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Megan Erickson
Associate Editor, Big Think
Megan Erickson is an Associate Editor at Big Think. Prior to Big Think, she taught reading and writing to ninth and tenth graders in NYC public schools and tutored students of all ages at the Stuyvesant Writing Center, which she helped launch. In her spare time, she worked in the communications department at the Center for Constitutional Rights and served as a mentor at the Urban Assembly, where she designed and led an extracurricular civics course on grassroots community action. She’s written on education, small business, and the arts for CNNMoney, Fortune Small Business, and The Huffington Post. Megan received her master’s degree in Education from Teachers College. You can reach her at megan@bigthink.com.
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Roberto Díaz was the principal violist of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the National Symphony orchestra. Watch as he explains why bringing a hundred musicians together in to one synchronized ensemble is not easy - it's a feat of human expression well-deserving of our attention.
As barbarians, says Lawrence Summers, economist and former President of Harvard.
Patricia Milligan discusses the conflict between a generation that has carved out a niche and is intent on securing it and a generation that's burning for a shot. The give-and-take between the two is global in scale.
"We are children when we talk about the cosmic scale of energies throughout the entire universe," says theoretical physicist Michio Kaku. But with a little (okay, a lot) of human ingenuity, we may one day have the ability to harness the energy of the stars.
Do holiday sales make your palms sweat with anticipation? That's because they're designed to. “There's a very, very deep art and science to pricing," says Lee Eisenberg, author of Shoptimism. Watch as he explains the tricks of the trade and how you can avoid them.
“We are at the cusp of a revolution in medicine and biotechnology that will radically increase not just our life spans but also, and more importantly, our health spans," says Sonia Arrison, author of 100: How the Coming Age of Longevity Will Change Everything.
What's the difference between a Jackson Pollock painting and a finger-painting? Why is "The Magic Flute" so enduring, while other classical compositions have been forgotten? Leon Botstein, the dean of Bard College, examines what we're talking about when we talk about art.
"All of the cells in the body have this potential to make other kinds of cells. This has led to the discovery of human embryonic stem cells and other stem cells, which we’d now like to use to replace tissue and body parts," says Dr. Douglas Melton.
In the 21st century, biology will usher in advances in regenerative medicine. Stem cells will be at the center of discovery and application in that new field.
"Consciousness of course is one of the largest questions of brain structure and function. And we approach it now perhaps differently than we have in the past with our new tools. But I’m not convinced that we understand it any better," says Joy Hirsch.
In honor of that award, we're republishing a segment from our October interview with Abed, in which he talks about what women and girls can teach the world.
The next Scientific Revolution is already underway. And it may make it possible for you to celebrate your 150th birthday, says Sonia Arrison.
Unemployment among those aged 16-29 is at its highest rate since WWII. “Follow your passion,” while hard to argue with, is clearly an inadequate career plan.
Margaret Cho, the "Patron Saint of Outsiders" reveals the secret to overcoming barriers.
We now have the power to map the brain, peering into the human mind to decode words from silent thoughts. But what will human consciousness look like, if we ever finally catch a glimpse of it? Neuroscientist Joy Hirsch kicks off the debate.
"It turns out we’re not the only species that assembles ourselves into networks," says sociologist and physician Nicholas Christakis.
Yes, we know our laptops know more than us. Now what will we do at work?
Tara Sophia Mohr has a challenge for working women. “You’re brilliant and thoughtful, but could you move a few more inches in the arrogant idiot direction please?” Be an arrogant idiot is rule #5 of Mohr's 10 Rules for Brilliant Women.
The winner of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced this Friday, October 7th. Last week, a former Norwegian prime minister ignited speculation about this year's winner by announcing, "It will be an interesting and very important prize ... I think it will be well-received."
If we want to change our society, we need to focus our attention on our women, says Sir Fazle Abed, founder of one of the most efficient microfinance organizations in the world.