Women in Politics, Research Bias, Canadian Brass

The Rule Changes That Could Boost Numbers of Women in US Politics Guest: Louise Davidson-Schmich, Professor of Political Science, University of Miami, Author “Gender Quotas and Democratic Participation” Mueller’s finding of “no collusion” is a boost for President Trump as the as he shifts focus toward re-election in 2020. The Democratic field to challenge President Trump seems to be getting bigger every day. Already 16 people have declared they’re running. What’s unusual, though, is that six of those are women–a record for a single party’s presidential field. And many of those women are also part of the record number of women currently serving in Congress. They now fill a quarter of the seats. Then again, women are half of the US population –why are they not half of the people representing us in Washington? There are some countries in the world that actually do get close to a fifty-fifty split in their national parliament–Mexico, for example. And many Nordic countries. So, what? Do those countries just think more of women?  How Bias is Baked into Scientific Research Guest: Aaron Carroll, Associate Dean for Research Mentoring, Indiana University School of Medicine Everyday there’s some new study touting the latest healthy thing to eat or drink or ask your doctor about. Savvy consumers know to ask who funded the research? Because if the pomegranate juice folks paid for the study that says pomegranate is a super-food, well there might be a conflict there, right? But conflicts in research go so much deeper than dollar signs. Pediatrician Aaron Carroll worries that bias is almost baked in to the system we use to determine which drugs get approved and which health guidelines get promoted.  That Houseplant isn’t Making Your Air any Cleaner Guest: Elliott Gall, Assistant Professor in the Mechanical and Materials Engineering Department, Portland State University Did you know certain plants can clean help you breathe easier indoors? NASA scientists proved it back in 1989! Google it and you’ll find loads of websites