Mexico border is often described as a crisis. In this context, there's been a lot of emphasis about crime along the border and criminals crossing the border. What is the problem and why is the problem described this way?

Dr. Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera:

Well, there is a problem. We're just talking about the border in a negative sense. The border is a fascinating place, it is a place that's very diverse with wonderful people, that involves a lot of dynamics that does not have to do only with border violence, drug trafficking, and undocumented migration. These, uh, themes have been at the center of the discussion in the United States with regards to the MexicoU.S. border. When, when people describe, particularly the media and politicians in this country, describe the border, they talk about these three themes. But the border is more than that. People live there. It's about trade, it's about culture, music, uh, different way of life because we are talking about two countries, and we're talking about two cultures together that sometimes mixed and form what is called a third country — un tercer pais.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

We hear all this talk of cartels and, ah, large number of undocumented people crossing the border and the like. How do we move beyond the stereotypes involving law enforcement and involving these kinds of things?

Dr. Guadalupe Corre-Cabrera:

The image of, or what I call myth of the Mexican cartels led by violent drug lords like El Chapo Guzman, or, uh, I mean we, we talk about many other, uh, bad guys that, uh, that are, you know, presented in a certain way, featured in a certain way, uh, that commit crimes and kill people. And this is wrong. Why? First of all, because this drives policy in a certain way. We cannot think about El Chapo Guzman. This is something much more complex. It's about the consumption of drugs, the demand for drugs and the supply for drugs. This is a much more complex issue that does not only involve a Mexican organization led by a Mexican man, and when Mexican or Latin American people are working there. This is much more complex and we are probably not, should not be talking about cartels. We are really talking about a network of different actors working to get the drugs from the, from the, from point one, where they are produced, to where they are distributed and consumed. And we are talking about, uh, organizations that sell precursors, that pro, I mean that produce drugs and also try, I mean, uh, companies that transport drugs, enforcers, uh, that protects the cargo and a number of actors like corrupt authorities and people who distribute the drugs in the neighborhoods.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

We often talk about how all of this connects to jobs in the country. Is there a connection between jobs and opportunity and what's happening at the border?

Dr. Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera:

Yes, it is. We see many people trying to make it to this country. The immigration system in this country is broken. The asylum system in this country is broken. And there have been attempts. The attempts have been, uh, performed or by two parties bipartisan efforts to design comprehensive immigration reform to fix this broken system because people want to work here. Jobs are available, but there are no legal migration pathways. People who have the resources to pay a smuggler are going to get into the United States, are going to, uh, to get a job.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Hmm. So your upcoming book describes your travels along the entire length of the border as you explored its communities, their food, their customs and culture. Why is it important to bring those issues to light?

Dr. Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera:

Because the conversation has been centered on the negative things about the border. And because I lived at the border, my co-author lived at, was born at the border, uh, at a border city, we have traveled three, as I said, three times all along the border. We, we, we, we took thousands of photographs that are gonna be, um, that are gonna be included in this, in this book. We want, we want, uh, our readers, the people who read the book, to, to know more, to know that this is not just a place, uh, of negative things and to understand really the dynamics because also the topic of migration has been misunderstood in this country, uh, has been connected with drugs, but migration has been connect, has to be connected with, with the great things, with jobs, with possibilities, with opportunities. And the border starting to, uh, lay out what the border is about, that it's more than drugs, violence, security, walls, division. It's about people, it's about connections. It's about a culture of two countries, a third country, that it's the mixture between two nations.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Well, as I turn to you all here today, we have a number of our students in the audience. I'd like to open it up, uh, for questions. So any questions you have, uh, would be greatly appreciated.

Student:

Okay. So, um, that was a lovely conversation to listen to, by the way. Do you think it's better to tackle the supply of the drug problem at the border or tackle the demand? Which I'm thinking more towards demand, because I, I think the best way to tackle this problem is by starting with young children and improving education on it. Cuz I know I had my dare pledge not to do drugs in middle school, but other than that, that was it. Um, so, yeah, it just seems very easy for young people to fall into this.

