University applications from UK-born students fall 15%

The latest statistics, published by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas), show 133,357 applicants have applied from within the UK, compared with 157,116 this time last year.

Universities and politicians have worried that the decision to almost treble tuition fees to up to £9,000 next year will deter thousands of students, particularly the poorest, from applying. Students can pay the fees with a student loan, which they start repaying when they are earning more than £21,000 a year after leaving university.

But the figures suggest that the fall in the number applying to university since last year is mostly owing to a glut of applications in 2010 in anticipation of the fees rise. In 2010, the number of applicants from within and outside the UK combined was 162,706, while the number from those born in the UK came to 139,875.

Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group, which represents the UK's 20 leading universities including Oxford and Cambridge, said it was too early to predict how many students would end up at university next autumn.

NEWS BY:http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/nov/28/university-applications-uk-students-fees?newsfeed=true

Vocational training vs. college education: Lessons from Europe

Thanks to the feverish coverage of the European debt crisis, we know that Germany is the economic engine that’s kept the Eurozone afloat.

The Germans attribute their success in large part to their dual education system. At a young age, schoolchildren go on tracks that determine whether they’ll receive vocational training to prepare them for employment or go to university.

While the system provides little flexibility, it does deliver on jobs. Germany, as well as Switzerland and Austria — which have similar education models — have the lowest youth unemployment figures in Europe. Young people in countries like France and the U.K., which put a greater emphasis on college degrees, fare much worse. In the U.S., youth unemployment is double that of adults.

Pepper Culpepper, a political science professor at the European University Institute in Florence and editor of the book The German Skills Machine, tells Worldview what the U.S. can learn from foreign educational models.

NEWS BY:http://www.wbez.org/episode-segments/2011-11-30/vocational-training-vs-college-education-lessons-europe-94463

Progress Educational Trust Conference: Growing Concern?

The consequences of assisted reproductive technology (ART) are a matter of great concern, whether this is the development of the embryo, the perinatal health of the mother, or the ongoing health of the child.

The latter two issues were discussed in 'Growing Concern?', the final session of the Progress Educational Trust's conference, 'The Best Possible Start in Life: The Robust and Responsive Embryo'. This session was chaired by Professor Bobbie Farsides, of Brighton and Sussex Medical School.

At least five million children have been born from ART since 1978, and so it is crucial to assess any impacts the process has on health. Jane Denton, Director of the Multiple Births Foundation, started the session with a discussion of the risks of multiple births.

The chance of multiple pregnancies is substantially greater with ART than natural conception, largely because of the practice of transferring more than one embryo. Indeed, half of children born via ART are not the result of singleton pregnancies. Significant risks have been associated with multiple pregnancies to both the mother and babies, with mothers experiencing a higher risk of complications and maternal mortality, and babies more likely to be premature, of low birth weight and to die at an earlier age.

NEWS BY:http://www.bionews.org.uk/page_115739.asp

How to build a university mobile application: best practice and insight

Don't get bogged down in the large strategy development surrounding digital - consider short term solutions and wins too

During my time at Precedent, we noticed that universities are shifting away from creating recruitment apps, and are looking more at developing applications that benefit existing students. These serve a dual purpose. As well as improving the student experience they also enable prospective students to see what really happens at the university and feel a part of student life before they enrol.

As mobile is relatively new universities seem to be struggling to find quick solutions while they develop their wider digital strategy. One short term solution is the creation of mobile optimised templates for their existing website; this is a quick win at a relatively low cost.

Our first education sector mobile app was for Southampton University, it helped Southhampton deliver prospectus style content in an innovative way.

We are currently seeing a large number of universities exploring mobile. Unfortunately it seems like many are getting bogged down in large strategy development. It is important to ensure that even when developing a wider integrated strategy, to consider short term solutions and wins. Digital channels move too quickly to wait six to 12 months.

NEWS BY:http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network/2011/dec/08/building-university-mobile-apps

Large drop in student applications for UK universities

A rising number of students are being deterred from University as the government's new tuition fees start next year. Ucas statistics have shown a decrease in applications which will come as a blow to the coalition government.

Universities Minister David Willets has said it is too early in the applications cycle to make predictions on demand. Yet experts believe the drop in applications for next years degree courses is one of the biggest.

The figures show a drop of 23,759 applications to 133,357 compared to the same point last year. This means that universities are going to become over reliant on overseas students who pay the full cost of courses, as much as £26,000 a year. However the number of applicants from outside the EU has risen by 11.8 per cent amid extensive overseas recruitment drives.

Part of the decrease in applications is the amount of students that cancelled gap years to beat the tuition fee increase. Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at Buckingham University, said: ‘I think this is the highest drop outside of the two World Wars, when some universities almost became bankrupt due to falling applications. They were rescued by State support.

NEWS BY:http://www.studenttimes.org/st_news/st_article1.php?article_id=1855

UK should make military alliances in Africa, says chief of defence staff

The armed forces' most senior officer has called for the UK to consider new military alliances with countries in Africa and the Arab peninsula rather than trying to compete for influence over the emerging powers of China and India.

General Sir David Richards, chief of the defence staff, said in a world that looked "especially unpredictable and unstable" it was more important now than before to reach out beyond the obvious alliances to ensure the UK's security.

Richards said the UK and France were already working closely together and that other alliances should emerge. "As the world evolves, so new groupings will emerge. The most obvious is our alliance with the French. It is much more than the Entente Cordiale of a century ago. It is a vehicle for joint action.

"The UK will require other carefully chosen alliances over the coming decade through which to influence the strategic landscape and help determine the outcome of fast-moving crises.

"Already our collaboration with countries in the Gulf and Africa has delivered results in the region. Perhaps we should be focusing our defence relationships on these regions rather than competing for influence, with many others, in China or India."

Richards said that with the US saying explicitly for the first time that its main military focus was now in south-east Asia, it was time for the UK to "think through what this means to us".

In a speech at the Royal United Services Institute thinktank on Wednesday, Richards said Nato would remain "the most powerful military pact the world has ever known", but he warned that this would not be enough in the future.

NEWS BY:http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/dec/14/uk-military-alliances-africa-defence?newsfeed=true

Pension funds to finance UK projects

High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail.

George Osborne has struck agreements with Britain’s pension funds to help fund a £30bn infrastructure package – unlocking a big new source of finance to up­grade the country’s transport, energy and communications networks.

Canadian and Australian pension funds have already invested heavily in the UK, and sovereign wealth funds in China and the Gulf are also exploring new opportunities. Treasury insiders say British pension funds felt they were “being left behind”.

High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detailto buy additional rights.

which hold roughly £800bn in assets, have committed to talks with the Treasury on investing in infrastructure, which could provide a reliable long-term source of income, providing better returns than gilts with less risk than equities.

“We believe we can unlock £20bn extra in funding for infrastructure in the UK through this initiative,” said a Treasury official, although no money has been committed.

Separately, Mr Osborne is to announce that a further £5bn of savings and cuts inside government will be switched to priority “shovel-ready” capital projects to give a quick boost to the economy.


NEWS BY:http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/0b0399f8-190e-11e1-92d8-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1gTMngCz1

Alistair Brownlee: 'It would be incredible if we crossed together'

Alistair and Jonny Brownlee sit at their kitchen table and pause briefly over a dreamy snapshot of the future. In the imagined picture, in the last seconds of a gruelling Olympic triathlon, the brothers are racing towards the finish. The final outcome is in the balance but the current world No1 and 2 will settle the small matter of winning gold and silver medals within the family.

