“Most people are now aware of this letter of resignation by an EPFL PhD student. The letter has had enormous impact. In the resignation, the student, who was supposedly within months of completing his PhD, outlined his reasons for his disillusionment with the culture of science …” (more)
[educationandstuff, 30 September]
“Disguised as employees of a gas company, a team of policemen burst into a flat in Beijing on September 1st. Two suspects inside panicked and tossed a plastic bag full of money out of a 15th-floor window …” (more)
[The Economist, 28 September]
“Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore has set himself against Fine Gael claims that our ‘brightest and best’ are emigrating because tax is too high …” (more)
[Fiach Kelly, Independent, 30 September]
“The DCU Section Committee will host a public forum on October 23rd to highlight and discuss the ongoing attacks on the public university in Ireland and elsewhere …” (more)
[DCU Union, 30 September]
“QQI is very pleased to announce the publication of its first policy documents. The policies are the result of an extensive consultation process which forms part of QQI’s Comprehensive Policy Development Programme …” (more)
[QQI, 30 September]
“If Congress fails to reach agreement on a stopgap spending bill and the government shuts down Tuesday, the impact on colleges, students, and university scientists would be minimal, at least at first …” (more)
[Kelly Field and others, Chronicle of Higher Education, 30 September]
“A team of leading academics will meet staff and students of Institute of Technology, Tralee (ITT) next month in a research degree review prompted by the plagiarism case of the college’s former chairman …” (more)
[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 30 September]
“Ireland’s two biggest universities are considering plans to become completely smoke-free – in line with a growing international trend …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 30 September]
“What makes some organisations innovative and others not? Why do companies such as Intel and Proctor & Gamble seemingly have conveyor belts of innovative new products, while others like Digital and Wang simply disappear because they have failed to keep pace in markets they once led? …” (more)
[Barry McCall, Irish Times, 30 September]
“Science Foundation Ireland is hosting a working group drawn from six of the world small advanced economies to try to devise a way of measuring the impact of scientific research of small economies …” (more)
[Irish Times, 30 September]
“Universities in other countries are more than happy to mop up the people we manage to drive away because of a lack of opportunities …” (more)
[Dick Ahlstrom, Irish Times, 30 September]
“Universities have spent an average of nearly €2.7m a year on external legal fees since 2006 with up to two thirds going towards resolving staff disputes. The highest spend on external legal fees was by University College Cork where almost €2.9m of the total €4.6m legal bill in the seven years to 2012 was allocated to human resources cases …” (more)
[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 30 September]
“Leaving aside economic necessity, we have to face the fact that a lot of emigration is opportunistic. Passing through Abu Dhabi airport recently, I eavesdropped on a conversation between two young Mayo men en route from Sydney for the All-Ireland final …” (more)
[Una Mullally, Irish Times, 30 September]
“A chara, – As a newly-qualified (two years) secondary school teacher, I do not know what it was like to teach pre-austerity. I know only of daily life in a busy secondary school in Cork …” (more)
[Róisín Mulford, Irish Times, 30 September]
“Our ‘best and brightest’ are paying too much tax and should be given some relief to stop the brain drain, a senior minister has warned. Highly qualified younger workers are going to Canada, the US and Australia because they are getting ‘a better lifestyle, higher pay and lower taxes’ …” (more)
[Independent, 30 September]
“Members of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) who do not comply with its directives on industrial action – due to commence in schools this week – could face possible fines or expulsion, the union has said …” (more)
[Martin Wall, Irish Times, 30 September]
“… Who owns Sherlock Holmes, the world’s greatest detective? Is it the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? Or the mysterious socialite Andrea Plunkett? Or does Sherlock Holmes belong to the public? This is the question currently being debated in copyright litigation in the United States courts, raising larger questions about copyright law and the public domain …” (more)
[Matthew Rimmer, The Conversation, 29 September]
“… In effect, to address global problems of sustainability and climate change, industry is telling academia that it does not just need scientists; it needs business leaders who can grasp the science …” (more)
[David Szymanski, FT.com, 29 September]
“The redevelopment of DIT at Grangegorman will require a funding injection from the private sector, as it was announced earlier this month that €200m in private investment will be sought to help fund the project …” (more)
[Barry Lennon, The Edition, 27 September]
“This year, students are facing one of the most serious housing shortages in recent memory. Nationwide the properties available to rent decreased by a third with this figure shooting to a huge 43% in Dublin …” (more)
[Aislinn McCooey, The Edition, 27 September]
