Monthly Archives: July 2011

Tertiary education leads to development

There are various colleges and universities across the world that provide tertiary education. Tertiary education is the third level of education after the completion of high school. Once tertiary education is over, we get a degree, certificate or diploma as proof of our achievement. But my objective here is not discussing degrees or diploma but […] … learn more→

Scientific fun helps schools end summer term with a bang

Schools across Sheffield and the surrounding regions have ended the summer term with a bang thanks to the educational outreach team at the University of Sheffield’s Department of Chemistry – Sheffield ChemSchools – who have helped bring science to life. Sheffield ChemSchools Manager and University teacher Dr Julie Hyde worked with Sheffield ChemSchools Coordinators Andrew […] … learn more→

Penn State drafting strategic plan for sustainability, seeks ideas

In response to the multiple ecological, economic and social crises affecting the world today, Penn State is drafting its first strategic plan for sustainability. The development of a sustainability plan will involve students, faculty, staff, leadership, alumni, supporters and corporate partners. The council writing the plan wants to hear the public\’s ideas now to help […] … learn more→

Fossil reveals oldest evidence of live birth in reptiles

A fossil from north-eastern China has revealed that terrestrial reptiles were giving birth to live young at least as early as 120 million years ago. The newly discovered fossil of a pregnant lizard proves that some squamate reptiles (lizards and snakes) were giving birth to live young, rather than laying eggs, in the Early Cretaceous […] … learn more→

Graphene\’s \’quantum leap\’ takes electronics a step closer

Writing in the journal Nature Physics, the academics, who discovered the world\’s thinnest material at The University of Manchester in 2004, have revealed more about its electronic properties. Research institutes and universities around the world are already looking at ways to build devices such as touch-screens, ultrafast transistors and photodetectors. Now the research from the […] … learn more→

New photonic crystals have both electronic and optical properties

In an advance that could open new avenues for solar cells, lasers, metamaterials and more, researchers at the University of Illinois have demonstrated the first optoelectronically active 3-D photonic crystal. \”We\’ve discovered a way to change the three-dimensional structure of a well-established semiconductor material to enable new optical properties while maintaining its very attractive electrical […] … learn more→

Banned Books Awareness: The Call of the Wild

Published in 1903, The Call of the Wild is Jack London\’s most-read book, and is generally considered his best, hailed as the masterpiece of his \”early period.\” Critic Maxwell Geismar, in 1960, referred to The Call of the Wild as \”a beautiful prose poem,\” and Editor Franklin Walker said that it \”belongs on a shelf […] … learn more→

Are you headed down the right career path?

After taking a career-based personality test, I learned that I\’ve followed the wrong career path for the past 30-plus years. Rather than journalism and public relations, I should have gone into counselling, teaching or management – like Pope John Paul II, former US President Ronald Reagan . . . or even actor Nick Nolte. It […] … learn more→

Field to fork: safeguarding livestock health

A staggering 17 billion chickens, almost 10 billion pigs, and nearly 2 billion each of cattle and sheep were produced as livestock worldwide in 2009. And, by 2050, demand for livestock is projected to double. With the added strain of increasing meat production on resources such as land, water, crops and energy, it’s vital to […] … learn more→

World\’s most detailed genetic map created

A consortium led by scientists at Oxford University and Harvard Medical School has constructed the world’s most detailed genetic map. The map is the first to include data from African Americans and will help scientists understand certain inherited diseases. A genetic map specifies the precise areas in the genetic material of a sperm or egg […] … learn more→