Outside, on a rainy Yorkshire afternoon, the lovely old lady who keeps feeding them lemon drizzle cake has drawn her curtains against the blackness spreading across the village of Bramhope, on the outskirts of Leeds. In their tight little cul-de-sac, and at the bakers down the road where they're also given free treats, the Brownlees are certified celebrities. Yet they would be engulfed by national fame if they could produce a defining Olympic story by finishing first and second or, best of all, in a dead heat in the triathlon next August.

An incredible prospect is not mere fantasy. It is rooted in the reality of their world rankings and the fact that this year they have reached the podium together in five major races where the Olympic standard tests them in a 1.5km swim, a 40km ride and a 10km run. Alistair is the new world champion, for a second time, while Jonny finished just behind him in the world series after the deciding triathlon in Beijing. Over the same course used for the Beijing Games, Alistair's winning time was a minute-and-a-half quicker than that recorded in 2008 by the Olympic champion, Jan Frodeno.

"We have got a good chance," Alistair admits, looking as steely as he is thoughtful. "But everything has to go right for us to finish first and second. In triathlon, there's a 50% chance of something going wrong. So I'd say there is a one in four chance of it happening for both of us. The odds stack up."


NEWS BY:http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/dec/05/brownlee-alistair-jonny-triathlon-olympics?newsfeed=true

Engineering aids UK job market

The Reed Job Index for November stands at 133 – with employer demand for new staff being a third higher than it was 23 months ago and 20% percent higher than last year.

Paul Jackson, chief executive at EngineeringUK, said to Engineering Capacity: “The findings in the Reed Job Index reflect the engineering sector’s contribution to the UK economy. The demand for engineers is supported by EngineeringUK findings; out of a total of 2.1 million businesses in the UK, just over 550,000 are engineering businesses.

Engineering businesses employ 5.6 million people and generate turnover over £1.15 trillion, which is almost a third of the turnover all UK businesses.

“Employers recognise the need to promote engineering careers to young people, and demonstrate their commitment to inspiring tomorrow’s workforce through programmes, such as The Big Bang and Tomorrow’s Engineers.”


NEWS BY:http://www.engineeringcapacity.com/news101/business-news/engineering-aids-uk-job-market

Prof. Gartner Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

The award, given at most every second year by the Transportation Science and Logistics Society of INFORMS, the Institute for Operations Research and Management Science, recognizes an individual “who throughout his or her professional career has made fundamental and sustained contributions to transportation science and logistics and has influenced the field through his or her writings, teaching, service and nurturing of younger professionals.”

“It’s a great honor to be recognized by one’s peers and to join a distinguished list of individuals who were awarded such honor in the past,” says Gartner. “Two of the four previous U.S. winners are members of the National Academy of Engineering and all foreign awardees are prominent scientists in their respective countries — the U.K., Canada, Germany and Italy. Furthermore, I feel it is an honor for UMass Lowell to join a distinguished list of top universities recognized for their outstanding research and educational achievements in the transportation field.”

“Prof. Gartner has been at the forefront of transportation science research for the past 40 years, since he completed his doctoral dissertation at the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology in 1970,” says Marguerite Zarrillo, a UMass Dartmouth physics professor who nominated him for the award. “Most of all, he educated, mentored and guided scores of undergraduate and graduate students in transportation and traffic theory and practice.”

She cites among Gartner’s numerous contributions — which today are standard textbook material — the development of the first Link Performance Function for traffic network control and for traffic assignment, the excess-demand concept and method in elastic-demand assignment, the MITROP, MAXBAND and MULTIBAND programs for traffic signal optimization in arterial streets and in large-scale arterial networks and the “rolling horizon” concept for traffic-adaptive control and estimation.

NEWS BY:http://www.uml.edu/News/stories/2011-12/Gartner-Award.aspx

Chinese automaker Geely to enter UK market in 2012, US debut could be coming

Geely reached an agreement with the Manganese Bronze Holdings (MBH). MBH wil become Geely's distributor for selling cars in the United Kingdom, as well they will supply parts and provide an maintenance on vehicles. The UK distributor operation will be known as Geely Auto UK.

Geely and MBH are already working together manufacturing the iconic London black cabs for the UK market. Manufacturing takes place in Coventry by The London Taxi Company, which is a division of MBH.

Geely Auto UK headquarters will share offices with the London Taxi Company in Coventry. This will allow them to utilize the existing workforce that has expertise in marketing, logistics and finance.

“We are all aware of the success that the Korean brands, Kia and Hyundai have had in the UK and we can work with Geely to achieve similar success in the future” said John Russell, Chief Executive Officer of MBH.

“We are starting with a clean sheet of paper with the distribution of Geely passenger cars into the UK, the first major Western European country to receive them. We will start by importing the Geely Emgrand EC7, C/D segment sized four door saloons and five door hatchbacks, initially with 1.5 and 1.8 liter petrol [gas] engine options. But Geely has a comprehensive range of models well suited to European requirements. We will be aiming to widen our range just as quickly as possible, probably at least a new model range every year for the next four to five years”. Said Matthew Cheyne, who is the Market Development Director of Geely Auto UK. Mr. Cheyne is also heading up the team responsible for the sales, marketing, anddealer development and distribution of Geely vehicles in the UK.

The first Geely car to be sold in the UK, the Emgrand EC7, will have a price range of approximately £10,000 British pounds. (That is equivalent to about $15,600 dollars.) Geely cars will carry a five-year, 100,000 mile warranty. It should be an attractive choice for car buyers looking for a bargain.

NEWS BY:http://www.torquenews.com/1070/chinese-automaker-geely-enter-uk-market-2012-us-debut-come

Global ad expenditure expected to rise

The global advertising market is looking robust as advertisers are in a better position than they were at the start of the downturn in 2008, says ZenithOptimedia’s latest report.

The media company says that advertisers have built up large cash reserves since 2008 but as they are earning poor interest rates, companies are likely to invest in advertising “in competition for marker share, and as a way of stimulating extra consumption.”

The media agency network predicts global ad expenditure will grow 4.7% in 2012, up from 3.5% in 2011, despite the crisis in the Eurozone. Expenditure is then expected to rise 5.2% in

It attributes the robustness to the “quadrennial” effect of four events next year, the Olympics, European Football Championship, US Presidential elections and other elections, alongside a recovery in Japan from the earthquake earlier this year.

Western Europe is expected to show smaller growth, predicted at 2% in 2012, despite the fillip of the London 2012 Olympics. The forecast assumes that GDP will continue to slow in the Eurozone and assumes that even if conditions deteriorate the impact on global growth will be “limited”. Defaults in two Eurozone countries could turn growth into a -4% reversal but global ad expenditure would still rise by 3.2%.


NEWS BY:http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/disciplines/advertising/global-ad-expenditure-expected-to-rise/3032432.article

Britain's trade union movement: why strike?

The public sector strike on November 30 will be the largest strike in the UK since the general strike of 1926.

Two to three million workers could take part. Unlike our continental counterparts, coordinated strikes of this kind are extremely rare in the British trade union movement. As such, its political importance, if the action is successful, will be much greater than in the continent.

Why has it come to this? In a sense, the answer is obvious. 'Austerity' involves the most serious attempt to restructure the economy, to the detriment of working class living standards, in decades. It involves reducing wages and pensions, diminishing bargaining rights, cutting jobs and reducing the bargaining power of labour. Everywhere that these measures have been introduced, whether in Wisconsin or Greece, there has been resistance.

Yet, there was no guarantee that the British trade union movement would respond in the way that it has. Decades of declining union composition since the serious defeats inflicted on organised labour – notably, on the miners and the print workers – have left unions in a weaker position.

