Fears of global warming and its impact on our environment have left scientists scrambling to decrease levels of atmospheric carbon we humans produce. Now, Tel Aviv University researchers are doing their part to reduce humanity\’s carbon footprint by successfully growing forests in the most unlikely place — deep in Israel\’s Aravah Desert. With environmental \”extras\” […] … learn more→
Monthly Archives: October 2011
Growing something out of nothing
Three new planets and a mystery discovered outside our solar syste
Three planets — each orbiting its own giant, dying star — have been discovered by an international research team led by a Penn State University astronomer. Using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope, the astronomers observed the planets\’ parent stars — called HD 240237, BD +48 738, and HD 96127 — tens of light years away from our […] … learn more→
Where the wind blows
Of all the zero-carbon energy sources available, wind power is the only one that’s truly cost-competitive today: A 2006 report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration put the total cost for wind-produced electricity at an average of $55.80 per megawatt-hour, compared to $53.10 for coal, $52.50 for natural gas and $59.30 for nuclear power. As […] … learn more→
Universities without borders: do we need campuses in the age of Open CourseWare?
Universities pride themselves on the quality of their teaching. They spruik superior teachers, superior facilities, superior learning experiences, superior learning outcomes. High scores on these four criteria will attract superior students, leading to a superior upwards spiral. But what happens if open access is provided to that exclusive property? Could open learning co-exist with the […] … learn more→
Solar PV breaks records in 2010
Solar photovoltaic (PV) companies manufactured a record 24,000 megawatts of PV cells worldwide in 2010, more than doubling their 2009 output. Annual PV production has grown nearly 100-fold since 2000, when just 277 megawatts of cells were made. Newly installed PV also set a record in 2010, as 16,600 megawatts were installed in more than […] … learn more→
Moving back home great for boomerang kids, but what about the rest of the family?
For the ‘boomerang generation’, moving back home is often a positive experience, but what impact does this have on the rest of the family? Previous research by Deakin University PhD student Elyse Warner revealed that moving back home with mum and dad was not seen as a negative step by ‘boomerang kids’ – young adults […] … learn more→
An introvert\’s guide to resume self-promotion
Consider the meek: They may in fact be set to inherit the earth, but it’s not easy for them to portray that birthright in their resumes. Toward that noble end, Susan Cucuzza, an Executive Coach with Live Forward LLC, sits humble introverts down, one on one, and asks them to think about their career accomplishments. […] … learn more→
Textbook Tyranny
Maybe you showed up to campus to discover two mascots running around and for a split second you expected to hear “Oh barnacles!” from the short square one. Nope, it’s not Sponge Bob. It’s most likely you encountered the hero, Textbook Rebel, and his evil counterpart Mr.$200 Textbook. These two characters have rapidly attained legendary […] … learn more→
The ethical dimension of tackling climate change
The global challenge of climate change poses a perfect moral storm — by failing to take action to rein in carbon emissions, the current generation is spreading the costs of its behavior far into the future. Why should people in the future pay to clean up our mess? Sometimes the best way to make progress […] … learn more→
Zero to Eight: Children\’s media use in America
Zero to Eight is a nationally representative survey of parents of U.S. children ages zero to eight, conducted to understand the patterns of media use among young American children. Covering TV, other video, reading, music, computers, video games, and mobile digital devices, we examine time spent and frequency of use; differences in children’s media use […] … learn more→