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Chicago Policy Review •

How Economics and Ecology Interact: Interview with Eyal Frank

Chicago Policy Review’s Shivani Shukla discusses Eyal’s interdisciplinary research with earth’s nonhuman co-habitants as protagonists, the ecological emergency, policy solutions to the crisis, and Princess Mononoke.

Eyal Frank is an assistant professor at the University of Chicago, Harris School of Public Policy. As an environmental economist, he works at the intersection of Ecology and Economics, with a focus on understanding the costs of conservation policies, impact of market dynamics on wildlife levels, and how animals fit into human economic systems.
Chicago Policy Review •

Impact of Disproportionate Air Pollution and Heat Exposure on Pregnancy

Impact of Disproportionate Air Pollution and Heat Exposure on Pregnancy

Climate change, environmental pollution and ecological degradation have been linked to undeniable and debilitating consequences on human health outcomes. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths every year between 2030 and 2050. This assessment includes direct mortalities as well as indirect deaths, such as from higher rates of infectious di
Chicago Policy Review •

Disaster Relief in the U.S. Often Depends on Your Race

Disaster Relief in the U.S. Often Depends on Your Race

One of the first Executive Orders from President Biden’s Administration reads, “We must deliver environmental justice in communities all across America.” Amongst the many, many moving parts in climate and environmental policy, one of supreme importance is environmental justice and its nexus with racial and economic disparities. Certain communities have been historically disadvantaged through mechanisms of colonialism, primarily along racial
Chicago Policy Review •

The City Is Not Designed for Women

The City Is Not Designed for Women

As stated by author and feminist-issues researcher Caroline Criado-Perez, the world is designed mostly by men with mostly other men in mind. The gender-based gap in data has been known to exist for a long time, and male-biased data has affected the living experiences of women in oft-realized but nether-talked ways. This holds for our built environments as well, where women are often left disadvantaged by existing infrastructures.

According to the American Ins
Chicago Policy Review •

Racial Disparities in Access to Public Green Space

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages around the globe and ravages communities, racial disparities in many aspects of public life in the US have been highlighted. Access to public green spaces, including parks, nature preserves, forests, and community gardens (Wolch et al., 2014) varies across racial and economic lines. Income and higher education are positively correlated to green space access. These findings suggest that certain sectors of the population are not able to obtain the health-related bene
University Observer •

Chamber Pieces in Literature: Jhumpa Lahiri in Conversation at the Italian Institute for Culture

Jhumpa Lahiri, Pulitzer Prize winning author, graced the Italian Institute for Culture in Dublin on Friday, 8th March. She was in conversation with Professor Cormac Ó Cuilleanáin, former Head of the Department of Italian in Trinity College Dublin, at the launch of The Penguin Book of Italian Short Stories, an anthology compiled by Lahiri. The book contains stories by forty Italian writers, some well-known and some Lahiri’s discoveries, translated into English.
University Observer •

Who’s Winning the Space Race?

Exploration of the universe is a dream nurtured by mankind more ardently than any other human venture. There’s something almost preternatural about being able to go beyond the circumferential cage set by the laws of science on Earth’s gravity, going distances requiring mathematical equations to be quantified. It is human nature that we would want to go on such quests for glory and the possibility of conquering even more territories.
University Observer •

Survey Shows Non-Irish Students and Postgraduate STEM Students have Highest Levels of Engagement

The Irish Survey of Student Engagement held its latest data collection in 2018, and saw a 7% increase in response rate from students, with 38,371 students from twenty seven higher education institutions participating in the survey, and is representative of all courses of study and demographics.

Universities all across Ireland, in addition to the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), encourage students to take part in the annual survey, sometimes even offering incentives to do so. The survey explo
University Observer •

Avant-garde Eateries in Dublin

The food scene in Dublin, like any other modern city, is increasingly becoming more eclectic. This eclecticism is not only in diverse food options but also in innovative ways of using interesting ingredients in dishes.

Masa on Drury Street catches one’s eye with its minimalist metallic signpost. As you wander in, the functional decor and the tropical garden in the centre makes you wonder if the food will be as Mexican as the interior. Indeed! Their range of delightfully low priced tacos and que
University Observer •

Who is Responsible for Climate Change Action?

Climate change is undoubtedly at the forefront of global problems. Calling it merely a human problem is not comprehensive of the ensuing disasters it is likely to bring about of all forms of life. We are now at a time when denial of climate change is a fool’s act. Amongst all of the cataclysmic realisations, which often go beyond an ordinary individual’s singular cognition, emerges the quintessential question: who is responsible for countering climate change?
University Observer •

UCD Investing €6.5 million to House 50 per cent More Start-up Companies

Last August, UCD announced a €6.5 million development project to expand the capacity of NovaUCD, the University’s Centre for New Ventures and Entrepreneurs, to increase capacity to house early-stage start-ups by over 50%. The project to renovate and extend the facility’s east courtyard commenced in August 2018 and is expected to be completed by summer this year.

Last August, UCD announced a €6.5 million development project to expand the capacity of NovaUCD, the University’s Centre for New Ventu
University Observer •

"Print , Protest and the Polls" - A hundred years of women's suffrage

This year marks the century of the Representation of the People’s Act, and Irish Suffragette Movement, when women were first allowed to cast their votes, after decades of demanding this basic right. It is an important occurrence in the history of Irish suffrage, and to commemorate the centenary of the first national female vote in Ireland, the National Print Museum set up a temporary exhibit, “Print, Protest and the Polls”, featuring various print propaganda from the movement on display, including posters, cartoon sketches, postcards and photographs.
University Observer •

Your Guide to Global Cuisines: Korean

This time, the focus is on cuisine from the Far East: South Korea. South Korean food is one of the most flavourful cuisines on the globe. Contrary to widespread perception, it is not limited simply to dumplings and kimchi; rather it offers a wide range of unique techniques and fermented preparations. The intensity of flavour in South Korean dishes comes from use of simple but sharp seasonings like scallions, dried seafood seasoning (jeotgal) and chili (gochugaru).
University Observer •

Vegan Fashion Week: ethically elegant

We, as consumers, make use of enormous quantities of resources. Fashion is one of our most conspicuous consumption, as beyond the basic level of comfort, it is also associated with notions of self-identity and social conformity. Trends are followed, some things become ‘in’, as they phase ‘out’ others. Such fast fashion has created an easily disposable form of consumption and instant gratification, wherein consumers are encouraged to gorge on whatever is ‘in’ and dispose of ‘out’ trends.
University Observer •

A(n) Ice Surprise

The festive season is upon us, and with it comes parties and gatherings where people are more often than not, drinking alcohol. There are some of us who are averse to downing ten helpings of mulled wine. Fret not friends, this is a brief guide for those of you who are looking for alternatives to the booze-fest that Christmas can be.

Extensive investigation of a few stores revealed that there are indeed quite a few non-alcoholic options available on the shelf of stores..
University Observer •

Brexit, Irish Higher Education and research: challenges and opportunities

With the uncertainty around Brexit affecting all sectors of the economy, its effect on education in the UK as well as Ireland remains a major unknown. The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has released a report laying out the possible aftermath of Brexit based on currently available information. It plans to update the report as more deciding events occur. Planning for post-Brexit outcomes is necessary to mitigate any negative impact on education in the Republic of Ireland as well as Northern Ireland.
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