The orthodoxy among trade union leaders since then has been a form of tactical conservatism known as the 'new realism'. This approach involved unions avoiding confrontation in favour of bargaining with the government of the day. Every sign until last year was that the Trade Unions Congress (TUC) would adopt this approach in dealing with the government's cuts, negotiating to mitigate the effects of cutbacks rather than seriously attempting to obstruct them. Indeed, before grumblings from the shop floor scuppered the plan, union leaders had intended to invite prime minister David Cameron to address congress last year. So, what changed?

NEWS BY:http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/3702498.html

What the Battle of the Crater Means Today

When our Founding Fathers wrote in the Declaration of Independence​ that it was a “self-evident” truth that “all men are created equal,” endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” they enshrined those words as an eternal principle for which the war for liberty would be fought.

A decade later, our Constitution aspired to create a system of self-government which respected both the equality and liberty of all. When the delegates could not agree on the question of slavery, the document fell short of that principle for too many Americans—especially African Americans.

Seventy-six years after the Constitution was written, in the middle of a Civil War to resolve at last its worst failure, Abraham Lincoln stood at Gettysburg and returned to the promise of the Declaration, recasting the struggle to save the Union and cementing the cause of our nation. America he said, was “dedicated to the proposition” of the Declaration, “that all men are created equal.”

One of many heroic groups of African American volunteers fought and gave their lives to prove that they were, indeed, created equal, nine months after Lincoln spoke those words.

NEWS BY:http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=47260

U.K. Banks Blame Economy on Lending

The comments to the parliamentary Treasury Committee came as data from the British Bankers Association on Wednesday showed that U.K. businesses made net repayments on their debt in October.

Nonfinancial companies made a net repayment of £700 million in October, after borrowing £1 million in September, confirming the continuing uncertain tone of business at the moment as the euro-zone sovereign debt crisis rumbles on and concerns over the U.K.'s economic situation grow. Meanwhile, seasonally-adjusted net mortgage lending grew £900 million in October, just up from the £800 million increase in September, but weaker than the £1.3 billion increase reported a year earlier.

The role of bonuses in business decisions was raised after Robert Jenkins, a member of the Bank of England's Financial Policy Committee, Tuesday said banks should cut bonuses to help bolster their balance sheets, and accused banks of falsely claiming regulatory reforms could harm the economy.

Messrs. Hester and Flint and Ms. Botin were testifying along with Tim Tookey, interim CEO of Lloyds Banking Group PLC. The government has pledged to have a formal response to the ICB report by mid-December and will then start drafting legislation.

The ICB is calling for banks to hold as much as 20% capital against their assets—far more than international peers—and to segregate, or "ring fence," their retail arms from other activities. The ultimate aim of the rules is to reduce the chances of any taxpayer bailouts of the sector, after a debilitating financial crisis for the country.

NEWS BY:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204630904577056253335436664.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Preserving Unique Culture, Tibetan Education Flourishes in UK

London- The education of Tibetan children in exile is of paramount importance to the Tibet cause. Many would deem that teaching children about their homeland, most of whom have never even seen Tibet would be difficult. However, as a shining beacon of hope, the Tibetan community in Woolwich, London (UK) have proved otherwise.

‘Tashiling Tibetan Children's School, Woolwich' is an education programme run by the Tibetan community in East London, which number at around 100.

A growing concern faced by parents in the community, and indeed globally for the Tibetan diaspora, was that Tibetan children were growing up knowing little about their country's rich culture, and particularly its unique language.

The community in Woolwich discussed the issue, and on August 13th 2011, set up the first classes for the Tashiling Tibetan Children's School.
The school has proved an inspiring success.

The students, which number at least twenty, have lessons on Saturdays attentively. As a reminder and practice of Tibetan culture, the students wear traditional Tibetan chupas; silk garments which outmatch any generic British school uniform. Upon a visit to the school, I was stuck by the genuine alert attentiveness and hard work of both students and staff. The importance of learning the Tibetan language was genuine and heartfelt.


NEWS BY:http://www.thetibetpost.com/en/features/education-and-society/2175-preserving-unique-culture-tibetan-education-flourishes-in-uk

Student receives fellowship for work in prevention of child abuse, neglect

a second year doctoral student in the School of Social Work, is the recipient of the Doris Duke Fellowship for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. 

The Doris Duke Fellowships are designed to identify and develop a new generation of leaders interested in and capable of creating initiatives that will advance child abuse prevention practice and policy. Fellows receive an annual stipend of $25,000 for up to two years to support the completion of their dissertation and related research at their academic institution. The fellowship is funded through the Doris Duke Foundation and administered through Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.

Mullins has earned bachelor's degrees in psychology and French (2001) and a master’s degree in social work (2004) from ASU. Her research interests include the prevention of child abuse and neglect, foster youth transitioning to adulthood, and pregnancy and parenting among foster youth. She is involved with community agencies that promote the well-being of foster children, including the Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation and the Arizona Citizen Review Panel. She also worked as a child welfare specialist with Maricopa County for several years.

“Jennifer is a bright, motivated student who clearly demonstrates social work’s commitment to child welfare," says Cynthia Lietz, assistant professor in the School of Social Work. "Jennifer and I worked on a project that was recently published related to parents’ perceptions of intensive in-home child welfare services. Currently we are working on a project to examine the needs of foster parents."

"I am deeply honored to receive such a prestigious award from the Doris Duke Foundation and Chapin Hall that will allow me to do truly meaningful research to improve our understanding of the cycle of child abuse and neglect among foster youth," Mullins says.

NEWS BY:http://asunews.asu.edu/node/22204

Teaching staff in further education colleges vote for 30 November strike

Teaching staff in further education colleges in Northern Ireland have voted to go on a one-day strike.

Lecturers at Stranmillis and St Mary's colleges also voted in favour.

Seventy-five per cent of those balloted in the further education colleges voted to strike but the turnout was low at only 28%.

The University and College Union (UCU) is the fifth teaching union to vote to join the public sector strike on 30 November.

The lecturers are in the teachers pension scheme and the UCU said they are angry at proposals to make them work longer and pay more into the scheme.

It said turnout was higher in the university colleges at 32% and 62% of them agreed to join the strike.

The National Association of Head Teachers, the Irish National Teachers Organisation, the NASUWT and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, have also voted for strike action over pension concerns and education budget cuts.

Members of the Ulster Teachers' Union also voted in favour of strike action but not by a wide enough margin to permit a strike.

Members of the Unite union in two sectors that make up Northern Ireland public services have also voted for strike action on 30 November.

NEWS BY:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-15821801

UK: University entries in record fall

This week the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service is due to release the number of applications received by October 15. This is the deadline for those wishing to study at Oxford and Cambridge or for any medicine, dentistry and veterinary degree.

Many other candidates also put in forms well before the January 15 deadline. Although just over 10% of applications have been lodged by now, it is seen as a key indicator of the final demand for places.

The last time applications fell was before the rise in tuition fees in 2006. However, applications picked up in subsequent years.

It is expected the biggest falls this time will be among mature students. The government is expected to seize on a smaller fall in numbers of teenage applicants as evidence that its information campaign in schools is working.

However, the decline will be inflated by a 1.5% fall in the number of 18-year-olds next year.

Those with the greatest declines so far include several institutions in London — applications at City have plunged 41.4%; at Goldsmiths they are down 35% and at Brunel 24% fewer people have applied. Queen Mary has bucked the trend in the capital, as has the London School of Economics, where applications have gone up by 6.6%.

Other big fallers include Manchester, with a decline of 16%, while Exeter and Surrey have both seen falls of more than 7%.

Applications to some universities have risen. At Warwick, they are about 10% higher than at the same point last year, while at Bath there has been an 8% rise.

