Universe Today
7 years of opportunity on Mars and a science bonanza
01/25/2011
Jan. 24, 2011 marks the 7th anniversary of the safe landing of the Opportunity Mars Exploration Rover (MER). Opportunity will soon celebrate another remarkable milestone — 2500 Sols, or Martian days, roving the red planet. Together with her twin sister Spirit, the NASA rovers surely rank as one of the greatest feats in the annals of space exploration. “No one expected Spirit or Opportunity to go on this long,” says Washington University’s Ray Arvidson, the deputy principal investigator for the Spirit and Opportunity rovers. Link to Article
The Huffington Post
Seth Abramson: The top 10 creative writing MFA program websites
01/24/2011
Applicants to full-residency graduate creative writing programs have more options now than ever before. Lately, some MFA programs have developed a reputation within the applicant community for misrepresenting program offerings and making dubious claims about program reputation. Washington University’s MFA writing program web site is lauded as one of the 12 best in terms of design, structure and transparency. Link to Article
Truthout
If only employees enjoyed the same rights as criminals
1/24/2011
Few Americans realize just how fragile their hold on a job is in the current legal system. Roughly 80 to 90 percent of employees in a study by Washington University School of Law associate professor Pauline Kim believed that they could be fired only if their employer had cause. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The “employment at will” system, created by judges in the 19th century, lets employees be fired for a good reason, a bad reason or no reason. Link to Article
seattlePI.com
Oscar winner tells why 3D movies will never really work
01/24/2011
There are fundamental, biological reasons why 3D movies just don’t work for our brains and why they never will, argues movie sound editor Walter Murch. However, despite concerns raised recently by the video-game maker Nintendo, 3D does not appear to harm vision development. “The fact you’d watch 3-D in a theater or a video game should have zero deleterious impact whatsoever,” says Dr. Lawrence Tychsen, pediatrics and ophthalmology professor at Washington University in St. Louis. Link to Article
St. Louis Magazine
Restaurant Review: Ibby’s at the Danforth Center
1/ 24 / 2011
The elegance of parts of the Washington University campus sometimes leaves us public college kids a little gap-jawed. The new Danforth University Center with its coffered ceiling and fireplace large enough to hold roasting haunches of venison is indeed an elegant semi-public space. Tucked back at the end of a hall is Ibby’s, a restaurant that possesses an interesting menu, a commitment to ecological wisdom, and a license to serve alcoholic beverages. Link to Article
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis’ top scientists and engineers to be honored by academy
01/25/2011
The 17th annual Academy of Science-St. Louis Awards dinner, honoring exceptional achievements in science, engineering and technology in the region, will be held April 13. Washington University faculty slated for honors include Dr. Marcus Raichle, Dr. Timothy Eberlein, Linda Cottler and Janey S. Symington, a retired molecular cell biologist. Link to Article
Saint Louis Beacon
Public invited to update on Arch plan
01/24/2011
Designers who have been at work on the still-evolving final conceptual plan to connect the Arch grounds with its surroundings will give the public an update at a meeting from 6-7:15 p.m. Jan. 26 in the Ferrara Theatre of the America’s Center downtown. The Arch design concept also will be on display at a number of locations in the city, including at Washington University’s Given’s Hall from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, Feb. 21- 5. Link to Article
St. Louis Beacon
Regional members of Congress list diverse priorities
1/24/2011
Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-St. Louis, is the new co-chairman of the Center Aisle Caucus — a bipartisan group of about 40 House members that aims to promote civility and socializing among Democrats and Republicans. In the wake of the Gabrielle Gifford’s shooting, Carnahan is helping organize a forum at Washington University in February that will focus on issues such as civility in politics improving the tone of political dialog. Link to Article
News in Higher Education
Science Insider
NIH’s Collins explains why NCRR must go
1/21/2011
In what he admits has been his most controversial move as National Institutes of Health director, Francis Collins explains his decision to create a new translational research institute partly by dismantling an existing NIH center. The plan is generating concern among researchers about what will happen to their programs at the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), which funds everything from model animal resources to large instruments to programs supporting minority institutions. Link to Article
New York Times
CUNY to ban smoking at all its colleges
01/25/2011
The move is the latest in a wave of smoking bans on college campuses, a nationwide trend that has gathered momentum in recent months. Link to Article
New York Times
Public Universities relying more on tuition than state money
1/24/2011
For bargain-hunting families, state colleges and universities, supported by tax money, have long been a haven from the high cost of private education. But tuition bargains are fading as the nation’s public universities undergo a profound shift, accelerated by the recession. In most states, it is now tuition payments, not state appropriations that cover most of the budget. Link to Article
New York Times
Room for debate: Does college make you smarter?
1/24/2011
Students make little progress in intellectual growth in the first two years of college. Why is that? Link to Article
Campus Technology
MIT Promotes ‘convergence’ as model for 21st century research
01/18/11
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has put forth a new model for research that applies the technical tools of engineering, along with its disciplined design approach, to life science research. The model, known as “convergence,” calls for rethinking how scientific research is conducted and promotes an integrated approach for achieving innovation. A beneficiary of this new approach will be biomedicine. Link to Article
Bloomberg News
MIT report finds faculty lags in minority hiring, retention
1/14/2011
A Massachusetts Institute of Technology report found its departments lag in hiring minority faculty, and recommended changes in the way the school recruits and retains blacks, Hispanics and other groups. Link to Article
For additional higher education news (subscription may be required):
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Inside Higher Ed
University Business
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