05/17/04
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This newsletter is available to the public at the following locations:
http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/swain/nsflibnews/index.html
http://www.eevl.ac.uk/scitechnews/
http://avel.edu.au/scitech.html
“In order to open published scholarly content for the first time to free, full-text interpublisher searchability, a group of nine leading journal publishers are participating in a CrossRef Search Pilot.
This Pilot is initially limited to the content of nine of the more than 290 CrossRef publishers who collaborate to provide scholars with cross-publisher reference linking.
Through a special, reciprocal arrangement between Google and CrossRef, this Pilot launches a typical Google search but filters the result set to the scholarly research content from participating publishers, with the intent of reducing the noise produced by general web searches.
Google has indexed the full text of scholarly journal articles on the publishers' websites through a CrossRef gateway. Users may submit searches from CrossRef Search Pilot boxes on participating publishers' sites. Results are returned from Google using the Google search and ranking algorithms, and using the article's DOI whenever possible to link from the search results to the published article.
The purpose of the Pilot, which will run during 2004, is to determine the value to the scholarly community of a free, federated, full-text, interdisciplinary, interpublisher search focussed on the peer-reviewed scholarly literature.
During the Pilot, the publishers will solicit feedback from end users, while reviewing the quality and functionality of the service itself. Additional publishers are expected to join the Pilot but no schedule for adding publishers has yet been set.”
The publishers currently participating are:
This is a really neat effort on the part of these publishers. Give it a try.
“U.S. Losing Dominance in the Sciences Says NY Times
‘The United States
has started to lose its worldwide dominance in critical areas of science and
innovation’ as ‘foreign advances in basic science now often rival or even
exceed America's, apparently with little public awareness of the trend or its
implications for jobs, industry, national security, or the vigor of the
nation's intellectual and cultural life,’ writes reporter William J. Broad in
a front page, May 3 article in the New York Times. In addition to fewer Nobel
Prizes going to Americans and a downturn in the number of scientific papers
published, the number of American patents is also down, with a quarter of all
U.S. patents awarded each year to foreign researchers working outside the
U.S.
While scientific accomplishments in Europe and Asia are on the rise, but largely go unnoticed in the United States, ‘China represents the next wave, experts agree, its scientific rise still too fresh to show up in most statistics but already apparent.’ In addition, the drop in the number of foreign students in the U.S., the ‘apparently declining interest of young Americans in science careers,’ and the graying of the technical workforce is a perilous combination of developments, says Shirley Jackson, president of AAAS, who asks ‘who will do the science of this millennium?’
On May 5, the New York Times headline ‘National Science Panel Warns of Far Too Few New Scientists’ reports on the Science and Engineering Indicators 2004 study released May 4 by the National Science Board. Although 38 percent of the nation's current crop of scientists and engineers with doctorates are foreign born, the NSB predicts the U.S. will soon face a shortage of scientists because too few Americans are entering technical fields, visa restrictions are preventing more foreigners from working in the United States, and more skilled foreigners in countries committed to gains in science and technology are opting not to relocate to the United States. Says NSB Chair Warren M. Washington, ‘The United States is in a long-distance race to retain its essential global advantage in S&E human resources and sustain our world leadership in science and technology. For many years we have benefited from minimal competition in the global S&E labor market, but attractive and competitive alternatives are now expanding around the world. We must develop more fully our native talent.’
A USA Today May 6 article also picked up the NSB study (‘Report: U.S. Losing Ground in Science Education’) and a May 5 Boston Globe editorial ‘Slipping in Science’ says ‘Jackson calls the attrition in scientists a ‘quiet crisis.’ The federal government, state governments, and local school districts have to start making noise about it.’
The article ‘U.S. Is Losing Its Dominance in the Sciences’ can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/03/science/03RESE.html. The USA Today article is at http://www.enc.org/redirect/ehn/?ehn_id=32108, and the NSB study can be found online at http://www.nsf.gov/.” (From NSTA Express)
29th Annual Forum on Science and Technology
Policy
http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2004/0422debateIntro.shtml
Program
http://www.aaas.org/spp/rd/forum.htm
AAAS
S&T Forum Opens With Lively R&D Budget Debate
AAAS President
Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI),
welcomed some 600 attendees to a lively debate 22 April, the first day of the
29th Annual AAAS Forum on Science and Technology. In his opening remarks, U.S.