NEWS BY:http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/university-entries-in-record-fall-in-england-wales/story-e6frgcjx-1226175150600

Air University boss ready for budget realities

Q. Your predecessor, Lt. Gen. Allen Peck, restructured AU. How is that working?

A. We effectively — and it was really in the name of trying to achieve manpower efficiencies and the like — cut down on redundant headquarters staff. We basically reorganized into six centers and a couple of institutes. .... This reorganization is three years old and it’s time to make sure that the reorganization is working to ensure that there are not additional efficiencies out there that could be realized. So I’ve just established a working group to take kind of a relook at that major reorganization.

Q. Air University has started a doctoral program. Where’s that at?

A. All of the major hurdles have been crossed, the most important being endorsement from our Department of Education. … It will be a doctorate in philosophy in military strategy. It actually builds upon the program we have here at the School of Air and Space Studies. The SASS degree has been renamed from a Master of Arts to a Master of Philosophy in military strategy. For those who do well … the cutoff is an A-minus kind of grade-point average, but for those who do well and basically express an interest in pursuing a doctorate, they will graduate from SASS. But instead of graduating with a [Master of Philosophy] in military strategy, they will graduate with an ABD — all but dissertation. They will effectively graduate with an ABD, go back into their career fields, get back to the operational Air Force, but at a later date, they will likely have the opportunity go off on a fellowship.So instead of doing your traditional Air War College or National War College resident program, they will go off on a fellowship and use that year to complete their dissertation, to defend their dissertation, and then hopefully be awarded at the end of it all a doctorate in philosophy in military strategy. The only thing we’re waiting now is for the final notification of [Office of the Secretary of Defense] to Congress to make it official.


NEWS BY:http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/11/air-force-david-fadok-air-university-budget-realities-111311w/

Gaddafi son's LSE thesis 'written by Libyan academic

The LSE, widely criticised for the way it solicited funding from Libya, resulting in it being dubbed the "Libyan School of Economics", has launched an inquiry into the plagiarism and funding controversy.

Colonel Gaddafi's son enlisted Libyan academics to help ghost-write his thesis, according to Professor Abubakr Buera of Benghazi's Garyounis University. "I learnt that Saif gathered some PhD holders from Garyounis University in Benghazi, Libya, to help him write his doctoral

Among the people he consulted was a professor of economics who was a graduate from Germany. His name is Dr Menesi; what gives credibility to this allegation is that Dr Menesi, who was then retired, was brought back to active service as a government bank chairman in Libya, then governor to the Central Bank in Libya, then minister of finance, and finally Libya's ambassador to Austria."

Professor Buera described Saif Gaddafi as a "war criminal", and called for the LSE to strip him of his doctorate. "After Saif's stand and lies against the Libyan people, it should be no longer an honour for the LSE to keep him as one of its graduates; from now on, he is being looked down at by many Libyans as a war criminal," he said.

NEWS BY:http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/gaddafi-sons-lse-thesis-written-by-libyan-academic-2233667.html

Bristol Scientists Turn Urine Into Electricity

Who’d have thought it; turning urine into electricity. On the surface it might seem laughable to most people, but a team of scientists in the UK believe there’s a lot of potential in ‘pee power’. Particularly animal urine.

We apparently produce 2.5 litres of the decidedly unpleasant waste product daily  – 6.4 trillion litres globally. A team of scientists from the University of the West of England, in Bristol, have been conducting research into whether urine could be used in microbial fuel cells.

In a recently published paper by Dr Ioannis Ieropoulos and his team, their investigation has concluded that the waste product is rich in chemicals that can be used in the cathode half of a fuel cell to react with bacteria in the anode. The fuel cells would clean the urine, therefore leaving it safe to be discharged into the environment.

According to the paper – Urine utilisation by microbial fuel cells; energy fuel for the future – initial tests have confirmed that it is ‘technically feasible’ to turn urine into electricity. However, the team only managed to produce a very small amount of power, so further research will need to be conducted, which will involve looking at ways of stacking up the fuel cells which would allow the stream of urine to run through the system to produce more power.

Scientists are particularly interested in the potential power of animal pee. It’s hard to conceive, but farm animals produce around 38 billion litres of urine daily. However, animal urine can be harmful to the environment if it is not properly managed, so using urine in biomass has great potential.

Biomass – a form of renewable energy – is considered to be a future key renewable resource. The term refers to any organic matter burnt as fuel that can produce heat or power.

NEWS BY:http://www.homeheatingguide.co.uk/blog/bristol-scientists-turn-urine-into-electricity.html

University sells off wireless technology

In what is claimed to be the biggest commercial deal by a New Zealand university or Crown research institute, Auckland University has sold its spinoff HaloIPT to a wireless technology giant.

The sale to US Nasdaq-listed Qualcomm – a mobile phone computer chip company – could eventually lead to cheaper electric cars by making wireless charging technology for them more readily available.

Terms of the deal are under wraps but Peter Lee, chief executive of UniServices, the university's commercial arm, said it was larger than any done before by a New Zealand university or CRI. Just before the dot-com crash, Australian telco Telstra bought Victoria University's internet service provider company, Netlink, for A$21 million.

This year, Crown research institute IRL sold a controlling stake in its superconductor technology firm HTS-110 to Dunedin's Scott Technology for $4.4m.

But an outright sale was unusual in the academic world, said Mike Doig, a policy analyst with Science New Zealand, formerly the Association of Crown Research Institutes."A company going strictly from university ownership into somebody else's ownership – that's quite a rare event."

HaloIPT was set up about a year ago as a joint venture between engineering consultancy Arup and Auckland Uniservices to commercialise the Halo technology.

Under the Qualcomm deal, Arup and two seed capital funds will leave the company but Auckland University will retain the intellectual property rights and receive royalties.

Qualcomm will own the assets and licensing right of HaloIPT and will commit $500,000 towards supporting further research at Auckland over the next four years. Six staff building prototypes would be kept on.


NEWS BY:http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/5939224/University-sells-off-wireless-technology

Kappa Delta Pi Honors Northcentral University's Dr. Melanie E. Shaw

Since the award's establishment in spring of 2008, Kappa Delta Pi has named a select few from around the world as Teachers of Honor.

This award recognizes both recipients and their schools for the accomplishment. “We are honored to have Dr. Shaw be recognized for her professional development, leadership, community service, meaningful contributions to the education profession, and commitment to integrity and high standards,” said Dr. Gardner. “She truly embodies the spirit of this award.”

About Kappa Delta Pi
Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society in Education, is a not-for-profit organization that supports the professional growth and teaching practices of educators throughout the world. For nearly 100 years, the Society has recognized excellence in education, advanced professional development, provided a reasoned voice for significant issues, and linked learning communities of educators.

About Northcentral University
Founded in 1996, and located in Prescott Valley, Arizona, Northcentral University  is an accredited, private, 100% online university serving adult students worldwide. Northcentral's weekly course starts with no residency requirements are designed to meet the needs of busy professionals. Degree programs are customized to each student's interests, and faculty and advisors provide one-on-one guidance to ensure academic success.

NEWS BY:http://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/11/10/p2016657/kappa-delta-pi-honors-northcentral-universitys-dr-melanie-e-shaw

Laura's German essay wins top student award

ONE OF President Mary Mcaleese's final functions in the office she held for 14 years was to present a young Swords woman with a prestigious undergraduate award named after one of Ireland's greatest writers. Laura Sinnott from Swords, was named as one of the 23 winners of the Undergraduate Awards, an awards programme open to undergraduate students on the island of Ireland and, recently, the USA. Laura was awarded the Oscar Wilde Gold Medal for academic excellence by President Mary Mcaleese, at the Undergraduate Awards Ceremony held at Dublin Castle recently. As the winner of the Undergraduate Awards Languages & Linguistics category, Laura was recognised for her essay entitled ' The audio-visual juxtaposition of Günter Grass' Die Blechtrommel'.

