Doctoral students represent the future of research, innovation and teaching within universities and other institutions. But it would seem that this future is threatened: research has revealed the fragility of their mental health . The study that I conducted with my colleagues among doctoral students in the United Kingdom shows that the latter meet the clinical criteria for depression and anxiety more than the working […] … learn more→
Do you have to suffer to earn your doctorate?
Why community college students quit despite being almost finished
Community colleges are designed to make college more accessible, yet 6 out of every 10 community college students cannot reap the full rewards of higher education because they do not earn their degree. For graduates, rewards often include making more money. For society, the reward is citizens who are more likely to vote, volunteer and pay more in taxes. Among community college […] … learn more→
Humans vs AI: here’s who’s better at making money in financial markets
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has now closely matched or even surpassed humans in what were previously considered unattainable areas. These include chess, arcade games, Go, self-driving cars, protein folding and much more. This rapid technological progress has also had a huge impact on the financial services industry. More and more CEOs in the sector declare (explicitly or implicitly) that they run “technology companies […] … learn more→
Why real-time communication is not possible outside of Earth
Human beings communicate with each other in two ways. The first is the same used by other animals: the emission of sound waves. However, these are slow and do not spread more than a few tens of meters due to the attenuation introduced by the air. That is why we have searched since ancient times for alternatives for […] … learn more→
Why we resigned from the ARC College of Experts after minister vetoed research grants
On Christmas Eve 2021, the pub-test folly struck again. The two of us found ourselves, angry and heartsore, resigning from the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) highly respected College of Experts in protest at the minister’s rejection of grant funding recommendations. This was not a comment on the college, a laudable body of experienced research leaders committed […] … learn more→
Virtual labs can help students learn, but they can’t replace hands-on experience
An ill newborn’s life is hanging by a thread, and only the right diagnosis will afford her the treatment that may save her life. A cancer patient’s therapy can be tailored to the specific type of tumour they have, if only the doctors know what the molecular targets are that will make the drugs effective for that patient. Parents […] … learn more→
The PhD supply chain problem
It’s been a funny old start to the year hey? As I write this, in mid January, the Omicron variant is raging here in Australia. Supply chain problems are resulting as key workers either get sick, or have to isolate. Every visit to the supermarket is an adventure – you don’t know what you are […] … learn more→
Top causes of stress in the modern workplace
Stress is an extremely detrimental mental state for employees and employers alike. Individuals suffering chronic stress can have mental and physical health problems, such as depression, anxiety, high blood pressure and stroke. Meanwhile, organizations with stressed workforces likely suffer from lower productivity, lower-quality services and high employee turnover. It benefits workers and workplaces to identify […] … learn more→
COVID halved international student numbers in Australia. The risk now is we lose future skilled workers and citizens
The saying “you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone” reminds us not to take things for granted. It is often when we no longer have something or someone that we recognise the value of what we’ve lost. This is true of international students in Australia whose numbers halved during the pandemic. Can hindsight help us […] … learn more→
Pens or keyboards: which tools to choose for taking notes?
The pandemic that we have been experiencing for almost two years now has upset teaching practices. Distance courses have multiplied, many schoolchildren, high school students and students have had to work more alone, often without support from teachers or their families. Educational inequalities have thus been accentuated . In this context, the students who succeed best are those who […] … learn more→