US philanthropists want to set standards
US universities have long enjoyed the generosity of philanthropists, who last year gave institutions some $28.3 billion (£14 billion). But now benefactors are checking to ensure institutions are...
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Canadians move their data off US servers
Some Canadian universities are removing their data from US-based computer servers and turning to domestic companies to host their data because of fears that their privacy could be compromised by...
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Stop jogging - kick a ball around instead
Good news for those who prefer a kickabout in the park to running: football burns fat and builds muscle more effectively than jogging. The study from Copenhagen University found that footballers lost...
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US national university for schoolteachers
John Edwards, a Democratic presidential hopeful, has proposed a national university to train schoolteachers in the US. The institution - which he described as "a West Point for teachers", referring...
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Iraq war critic's visa block challenged
Several US academic organisations have filed a complaint against the US Government for excluding a South African scholar from the country. The American Civil Liberties Union made the complaint on...
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Poisoning bug grows super-strong in space
Bad news for astronauts: a bug that causes food poisoning gets stronger in space. Scientists at Arizona State University found that salmonella underwent genetic changes in space flight that made it...
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Sputnik, Lovell and the dream that inspired me
On the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik , Colin Pillinger recalls the boyhood wonder that helped mould his career In the middle of a splash of green that used to be a playing field, at the...
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The art of capitalising on our assets
Higher education's role in the creative industries must be fostered, says Geoffrey Crossick When John Denham addressed vice- chancellors at Universities UK's annual conference, he told us his new...
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Damned winners and statistics
Disgruntled sports fans have long cried "We was robbed!", but now they can turn to a pair of academics to quantify the injustice. Salford University's David Forrest and PhD student Ron Dorsey have...
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There goes the neighbourhood
It is fair to say that most academics are keen to keep a distance between themselves and their students. Aside from the prospect of being spotted on the street by their tormentors, there is now an...
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Freshers spared the politics
So much for universities being hotbeds of political activism - Staffordshire University has banned external political groups from attending freshers' week events. Shafqat Ali, president of Staffs...
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Fill hearts, minds and bellies
The West should help African universities not only offer degrees but also cut poverty, say John Humphreys and Jane Conlon Just before the Gleneagles G8 summit in July 2005, there was a conference at...
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Now, please give a warm welcome to...
...Fred Halliday, who presents a conference insider's list of do's and don'ts for visiting lecturers and their hosts The world of the academic conference has long fascinated, lured and disconcerted...
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Soton staff get ready for their close-up
Academics who readily answer journalists' pleas for instant expert opinions have often been derided as publicity-hungry "media tarts". But now Southampton University is issuing a direct challenge to...
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'It is my intention to do everything I can to ensure basic science is Protected'
The new chief executive of the Medical Research Council has assured researchers of his support. Sir Leszek Borysiewicz - or "Borys" as he is more likely to be known - has wasted no time seeking to...