Having studied German and History at Trinity College Dublin, Laura was also awarded a scholarship to attend the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Arts and Culture after winning the annual essay competition organised by the Irish Austrian Society in Dublin.

In addition to this, the talent Swords student was awarded the 2011 Carr-jackson Prize by the Department of Germanic Studies at Trinity College Dublin for her undergraduate dissertation on Ingeborg Bachmann's Todesarten-zyklus. She is currently working in Vienna and hopes to do research in the area of Germanic Studies.

There were 2,381 submissions to the 2011 Undergraduate Awards programme, of which only 23 winners were selected. Founded in 2008 by two Trinity graduates, Oisin Hanrahan and Paddy Cosgrave, the Undergraduate Awards programme is open to students in their final or penultimate year on a degree course from every third level institution on the island of Ireland as well as a selection of top universities in the UK, Canada and the USA.

NEWS BY:http://www.fingal-independent.ie/local-notes/lauras-german-essay-wins-top-student-award-2929610.html

Observations and lessons from my first week of teaching

Of course, the first week swiftly reminded me of some home truths. The first was that while I may have balanced a 3:2 workload, I did that two years ago, and had spent the intervening time glued to my laptop in pursuit of a completed PhD thesis. I had completely forgotten the difference between being an isolated researcher and being part of a community, in the widest sense of the word, with all the additional human interaction that goes along with it. Possibly the most obvious instance of this was when two of the dissertation students I am supervising this year came to talk to me about their proposed projects on Thursday afternoon, before a deadline to submit chapter titles and a bibliography on Friday.

That's a perfectly reasonable thing to do – but in both cases, those meetings had been arranged on Thursday morning. I became used to arranging meetings with my supervisor at least a week in advance, since I was living off-campus for my last two PhD years, so setting up meetings only a couple of hours in advance felt like going at break-neck speed.

A second realisation was that while I may have balanced a full time teaching load, I had been mercifully spared from the deluge of administrative emails that come into the inbox of a fully functioning academic.

I'm still in the process of learning how to filter out things that aren't relevant to me, like details of the MA dissertation marking procedure, and how to read standard documents that get circulated every year that I do need to know about, like the schedule for setting undergraduate assessments. A lot of the information is very helpful, but it can get a bit overwhelming, not to mention dangerously tempting – I had to stop myself signing up for absolutely every workshop that the e-Learning team is running this term, just because while learning about new tools is helpful, becoming swamped in workshops isn't

NEWS BY:http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network/blog/2011/oct/29/my-first-week-of-teaching?newsfeed=true

Graduate College Dissertation Fellowships awarded to 17 doctoral candidates

Seventeen doctoral candidates at Arizona State University have been awarded Graduate College Dissertation Fellowships to complete their post-candidacy doctoral work.

Fellowships are awarded across five areas: arts, humanities and social sciences; natural sciences and mathematics; engineering; professional programs and education; and interdisciplinary research.

"These fellowships reward outstanding doctoral students who enrich their fields of study with significant research," says Andrew Webber, associate vice provost.

“The award plus tuition allows them to devote full time to writing their dissertation.”

The fellows’ diverse research explores such topics as: how private and public interests can be aligned to support sustainable development; writing processes of English-as-a-second-language (ESL) learners; causes of infertility among disadvantaged socio-demographic groups;

international relations and the politics of memory; a study of conversations and writing about race in a high school classroom; and cultural imperialism in Central America as seen in the events of the Filibuster War.

The seventeen new fellows for 2011-2012 are:

NEW BY:http://asunews.asu.edu/20111104_dissertationfellowships

Scholar: ‘Hard to say’ if Arab Spring is positive

According to Jonathan Adelman, professor in the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver, it is "hard to say" right now if the Arab Spring sweeping the Middle East and North Africa is positive or negative for the security interests of the United States and Israel.

Adelman, a frequent guest commentator on network TV news, is a popular speaker for Israel. He served as the doctoral dissertation adviser to former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and is a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington. Since receiving his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1976, Adelman has written or edited 10 books, many of which focus on the Middle East.

The Jewish Light caught up with Adelman for a phone interview shortly before his trip to St. Louis.

Now that the so-called "Arab Spring" has had some time to evolve-resulting in the ouster of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia, Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and the capture and death of Muammar Qaddafi in Libya-would you say overall that its effect has been positive or negative for the security interests of Israel, the United States and the West?

Overall, it's really hard to say. Some things are positive in the sense that authoritarian, repressive dictatorships inevitably fade away, and the fact some fairly strong secular liberal movements emerge is positive. But the negative could be worse than the positive from an Israeli perspective. The future of the Islamist fundamentalism in the region looks very strong. We just saw that in the election in Tunisia Islamists got 40 or 50 percent of the vote, even though they are more moderate. We are obviously very concerned about what's going on in Turkey, where we have seen a strong anti-Israel move by the Islamist Justice Development Party, and we are also very worried about Iraq. So, I think on the whole, it's not been positive, but it's really too early to tell.

NEWS BY:http://www.stljewishlight.com/news/local/article_6b5f7418-056b-11e1-8cc5-001cc4c002e0.html

Education: Why Has Cheating Become An Epidemic?

ebraska surveyed students and found that “89 percent said glancing at someone else's answers during a test was cheating, but 87 percent said they'd done that at least once. Also, 94 percent said providing answers to someone during a test was cheating -- but 74 percent admitted to doing it.”

Paying someone else to write your course work is also common, and now a big business. More than 100 websites provide essays that students hand in as their own work. eCheat.com, a particularly shameless site, flaunts this motto: “It’s Not Cheating, It’s Collaborating....Welcome to eCheat.com, a leading free essay and student resource site. eCheat has an extensive archive of free essays, all submitted and graded by high school and college students. eCheat also has an archive of 60,000 professionally written papers available for purchase.”

One solo scribe bragged in an ad: “I have been making a living doing this work for the last three years....I have graduated with four clients, start to finish, am working with three Masters level clients, and partner with a wide range of clients on an assignment to assignment basis.”

Another hustler said, in a mighty burst of sophistry: “It's not plagiarism if I write it for you.”

It certainly is. Just as every grade, and every degree, that results from cheating is a lie, and surely constitutes fraud on future employers. (Consult your lawyer. Wouldn’t the cheater and the ghostwriter be engaged in racketeering?)

NEWS BY:http://www.rightsidenews.com/2011101414705/life-and-science/health-and-education/education-why-has-cheating-become-an-epidemic.html

Fall in Welsh uni applications second-smallest in UK

The Welsh government said it had introduced the "most equitable student finance system Wales has ever had".

"We've been clear, access to higher education should be on the basis of the individual's potential to benefit, and not on the basis of what they can afford to pay," a spokesman said.

NUS Wales president Luke Young said: "Even in the devolved governments of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, where students will be paying lower fees, there is a knock-on effect as young people reconsider going to university.

"Although Wales has seen the lowest fall in applicants, it is deeply concerning that they may be basing their options on a funding system for English students.

"The drop in the number of students from England coming to Wales is reflective of the overall decrease of English students applying to university at this stage."

The number of English students applying to study in Wales is down 710 (13.4%).

The Conservatives said the drop should be a "harsh wake-up call" for Education Minister Leighton Andrews.

Shadow education minister Angela Burns said: "His wafer-thin tuition fees policy is based on a steady flow of students from England alleviating costs."

Across the UK, Ucas said applications for university courses were down 9% compared to 2011

NEWS BY:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-15430721

Student visa curbs are damaging our reputation, Universities UK warns

The Universities UK action group has issued a warning about Britain's reputation in education after new figures revealed that the government's curb on overseas students had reduced their numbers by 11,000 and led to more than 450 colleges pulling out of the market.

