When I was working as a reporter in London, I witnessed one of those “two countries separated by a common language” moments one soggy spring morning in 2012. A Boeing executive visiting from Seattle had made time ahead of a press conference to chat with the journalists in attendance, and we were all eager to […] … learn more→

When I read the headline that King Jong Un had received an honorary degree, I assumed immediately that it had been awarded by a North Korean University. I was surprised that it had been awarded by a private Malaysian University, but I was not aware that, except for China, Malaysia has maintained closer relations with […] … learn more→

I’m disappointed, but not surprised, at the military cheating scandals, where 34 officers got together and exchanged answers on their monthly proficiency exams (Air Force) and where instructors where exchanging answers so they could be instructors (Navy). This is pretty scary stuff, as these guys are in control of nuclear weapons and reactors—you kinda want […] … learn more→

The International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has begun rolling out what could eventually become more than 1,000 new generic top-level domain names – the part of an internet address that comes after the “dot”. It’s a move that will change how the internet as we know it looks and feels and has significant […] … learn more→

In a well-meaning article for The New York Times, Wharton professor Adam Grant proposes trifurcating tenure, slashing it apart, essentially, in order to save it. He ends by writing: Dividing tenure tracks may be what economists call a Pareto improvement: It benefits one group without hurting another. Let’s reserve teaching for professors with the relevant […] … learn more→

Not a day passes without my questioning my abilities: as a writer, a commentator, and—most of all—as an academic. I wonder if I have talent, or am I just faking it? Despite those insecurities, I don’t feel like an impostor. On paper, I fit the profile of an academic. I am a white male. I […] … learn more→

You can be forgiven for assuming that gender is not an issue any more in higher education. There are more young women entering universities than ever before and they are graduating each year in their hundreds of thousands. But for those that go on to work as academics in science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM), […] … learn more→

Debunking myths requires an understanding of the psychological research into misinformation. But getting your refutation out in front of lots of eyeballs is a whole other matter. Here, I look at two contrasting case studies in debunking climate myths. If you don’t do it right, you run the risk of actually reinforcing the myth. Fortunately, […] … learn more→

“Don’t worry about the student loan, because you’ll make so much more money once you get your degree…” –typical line from college administration when recruiting students. Every day I see another story on the insanity of student loan debt. They approach the madness from many different ways, but I’ll summarize: student loan debt exceeds a […] … learn more→

Neknomination seems to have begun as a UK university phenomenon in 2012, but more recently burst into wider public consciousness in Australia, then South Africa and Canada. It has also been tragically linked to two deaths in Ireland. Originally termed “neck and nominate”, it involves videoing a person drinking, or “necking”, a pint of beer […] … learn more→