University System News
USG NEWS:
www.savannahnow.com
http://savannahnow.com/news/2013-07-29/skidaway-institute-no-longer-stand-alone-still-research-focused#.Ufe8c-CTpGN
Skidaway Institute no longer stands alone, but still research focused
By Mary Landers
After 45 years as an independent research facility, Skidaway Institute of Oceanography went to the Dawgs earlier this month. The Georgia Bulldogs, that is. The merger of the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography with the University of Georgia, effective July 1, was initiated by the state Board of Regents to streamline operations. The institute’s mission remains focused on research, said Jim Sanders, Skidaway’s executive director. But now it has a heavier teaching mandate, too, with special emphasis on beefing up ties to local universities, as well as building new links with other schools including the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech.
www.clatl.com
http://clatl.com/freshloaf/archives/2013/07/29/dream-activists-visit-congressman-john-lewis-office-demand-equal-college-access-for-undocumented-students
Dream activists visit Congressman John Lewis’ office, raise awareness about college access, detained immigrants
Posted by Alyssa Pointer
Dream activists and undocumented students gathered inside Downtown’s Equitable Building on Friday afternoon to seek support from Congressman John Lewis, D-Atlanta, on reducing tuition costs for undocumented students in Georgia. Georgia is one of only three states that prohibits undocumented immigrants from receiving in-state tuition. These students are also barred from entering Georgia’s top five competitive public colleges, which include: University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, the Medical College of Georgia, and Georgia College and State University.
www.redandblack.com
http://www.redandblack.com/ugalife/aberrant-practices-uncovered-at-center-run-by-uga-s-highest/article_9b96c774-f87d-11e2-b207-001a4bcf6878.html
Aberrant practices uncovered at center run by UGA’s highest paid professor
Nepotism, rules violations plague chemistry annex
Brad Mannion and Stephen Mays
According to documents obtained by The Red & Black, a question of nepotism and an improper following of UGA policies was revealed within the CCQC, a program which has brought hundreds of thousands of dollars into UGA.
www.redandblack.com
http://www.redandblack.com/ugalife/athens/activists-to-discuss-banning-coal-burning-at-uga/article_eb2969bc-f856-11e2-b3ab-001a4bcf6878.html
Activists to discuss banning coal burning at UGA
Brad Mannion
In a society of alternative energy and greener technology, activists look to the University of Georgia to break its habit of using one certain fossil fuel. On July 30, “students, community members, and a medical professional” will come together to hold a press conference to discuss the ending of coal burning at UGA, according to a press release.
GOOD NEWS:
www.bizjournals.com
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2013/07/29/ford-targets-georgia-tech-clark.html
Ford targets Georgia Tech, Clark Atlanta for new hires
Jacques Couret
Senior Online Editor-Atlanta Business Chronicle
Ford Motor Co. will launch an on-campus recruitment tour that will include Georgia Tech and Clark Atlanta University. The Dearborn, Mich.-based car maker wants to hire 3,000 this year. Around 80 percent of the slots are classified as technical professional jobs.
USG VALUE:
www.gwinnettdailypost.com
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2013/jul/29/ggc-to-ship-textbooks-to-tanzania/
GGC to ship textbooks to Tanzania
By Keith Farner
Georgia Gwinnett College School of Science and Technology faculty and staff show 200 pounds of college textbooks being shipped to the University of Dodoma in Tanzania.
RESEARCH:
www.bizjournals.com
http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/morning_call/2013/07/google-glass-and-talking-dogs-the.html
Google Glass and talking dogs? The dream of every kid coming true
Staff
The Business Review
Dogs can understand some sophisticated commands. But until now, they’ve never been able to talk back, save for a bark or growl. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are working on a device that dogs can wear that will allow them to “talk” with the help of other devices like Google Glass, Fast Company reports.
www.redandblack.com
http://www.redandblack.com/ugalife/athens/uga-talks-tech-google-glass-seen-as-first-step-into/article_138dd768-f7ca-11e2-bed1-001a4bcf6878.html
UGA talks tech: Google Glass seen as ‘first step’ into future technologies
Laura James
With the first model of Google Glass already in the hands of 8,000 people and rumors circulating about when Glass will officially be for sale to the public, this “augmented reality” technology has created quite the buzz. The innovative hands-free device that rests on a user’s head, much like a pair of glasses, and has a touch pad, a camera, voice recognition and a screen projector has people talking about the endless possibilities for the future, some good and some bad.
www.abcnews.go.com
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/federal-agency-probe-blown-gulf-off-la-19809161
Federal Agency to Probe Blown Gulf Well off La.