The Home Office said more than 400 of the pre-degree colleges lost their right to recruit international students because they could not meet the standards of a new inspection regime.

Universities UK said cutting such courses was damaging Britain's reputation for being "open for business" and undermining the pathway programmes operated by many universities. It estimates that 40% of international students go through such colleges before going taking a degree at a British university.

Student visa reforms, which included tougher sponsor and English language requirements, came into effect in April.

The Home Office said new inspection standards were designed to ensure that genuine international students received the highest quality education.

About 400 colleges – more than 20% of the sector – had their sponsorship revoked as they did not apply in time and 51 had their licences revoked after the UK Border Agency investigated a spike in applications from south Asia just before the tougher English language tests came into force.

NEWS BY:http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/nov/02/student-visa-curbs-damaging-uk-reputation?newsfeed=true

UK university applicants drop by 12% before tuition fee rise

The number of applicants from within and outside the UK combined has fallen by 9% to 69,724, from 76,612 this time last year.

The statistics show that the number of applications – candidates can apply to up to five universities – from the UK and elsewhere has fallen by 7.9% to 299,764, from 325,527 this time last year.

Applications to Oxford, Cambridge, medicine, veterinary science and dentistry courses alone have fallen, but not by very much. The number of applicants has decreased by 0.8% (464 candidates), and the number of applications has gone down by 1.7% (2,298).

Universities and politicians have been worried that the decision to almost treble tuition fees to up to £9,000 next year would deter many, particularly the most disadvantaged, from applying. Students can pay the fees with a student loan to be repaid when they are earning more than £21,000.

The figures suggest more women than men have been put off from applying to university. Some 10.5% fewer women have applied this year, and 7% fewer men.

Mature students appear to have been particularly deterred by the higher fees, the figures show. The number of applicants aged 40 or older has fallen by 27.8%, and among those aged between 30 and 39 the number has dropped by 22.7%.

The figures do not show whether those from low-income families have been particularly deterred.

NEWS BY:http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/oct/24/university-applicants-drop-tuition-fees

Declining numbers of blacks seen in math, science

With black unemployment reaching historic levels, banks laying off tens of thousands and law school graduates waiting tables, why aren't more African-Americans looking toward science, technology, engineering and math — the still-hiring careers known as STEM?

The answer turns out to be a complex equation of self-doubt, stereotypes, discouragement and economics — and sometimes just wrong perceptions of what math and science are all about.

The percentage of African-Americans earning STEM degrees has fallen during the last decade. It may seem far-fetched for an undereducated black population to aspire to become chemists or computer scientists, but the door is wide open, colleges say, and the shortfall has created opportunities for those who choose this path.

STEM barriers are not unique to black people. The United States does not produce as high a proportion of white engineers, scientists and mathematicians as it used to. Women and Latinos also lag behind white men.

Yet the situation is most acute for African-Americans.

Black people are 12 percent of the U.S. population and 11 percent of all students beyond high school. In 2009, they received just 7 percent of all STEM bachelor's degrees, 4 percent of master's degrees, and 2 percent of PhDs, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

NEWS BY:http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ja9P9ONQI85BmkNNrOFlDKIzVl_Q?docId=8d61edfa9d3f4d9183bb3d574a432cbe

Business opportunities abound between China-Massachusetts

NEW YORK - As the economic relationship between China and the United States grows rapidly day by day, Massachusetts is one example of a state that has opened new opportunities with China in life sciences, clean energy and higher education.

The economic ties between the two were strengthened after Governor Deval Patrick's trade mission to China in late 2007. Patrick called it a "powerful trip" and said the delegation returned with many new opportunities for Massachusetts companies to do business with China.

One of the highlights during the governor's visit was the establishment of the Massachusetts Technology Center at Zhangjiang High-Tech Park in Shanghai - a State-level, high-tech industrial development zone with the presence of multinational companies, such as Citibank, Asia-Pacific Software, Sony, BearingPoint, Kyocera, Applied Materials and SAP AG.

NEWS BY:http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/usa/us/2011-10/28/content_13995655.htm

European Stocks Climb on Debt-Crisis Deal; Banks Lead Gains

European stocks rallied to the highest in 12 weeks after the region's leaders agreed to expand a bailout fund to halt the sovereign debt crisis.

BNP Paribas SA, France's biggest bank, and Deutsche Bank AG, Germany's largest, surged at least 15 percent as policy makers decided to boost the firepower of the European rescue fund to 1 trillion euros ($1.4 trillion). PPR SA, the French owner of the Gucci luxury-goods brand, jumped 5.4 percent after third-quarter sales surpassed analyst estimates.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index rose 3.6 percent to 249.42 at the close, the highest since Aug. 3. The index has rallied 16 percent from this year's low on Sept. 22 amid growing speculation that policy makers would agree on a solution to the region's debt woes.

“Some of the fear, which has been the dominant factor in the market, has been removed,” said Pierre Mouton, a fund manager who helps oversee $7.5 billion at Notz Stucki & Cie. in Geneva. “Europe came to an agreement and has a plan.

This allows financial stocks to rise because there is no longer the specter of nationalization. There is a sense of relief for the banking sector.”

National benchmark indexes gained in all of the 18 western European markets. Germany's DAX jumped 5.4 percent, its biggest increase since April 2009. France's CAC 40 climbed 6.3 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 rose 2.9 percent.

Crisis Summit

European leaders persuaded bondholders to take 50 percent losses on Greek debt and resolved to increase the size of the rescue fund, responding to global pressure to step up the fight against the financial crisis.

The euro area's stewards said the plan points the way out of the debt quagmire, even if key details are lacking. Last- ditch talks with bank representatives led to the debt-relief accord, in an effort to quarantine Greece and prevent speculation against Italy and France from ravaging the euro area and wreaking global economic havoc.

Measures include recapitalization of European banks, a potentially bigger role for the International Monetary Fund, a commitment from Italy to do more to reduce its debt and a signal from leaders that the European Central Bank will maintain bond purchases in the secondary market.


NEWS BY:http://news.businessweek.com/article.asp?documentKey=1376-LTPMFT07SXKX01-2PP1LOBI2ME6NHCIBLM6OQV98T

Report: Wyoming educator evaluations could be stronger

Wyoming was not alone in updating its teacher evaluation systems, but it didn’t go far enough, according to a report released today by the National Council on Teaching Quality.

The report, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates and the Joyce foundations, was prepared to analyze the use of student performance data in evaluations and highlight the more ambitious state systems.

Wyoming, along with 32 states and the District of Columbia, made major changes to how schools evaluate teachers, principals and other certified personnel from 2009 to 2011.

“We’re taking big leaps forward even though there are some unanswered questions,” said Sandi Jacobs, vice president of the National Council for Teacher Quality.

The report rightly supports annual evaluations and high-quality evaluators but goes too far in suggesting student performance data be the heaviest-weighted factor in an evaluation, said Kathryn Valido, president of the Wyoming Education Association.

Valido said the union and its members support a rigorous evaluation based on multiple measures and completed by trained evaluators.

Valido also said the evaluation should be what determines whether or not a teacher is performing adequately to keep his or her job.

The State Board of Education approved new guidelines, referred to as the Chapter 29 rules, for Wyoming school district personnel evaluations in 2010. All districts were required to review their evaluation systems and submit revisions to the state for approval.

All 48 school districts submitted evaluation systems to the Wyoming Department of Education for review earlier this year, said department spokesman Jerry Zellars.

Department staff members reviewed the systems according to attributes identified by district superintendents and other educators. Evaluators determined 23 districts met all the guidelines and 25 districts needed to make adjustments. Zellars said not all the suggested changes have been made.

