Purchasing a supercomputer is a trend, among the universities that can afford it. But a Dell executive has warned they attract hackers, and foreign government agencies, like moths to a flame. “We do know scientific data is very valuable, to both ...
More »Studies link mental illness to unemployment, narrow skill sets
Australia’s tendency “to make the unemployment experience as unpleasant as possible” could be heightening the risk of depression in those who don’t have a job, research suggests. The Australian National University’s Dr Laura Crowe, a clinical psychology doctoral student, found that ...
More »From aspiring hairdresser to student engineer
After high school, Nisha Pradhan wanted to be a hairdresser. Her male high school careers adviser thought “this was a great idea.” But when Pradhan, now a University of New South Wales fourth-year electrical engineering and commerce student, told her ...
More »Study examines cannabis treatments for children with epilepsy
With nearly one-third of people with epilepsy having forms resistant to current medication, some people turn to medical cannabis, driven by hope based on anecdotal evidence that it will work. Researchers at the University of Sydney’s Lambert Initiative, in partnership with ...
More »ANU helps teens plan for the planet
Who is more qualified to tackle climate change, politicians or high school students? The answer may depend on which elected official you’re referring to. But the Australian National University’s Ian Chambers, a senior researcher at the Crawford School of Public ...
More »CDU, WSU, FedUni could challenge elite unis by 2030: report
A report predicts that Charles Darwin University, Western Sydney University and Federation University may challenge Australia’s old and elite universities by 2030. The Class of 2030 from higher education consulting firm Firetail, argued there is a new generation of universities who ...
More »NTEU launches Bluestocking Week for gender equity
“The blue stocking is the most odious character in society … she sinks wherever she was placed, like the yolk of an egg, to the bottom, and carries the filth with her.” Those are the thoughts of 18th-century English writer ...
More »Torrens program helping students find their strengths
A new scheme is getting students to play to their strengths in the academic environment, and it has the potential to engage staff. Jack Iveson is running a strengths-based program at Torrens University’s APM College of Business and Communication, where ...
More »Don’t worry about drop-out rates: Craven
Despite data showing first-year undergraduate student drop-out rates have hit their highest point in eight years, the Australian Catholic University vice-chancellor has sidestepped concerns about these figures, saying data-driven learning analytics can handle it. Professor Greg Craven told a policy forum yesterday that ...
More »‘War’ looms between STEM subjects: expert
An expert has warned a discipline war is brewing among the STEM subjects, and she expects engineering to come out on the bottom. STEM is the oft-used acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the focus of politicians and educators who are trying to ...
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