Joseph O’Rourke
Joseph O’Rourke
Recent Stories
O’ROURKE AND LAWRENCE: Remembering Zach Brunt ’15
Last week, as we were packing for Houston, we heard the horrible news that our friend and fellow Drop Team member Zachary Brunt ’15 had died.
O’ROURKE: Why ask big questions?
Space Cadet
I prefer to think that scientists are playing the long game, preparing for a future in which cosmic mysteries become relevant.
O'ROURKE: Stop assassinating scientists
Space Cadet
Americans and Israelis agree that Iran must not develop a nuclear weapon. But while virtually all credible American experts support crippling economic sanctions as the best deterrence for now, many in Israel are unsatisfied with nonlethal tactics.
O’ROURKE: More politics in science
Space Cadet
Support for science is steadily slipping among policymakers and the public — thanks in part to the concentrated efforts of self-interested corporations and anti-science politicians — even as science becomes more essential to understanding our complicated, modern world.
O’ROURKE: Sex in space
Space Cadet
Only in space does the messiness of human interaction meet humorless engineering and keen public attention. Matters that are normally dealt with in private are judged by the public and voted on by Congress. Although these policies would only directly affect the lucky few who travel the cosmos, a frank discussion of these issues would benefit us all.
O’ROURKE: Moon base not so crazy
Space Cadet
Newt Gingrich’s up and down campaign to be the GOP presidential nominee is likely to flame out today in Florida.
O’ROURKE: NASA is still a go
Space Cadet
My friends and family keep throwing cold water on my passion for space exploration. They believe news reports that President Obama cancelled the human spaceflight program, dooming NASA to slowly wither and die, and they try to nudge me away from denial.
O’ROURKE: Why Yale isn’t Penn State
Last week, a horrendous scandal rocked Penn State as the football team’s former defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, was arrested and charged with sexually abusing at least eight boys since 1994. Some students, apparently callous to the victims’ suffering, rioted after university trustees fired Joe Paterno, the beloved head coach, for his failure to investigate earlier allegations. Could the Yale community ever similarly embarrass itself?
O’ROURKE: The BEST Project isn’t the best climate science
Because scientific problems have grown incredibly complex, the public must trust conclusions from small groups of experts. The Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature (BEST) team recently received considerable attention after releasing their research on Earth’s changing climate. The national media embraced the team as impartial analysts who ended the putative “scientific” debate over climate change’s reality. But the BEST team’s publicity strategy tarnishes the trustworthiness of scientists.
Counterpoint: Back to Hades, Pluto
Eminent astrophysicists received unprecedented attention from schoolchildren in 2006. Unfortunately, the attention consisted of an astonishing volume of hate mail.