Presidential Science Advisor John H. Marburger III cited President George
Bush's science and technology accomplishments. But, Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD)
accused the current Administration of favoring “vending-machine science,”
focused on quick, low-cost results. Marburger said that the President's
proposed FY 2005 budget would represent a 44-percent increase in federal
R&D over the past four-year term. Kei Koizumi, director of the AAAS
R&D Budget and Policy Program, said that the President's proposed FY 2005
budget, combined with his plan to cut the deficit in half within five years,
would mean cuts in R&D funding for all but three federal agencies by
2009.
Includes texts of speeches by Jackson, Marburger, and Daschle and supporting documents.
High schoolers lacking in math, science
courses
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20040428-104800-1077r.htm
The High School Transcript Study
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2004455
“American
students are not taking enough science and math courses in preparation for
college or the work force, say education officials responding to yesterday's
release of a federal study of high school transcripts.”
Finland Committs to Open Access
http://www.managinginformation.com/news/content_show_full.php?id=2670
House of
Commons Hearings on Scientific Publishing
http://www.biomedcentral.com/openaccess/inquiry/
Wellcome Trust Reports on Publishing Costs
http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/en/1/awtprerel0404n318.html
Statement and Recommendations on Visa Problems Harming America's
Scientific, ...
http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2004/0512visa.pdf
(pdf)
“There is increasing evidence that visa-related problems are
discouraging and preventing the best and brightest international students,
scholars, and scientists from studying and working in the United States.”
More than 20 organizations have signed a joint statement calling for change in the U.S. visa system to ensure continued free flow of scientific knowledge. Signers include the Assn. of American Universities, the National Academy of Science, the American Chemical Society, the AAAS, the American Physical Society, FASEB, and more . . .
Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Internship
Program
http://www7.national-academies.org/internship
The
National Academies' Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy
Internship Program is now accepting applications from graduate and
postdoctoral students for its fall 2004 session. The program is designed to
engage science, engineering, medical, veterinary, business and law students in
the analysis and creation of public policy and to familiarize them with the
interactions of science, technology and government. The application deadline
is Tuesday, June 1.
Nanotechnology and Health
http://www.iom.edu/event.asp?id=19608
Nanotechnology
and health is the topic of a daylong discussion beginning at 8 a.m. EDT
Thursday, May 27 in Room 100 of the National Academies' Keck Center, 500 Fifth
St. N.W., Washington, D.C. The daylong workshop, which is being held by the
Institute of Medicine's Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research
and Medicine, will discuss the health benefits as well as toxicological risks
of nanotechnology. Admission is free and open to the public, but advance
registration is required.
Micro/Macroscapes
http://www7.national-academies.org/arts/exhibitions_schedule.html
Kysa
Johnson's exhibition, “Micro/Macroscapes,” will be on display during a
three-hour reception beginning at 5 p.m. EDT Thursday, May 20 on the first
floor of the National Academies' Keck Center, 500 Fifth St. N.W., Washington,
D.C. Johnson's work includes images of subatomic decay patterns, sound waves,
neurons and galaxies. The event is free and open to the public.
Science and Engineering Indicators 2004. NSF, 2004.
http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?nsb0401
AAAS Report
XXIX: Research and development, FY 2005. AAAS, 2004.
http://www.aaas.org/spp/rd/rd05main.htm
High School Transcript Study, 2000. NCES, 2004.
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2004455
Costs and Business Models in Scientific Research Publishing.
Wellcome Trust, 2004.
http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/en/images/costs_business_7955.pdf
Handbook of Federal Librarianship. FLICC, 2004.
http://www.loc.gov/flicc/pubs/federalhandbook.pdf
Selection, Appraisal and Retention of Digital Scientific
Data. ERPANET final report, 2004.
http://www.erpanet.org/www/products/lisbon/LisbonReportFinal.pdf
U.S. Academic R&D Continues to Grow as More Universities and
Colleges Expand Their R&D Activities. NSF, 2004.
http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?nsf04319
Employment Outcomes of Recent Science and Engineering Graduates
Vary by Field of Degree and Sector of Employment. NSF, 2004.
http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?nsf04316
The Role of Community Colleges in the Education of Recent
Science and Engineering Graduates. NSF, 2004.
http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?nsf04315
Federal Obligations for Research by Agency and Detailed Field of
Science and Engineering: Fiscal Years 1970-2002. NSF, 2004.
http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?nsf04313
Federal Obligations for Research to Universities and Colleges by
Agency and Detailed Field of Science and Engineering: Fiscal Years
1973-2002. NSF, 2004.