By STACEY PLAISANCE Associated Press
ON THE GULF OF MEXICO
Scientists from several universities are working to learn whether a gas well that blew wild last week off the Louisiana coast has polluted the Gulf of Mexico. Joseph Montoya, a Georgia Tech biology professor, was leading a research project on a vessel near the site of the 2010 BP oil spill when the gas well, owned by Houston-based Walter Oil & Gas Corp., suffered a blowout on July 23 and later caught fire.
www.hpcwire.com
http://www.hpcwire.com/hpcwire/2013-07-29/keeneland_project_helps_researchers_analyze_cancer_tumors.html
Keeneland Project Helps Researchers Analyze Cancer Tumors
Alex Woodie
Researchers at Emory University are reporting a significant improvement in their ability to analyze and understand changes of cancer tumors over time thanks to HPC work done on a Keeneland Project supercomputer. Analysis of high resolution cancer tumor images that used to take weeks can now be completed in a matter of minutes on the hybrid GPU-CPU system… Keeneland is a National Science Foundation-funded partnership between Georgia Tech, NICS, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the UT, NVIDIA, and Hewlett-Packard.
www.engineering.com
http://www.engineering.com/ElectronicsDesign/ElectronicsDesignArticles/ArticleID/6079/Solar-Cells-Dont-Grow-on-Trees-Or-Do-They.aspx
Solar Cells Don’t Grow on Trees … Or Do They?
Tom Lombardo
Solar cells are semiconductors, and as such, their production isn’t exactly environmentally-friendly. It’s not as bad as some solar skeptics would have you believe – it takes one to three years for a photovoltaic (PV) panel to generate enough energy to offset the carbon footprint of making the panel itself. Still, it would be nice if they could be made with a cleaner process. Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology and Purdue University have created polymer photovoltaic cells attached to transparent cellulose nanocrystal substrates derived from plant matter, enabling the solar cells to be produced from inexpensive organic materials.
www.livescience.com
http://www.livescience.com/38445-indoor-plants-clean-air.html
Do Indoor Plants Really Clean the Air?
By Elizabeth Palermo, Life’s Little Mysteries Contributor
Sure, that potted fern is pretty, but can it really spruce up the air quality in your home? Studies by scientists at NASA, Pennsylvania State University, the University of Georgia and other respected institutions suggest that it can.
www.saportareport.com
http://saportareport.com/blog/2013/07/atlantas-sidewalks-repair-talks-continue-as-new-ones-are-built-wherever/
Atlanta’s sidewalks: Repair talks to continue Tuesday as new ones are built … wherever council chooses
By David Pendered
Atlanta seems to have an endless capacity to talk about the state of sidewalk repair. By most accounts, the state of repair is poor. The repair bill for more than 1,200 miles of sidewalks is pegged above $150 million. The city’s policy is to dun adjacent property owners for repairs to sidewalks and gutters, though this hasn’t proven to be effective… Meanwhile, at least two sidewalk studies are underway – one by PEDS, with support from the Federal Highway Administration, and a $400,000 project out of Georgia Tech.
www.npr.org
http://www.npr.org/2013/07/25/204862376/a-metro-revolution-cities-and-suburbs-do-what-d-c-cant
A Metro ‘Revolution’: Cities, Suburbs Do What Washington Can’t
…But Bruce Katz, vice president of the Brookings Institution, says that many American cities show promising signs of renewal. He’s written a book with Brookings Fellow Jennifer Bradley called The Metropolitan Revolution: How Cities and Metros Are Fixing Our Broken Politics and Fragile Economy… “[Ohio is] betting on the portion of the economy that is really fueled by STEM — science, engineering, technology and math. We used to think of that economy as relatively small in the United States, 3 or 4 percent, and mostly staffed by people with doctoral degrees from Stanford or MIT or Georgia Tech.
