The newly appointed chair of Tamil studies at the University of Toronto Scarborough says he is looking forward to making the campus aglobal hub for Tamil research and scholarship.“I‘m honoured to be appointed as the inaugural chair of Tamil studies,”says Sidharthan Maunaguru,who will start the role in May 2024.“Scholars at Uof Thave already set asolid foundation for Tamil studies.As chair Iwill be building on these foundations while looking forward to expanding scholarship and research by bringing an interdisciplinary approach.”The chair in Tamil studies will not only support academic programming and research in Tamil language and history,it will also help preserve its rich culture for future generations.Maunaguru is currently an associate professor in the department of sociology and anthropology,and South Asian studies program,at National University of Singapore.He is arenowned expert on global Tamil communities whose research intersects with anthropology,history and philosophy.His 2019 book Marrying for aFuture:Transnational Sri Lankan Tamil Marriages in the Shadow of War explored how marriage emerged as an important means of building alliances between dispersed segments of Tamil communities across the globe.He hopes to foster Tamil scholarship,teaching and research by taking acollective approach.“My vision is to ground,create and promote thriving Tamil scholarships and research on the ethos of inclusiveness and diversity that will connect and bring together Tamil scholarships from communities across the world into Canada,”he says.“I believe Uof TScarborough will emerge as aglobal hub for collaborating,experimenting and creating discussions on new directions for Tamil studies.” 查看详细>>

The impact of innovative legal scholarship can be profound.Thoughtfully presented new ideas—especially those that transcend disciplinary boundaries—can serve as critical tools for advocates as they push our legal system forward toward amore just future.In the Psychology of Legal Decision-Making seminar,University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School students have the opportunity to dive right into this world.Under the guidance of co-lecturers William A.Schnader Professor of Law David Hoffman and Golkin Family Professor and professor of psychology Tess Wilkinson-Ryan,students interact with scholars from across the country who are working on cutting-edge interdisciplinary research.“The best version of what academics do is that they give each other constructive feedback and try to make each other’s intellectual projects more rich and more rigorous,”Hoffman says.“That’s what we encourage the students to do in this course.”Substantively,the course introduces students to several foundational topics in psychology that come up again and again in law,like social perception and loss aversion.But both Hoffman and Wilkinson-Ryan underscored that the point of the course is not just to teach legal psychology,but rather to use that substance as ameans of encouraging students to adeptly read legal scholarship and actively participate in the production of new knowledge.“Penn Carey Law graduates will have to read empirical work in parts of their professional lives,”Wilkinson-Ryan says.“This course is agreat way to develop the skill of reading empirical scholarship and thinking about what the purpose of the scholarship is.As attorneys and citizens,when they’re reading an article about the statistics of something in the world,they will have to ask,‘How did these statistics come about?How do we find them?Do Itrust them?’”Over the course of the semester,students get to meet and engage with scholars who are actively honing their research and ideas. 查看详细>>