The state Legislature wrote “student achievement measures” into its Teacher Accountability Act. The law also requires local school boards to review a list of all teachers determined inadequate or unsatisfactory and the measures taken toward improvement.

The report noted 18 states require evaluations to be “significantly” informed by student performance data or that student achievement and growth be the dominant factor in the evaluation. Wyoming’s guidelines require the evaluation to include student performance growth data but do not recommend how much the data should be worth.

Valido said student data will be significant in conversations between an educator and his or her evaluator, but good teachers are not only defined by numbers.

“Teaching is not only a practice, it’s an art,” Valido said. “You can’t measure that artistry of teaching with a formula.”

The report did not favor any one method of evaluating teachers, and states that allow districts to develop their evaluation systems were among those highlighted as leading the pack.

“There needs to be a state role in assisting districts that don’t have the capacity or resources to build this on their own,” Jacobs said. “To reinvent the wheel lots of times might not be very efficient or effective, especially when you’re talking about building growth models with data that comes from the state anyway.”

Wyoming officials offered two nationally recognized evaluation models that fit the guidelines. All districts are required to follow the guidelines during the 2011-12 school year.

NEWS BY:http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=839632288575209123

Obama To Announce New Student Loan Initiative To Help Students Get Out Of Debt

When President Obama visits the University of Colorado, Denver campus on Wednesday, he is expected to talk about ways to ease the loan burdens of students and graduates.

A couple hundred of Auraria campus students camped out overnight Monday to obtain one of 4,000 tickets to the event, reported The Denver Post. Obama is on a Western-state campaign swing that includes California, Nevada and Colorado.

"If the message is going to be about debt management, I think all of our students are very concerned about managing their debt and managing their higher education," Raul Cardenas, associate vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of Colorado Denver, was quoted in The Denver Post as saying.

One of the proposals the President is expected to advance is a special, income-based loan repayment program, according to CNN Money. Another is a program to encourage graduates with two or more types of federal loans to consolidate them into one and refinance.

These ideas were initially presented by Obama during the budget proposals, but are expected to be re-visited during his trip.

Obama's announcement comes as pressure on the U.S. government has been mounting to address the financial issues of students and graduates, such as student loan debt and paucity of jobs, CNN Money reported. The average student loan debt for the 2009 class graduating from four-year nonprofit colleges was $24,000, which encompassed all private and federal loans, the Institute for College Access & Success statistics revealed. Furthermore, the jobless rate for college graduates aged 24 and younger rose in 2010 to 9.4 percent, the highest since the U.S. Department of Labor began recording it in 1985.

The proposal to accelerate the income-based repayment program builds on a change already to come, The Wall Street Journal noted. Currently, borrowers may limit their loan payments to 15 percent of their income, with all debt being forgiven after 25 years of payments.

However, a change Congress already passed allows graduates, starting in 2014, to pay 10 percent of their income with all loans forgiven after 20 payment years. Wednesday, Obama is expected to reveal that the change will go into effect in 2013 rather than 2014.

This change could be particularly favorable for individuals with limited income. Monthly loan payments are based on any earnings above 150 percent of the poverty line, according to CNN. For a graduate living alone, this equates to 15 percent of any income made over $16,335. An unemployed person with no income would pay nothing.

This is significant for students at risk for default. In 2010, the default rate rose to 8.8 percent, up from 7 percent in 2009, Department of Education data showed. About 500,000 students are currently enrolled in the plan, but hundreds of thousands more are eligible.

"We need to get the word out to students... that they need not default," Justin Draeger, president of the the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, said to CNN Money.

With the other measure, students with loans issued by both private banks and the federal government could combine them into one government loan and refinance, lowering their income rate and monthly payments, The Wall Street Journal indicated. This allowance could affect approximately 5.8 million people.

NEWS BY:http://www.citytowninfo.com/career-and-education-news/articles/obama-to-announce-new-student-loan-initiative-to-help-students-get-out-of-debt-11102502

Drexel’s future highlighted at Convocation

Speakers promote University’s partnership with Academy of Natural Sciences

Drexel University’s annual convocation ceremony was held Sept. 27 to celebrate the start of the 2011-12 academic year. President John A. Fry spoke at the event about the University’s future in many capacities and elaborated on the benefits of Drexel’s affiliation with the Academy of Natural Sciences.

The ceremony, held in the auditorium of the Main Building at 11 a.m., began with a procession of Drexel faculty, all outfitted in their personalized academic regalia, marching into the auditorium behind their respective college banners.

In his opening speech, Provost Mark Greenberg praised the teachers, whom he called “the foundation of Drexel’s reputation.” He acknowledged the students they teach and the “idea of the research university.

” Greenberg spoke at lengths about Drexel’s “capacity to transform lives through teaching and learning, neighborhoods and cities as an engine of innovation … and the fundamental texture of human life through technological and scientific discoveries, artistic interventions and cultural interpretations.”

He continued, stating “The modern research university has one additional capacity that helps characterize it, and that is the capacity to transform itself through growth, partnerships and affiliations.”

Many of the convocation speakers, including Greenberg, Fry and Richard A. Greenawalt, chair of the board of trustees, mentioned the University’s affiliation with the Academy of Natural Sciences, which was announced this past spring.

“This is an exciting development for Drexel, the Academy and all of Philadelphia,” Greenawalt said.

In his second-ever Drexel convocation address, Fry spoke extensively about the University’s partnership with the Academy.

“Bringing these two world-class institutions together is the sort of bold move that enhances a city, a region and an entire scientific community,” Fry said, before praising ANS president and CEO George Gephart for his effort to create the partnership.

“The synergies between Drexel and the Academy are incredibly promising as we bring together two outstanding teams of scholars and researchers,” Fry said.

“All of these researchers will have access both to the extraordinary scientific collections of the Academy and the advanced laboratories and technology of Drexel, especially those found at the Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building.”

Another benefit of the merger is the creation of the new Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, which will begin enrolling students next fall pending the new department’s approval.

Additionally, Fry stated that members of the Goodwin School of Education will be partnered with Academy educators to develop new programs for students of all ages and to expand teacher training programs

The Westphal College of Media Arts and Design will also team up with the Academy to create new ways to share the Academy’s resources with visitors through media-rich exhibitions and cell phone applications.


NEWS BY:http://thetriangle.org/2011/09/30/drexel%E2%80%99s-future-highlighted-at-convocation/

Minnesota News Briefs: Rep. Bachmann pledges to get tough on illegal immigration

ROCK RAPIDS, Iowa -- Presidential candidate U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Stillwater) is talking tough about illegal immigration to supporters in Iowa. The Minnesota Republican signed a pledge over the weekend and promised to build a secure double-fence along the entire U.S.-Mexican border.

She said she will put her backbone up against any other candidate in the race and "job number-one will be securing that border." Bachmann claims the average American household pays a thousand dollars a year more in taxes to provide government benefits to illegal immigration. She also criticized Texas Governor Rick Perry for allowing children of illegal residents to pay in-state tuition for college.

___________________________________________________________

There's a virtual tie at the top of the latest GOP presidential poll released by CNN/ORC International. Leading into another debate tonight in Las Vegas, Mitt Romney and Herman Cain have 26-percent and 25-percent support, respectively. Rick Perry stands at 13-percent in the latest phone polling, followed by Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich. Sixth-District Representative Michele Bachmann remains near the back of the pack, at six-percent.

_____________________________________________________________

A 27-year old mother from St. Paul is dead -- the victim of homicide. Police, who had been searching for her for several days, say her body was found Monday in a house just north of University Avenue. No identity has been released and no suspects are in custody.

