Suspending a course in the middle of a semester is one of the most serious actions a university can take. On Sept. 13, Dean Carla Hesse of the University of California at Berkeley did exactly that to a student-taught DeCal class about Palestine. DeCal stands for Democratic Education at Cal, an old-fashioned tradition where undergraduate […] … learn more→

Productivity (application) of knowledge is just as important as production (accumulation) of knowledge … learn more→

Each morning seems to bring new reports of hacks, privacy breaches, threats to national defense or our critical infrastructure and even shutdowns of hospitals. As the attacks become more sophisticated and more frequently perpetrated by nation-states and criminal syndicates, the shortage of defenders only grows more serious: By 2020, the cybersecurity industry will need 1.5 […] … learn more→

The annual back-to-school season is filled with high hopes for making new friends, meeting new teachers – and, from the view of many policymakers – promoting gains in science achievement. Scientific learning and research carry substantial economic benefits. Historically, however, not all groups have excelled in science equally. Black and Hispanic individuals as well as […] … learn more→

This is a republish of this article Written in 1937 by Zora Neale Hurston, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” tells the story of Janie Crawford, a 16-year-old whose grandmother decides to marry her off to a well-respected man in the community. Fellow censored author, Alice Walker, had this to say about the book: “There is […] … learn more→

The four-yearly World Conservation Congress of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature has just taken place in Hawai’i. The congress is the largest global meeting on nature’s conservation. This year a controversial motion was debated regarding incorporating the language and mechanisms of “natural capital” into IUCN policy. But what is “natural capital”? And […] … learn more→

Andy Pinedo likes sports. He just doesn’t want to pay more so other people can play them. As sophomore at the University of California, Santa Cruz, Pinedo voted “no” last year in a referendum about whether he was willing to hand over another $270 a year to support his school’s Division III teams, above the […] … learn more→

I graduated with a doctorate in April this year. “It must feel fantastic”, people say, “you must feel so free”, and “what’s next?” Here’s the thing though: it doesn’t, and I have no idea what to do next. I’ve had a different relationship with my thesis than the norm. I absolutely loved it. I had […] … learn more→

Philosophy has a reputation for its striking lack of diversity. The discipline is short on women and, more notably, short on black and minority ethnic representation. For the past few years, this topic has been a subject of great interest (and sometimes, great controversy), both on popular philosophy blogs, such asDaily Nous and Leiter Reports, […] … learn more→

In August 2016 the 13-deck, 1,000-passenger Crystal Serenity set sail from Alaska to become the first cruise liner to attempt the Arctic’s fabled “north-west passage” that runs across the top of North America from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Until recently the passage was too clogged with ice for all but the sturdiest of ships. […] … learn more→