近日，清华大学物理人才培养“攀登计划”启动仪式在西阶教室举行。清华大学党委书记邱勇、副校长彭刚，“攀登计划”首席教授、中国科学院院士朱邦芬，“攀登计划”指导委员会主任钱颖一和部分委员等出席启动仪式。“攀登计划”提出者、诺贝尔物理学奖获得者、清华大学教授杨振宁视频致辞。杨振宁在视频致辞中指出，物理学的前沿发展方向非常多，分为原理性的和应用性的，二者都会对物理学未来二三十年的发展有很大贡献。杨振宁对参加“攀登计划”的学生寄予厚望，希望大家学有所成。邱勇表示，清华大学在杨振宁先生等人的倡议下，启动物理人才培养“攀登计划”，是深入贯彻落实习近平总书记重要讲话精神，服务高水平科技自立自强、高质量基础学科人才培养的重要举措。清华大学历来高度重视基础学科人才培养工作，物理系在传承优秀育人传统基础上，先后创办基础科学班和清华学堂物理班，在长期办学实践中积累了基础研究人才培养的宝贵经验。面向未来，学校将坚定“中国教育是能够培养出大师来的”的自信，不断完善高水平人才培养体系，持续推动基础学科人才培养改革。希望物理系坚持自由探索研究和目标导向研究“两条腿走路”，实现更多原始创新突破，全面提高人才自主培养质量，为国家源源不断培养基础学科领域未来学术领军人才。邱勇勉励“攀登计划”的首届同学们，要坚定理想信念，深怀爱党爱国之心，传承弘扬清华光荣传统，主动培养科学精神、创新能力和批判性思维，探究真学问，勇攀新高峰，努力成长为可堪大用、能担重任的栋梁之材。钱颖一分享了对清华物理学科发展历史和脉络的认识，并表示，在清华物理学科的建立发展过程中，学科传统和育人理念都得到了很好的传承和发展。通过分享对“攀登”一词的理解，他寄语同学们在思考如何攀登的同时，也要思考为什么攀登，并勉励同学们始终坚守学习物理学和攀登科学高峰的初心。北京大学物理学院院长高原宁对“攀登计划”启动表示祝贺。他说，清华大学物理系在核心课程建设、教育教学改革、学术氛围营造等方面积累了一系列有益有效的经验，对物理学科拔尖创新人才培养起到了积极的示范带动作用。希望双方继续深化合作，在拔尖创新人才自主培养、服务国家重大战略等方面作出新的重要贡献。朱邦芬向“攀登计划”倡导者杨振宁先生致以敬意，向一直以来关心支持物理学科人才培养的各界人士表示感谢。他说，清华大学物理系将努力传承“教育救国”“科学救国”的精神，在继承基础科学班和清华学堂物理班成功经验的基础上，把培育拔尖创新人才的工作不断推向前进。他鼓励同学们要提高对探索未知世界的兴趣，增强为祖国为人民攀登世界科学高峰的历史使命感，找到合适的前沿研究领域，努力成长为基础科学的世界一流人才。物理系主任段文晖表示，清华大学物理系一直努力创造条件，全方位营造良好的育人环境，以利于有潜质的优秀人才脱颖而出。未来，物理系将认真落实“攀登计划”培养方案，通过选配学业导师、制定个性化培养方案、提升国际化培养水平等方式，为同学们成长成才营造良好环境。希望同学们勇攀科学高峰，为国家富强、人类进步贡献智慧和力量。“攀登计划”学生代表王浩晨表示，作为“攀登计划”首届学生，对有机会深入前沿领域探索未知感到十分振奋，将和同学们一道，传承清华物理人敢于创新、乐于奉献的精神，以求知之心、克难之勇、报国之志，努力成为可堪大用的栋梁之材。清华大学相关职能部门负责人，国内部分中学教师代表，“攀登计划”学业导师，首批“攀登计划”全体学生参加启动仪式。启动仪式结束后，“攀登计划”指导委员会部分委员和全国部分重点中学校长及物理教师在第二教学楼会议室参加了“攀登计划”人才培育研讨会，就“攀登计划”人才培养方案、拔尖创新人才培养的大中衔接、学生科学思维和创新性思维培养等问题进入了深入交流和讨论。清华大学物理人才培养“攀登计划”由杨振宁先生提出，朱邦芬先生领衔，旨在培养物理学和以物理学为基础的高科技领域一流创新人才，使之成为世界科技发展的引领者开拓者。这是清华大学在拔尖创新人才培养上的又一新举措。2023年4月，清华大学正式发布“攀登计划”招生办法，首届学生于2023年8月入学。 查看详细>>