Editorials/Columns/Opinions
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/opinion/congress-ignores-college-students-looming-debts/nY43q/?icmp=ajc_internallink_textlink_apr2013_ajcstubtomyajc_launch
Congress ignores college students’ looming debts
BY MARY SANCHEZ
For generations, there has been a tried and true way for parents to help their children get ahead: investing in their education. Along the way, we learned that the same formula works for society as well. Make public investments in education — be it through strong state university systems, tuition subsidies such as those provided by the G.I. Bill, or guaranteed student loans — and society will reap the benefits of a better educated and more productive workforce. America’s incredible economic dynamism since World War II would hardly have been possible without this basic policy orientation.
www.redandblack.com
http://www.redandblack.com/ugalife/penny-pinching-students-cut-costs-where-they-can/article_d19e8ad2-f5b7-11e2-a154-0019bb30f31a.html
Penny pinching: Students cut costs where they can
Laura James
While students can not control the rising costs of tuition and fees, they can reduce the money they spend on everyday expenses such as food, school supplies, entertainment and transportation by making smart choices. School supplies may seem fairly inexpensive, but they can add up quickly.
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/atlanta-bargain-hunter/2013/jul/30/college-majors-make-money-and-ones-dont/
Atlanta Bargain Hunter with Nedra Rhone
College majors that make money (and the ones that don’t)
It’s time to head back to school, and as many parents send their children off to college — with the help of student loans, no doubt — MoneyTalksNews posted this timely list of the top 10 college degrees with the highest starting salaries from PayScale. com. Sorry psychology and English majors…making money these days starts with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).
www.moneytalksnews.com
http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2013/07/29/the-10-college-majors-that-make-the-most-money/#S5wMMouvqXlFXMAV.99
The 10 College Majors With the Best Starting Salaries
By Angela Brandt
“What’s your major?” is a question much better posed to yourself than as an icebreaker with that cutie down the hall. After all, the degree you earn will greatly influence your chances of getting hired and your starting income and lifetime earning potential. Which majors provide the best return on your investment? Money Talks News founder Stacy Johnson provides the answer in the video below. Watch it, then read on for more detail.
www.gpb.org
http://www.gpb.org/blogs/passion-for-learning/2013/07/29/here-is-how-to-apply-for-georgia-tech’s-cheap-master’s-degree-#
Here is How to Apply for Georgia Tech’s Cheap Master’s Degree Program
By Rosemary Jean-Louis
In the spring we announced that Georgia Tech is offering a master’s degree in Computer Science online for under $7,000.00. The reason why the tuition is so low for this new program is because it is being offered in partnership with Udacity, a Silicon Valley-based start-up that offers college level courses online for free. It is also being subsidized by AT&T.
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/54903/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=946e5501263b4eccb98d5809ff3b1b26&elqCampaignId=33
San Jose State’s MOOC Missteps Easy to See
by Anya Kamenetz
As most people in ed-tech circles have heard by now, a much-touted MOOC experiment has ended in embarrassment. In January, Udacity, a for-profit founded by Google and Stanford employee Sebastian Thrun to create customized online college-level video-based courses, announced that it would partner with San Jose State University to offer online versions of three SJSU courses. …Upcoming offerings like the Udacity-Georgia Tech $7,000 master’s degree in computer science, and Coursera’s partnerships with 10 state university systems to increase flexible paths to degrees, hopefully will learn from this pilot that, when they offer an online course, they’d better make sure there is a student at the other end with a laptop, an Internet connection and reasonable preparation and support to learn.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/blogs/conversation/2013/07/29/unequal-classrooms-what-online-education-cannot-teach/?cid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en
Unequal Classrooms: What Online Education Cannot Teach
By Jennifer M. Morton
…For students from low-income families who manage to overcome the tough odds, college is the first place where they will be asked to defend a position and to engage in vigorous intellectual debate. It is also likely to be the first place where they have to consistently engage with middle-class students and professors and navigate middle-class social norms. Yet more and more colleges are adopting MOOCs (massive open online courses), consisting of recorded lectures and online assignments. …What is worrying is that the colleges that increasingly use MOOCs are precisely those that serve the communities that are in the greatest danger of not having developed the practical skills to navigate middle-class institutions.