Dr. Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera:

This is a wonderful question. Since the declaration of the War on Drugs by former president Richard Nixon, the focus of this strategy, drug strategy, drug policy in the United States has been the supply and it has been a total failure. The focus of the DEA, the kingpin strategy going after the narcos, going after the Mexicans, going after the Colombians. What do we have now after almost 50 years of war on drugs, almost $1 trillion that we have been spent on fighting, uh, the cartels, mainly? Nothing. We have, we had the second phase of the opioid epidemic, the fentanyl crisis. So there's nothing more failed than, than, than the, than the drug, that drug policy in the United States. Of course, of course, we have to focus on prevention. We have to focus on the demand because demand creates its own supply. That's what is happening. You kill or you arrest one drug lord, and then another drug lord is coming because the, the business is so lucrative.

Dr. Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera:

And if we don't deal with this, uh, issue as an issue of public health with education, and, uh, I mean with the communities, the, the, the society is very sick in many ways. Uh, the regions of, of this crisis also has to do with the pharmaceutical companies has to do also with crisis of the real estate sector. People lose their homes, people lose their illusions. Uh, people have expectations. And expectations are never fulfilled because we live in a very unequal nation. We have to deal with the root causes of the consumption of drugs in the United States.

Student:

Thank you for your answer.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

I'd like to thank you, Professor Carrera Cabrera, for your time today in engaging us. And I want to thank all of you for being a part of this week's episode of our Future, Transformed.

Spanish Transcript

Dr. Gregory Washington:

yo soy Mason presidente Gregory Washington, dando la bienvenida usted a otro episodio de nuestro futuro Transformados, una serie de conversaciones con los principales expertos de Mason sobre soluciones a los grandes desafíos de hoy y mañana. Hoy me acompaña la Dra. Guadalupe Carrera-Cabrera de la Escuela de Política Shar de Mason y Gobierno para hablar de la retos y oportunidades a lo largo del Frontera entre Estados Unidos y México. en las noticias el La situación en la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México es a menudo descrito como una crisis, en este contexto ha habido mucho énfasis en el crimen a lo largo de la frontera y criminales cruzando la frontera. Cuál es el problema y por qué el problema se describe así ¿forma?

Dr. Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera:

Bueno, hay un problema, solo estamos hablando de la frontera en negativo sentido. La frontera es un lugar fascinante, es un lugar que es muy diverso con gente maravillosa, eso implica mucha dinámica que no tiene que ver solo con la frontera violencia, narcotráfico y migración indocumentada. Estos temas tienen estado en el centro de la discusión en los Estados Unidos con respecto a la Frontera México-Estados Unidos. Cuando las personas describir, en particular los medios de comunicación y políticos de este país, describen la frontera hablan de estos tres temas Pero la frontera es más que eso, la gente vive allí. Se trata de comercio, es sobre cultura, música, una forma diferente de vida, porque estamos hablando de los dos países, y estamos hablando de dos culturas juntas que a veces se mezclan y formar lo que llamó un tercer país, un tercer país.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Escuchamos toda esta charla de cárteles y un gran número de personas indocumentadas cruzando la frontera y similares. Cómo podemos ir más allá de los estereotipos que implican la aplicación de la ley y la participación de estos ¿Tipo de cosas?

