I didn’t exactly work my way through college—I lived at home, and mowed many, many, lawns in the Florida sun, among other unpleasant jobs. They were paying the princely sum of $5 an hour for sheet metal roofing, and it only took a few weeks of that to make enough to pay the $1,000 or […] … learn more→

So, you’ve found the call for papers, and submitted an abstract, been accepted, got your faculty funding or organised some extra shifts to get the cash, registered, booked travel and a lovely/scummy room, and decided which shoes will make your presentation really pop. My first conference outside my university was a big one at a […] … learn more→

A rising tide floats all boats. Until recently this has been Canada’s attitude towards the fact that there are are more PhD students than there are academic jobs. Some in the sciences have warned that graduate training should be restricted: for example, fewer students could be trained in specialized programs, and then they could move onto professional scientist […] … learn more→

You know you’ve made a great achievement in science or mathematics when you relate two things that don’t look like they’d be the same thing at all. The basic example of this is a formula (some scribblings on a page) that perfectly describes some physical thing actually happening in the real world. A recent article […] … learn more→

If you’re at the end of your PhD and on the job hunt like I am, you’ve probably read articles on keeping yourself organised or how to improve your professional etiquette. You may even have completed mock interviews for various industries. Regardless of your status, it is important to remember that applying for and interviewing […] … learn more→

Oberlin College in Ohio recently lost what began as a US$44.2 million defamation lawsuit because of its involvement in student protests against alleged racial profiling at a local bakery. The payment was later cut almost in half to $25 million but the case has still sent shock waves through American higher education. It also has implications for Donald Trump’s […] … learn more→

These are times in which the revolutionary processes of digitalization are changing personal and professional relationships, as has rarely happened in history. That is why it is convenient to reflect, perhaps with the necessary integrity and serenity, on the future of higher education institutions that we know as universities. Precisely because it is the digital […] … learn more→

“Student Loan Forgiveness” is, among many other “free” things, being offered by Democratic Presidential candidate hopefuls. Normally, I’m against free stuff from government, but this particular piece of loot I support, as I’ve mentioned before. Thing is, conservatives are ranting against it. A very popular conservative commentator has a long video on it; his main […] … learn more→

I’m not a big fan of broadcast news…it’s all a chorus at this point, so I can get the “mainstream” point of view when I’m forced to watch CNN every time I go to an airport, doctor’s office (lots of that for me anymore), or most any place citizens gather and are trapped. Nevertheless, a […] … learn more→

Asian, Latino students also get specialized programs One of the largest universities in California hosts nearly a dozen alternative orientations for its students, specially tailoring the events to fit numerous ethnicities and demographics, including Asian Pacific, black and Native American individuals The University of California, Berkeley’s website describes the 10 specialized orientations as “additional programming” that students […] … learn more→