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Esther Ngumbi

Esther Ngumbi

7 commentaries
1 videos & podcasts

Esther Ngumbi is Assistant Professor of Entomology and African-American Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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  1. More Floods Mean Worse Soil
    ngumbi7_ WILL VASSILOPOULOSAFP via Getty Images_flood WILL VASSILOPOULOS/AFP via Getty Images

    More Floods Mean Worse Soil

    Oct 26, 2023 Esther Ngumbi shows how extreme wet conditions can damage the symbiotic ecosystem that underpins our food system.

  2. Tackling America’s Racial Disparities in Science
    ngumbi6_Misha FriedmanGetty Images_woman in STEM Misha Friedman/Getty Images

    Tackling America’s Racial Disparities in Science

    Jan 29, 2021 Esther Ngumbi proposes four ways to increase the representation of women and people of color in STEM fields.

  3. Is the Rebellion Against Science Over?
    ngumbi5_GettyImages_pencefauci Getty Images

    Is the Rebellion Against Science Over?

    Oct 6, 2020 Esther Ngumbi reflects on how science, its public standing, and its role in policymaking have fared during the pandemic.

  4. A Pandemic of Hunger
    ngumbi4_LUIS TATOAFP via Getty Images_coronaviruskenyafoodaid Luis Tato/AFP via Getty Images

    A Pandemic of Hunger

    May 12, 2020 Esther Ngumbi warns that the COVID-19 crisis is aggravating food insecurity in developing and developed countries alike.

  5. Putting a Price on Soil
    ngumbi3_FLORENT VERGNESAFP via Getty Images_soilafricafarm Florent Vergnes/AFP via Getty Images

    Putting a Price on Soil

    Jan 3, 2020 Esther Ngumbi asks what we need to do to get more people to care about such a strategic asset as soils.

  1. vaheesan2_Michael M. SantiagoGetty Images_gigworkersprotest Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

    The Gig Economy vs. America’s Workers

    Sandeep Vaheesan warns that proposed ballot initiatives in Massachusetts would legalize exploitative employment practices.
  2. sherwin13_CURTIS MEANSPOOLAFP via Getty Images_repubicans trump trial CURTIS MEANS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

    King Trump on Trial

    Richard K. Sherwin

    High-ranking Republican politicians have lately been turning up at Donald Trump’s New York City trial to demonstrate solidarity with the former president. But their attendance also serves a more alarming purpose: to validate Trump as a competing source of sovereign power, independent of the US Constitution and the rule of law.

    explains why a parade of Republican leaders have made appearances at the former president’s trial in New York.
  3. spence173_ Joe RaedleGetty Images_power Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    Crunch Time for the Power Sector

    Michael Spence argues that developing flexible, stable, and resilient smart grids requires an expanded industrial policy.
  4. op_janeway16_SAUL LOEBAFP via Getty Images_bidenchips Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

    The Rise of Mesoeconomics

    William H. Janeway

    A growing body of literature focusing on the domain between the microeconomic and the macroeconomic has become increasingly relevant in a world beset by supply shocks. Armed with such insights, those designing industrial policies will have a better chance of achieving their overlapping economic- and national-security goals.

    details how a long-neglected field of economic study can be applied to today's most pressing policy challenges.
  5. strain27_Philipp von Ditfurthpicture alliance via Getty Images_AIeducation Philipp von Ditfurth/picture alliance via Getty Images

    What the AI Pessimists Are Missing

    Michael R. Strain points out that the technology will help to address many of the risks it creates.
  6. ito37_Spencer PlattGetty Images_columbiaprotests Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    The Innocent Bystanders of College Protests

    Takatoshi Ito laments that a radical minority can disrupt the lives of so many in the broader university community.
  7. lacamera1_Wang DongzhenXinhua via Getty Images_COP28 Wang Dongzhen/Xinhua via Getty Images

    Only Public-Private Cooperation Can Accelerate Decarbonization

    Francesco La Camera & Bruce Douglas explain how to translate political commitments into actual wind turbines and solar panels.
  8. haass167_ANATOLII STEPANOVAFP via Getty Images_ukrainesoldiers Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images

    Defining Success in Ukraine

    Richard Haass calls for a shift to a defensive posture and efforts to bring about a long-term ceasefire.
  9. aslund75_Pierre CromGetty Images_ukraineconflict Pierre Crom/Getty Images

    A Unified Western Strategy for Ukraine

    Anders Åslund proposes a maximalist approach to military aid to replace the current piecemeal injections of old weapons.

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