“I’m First”week at Northwestern is underway with acelebration of the stories and accomplishments of those in the University community who are first-generation college students.From students just beginning their college journeys to Northwestern President Michael Schill,first-gen individuals play an integral role in campus life.The week of programming,hosted by Student Enrichment Services(SES),highlights the experiences of students whose parents did not graduate from afour-year college or university.At Northwestern,more than 300 first-gen students represent about 15%of this fall’s entering class.SES partners with students who are first-generation,lower-income and/or DACA/undocumented.The week’s programming,part of alarger,year-long initiative led by SES associate director Mayra Garces,is just one example of the office’s campus-wide partnerships and advocacy as it strives to build amore inclusive campus community.“Northwestern’s first-generation students,staff and faculty represent the best of the University,”said Sharitza Rivera,senior director of SES.“Every student deserves access to support,resources and community to make the most of their time at Northwestern.Without parents who paved the way,our first-gen individuals had unique obstacles to becoming Wildcats.SES is dedicated to celebrating our these students because our team knows from personal experience that graduating from college has an impact on ourselves and the communities we came from.”The full slate of activities and events runs through Nov.8,which is also the annual National First-Generation College Celebration.Programming includes two different swag pick-ups around campus,a faculty and student mixer hosted with associate professor Myrna Garcia and acareer workshop with Northwestern Career Advancement.The week culminates in the“I’m First”celebration on Nov.8 with food,speakers and awards at the Segal Visitor Center.Associate professor Mesmin Destin,who serves as faculty director of student access and enrichment,will deliver akeynote address on the role of community in the success of BIPOC and first-gen college students.The evening ends with the Black Poet Society’s spoken word performance and the inaugural presentation of the I’m First:Trailblazer Award and the I’m First:Faculty Advocate Award. 查看详细>>

A diverse group of scholars have chosen to pursue the next phase of their academic careers at UC Santa Barbara—and they’ll do so as prestigious UC President’s and Chancellor’s postdoctoral fellows.“These fellowships are extraordinarily competitive,so we are delighted to welcome such astrong cohort to campus this year,”said Interim Graduate Dean Leila J.Rupp.“As their stories make clear,these are incredibly accomplished scholars whose diverse interests and experiences add to the richness of our community.Along with our many faculty members who started their careers as President’s Postdoctoral Fellows,they model giving forward in their research,teaching and mentoring.”Established in 1984,the President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program(PPFP)was created to encourage Ph.D.recipients from underrepresented communities to pursue academic careers at the University of California.The Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program(CPFP)selects awardees from the PPFP pool of applicants to offer postdoctoral research fellowships and faculty mentoring to outstanding scholars in all fields.“The PPFP reflects the UC’s commitment to advance opportunities for underrepresented scholars by identifying outstanding talent early,building community and providing supportive career mentoring,”said Maria Teresa Napoli,who serves as the director of strategic research initiatives in the UCSB Office of Research.“UC Santa Barbara is excited to welcome our new fellows,whose research will enhance our campus and scientific community.”Originally from Los Angeles and aUCLA alum,Baig was working on his advanced degrees at Yale before returning to California.He hopes to adapt his dissertation into abook manuscript under his mentor Sherene Seikaly’s guidance.“I am particularly eager to contribute to institutional initiatives that increase access to higher education for historically underrepresented learners as well as courses,mentorship and programming designed to expose students to topical issues of race,gender and class from aglobal perspective,”he said.“Baig’s position as aChancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow at UCSB opens new horizons on revolutionary thought and practice in Middle East and African history,”said Seikaly,an associate professor and director of the UCSB Center for Middle East Studies.“His long experience and engagement with US-based abolition movements,his anti-imperial commitments,and his work on Algeria as acrossroads of Arab,African and South Asian politics,position him to be an exceptional partner and leader in initiatives that critically imagine what an internationalist abolitionist agenda might look like.”Last year’s Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow,Eupha Jeanne Daramola,a postdoctoral scholar at the Gevirtz School of Education,was able to renew her placement and continue her research on how racism and racial dynamics shape K–12 policy design and implementation. 查看详细>>

Across California,home of Silicon Valley,half of all high school students are Hispanic.Yet according to the 2022 State of Computer Science Education Report,only 22%of Advanced Placement(AP)exam takers in computer science are Hispanic.This data suggests atroubling trend:California’s largest high school demographic population is not participating in the computing education pathway at arate equivalent to their peers.To address this equity gap,Richert Wang,an associate teaching professor of computer science in the UC Santa Barbara College of Creative Studies,has been awarded aNational Science Foundation(NSF)Broadening Participation in Computing–Demonstration Project grant for aproposal that he co-authored with Kevin Buffardi of California State University Chico.At the heart of their project is adigital platform that prioritizes marginalized identities while offering free lessons and tutorials in computer programming.“By providing this platform as an accessible free public resource,we are hoping to create apathway where any student,regardless of what high school they attend,can have an opportunity to learn coding at their own pace,and relate with students currently studying computer science,”said Wang,who also teaches in the UCSB College of Engineering. 查看详细>>

