For anyone who’s ever been fascinated by science fair projects or Hollywood prop departments (I fall into both categories), you’ll appreciate this video from the New York Times. Diann Duthie is the art director for “The Dr. Oz Show” — a daily talk show hosted by Dr. Mehmet Oz — that presents palatable high-level explanations […]
Medical Props for TV Read More
In The Chronicle of Higher Education‘s ongoing “Brainstorm” blog series, Diane Auer Jones (a former assistant secretary for postsecondary education at the U.S. Department of Education) argues that the humanities aren’t dying–rather, the academic world is no longer the center of humanities education. She writes: “[T]raditional institutions of higher education may no longer be the
Are the Humanities Dead, or Are Academic Programs Just Too Narrow? Read More
In the Wall Street Journal, Johah Lehrer explores the connections between youth and creativity in the sciences. For one, he notes the demographic shift toward older scientists: In 1980, the largest share of grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) went to scientists in their late 30s. By 2006 the curve had been shifted
Fleeting Youth, Fading Creativity in Science Read More
More on grad school in the humanities from The Chronicle of Higher Ed: “The Big Lie About the ‘Life of the Mind’”: http://bit.ly/bM0tcu
More on grad school in the humanities Read More
Bill Gates has funded a project at Microsoft Research to provide classic lectures in physics for free online. Some of the famous Feynman Lectures are presented with searchable video, embedded information, and educational resources. Check it out at Project Tuva.
Project Tuva from Bill Gates & Microsoft Read More
I love the TED videos. I especially liked Bill Gates’s talk on his philanthropic efforts (in this case, fighting malaria and improving education). Bill’s more engaging as a speaker on these issues than he is talking about software. Thumbs up, Bill. Check it out:
Bill Gates on his new projects Read More
Though I do not agree with David Frum on many points, I believe his recent Marketplace commentary hits at an idea I have held for a while: that we as a society need to seriously reconsider the cost and value of higher education. I hope to have more on college and higher-ed in the weeks
On the cost of college Read More
An article in today’s Los Angeles Times proclaims: “Not since the 1970s have workers with bachelor’s degrees seen a prolonged slump in earnings during a time of economic growth. … According to U.S. Census Bureau figures, college graduates earned an average of $51,206 last year, whereas high school graduates earned $27,915 and those with no
A Tale of Two Gaps: Why we should really care about education and the labor market Read More
Take a look at this article entitled “They’re Not Stupid—They’re Lazy: The real reason American high-schoolers have such dismal test scores.” It continues to highlight the problems of incentive-driven testing. “When states begin imposing penalties for failure, it makes a difference—sometimes a big one. Look at Texas: In 2004, results counted toward graduation for the
Slate.com: Are high schoolers lazy or stupid? Read More