http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?nsf04314
Bush Administration Science & Technology Accomplishments:
Promoting Innovation for a Stronger, Safer America. OSTP, 2004.
http://www.ostp.gov/html/AdministrationS&TAccomplishmentsApril2004.pdf
Electronic Scientific, Technical, and Medical Journal Publishing
and Its Implications: Report of a Symposium. NAP, 2004.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10969.html?do_se108
Evaluation of the National Aerospace Initiative. NAP,
2004.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10980.html?do_se108
The
Mathematical Sciences' Role in Homeland Security: Proceedings of a
Workshop. NAP, 2004.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10940.html?do_se108
A
Patent System for the 21st Century. NAP, 2004.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10976.html?do_se108
Review of the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Upper Mississippi-Illinois Waterway Restructured
Feasibility Study: Interim Report. NAP, 2004.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10873.html
Review of
NASA's Longitudinal Study of Astronaut Health. NAP, 2004.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10903.html
Newton, Isaac. Principia Mathematica, 1687, 1713 and 1726
editions.
http://dibinst.mit.edu/BURNDY/Collections/Babson/OnlineNewton/Principia.htm
Learning from
SARS: Preparing for the Next Disease Outbreak -- Workshop Summary. NAP,
2004.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10915.html
NIH
Extramural Center Programs: Criteria for Initiation and Evaluation. NAP,
2004.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10919.html
Review of the
Desalination and Water Purification Technology Roadmap. NAP, 2004.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10912.html
Implementing
Randomized Field Trials in Education: Report of a Workshop. NAP,
2004.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10943.html
Steps to
Facilitate Principal-Investigator-Led Earth Science Missions. NAP,
2004.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10949.html
Endangered
and Threatened Species of the Platte River. NAP, 2004.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10978.html
Evaluation of
the National Aerospace Initiative. NAP, 2004.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10980.html
Monitoring
Metabolic Status: Predicting Decrements in Physiological and Cognitive
Performance. NAP, 2004.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10981.html
Eliminating
Health Disparities: Measurement and Data Needs. NAP, 2004.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10979.html
Plasma
Physics of the Local Cosmos. NAP, 2004.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10993.html
Digital
People: From Bionic Humans to Androids. NAP, 2004.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10738.html
Overcoming
Impediments to U.S-Russian Cooperation on Nuclear Non-Proliferation: Report of
a Joint Workshop. NAP, 2004.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10928.html
University
Research Centers of Excellence for Homeland Security: A Summary Report of a
Workshop. NAP, 2004.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10984.html
A Review of
the FBI's Trilogy Information Technology Modernization Program. NAP,
2004.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10991.html
Public
Financing and Delivery of HIV/AIDS Care: Securing the Legacy of Ryan
White. NAP, 2004.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10995.html
Progress
in the Study of the X-Ray Background
http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/197/
Riccardo
Giacconi, Research Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, The Johns
Hopkins University, 2002 Nobel Prize in Physics, “Progress in the Study of the
X-Ray Background”. Dr. Giacconi discusses the challenges in x-ray astronomy
and the quest for improved instrumentation.
Magnetic
Storm
http://www.pbs.org/nova/magnetic
“On March 13th,
1989, the lights went out all across Canada and the eastern seaboard of the
United States as far south as New York. The most serious power grid failure in
American history was caused by a magnetic storm in the Earth's upper
atmosphere, itself triggered by the eruption of a huge flare from the surface
of the Sun. Unusual as this event may seem, many scientists today are
beginning to worry that it may be a harbinger of things to come, and that
changes to the planet's magnetic field could make us ever more vulnerable to
deadly radiation from space. This film explores one of the least known but
most serious threats to life on Earth.” This companion website to the Nova PBS
program includes auroras, a simulated reversal of the magnetic field, and
more!
Exploring Search Engine Overlap
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3344081
“Chris
Sherman writes, ‘Search engine guru Greg Notess has long studied search engine
overlap -- the number of pages found by more than one search engine. Greg's
findings have consistently shown that there is very little overlap in the web
page databases of the major search engines, meaning you'll likely get very
different results depending on the engine....The results for most queries
confirm Greg Notess' research: there is very little overlap in search engine
results for most of the tests I ran. And in most cases, even the top ten
results vary significantly from engine to engine.’ A perfect resource to use
in demos when you need to show that results vary amongst major web engines.”
