From the Editor

Image

Here are 10 things you’ll learn in this issue: 

1. Five common career roadblocks women may face — and strategies to move past them.
2. Why did we all rush to buy toilet paper in 2020? One professor breaks down a surprising cause of “panic buying.”
3. Each year, around 80,000 auto loan applications are denied to minority borrowers in the U.S. due to racial bias — even though Black and Hispanic applicants are less likely to default.
4. Banking apps aren’t just convenient — they can help you save real money.
5. Inheriting your family’s genes can be a gift — and sometimes a warning.
6. Add a kid to a photo shoot, and you get more than a picture — you get joy, surprise and a whole lot of personality.
7. AI doesn’t have to be scary. In fact, it’s helping us make better businesses, better football teams and more efficient doctor’s visits.
8. Legacy isn’t about what you leave behind — it’s about what you build every day.
9. We never know who might change our lives — or how long they’ll stay.
10. Sometimes peace shows up in unexpected places. For one veteran, it arrived in the form of honeybees.

Have a story idea to share? Write to me at maureen.harmon@rice.edu. Happy reading! —Maureen

Contributors

We asked, “What's in Your Podcast Queue?”

Image

Ty Burke

Currently in my podcast queue: “The Power Broker,” by “99% Invisible.” Its episodes run nearly three hours each, but the enthusiasm and humor of its hosts, Elliott Kalan and Roman Mars, are contagious and bring the sometimes arcane subject matter alive.

Image

Cameron Karsten

I backpacked around the globe, carrying little besides a pen, a notebook and a Nikon. A love of travel developed into a love of storytelling with words and pictures. I built a career as a photographer and director. I listen to “Radiolab” and “This American Life,” both currently queued.

Image

Helen Huneycutt

I am currently obsessed with Tom Holland, Dominic Sandbrook and their “The Rest Is History” podcast. I’m listening to episode 428, “Titanic: Kings of the World,” and I highly recommend the live recordings on Mozart and Beethoven.