Liberal Arts In The News - February 2026
How did Japan's space program evolve?
The Diplomat
In “The Islands and the Stars: A History of Japan’s Space Programs,” Subodhana Wijeyeratne, an assistant professor of history at Purdue University, charts Tokyo’s course through three distinct eras leading to the Japanese space program as we know it today. In his interview, Wijeyeratne discusses the critical role of narratives as well as the key figures and unique forces that shaped Japan’s space programs.
How Republicans use AI to help them understand Senate budget rules
The Boston Globe
Daniel Schiff, an assistant professor of public policy, weighs in on House Republicans’ new AI tool, the “Byrd Bot,” designed to help legislation comply with Senate budget rules. The tool aims to streamline the reconciliation process and improve efficiency. Schiff emphasizes the need for developing such tools carefully and testing them, noting some areas of use are low risk and optimal for AI while others may result in hallucinations, so results need to be checked carefully.
Historian explores the dynamic Saturday Night Live and the Gerald Ford presidency
CSPAN
Kathryn Brownell is a professor of history and director of the Center for American Political History and Technology shares the example of Saturday Night Live and its portrayal of Gerald Ford. She argues that political humor is not just entertainment or “fluff,” but part of a broader system of media, business interests, and political negotiation.
Mothers and daughters can write to each other at this event
Mirror Indy
Melissa Fraterrigo, an English limited term lecturer, said she and her children used to write to each other in a mother-daughter journal to communicate things in a safer space.
Hamilton Commentary: Congress needs more friendships
The Indiana Citizen
Former congressman Lee Hamilton cites research by Bryce Dietrich, now an associate professor of political science at Purdue University, to argue that Congress has grown more polarized as personal relationships across party lines have declined. Dietrich analyzed over 1,400 hours of C-SPAN footage from 1997 to 2012—generously acquired with the help of Dr. Robert X. Browning at the Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement—and found that members of the U.S. House crossed the aisle less frequently over time. His research reinforces Hamilton’s call for stronger bipartisan friendships to improve legislative cooperation.
How presidents have blurred the line between politician and celebrity
WFAE (NPR Charlotte)
Here & Now's Tiziana Dearing speaks with Kathryn Brownell, a professor of history and director of the Center for American Political History, Media and Technology at Purdue University, about the role of celebrity and charisma for presidents in the past and present.