Dr. Guadalupe Corre-Cabrera:

La imagen de, o lo que yo llamo un mito de la Cárteles mexicanos liderados por violentos narcos señores como El Chapo Guzmán. Quiero decir, hablamos de muchos otros malos que son, ya sabes, presentados en un de cierta manera, presentado de cierta manera, que delinquen y maten personas, y esto está mal . ¿Por qué? En primer lugar, porque esto impulsa la política de cierta manera. Nosotros No puedo pensar en El Chapo Guzmán. Este es algo mucho más complejo. Es sobre el consumo de drogas, la demanda de drogas y la oferta de drogas Este es un tema mucho más complejo. que no solo involucra a un mexicano organización dirigida por un hombre mexicano, o cuando los mexicanos o latinoamericanos están trabajando allí. esto es mucho más complejo, y probablemente no deberíamos No estar hablando de cárteles. somos realmente hablando de una red de diferentes actores trabajando para conseguir la drogas del punto uno, desde donde se producen hasta donde se distribuyen y consumen. Somos hablando de organizaciones que venden precursores, que producen drogas y también empresas que transportan drogas, ejecutores que protegen la carga, y una serie de actores como autoridades corruptas y personas que distribuir la droga en los barrios.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

a menudo hablamos sobre cómo todo esto se conecta con los trabajos en el país. ¿Hay una conexión? entre trabajos y oportunidades y lo que es pasando en la frontera?

Dr. Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera:

Sí, lo es. Vemos a mucha gente tratando de llegar a este país. El sistema de inmigración en este país. está roto. El sistema de asilo en este el país está roto. y ha habido intentos Los intentos han sido, eh, realizado o por dos partidos bipartidistas esfuerzos para diseñar reforma migratoria para arreglar este roto porque la gente quiere trabajar aquí. Hay trabajos disponibles, pero no hay Vías de migración legal. Personas que tienen los recursos para pagar a un contrabandista son van a entrar a los Estados Unidos, son va a, eh, a conseguir un trabajo.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Hmm. Así que tu próximo libro describe sus viajes a lo largo de todo el longitud de la frontera a medida que exploraba su comunidades, su alimentación, sus costumbres y cultura. ¿Por qué es importante llevar esos cuestiones a la luz?

Dr. Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera:

Porque el la conversación se ha centrado en la cosas negativas sobre la frontera. Y porque yo vivía en la frontera, mi coautor vivió en, nació en el frontera, eh, una ciudad fronteriza, hemos viajado tres, como dije tres veces todo el tiempo la frontera. Nosotros, nosotros, nosotros, tomamos miles de fotografías que van a ser, um, eso van a estar incluidos en esto, en esto libro. Queremos, queremos, eh, nuestros lectores, el personas que leen el libro, para, para saber más, saber que este no es solo un lugar, eh, de cosas negativas y entender realmente la dinámica porque también el tema de la migración ha sido mal entendida en este país, eh, se ha relacionado con las drogas, pero la migración ha sido connct, tiene que estar conectado con, con las grandes cosas, con trabajo, con posibilidades, con oportunidades. Y la frontera comienza a, eh, establecer de qué se trata la frontera, que es más que drogas, violencia, seguridad, paredes, división. Se trata de personas, es sobre conexiones. Se trata de una cultura de dos países, un tercer país, que es la mezcla entre dos naciones.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Bueno, cuando me dirijo a todos ustedes aquí hoy, tener un número de nuestros estudiantes en el audiencia. Me gustaría abrirlo, eh, para preguntas. Así que cualquier pregunta que tengas, eh, sería muy apreciado.

Estudiante:

Bueno. entonces esa fue una conversación encantadora para escucha, por cierto. ¿Crees que es mejor abordar la abastecimiento del problema de las drogas en la frontera o hacer frente a la demanda? que estoy pensando más hacia la demanda, porque yo, Creo que la mejor manera de abordar esto el problema es empezar con niños pequeños y mejorando educación al respecto. Porque sé que tuve mi atrévete a prometer no consumir drogas en el medio escuela, pero aparte de eso, eso era todo. Um, entonces, sí, parece muy fácil que los jóvenes caigan en esto.