(From ResourceShelf)
Highveld.com
http://www.highveld.com/f/findex.html
“Highveld.com
is an Internet Directory of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. It provides a
guide to molecular biology databases, molecular biology protocols, molecular
biology journals, molecular biology news, molecular biology information, and
all molecular biology resources. The web site is full of links and information
on all aspects of molecular biology and biotechnology.” (From Infomine)
Two on Animal Encounters
Fruit Fly Fight
Club
http://labworks.hms.harvard.edu/
The Kravitz Lab Movie Page
http://www.hms.harvard.edu/bss/neuro/kravitz/moviepage.html
“Conflict
and violence, regrettably, seem to be a commonplace element of the human
condition, with certain epochs bearing witness to more of these two phenomena
and, some bearing witness to a relatively absence of these behaviors. In an
attempt to explain the biological factors behind such behaviors, Professor
Edward Kravitz and his colleagues at Harvard University have created this
witness which features fruit flies in intense combat in order to study these
types of behaviors. On the first site, visitors can watch fruit flies in
combat, listen to Professor Kravitz talk about the impetus and reasoning
behind such experiments, and learn more about these extremely compelling
studies. The second site leads to another set of dramatic short films that
document lobster fights and lobster ‘martial arts.’ Of course, information on
the various fights are ‘scored’ is also provided, along with video clips
demonstrating the different phases of each encounter. [KMG]” (From the Scout
Report)
The Cicadas Are Here!
Periodical Cicada Page
http://insects.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/fauna/michigan_cicadas/Periodical/Index.html
Periodical Cicadas
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/steincarter/cicadas.htm
Cicada Recipes from NPR
http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1866011
International Education Indicators
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/international/IntlIndicators/
“International
Education Indicators is a compilation of indicators from a multitude of data
sources which provides a rich array of information on the current state of
education internationally. They are intended to provide snapshots of the U.S.
education system in comparison to systems in countries around the world. New
indicators are always being added.”
Engineering Conference International
http://services.bepress.com/eci/
“Engineering
Conferences International is pleased to team with The Berkeley Electronic
Press to provide conference organizers with a highly visible, rapidly
disseminated publication outlet for conference materials. The ECI Symposium
Series electronically publishes presented papers, peer-reviewed articles, and
other materials (presentations, data sets, video files, etc.) associated with
ECI conferences.” Free, full text access to participating engineering
conference proceedings.
The
IDE Virtual Design Museum
http://www.io.tudelft.nl/public/vdm/
“Many of
the common objects in our everyday world (such as kitchen timers, telephones,
and answering machines), seem to go unnoticed until someone wonders out loud:
‘I wonder who designed that?’ Fortunately, the good people at the Delft
University of Technology's Faculty of Industrial Design have created this
virtual design museum to answer that exact question, and to take visitors on a
tour of some intriguing designs created by European and American designers
over the past decades. Visitors are free to browse through the Famous
Designers section which features the work of such icons as Raymond Loewy,
Ferdinand Porsche, and Mario Bellini. Each entry includes a selection of
images of some of the most celebrated designs, and in several cases a short
biographical sketch is available. Visitors may also elect to look through the
Famous Companies area, which brings together work by such companies as Bang
& Olufsen, Braun, Grundig, and IBM. Those with only a few minutes will
want to peruse such objects as Dieter Rams' design for a table top cigarette
lighter for the Braun Company in 1970 and Aldo Rossi's 1995 coffee pot from
the table service ‘il Faro.’ [KMG]” (From the Scout Report)
Golden Gate Bridge
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/goldengate/
“This
site is a companion to a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) American Experience
documentary about ‘the construction of what was then [1937] the longest
suspension bridge in the world, built hundreds of feet above the dangerously
churning waters of the entrance to San Francisco Bay.’ The site features a
timeline, photos of bridge construction, information about people and events,
and a discussion of mathematical principles. Also includes video clips, a
teacher's guide, and related material.” (From Librarian's Index to the
Internet)
Engineering Is a Dream Career
http://www.engineergirl.org/nae/cwe/egedu.nsf/(weblinks)/NKAL-5YBL2N?Ope
Read
the winning essays from the recent contest, “Engineering is a Dream Career,”
on the National Academy of Engineering's EngineerGirl! Web site. The top three
essays in each category -- fourth through eighth grade and ninth through
twelfth grade -- received prizes.
