The bedsit in north Paris awaits its first tenant. It is spacious enough to entertain a few friends, and is furnished with the basics: bed, desk, chair, shelves, built-in wardrobe, kitchenette...
Take scientific mavericks to your hearts in Einstein Year, for it is to them that we owe our progress, says Simon Singh This week is the start of Einstein Year, marking the centenary of Albert...
Training will still be the order of the day in 2005, says a man who has been trained to speak pap and say 'no' to fun Well, it's all over. Christmas, new year and the career of David Blunkett, a...
Becoming an Essex girl was an act of pure rebellion, recalls Ruth Lister, professor of public policy Opting for Essex University was Ruth Lister's "first real act of rebellion". After finishing at...
Complaining is so ingrained in some academics that not even Christmas can halt their moaning. The newly merged Manchester University sent all its staff a present to thank them for their patience and...
Thank goodness Ruth Kelly, the new Education Secretary, is a member of the mysterious Catholic organisation Opus Dei - otherwise journalists would have nothing to write about her. Ms Kelly has...
As Ukraine's political crisis nears resolution, it appears that discredited members of the old establishment are seeking refuge in academia. Serhij Kivalov - who as head of the Central Electoral...
Paul Mackney, general secretary of lecturers' union Natfhe, expressed disappointment at a party in the House of Commons last year that his union never won anything. But perhaps the wind has changed?...
Sceptics are used to meeting strange people in odd places with TV cameras watching. So it did not seem unusual last month to be invited to test the supposed abilities of a psychic in a laboratory at...
In the tsunami's wake, Ian Davis insists debt write-offs will help more than early warning systems The world changes after disasters. "Form follows failure" as horrific events lead to radical...
A minority of students must be prevented from poisoning community relations, says Anne Monaghan "Anne, there are about 200 students outside, gathered in the middle of Palestine Street. "They seem to...
If the thought police arrive in his neck of the woods, Bob Brecher has a plan As if the consumerisation of university education weren't enough - research assessment exercise, Quality Assurance Agency...
If the stress of marking and red tape is getting too much, take a break, think logically and remember that no one is holding a gun to your head, says Harriet Swain Aaagh, it's a new term. Rainforests...
In the decade that brought us Educating Rita, the college where I worked introduced a certificate for mature students, most of whom turned out to be housewives. Mindful of the need to encourage...
Should we encourage students to study chemistry and, if so, how? Chemistry: The Next Generation is a project promoting chemistry to school and college students who are underrepresented in higher...