I have always been interested in the weather, climate and climate change, but I’ve also been interested in people, health and biology. I’ve been luckly to find a space where all these interests come together. I am a biometeorologist. I work at a university, and teach on topics on climate and environmental change, and do […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Are you interested in the weather and its impact on nature? Here’s a career for you
Graduates lose pay advantage in tougher times, but overall workforce entrants seem surprisingly satisfied
Around 400,000 people under the age of 25 leave full-time education and embark on their careers each year. The latest HILDA Survey Statistical Report, released today, shows how they have been faring since 2001. Full-time work has become harder, and the pay advantage university graduates enjoy has decreased. Yet, overall, new recruits to the workforce remain […] … learn more→
Citation blues #1-#4
Blues – African-American musical form dealing with sorrows, trials and tribulations Blue – Australian slang for making a mistake. As in “I made a blue” So its possible, (particularly if you are Australian), to have the blues about making a blue. A state that academic writers want to avoid if at all possible. And particularly doctoral writers. One […] … learn more→
Writing as an imaginary conversation with your reader
It’s the end of #acwrimo!! Did you take part in Academic Writing Month this year? I certainly did. It was lockdown, so this year we made a big deal of it at ANU. Not to put too fine a point on it, I taught my ass off. You can see some of the workshops I ran on my Workshops […] … learn more→
Students who cheat don’t just have to worry about getting caught. They risk blackmail and extortion
When students use a commercial contract cheating service, getting caught by their lecturers is just one of many serious consequences that could damage them and those who trust them. They also expose themselves to blackmail and extortion. Despite these risks, one in ten students at Australian higher education institutions have used a commercial cheating service to complete […] … learn more→
Drop in students who come to the US to study could affect higher education and jobs
Driven largely by the global pandemic, the number of international students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities fell by 15% – or 161,401 students – from 2019 to 2020. However, early data for 2021 indicate the number might bounce back soon. This is according to new data from the Institute of International Education and the U.S. State […] … learn more→
‘En plan…’: University students and expression beyond 280 characters
Let the teacher raise his hand who, after asking one of his students for an explanation of a problem or an argument in an oral presentation in class, has not ever heard this answer: “In plan … I just don’t know how to explain it …” The current educational system has a gap when it […] … learn more→
2 out of 3 members of university governing bodies have no professional expertise in the sector. There’s the making of a crisis
To say Australian universities are in crisis is to state the obvious. A common narrative suggests the most immediate cause of the current crisis is “reduced international student revenue and income from investments, such as dividends” during the pandemic. Some correlation is undeniable. However, many commentators have noted that the problems besetting our universities transcend financial issues alone and […] … learn more→
Writing – pleasure and/or satisfaction?
As AcWriMo 2021 finishes off, so am I. The self-imposed discipline of producing the first draft of a short book ( 50k words) in a month is just about over. I began the month with 14k words in hand and finished with just over 51K. A good effort. Better come clean though. 51k is not […] … learn more→
Australia’s strategy to revive international education is right to aim for more diversity
The Strategy for International Education released today by the federal government highlights the importance of international education to the Australian economy and community. But, with the arrival of COVID-19, commencing international student numbers fell dramatically by 22% in 2020. The impacts prompted the government to further rethink its ten-year plan for international education and exposure to risks in foreign markets, […] … learn more→