___________________________________________________________

Voters go to the polls in two state Senate districts today for special elections. Three candidates are vying for the District-46 state Senate seat in the Brooklyn Park area, which became vacant on the death of state Senator Linda Scheid. Chris Eaton is the D-L candidate, Cory Jensen is the Republican and Tom Reynolds is carrying the Independence Party banner. Four candidates are competing for the open state Senate seat in District-61 in south Minneapolis. They are Independence Party candidate Matt Brillhart, Green Party candidate Farheen Hakeem, DFLer Jeff Hayden and Republican Bruce Lundeen. That seat came open when long-time state Senator Linda Berglin stepped down to take a job with Hennepin County.

____________________________________________________________

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is buzzing with activity as families take vacation during what used to be known as MEA weekend. Most students in the state have at least two days off this week. Airport spokesman Pat Hogan says this is the busiest time of the fall for air travel, with a big surge today through Thursday, and again on Sunday when people come back. Hogan recommends arriving two hours before your flight because of long lines and a new baggage screening system. The two-day Education Minnesota Professional Conference runs Thursday and Friday at St. Paul's RiverCentre.

_____________________________________________________________

The State Patrol has identified the victim of a fatal head-on crash Sunday afternoon near Nicollet in south-central Minnesota. Seventy-one-year-old Irene Schultz of New Ulm was killed when her car crossed the centerline on Highway 99 and collided with a semi. The St.Paul man driving the tractor-trailer was not injured. Both drivers were buckled up.

__________________________________________________________

Police don't believe last night's home invasion in Brooklyn Center was a random act and that the family was likely targeted Officers surrounded the residence after getting a call from the resident saying four masked gunman entered his home. Authorities say two of the suspects immediately surrendered when police arrived. The homeowner and his family also exited the house shortly after, followed by the third suspect. Authorities say the fourth suspect was later found hiding in the garage attic. No one was injured during the four hour standoff.

NEWS BY:http://www.piercecountyherald.com/event/article/id/40128/group/News/

OutBack Power Technologies Introduces New Product Line at Solar Power International Expo 2011

Technology Pioneer in Off-Grid Power Conversion Components Now Provides Complete Systems for Solar Power System Integrators

OutBack Power Technologies, Inc., a member of worldwide power systems provider The Alpha Group, will display its new product line for system integrators at booth #701 at the Solar Power International Expo 2011 (SPI '11), from October 17 to 20, at the Dallas Convention Center in Dallas.

These new components will help transform solar-generated electricity into useable power for residential and commercial installations by enabling integrators to design smarter and more flexible systems -- especially in the rapidly growing grid-interactive category (systems capable of both grid-tied and off-grid operation).

"As solar and other renewable energy sources transition from 'alternative' to mainstream, system integrators keeping up with growing demand will need the best of two worlds: components from brands already proven in demanding off-grid applications,

pre-assembled into systems to save them time and money in grid-interactive and other growing market segments," said OutBack General Manager Harvey Wilkinson. "Our products debuting at Solar Power International provide the integrated system storage and management solutions they'll need to grow their businesses."

SPI '11 is the premier business-to-business global solar expo and is designed to serve and advance the solar energy industry. As that industry expands, the needs of solar system integrators and installers are rapidly evolving. OutBack is responding with pre-assembled systems based on its acclaimed components,

which save installation time and allow integrators to offer a total solution around a brand that's earned their confidence.

The following products will be displayed at the OutBack booth:

-- The Radian Series is the ideal foundation for grid-interactive and stand-alone power systems, as a fully integrated inverter/charger designed to simplify the design, distribution, installation and implementation of energy storage for a wide range of power requirements.

Combined with OutBack's new Battery Rack System, the Radian Series Inverter/Charger provides the independence and security in renewable energy needed to ensure the success of distributors and installers.

-- Battery Rack System is a complete integrated energy storage system with VRLA batteries that includes cell interconnects, cabling, over-current protection and disconnects.

As more systems incorporate energy storage, integrators can save considerable design and installation time with batteries-now-included from OutBack.

-- MATE3 System Display and Controller provides all the necessary intelligence for system management in a powerful and integrated control solution, making it easier to monitor, program and control complex off-grid, grid-interactive or grid-tied solar power systems.

"We are unveiling these components at SPI'11 to provide a way for solar system integrators to review our best-in-class innovations for the off-grid and grid-interactive markets in one venue," said Phil Undercuffler, director of product management and strategy at OutBack Power. "These products are in direct response to customer demands, and we will continue to provide our distributors with the ease of installation and quality they need as the solar industry matures."

For more information on OutBack Power and its products, visit www.OutBackpower.com .

OutBack Power Technologies, Inc. manufactures innovative power conversion solutions that integrate solar, wind and hydro resources to provide reliable electric power for the renewable energy, mobile and backup power markets.

OutBack Power's engineers have decades of power conversion electronics design and equipment installation experience and share a passion for leading the industry into a new era of performance, ease of use, durability and standardization. OutBack Power is a member of The Alpha Group. 

NEWZ BY:http://www.marketwatch.com/story/outback-power-technologies-introduces-new-product-line-at-solar-power-international-expo-2011-2011-10-17

England riots: What's the meaning of the words behind the chaos?

From shot 29-year-old Mark Duggan referring to the police as "feds" to the nuanced use of the word "community", the language of the riots and the response can tell us something.

It may have been England that was shaken by violence, looting and disorder.

But many of the terms used by its perpetrators came from a very different place altogether - and, due to coverage of the rioting, they have found a wider audience than ever before.

"If you see a fed... SHOOT!" read one message circulated on BlackBerry Messenger, imploring readers to riot.

Another, widely reported in the aftermath of the chaos, urged everyone to "up and roll to Tottenham [expletive] the 5-0". There were myriad references as well to the "po po".

Mark Duggan, whose fatal shooting by police sparked the violence, himself sent a text message shortly before his death which read: "The feds are following me."

All these terms used to express antipathy towards the police share a common feature - all are derived from the inner cities of the US, not of the UK.

To outsiders, it appeared incongruous that these terms were commonly used by youngsters who were straight out of comprehensive, not Compton.

But when politicians and pundits used such terms to argue that the pernicious influence of hip hop and rap was responsible for fuelling the riots, they themselves ended up using vernacular gleaned from their box sets of The Wire.

When Michael Gove, the education secretary, discussed the possible causes of the disorder, he attacked the instant gratification of "gangsta" culture. Reporters transcribed the word as it might appear on the lyric sheet of a Dr Dre CD, instead of "gangster", as once would have been expected when deployed by an Aberdonian Tory MP who represents a constituency in Surrey.

However, Jennifer Blake, a youth worker who runs the Safe and Sound anti-gang project in Peckham, south London, says such commentators miss the point.

"When kids talk about the feds, it's obvious that they're not talking about the FBI," she says. "They know that's not how things work over here. It's like a code - politicians and the media don't understand."

She highlights home-grown phrases like "bully van", meaning police van, and "shank", meaning knife, as evidence that UK street culture is not just passively replicating the language of the US inner cities.

Indeed, Jonathon Green, author of the Chambers Slang Dictionary, points out that many of the messages which circulated during the riots included non-US phrases.

These included exhortations to defend one's "yard" - used in its Jamaican-derived sense, meaning home - or one's "end", a home-grown term referring to an area of a city.

Exclusive blend

All, he says, are examples of Multicultural London English (MLE), a dialect identified among young people in the capital which blends the phonetics and vocabulary of such diverse influences as West Indian, south Asian and traditional cockney.

He says the use of "feds" to mean the UK constabulary dates back no further than 1997, and the English deployment of "po po" - which originated in Los Angeles during the 1980s - is even more recent. Such Americanisms, Green says, have to be understood in this context, at least within London where the riots began.

NEWS BY:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14506159