Over the course of decades or even centuries, Earth’s landscape can appear relatively static, with mountains and valleys seemingly anchored firmly in place. Viewed over a longer timescale, however — on the order of hundreds of thousands of years — the Earth’s topography becomes a rippling, shifting, changing tableau. Rivers and valleys, in particular, form […] … learn more→

Quick: What percentage of employers believes that the graduates of post-secondary education they hired in the past year have been adequately prepared for the job market? 42%. And what percentage of young people believe that they were adequately prepared for an entry-level position in their chosen field of study? 45%. And now, what percentage of […] … learn more→

Several recent reports have pointed out that without significant, immediate action to lower global warming emissions, we are getting dangerously close to blowing past emissions levels that would lead to a 2°C or more increase in global temperatures. That may lead some to think that the 2°C benchmark is becoming increasingly irrelevant, but nothing could […] … learn more→

Conventional wisdom states that the future of higher education lies online. However, few studies tell us whether this is necessarily a good thing. Indeed, both the detractors and supporters of online education tend to rely on anecdotes rather than data. So a recent report by William Bowen, Matthew Chingos, Kelly Lack, and Thomas Nygren of […] … learn more→

Savitia Halappanavar was a symbol of all that is positive about cultural diversity in Ireland. A young Indian Hindu, she had embraced Irish culture, partaking in St Patrick’s day festivities and playing an active role within her community. Her horrific, slow death and the subsequent dignity of her husband, Praveen Halappanavar, in speaking out about […] … learn more→

During a recent conversation about the value of comprehensive student learning assessment, one faculty member asked, “Why should we invest time, money, and effort to do something that we are essentially already doing every time we assign grades to student work?” Most educational assessment zealots would respond by launching into a long explanation of the […] … learn more→

It is starting to look like Israel’s apparent reaction to the Palestinian Authority (PA) being granted ‘observer state’ status at the UN last Friday is about to backfire. In a rapidly changing world, Israel’s heavy handed response is seen as less and less seen as an appropriate way forward. Last Friday, the UN General Assembly […] … learn more→

Right around the time people were talking about finding pubic hairs on their Coke cans, I had a discussion with a distinguished faculty member about how, in my opinion, the graduate student-adviser relationship was a setup for the kind of sexual harassment that Anita Hill had accused her supervisor, Clarence Thomas, of inflicting. The professor […] … learn more→

Ken Burns\’s recent documentary tells the story of the Dust Bowl, blow by blow: the brutally unrelenting natural challenges, the grim perseverance and astonishingly unfailing hope of Depression-era farm families, and the glimmers of actual relief that were quickly followed by even worse calamities. Staring straight at the camera, one stoic survivor states the prevailing […] … learn more→

As a cosmologist, I often carry around a universe or two in my pocket. Not entire, infinitely large universes, but maybe a few billion light years or so across. Enough to be interesting. Of course, these are not “real” universes; rather they are universes I have simulated on a computer. The basic idea of simulating […] … learn more→