NYU Tisch School of the Arts announces the opening of applications for its new Master’s of Professional Studies degree in Virtual Production,a one-year,intensive course of study that blends cutting edge technology,science,and creativity to advance the art of storytelling.The new program will be based at NYU’s Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center at Industry City.One of the first of its kind,the 45,000-square-foot facility will feature aVirtual Production LED Volume Staged designed by industry pioneer Lux Machina Consulting.The center will have two double-height,column free stages,two television studios,and state-of-the-art broadcast control rooms.The new degree and facility will further establish Tisch as aglobal leader in cinematic arts."Tisch is excited to be apioneer in training students on groundbreaking technology that is transforming the film and television industry.Our new master’s program keeps Tisch at the forefront of cinematic education by preparing students to enter the rapidly evolving field of virtual production,"said Allyson Green,Dean of NYU Tisch School of the Arts.The 2024 application is available on the NYU Tisch website.The deadline for submission is Dec.15,2023.The first class will start in the fall of 2024;students will attend full-time and in-person and will complete their degree in two semesters.The degree requires 36 credits of coursework,including introduction to virtual production,technical direction,art direction and production design,resume and reel building,and amaster’s seminar that covers writing,directing,visual storytelling and post production.Classes will include lectures,discussions,screenings,critical and creative writing workshops and collaborative exercises in production techniques.NYU Tisch has commissioned Lux Machina Consulting,a leader in virtual production,display technology,and in-camera visual effects,to create the production stages that are integral to the program.Working with the company that developed the technology allows NYU Tisch to train students in areal-world setting.“It is aprivilege to partner with aleading film school like New York University Tisch School of the Arts to give the next generation of filmmakers ahands-on,immersive experience in redefining the frontiers of storytelling,”Lux Machina Consulting President of Operations Zach Alexander said.“To set agold standard on an accredited program created by two educational media powerhouses like NYU and LuxMC is alegacy we are proud of.”Virtual production combines physical filmmaking with computer technology.Using gaming software,graphic cards and augmented reality,it allows directors and actors to work with visual effects in real time,rather than in post-production.Actors can respond naturally to their surroundings and directors are able to plan out scenes and shots with precision.Virtual production reduces post-production costs and the need to film on location,making projects more sustainable.This technology has been used in arange of films and television shows,including such projects that Lux Machina Consulting worked on as The Mandalorian,House of the Dragon,Bullet Train,and Barbie. 查看详细>>

After its inaugural cycle in 2022-23,Cornell University’s Life Sciences Technology Innovation Fellowship,formerly known as the BioEntrepreneurship Initiative,enters its second year with anew cohort of 15 business students and 12 researchers who are eager to embark on their journeys to becoming C-suite startup leaders.The Life Sciences Technology Innovation Fellowship started as an effort to bridge the gap between Ph.D.and MBA students at Cornell,with an interest in getting life science innovations into the hands of customers.The program provides students with the entrepreneurial mindset,training,and judgement to aid them in developing ventures in the life sciences.The fellowship’s unique structure pairs doctoral researchers across Cornell’s campuses with graduate business students to collaborate on real-world startup design and testing.“Even after just one year of programming,the Life Sciences Technology Innovation Fellowship is well on its way to creating apipeline of leaders that will advance the life sciences industry in New York state and globally,”said program director Gregory Ray,Ph.D.‘14.“We’re excited to continue building on last year’s success and providing acollaborative space where participants can think beyond the bounds of their respective programs.”When it was established as the BioEntrepreneurship Initiative in its first year,the program immediately gained traction.Over aseries of six monthly,in-person workshops that alternated location between Ithaca and New York City,participants interacted with more than 50 investors,founders,and industry leaders,gaining perspective to apply to their entrepreneurial endeavors.The success of the BioEntrepreneurship Initiative identified aframework that could easily be applied to other industries,inspiring the creation of the Green Technology Innovation Fellowship and prompting the name change to the Life Sciences Technology Innovation Fellowship.Throughout the course of the year,business and research participants will be matched with one another to form teams and take part in workshops that will cover various topics to lay afoundation for startup creation.“I aspire to gain hands-on experience with strategy,implementation,and VC interaction regarding astartup,”said Eman Said,MBA‘24,a member of this year’s cohort.“I hope to hone my skills as an MBA in the life sciences and healthcare while expanding my network throughout the next year.” 查看详细>>

