Today's news

UK campuses don’t rate
Good news for British universities: Singapore wants to send students here to study science. The bad news is that only Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College London are of any real interest. Bright students are being funded to go overseas and study science degrees as part of a drive by Singapore to be at the forefront of biomedical research. But Britain is losing out to the US, as only three UK universities are rated highly, compared with 30 American institutions. Brian Ferrar, the first secretary for science at the British High Commission in Singapore, says that the UK needs to demonstrate the range of world-class research undertaken in UK institutions.
The Times, The Times Higher Education Supplement (June 10)

Initiatives aim to avert looming IT skills shortage
Government, education and business leaders will today unveil a series of initiatives aimed at enticing more people - particularly women - into the information technology workforce to avert a looming skills shortage. The measures include the creation of three new IT qualifications, including a new university degree, and an £8.4 million national roll-out of computer clubs designed specifically for 10 to 14-year old girls. The new undergraduate IT degree will be offered in four universities from September - Reading, Greenwich, Central England and Northumbria - then rolled out across 22 universities, enrolling 1,000 students by 2008.
The Financial Times

Scots call for review of loan pay-outs
Scottish student leaders today demanded an urgent review by education chiefs of the way their loans are paid. The Scottish Executive is set to announce a shake-up of the system after pressure from the National Union of Students. Undergraduates are in line for monthly payments rather than having to wait three times a year for cheques. But the NUS and the Edinburgh University Student Association want students to be able to choose whether they receive their payments in a lump sum, by semester or monthly.
The Scotsman

Students offered £1,500 for summer army boot camp
Students are being offered £1,500 to attend a six-week training course as part of a new initiative to recruit more people into the army, it emerged today. Those keen to avoid a summer stacking shelves or waiting tables can instead travel to the island of Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides where they will be put through their paces by Territorial Army soldiers from the 51st Highland Regiment.
The Guardian

Scientists cultivate date palm from 2,000-year-old seed
Scientists have grown a sapling date palm out of a seed from about 2,000 years ago that is believed to be the oldest to have been germinated. The plant, which has grown to almost 12 inches, came from a seed found during excavations at the ancient desert fortress of Masada, where 960 Jewish zealots committed suicide rather than surrender to the Romans AD73. Israeli researchers believe it could help them to generate new medicines by uncovering the secret of why the ancient Judaean palm Phoenix dactylifera was so valued for its health-giving properties as well as its beauty and the protection it offered from the sun.
The Independent

Cancer drug may prevent miscarriage
A drug used to treat cancer may be able to prevent miscarriage and premature birth, researchers have said. Scientists believe that trichostatin A, which is used to treat bowel, breast and lung cancer, can interrupt the chain of events that causes a miscarriage. Dr Nick Europe-Finner of the research team from Newcastle University said: "Many people think that premature births are no longer a problem and would be astonished to know that, even in a sophisticated, developed nation such as the United Kingdom, there are still about 10 per cent of births that are classed as premature."
The Daily Telegraph, The Scotsman

Degree in chavology
Brainy Verity Jennings was "aving it large last night" after getting a degree in chav. The 22-year-old wrote a media studies thesis based on stories in The Sun . Verity of Droitwich, Worcs, gained a 2:1 in her course at Leeds Metropolitan University. Her thesis was entitled: Chav, sub-culture or chavaphobia? An empirical and theoretical exploration of chav. Now Verity is Britain’s first chavologist.
The Sun