GISS: Goddard
Institute for Space Studies
http://www.giss.nasa.gov/
NASA's Goddard
Institute for Space Studies (GISS) presents its work in the prediction of
climatic and atmospheric changes in the 21st century. Users can learn about
GISS's many research projects in Global Climate Modeling, Planetary
Atmospheres, Atmospheric Chemistry, and more. The website provides news
releases of its work for the general public. Visitors can download many
software packages including the latest GISS coupled atmosphere ocean model,
called ModelE. Researchers can find a wide range of data sets of earth
observations, climate forcing, global climate modeling, and radiation. The
Publications link offers almost 1500 citations and abstracts as well as over
four hundred online publications. Students can discover how to become involved
with GISS's research activities. [RME] This site is also reviewed in the May
14, 2004 _NSDL Physical Sciences Report_. (From the Scout Report)
Molecular Origami
http://www.stolaf.edu/people/hansonr/mo
“
‘Molecular Origami refers to the detailed folding and arrangement of atoms in
molecules and network solids.’ There are two types of resources at this
site:
Throughout the page there are links to textual-information drawn from the book Molecular Origami by Robert M. Hanson (University Science Books). That book discusses molecular crystal-structures. It covers how to build data-driven paper models of small organic and inorganic structures. The examples shown are based on actual electron- and X-ray diffraction data (including exact scale for interatomic distances and bond-angles). Models are discussed in terms of molecular orbital theory.
Downloadable IBM PC software is provided to draw molecular origami structures onscreen from PDB Protein Data Bank files. The site provides information on software capabilities (such as coordination with Chime and Rasmol), software commands, and student exercises.” (From Infomine)
NOAA Arctic
Theme Page
http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/
A well-presented
portal to information on the Arctic region. Included in the NOAA Arctic theme
page are:
Caveman Challenge
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/cavemen/
Play some
simple games to determine how well you might have survived 10,000 years ago.
Would you know how to use tools? Could you develop language? A fun website
from the BBC.
The Portable
Antiquities Scheme
http://www.finds.org.uk/
“The Portable
Antiquities Scheme is a voluntary recording scheme for archaeological objects
found by members of the public. Every year many thousands of objects are
discovered, many of these by metal detector users, but also by people whilst
out walking, gardening or going about their daily work. Such discoveries offer
an important source for understanding our past.” An intriguing UK website!
Black
Ships and Samurai
http://www.blackshipsandsamurai.com
“The MIT
OpenCourseWare project published this online exhibition as part of the
‘Visualizing Cultures’ course. ‘The major entry on this website is a Core
Exhibit featuring some 200 Japanese and American graphics depicting the
1853-1854 mission by Commodore Matthew Perry that led to the opening of Japan
to the outside world.’ The exhibit details how this cultural collision
manifested itself in the visual culture of the Americans and Japanese. An
annotated list of sources accompanies the exhibition. Also featured are:
Interactive Black Ship Scroll” (From Infomine)
The following items are from Edupage. To subscribe to Edupage: send mail to: listproc@educom.unc.edu with the message: subscribe edupage Anonymous (if your name is Anonymous; otherwise, substitute your own name). To unsubscribe send a message to: listproc@educom.unc.edu with the message: unsubscribe edupage. (If you have subscription problems, send mail to: manager@educom.unc.edu.)
U.K. LIBRARIANS AND ACADEMICS DISAGREE OVER PUBLISHING
CRISIS
http://www.infotoday.com/newsbreaks/nb040503-3.shtml
At
a British Parliamentary hearing, academics and librarians from higher
education in the United Kingdom presented conflicting opinions about whether
the country is experiencing a crisis in access to scientific publications. The
hearing was held by the U.K. Parliament's Science and Technology Select
Committee, which is conducting an inquiry into pricing and availability of
such materials. The consensus among the librarians at the hearing was that
there is a very real crisis, both in pricing and availability. Members of the
library community supported Open Access (OA) publishing, which requires
payment from authors for publication. Many of the academics at the hearing,
however, denied there is a crisis in academic publishing and rejected OA,
saying it raises a range of problems, not least of which is the required
upfront payment from authors. Some academics complained that the committee's
selections of speakers at the hearing unfairly favored publishers, who agree
with librarians that the academic publishing industry is not
flawed.
Information Today, 3 May 2004 via Edupage.
U.K. OFFICIALS END VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY
http://chronicle.com/prm/daily/2004/05/2004050606n.htm
The
Higher Education Funding Council for England has decided to discontinue a
virtual university set up in 2001 due to low numbers of students enrolled.