In aprogram designed to help grow the U.S.semiconductor workforce,a cohort of college students from across the country are spending summer at the University of Michigan learning how to make,study and improve advanced semiconductors.They’re working in the Lurie Nanofabrication Facility’s world-class cleanroom,using industry-standard equipment,and immersing themselves in cutting-edge research.But no prior knowledge of nanofabrication was required for the 10-week Michigan Semiconductor Hands-On Research Experience,which is funded for three years by the National Science Foundation,with support from the Semiconductor Research Corporation.M-SHORE is designed to broaden participation in semiconductor-related engineering and encourage participants to pursue further academic studies in the field.“The goal is to reach students who don’t have access to afacility like the Lurie Nanofabrication Facility or who have never had this type of hands-on training,”said Becky Peterson,an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the Lurie Nanofabrication Facility.“We want them to gain real experience making and testing devices in alab—to go beyond putting together circuits in aclass to building the physical layers that make the devices inside acleanroom.”Semiconductors are at the core of modern society,from our phones,tablets and computers,and the data center servers that form the internet,to cars,airplanes,robotic systems and even the industrial equipment used to manufacture these items.The recent chip shortage highlighted the need for the U.S.to expand the domestic semiconductor manufacturing industry and workforce.“We need to focus on providing better training and expanding the number and types of students we train,so we can grow the workforce in this field in the United States,”Peterson said.The students will work with U-M faculty and graduate students on projects in three areas:Understanding and improving the performance of advanced semiconductor gallium nitride,or GaN,which belongs to a“wide bandgap”class that is critical to power electronics and clean energy.(A material’s bandgap is ameasure of the amount of energy needed for electrons to be excited into states where they can contribute to an electric current.)Students are part of teams working to improve artificial photosynthesis systems that split water to produce hydrogen fuel,and to develop high-frequency and high-power transistors capable of supporting 6G networks and beyond.Developing new nanofabrication methods to make materials and devices that address energy conversion and sustainability.Students are part of research teams making transparent aerogels that convert solar energy into heat,making mixed aerogel-nanoparticle paints that are pigment-and dye-free,and making ultrasensitive probes that can measure temperature and heat flow at the nanometer spatial scale.Aerogels are solid,porous foams made of interconnected nanostructures.Investigating the behavior of complex oxide materials and devices—contenders to replace or augment silicon in computing,data storage,energy and sensing applications.Students will be part of teams using nanomanufacturing tools to synthesize and study advanced oxide materials,including entropy-stabilized complex oxides that can be used for multimodal devices;ultrawide bandgap oxide semiconductors that can be used for high voltage,high power future applications;and memristor memory chips that can store and process data at the same time.Eyo Achamyeleh,who studies electrical engineering at Union College in New York,is working on one of the gallium nitride projects.“We have learned about these devices,but now we’re learning how to actually make them,”Achamyeleh said.“I had never thought about how they’re made or what type of elements are in them.It was awhole different subject and language for me.” 查看详细>>

Washington University in St.Louis has been selected to join the First Scholars Network by the Center for First-generation Student Success,an initiative of NASPA(the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators)and The Suder Foundation.Serving more than 350 institutions,the network shares best practices,offers professional development and helps schools improve the student experience,set goals and measure success.Washington University was chosen for its demonstrated commitment to advancing success for first-generation college students.Fifteen percent of last year’s incoming class are first-generation students,meaning the first in their families to attend college.The university also has launched anumber of new initiatives to support first-generation students such as the Taylor Family Center for Student Success,the Student Success Fund and the Kessler Scholars Program.To learn more,visit the First Scholars Network website. 查看详细>>