Dr. Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera:

Este es una pregunta maravillosa. Desde el declaración de la Guerra contra las Drogas por ex presidente Richard Nixon, el foco de esta estrategia, estrategia de drogas, drogas política en los Estados Unidos ha sido la suministro y ha sido un fracaso total. El foco de la DEA, el Kingpin estrategia ir tras los narcos, ir tras los mexicanos, yendo tras los colombianos. ¿Qué tenemos ahora después de casi 50 años de una guerra contra las drogas, casi $ 1 billón que hemos sido gastado en luchar, eh, los cárteles, principalmente? Nada. Tenemos, tuvimos la segunda fase de la epidemia de opiáceos, el fentanilo crisis. Así que no hay nada más fallido que, que el, que la droga, que Política de drogas en los Estados Unidos. De por supuesto, por supuesto, tenemos que centrarnos en prevención. Tenemos que centrarnos en el demanda porque Iman crea su propia suministrar. Eso es lo que está pasando. Tu matas o arresta a un narcotraficante y luego viene otro capo de la droga porque el, el el negocio es tan lucrativo.

Dr. Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera:

Y si no lo hacemos tratar este, eh, problema como un problema de salud pública con educación, y, eh, quiero decir con las comunidades, la, la, la sociedad está muy enfermo en muchos sentidos. Uh, las rigiones de, de esta crisis también tiene que ver con las compañías farmacéuticas tienen que hacer también con crisis del real estate sector. La gente pierde sus casas, la gente perder sus ilusiones. Uh, la gente tiene Expectativas. Y las expectativas nunca son cumplida porque vivimos en un mundo muy nación desigual. Tenemos que lidiar con el Causas profundas del consumo de drogas. en los Estados Unidos.

Estudiante:

Gracias por su respuesta.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Me gustaría darle las gracias, profesor Carrera Cabrera, por tu tiempo hoy y atractivo a nosotros. Y quiero agradecerles a todos por ser parte del episodio de esta semana de Nuestro futuro transformado.

^{Watch the Extended Video Version}

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Guest Bio

Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera (Ph.D. in Political Science, The New School for Social Research) is a Professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government, ��AV. Her areas of expertise are Mexico-U.S. relations, organized crime, immigration/migration, border security, social movements, and human trafficking.

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Fusion Energy

Jeannine Harvey — Mon, 08 May 2023 15:57:20 +0000

Fusion Energy Jeannine Harvey Mon, 05/08/2023 - 11:57

Can fusion energy change our lives? (Episode 1)

In this first episode of "Our Future, Transformed," Astrophysicist Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi, Visiting Robinson Professor, explains how fusion energy might transform the way we live, and how the Artemis moon project is a stepping stone to technological advances that will help us on Earth.

^{We do what appears to be impossible [in the sciences], but don’t be intimidated by it. It’s just like everything else. It’s a step at a time. Know that you can do it and that hard work actually pays off.”}

Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi

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Transcript EP. 2: Our Future, Transformed: Fusion Energy

Astrophysicist Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi, Visiting Robinson Professor, explains how fusion energy might transform the way we live, and how the Artemis moon project is a stepping stone to technological advances that will help us on Earth.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Just weeks ago, scientists reported creating a fusion reaction where it produced more energy than it took to start the reaction. How’d they do it?

Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi:

Great question. They spent a lot of money. They spent a lot of years. They got really smart people working on the problem.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Maybe we can flip this a little bit and talk a little bit about, what is the potential? Obviously, we know the challenges we’re having currently with fossil fuels. But what is the potential of this type of energy? Why should all of these students here be excited about it?

Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi:

Right, so if this gets to the point of being, you know, going from experiments to actual working rectors, then it’s real. This is what stars do, right? Energy is the currency of the universe. But you look at a star. They pump out copious amounts of energy for billions of years. How are they doing it? Fusion. So if we could do the same thing here on Earth, we have the same potential. Now, there is still some competition from fission reactors; they’re getting better, too, they’re getting less waste with new technologies, but this one promises to not have the problems of nuclear waste. And, also, it’s important to recognize that there’s different approaches to fusion. So one can lead to a better method, you know, that becomes even cleaner and even more energy efficient. And there’s even a possibility of one type of reactor that can give you, like, energy out with virtually no energy in.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Wow.

Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi:

Yeah.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

And the byproducts?

Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi:

So the byproducts, it really depends, right? So if you look at the two main types. You have inertial confinement, where you hit a fuel pellet with lasers. And there’s also magnetic confinement, okay? So the problem with both of these reactors is either the fuel waste is radioactive or they’re shooting out neutrons, right? So you don’t want neutrons slamming into your DNA; let’s just put it that way, right? Neutrons are sneaky because they don’t have an electric charge, so they can just go wherever they want and not get repelled by the electric charges of nuclei or the electron clouds that surround them, and that can lead to, you know, in your DNA, for example, it hits one type of atom, changes it, because what happens is once that neutron is in a nucleus it’ll decay and become a proton. So now you’ve changed from one type of atom to a new type of atom that’s radioactive. So it’s not like perfect yet, but, you know, you can screen these things. If you have, say, a meter of concrete, then you can stop those neutrons from escaping and now you have a much better, cleaner energy source.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

That does bring up the safety concerns, right?

Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi:

It does.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

If something were to happen and those neutrons were to escape, then you have.

Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi:

Yeah, and so with internal confinement fusion you have a cleaner system. The other problem is that the magnetic confinement when sometimes the magnetic field just completely breaks down and dumps all of its energy in a process called quenching. And these things weigh tens of thousands of tons, right? So, you know, all kind of badness is going to happen if that thing blows up, right? So, you know, there’s various approaches, like, the standard magnetic confinement machine is called a tokamak, but there’s another type called a stellarator, which is going to come a generation later. The tokamak is simpler but bigger, heavier, and not quite as efficient. But the tokamak is sort of like a stepping stone to working stellarators, which weigh, like, much less and are much more efficient.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

So the potential of clean energy is indeed real.

Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi:

It is 100 percent real. So what they’ve done is a major leap forward. Now, you can go and have a dedicated facility that goes from, you know, inefficient lasers, inefficient experimental process to an efficient process, and then you get to that point where you get that clean, abundant energy.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

So, in essence, the power of the sun can be harnessed.

Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi:

Absolutely, the power ... you know what I call it, because nuclear has become a bad word? Natural mass energy. Because, you know, if you look at the nuclear constituents, protons and neutrons, okay? Now, you’ve heard, ‘Oh, a proton is made of two up quarks and a down quark.’ If you add up the masses of the two up quarks and a down quark, it’s only one percent the mass of the proton. What’s the other 99 percent? That’s energy in the gluons, the field that binds them together. So what we’re really doing is tapping into that concentrated energy inside the nucleus. So suppose the good doctor and I, President Washington and I, are protons. If you weigh both of us, right, together we may weigh 400 pounds. But suppose now you fuse us, make us Siamese twins. We won’t weigh 400 pounds once we’re combined, we’ll weigh only, say, 360. Where’d that other 10 percent go? That’s that energy that was freed, right? Yeah, yeah. So that’s, you know, that’s the power of the sun. That’s the power of a fusion weapon that we use. But instead of having uncontrolled reaction, we now have controlled reactions that we can control ourselves and use it to our own advantage.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Does this mean the end of fossil fuels?

Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi:

A lot of people will say yes, I say no, and here’s why. If you think about it, I give you a gallon of liquid and that thing can move two tons, you know, 20, 30 miles really fast, okay? So fossil fuels are, they have an energy density and they are incredibly portable, all right? So the question is, can batteries get to the point when they can replace fossil fuels and have a similar energy density. It may not be realized in the lifetimes of you and me, who are in our early 20s, but for our grandchildren, right? That very well could be the world they live in.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

This has been outstanding, and thank you. And thank you all for attending the first episode of Mason: Our Future Transformed.

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Hakeem Oluseyi

Gregory Washington

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