Education News
www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/common-core-supporters-say-defections-are-no-big-deal/2013/07/29/36dc7e42-f881-11e2-afc1-c850c6ee5af8_story.html
Common Core supporters say defections are no big deal
By Lyndsey Layton, Published: July 29 E-mail the writer
As lawmakers in Florida and Michigan debate whether to pull out from the new Common Core academic standards, states that have been writing the standards and related exams downplayed the defections as no big deal.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/07/30/higher-ed-groups-balk-us-plan-expand-loan-data-system
Higher Ed Groups Balk at U.S. Plan to Expand Loan Data System
An Education Department proposal to expand the scope and reach of its central database for student aid would violate federal law and distort the database’s purposes, a group of higher education associations argued in a letter sent to department officials Monday.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/07/30/changes-student-loan-servicers-could-add-borrowers-concerns-about-shifts
Changes in Student Loan Servicers Could Add to Borrowers’ Concerns About Shifts
The U.S. Education Department last week announced significant changes in the array of providers it uses to service federal student loans, and the flurry of changes are likely to reinforce concerns among some student loan borrowers about how they and their loans are treated by the servicers (especially when their loans are split among multiple servicers).
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/07/30/study-suggests-admissions-decisions-reward-grade-inflation#ixzz2aX1EuEsG
Questionable Admissions
By Scott Jaschik
When colleges crack down on grade inflation, students invariably complain that they will be at a disadvantage when they apply to graduate school without as many A grades as might otherwise be the case. The students may be correct.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/3-universities-will-grant-credit-for-2us-online-courses/45143?cid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en
3 Universities Will Grant Credit for 2U’s Online Courses
By Steve Kolowich
When undergraduate students at Southern Methodist University peruse their course catalogs this fall, several listings may strike them as odd. First, the courses will be taught entirely online—an option that Southern Methodist has never before offered to undergraduates.
Related article:
www.insidehighered.com
2U Course Pool Picks Up Three
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/07/30/2u-course-pool-picks-three
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/07/30/could-music-students-be-more-risk-sexual-misconduct-professors#ixzz2aX16geQd
Vulnerable Students
By Colleen Flaherty
Earlier this month the University of Connecticut announced it was investigating allegations of sexual misconduct on the part of a music professor. Days later came word that a music professor at the College of Charleston has resigned after that institution’s investigation into similar allegations against him. …But anecdotal evidence suggests music professors, due to a mix of cultural factors and opportunity, may be more frequently involved in such incidents than other professors. With that in mind, some institutions have taken steps to mitigate the risk of professor misconduct and better protect their music students.
www.chronicle.com
http://chronicle.com/article/Professor-Urges-Civil/140601/
Professor Urges ‘Civil Resistance’ to New Penn State Health-Care Rules
By Robin Wilson
A professor at Pennsylvania State University is encouraging faculty members to protest a $1,200 annual fine the institution plans to levy on employees who do not comply with new health-care requirements, and he says they should undermine the plan by purposefully giving inaccurate answers on a wellness questionnaire that is part of it.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/07/30/gee-will-make-58m-5-years-president-emeritus
Gee Will Make $5.8M in 5 Years as President Emeritus
E. Gordon Gee, who stepped down as president of Ohio State University on July 1, will make $5.8 million over the next five years as part of a new contract with the university. According to the contract, Gee will serve as a tenured professor in Ohio State’s law school and his responsibilities will include “completion of his research on 21st Century Education Policy and will include research, writing and national speaking as well as teaching or lecturing” in the law school, the school of public affairs and the college of education.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/07/30/2-christian-colleges-announce-merger#ixzz2aX1NcBkQ
Merger Across State Lines
By Scott Jaschik
Point University and Montreat College on Monday announced plans to merge — and some Montreat alumni were quick to go online to express outrage. The announcement of the merger plans noted commonalities between the two institutions, both of which stress their Christian values, and share both an accreditor and an athletic conference. But they are also located in different states (Point in Georgia and Montreat in North Carolina), and details were sparse about exactly how the combined institution would operate.
www.insidehighered.com
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/07/30/qa-author-new-book-litigation-and-higher-education#ixzz2aX1W8499
‘Suing Alma Mater’
By Scott Jaschik
Higher education leaders were anxious throughout the spring about the U.S. Supreme Court’s pending ruling on affirmative action. While the ruling was less decisive than some expected (and many feared), it once again illustrated how significant the courts can be for American higher education.