U.K. eUniversities Worldwide (UKeU) had hoped to draw 5,600 students in its
first year, but three years later, the program only has 900 students enrolled.
The British government had allocated $111 million for the program, of which
about $63 million has been spent. Other anticipated sources of funding,
including partnerships with businesses, never materialized at acceptable
levels. According to members of the funding council, the crash of the dot-com
economy at about the same time as the founding of UKeU led to the lack of
interest from most corporations. Others believe that UKeU was flawed in its
design, relying on faculty without adequate experience in online education,
and that developers of the program spent their resources building an
educational platform rather than using tools available on the
market.
Chronicle of Higher Education, 6 May 2004 (sub. req'd) via
Edupage.
FEDS REVAMP SUPERCOMPUTING PROJECT, OVERSIGHT
http://chronicle.com/prm/daily/2004/05/2004051404n.htm
The
Bush administration this week announced its support of the High-Performance
Computing Revitalization Act of 2004, which would coordinate national
supercomputing resources and expand access to them for various research
programs. Currently, oversight of supercomputing efforts is spread among the
Energy Department, the National Science Foundation, and eight other federal
agencies. Under the proposed legislation, the White House's Office of Science
and Technology Policy would have authority to manage all federal
supercomputing systems, implementing a plan that would “provide for sustained
access by the research community ... to high-performance computing systems
that are among the most advanced in the world.” The measure would also provide
support for federal efforts to develop associated software technology and to
promote graduate and undergraduate studies in several areas, including
engineering, computer science, library and information science, and applied
mathematics.
Chronicle of Higher Education, 14 May 2004 (sub. req'd) via
Edupage.
ASSOCIATIONS CALL FOR EASING OF STUDENT VISA
RESTRICTIONS
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108440195338910027,00.html
A
group of 25 organizations has called on the federal government to modify
security rules put in place after the September 11 attacks, saying that the
new procedures are hurting U.S. research efforts. Because many international
students are looking elsewhere for academic training, especially in the
sciences, the United States risks becoming “isolated,” according to Alan
Leshner of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, one of the
organizations that signed the statement. A study by the Association of
American Universities, which also signed the statement, found that 50 percent
of students affected by visa delays are from China, which, with India, sends
the most students to the Unites States. A separate study by the Council of
Graduate Schools found that international applications to U.S. graduate
schools were down by 32 percent from 2003 to 2004. The groups called on the
federal government to streamline the visa application process, which currently
takes an average of more than four months, and to grant security clearance to
foreign students for the duration of their time in the United States.
Wall
Street Journal, 13 May 2004 (sub. req'd) via Edupage
FEDS NO LONGER RECOGNIZING BOGUS DEGREES
http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/0510/web-creds-05-14-04.asp
Following
an investigation by the General Accounting Office (GAO), the federal
government's Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has announced a new policy
of not recognizing degrees from diploma mills. The GAO report identified
several hundred federal employees, including some high-level officials, who
had reported earning degrees from unaccredited institutions. Kay Coles James,
director of OPM, sent a memo to all federal managers stating that diplomas
from degree mills cannot be used in applying for any federal job, obtaining
salary increases, or receiving tuition reimbursement. The memo stated, in
part, “You may not send employees to diploma mills for degree training or any
other form of education.... You may not use your authority to repay student
loans if the degree is from a diploma mill.” According to the OPM, diploma
mills are institutions that are unaccredited or that award degrees with little
or no coursework.
Federal Computer Week, 14 May 2004 via Edupage.
APPLE OFFERS HARDWARE FOR BIOINFORMATICS RESEARCH
http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3354081
In
an effort to get more researchers to use Macintosh technology, Apple Computer
is offering workgroup clusters to five bioinformatics research projects in the
United States. According to the company's Web site, Apple will choose five
projects based on “the applicant's scientific record, the likelihood that this
project will discover something novel using the award, and the likelihood that
this research focus would yield methods or discoveries applicable to the
broader life science community.” Each winner will receive an Apple Workgroup
Cluster for Bioinformatics, including server hardware, bioinformatics
applications, and three years of service and support. Apple has been working
with researchers to encourage wider use of its products in scientific
pursuits, such as an initiative at Virginia Tech to combine 1,100 Apple
computers in a cluster configuration. That project resulted in one of the
fastest computing systems in the world.
Internet News, 14 May 2004 via
Edupage.
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