Opinion

My kids are always coming home with candy as a reward for meeting the minimum expectations. I want it to stop.

The dreaded written comprehensive exam. Many graduate students will have to pass some form of comprehensive exam at some point in their program. This can often include putting together a multi-page grant-style project proposal. Putting one of these together can be a daunting process if you are unprepared. But have no fear, there are ways to make crafting a solid document far less painful.

There is a concept in math called “one to one correspondence”, in which members of one set may be matched with members of another set, so that each member of one set is matched with exactly one member from the other set. I thought of this concept lately when I found myself working one-on-one with several of my students as they struggled to master some difficult concepts from the class they were taking.

David Roberts at Grist recently posted a good, if not entirely earth-shaking, analysis titled "Two reasons climate change is not like other environmental problems". His main points are that carbon dioxide -- the main greenhouse gas -- is not like other air pollutants in that it tends to persist, and that changes to climate -- once they take effect -- are effectively irreversible in any timeframe relevant to human experience.

In wake of numerous reports of colleges submitting false information, Myron Roomkin argues that institutions should audit the data they share publicly about their academic performance.

Should a public college partner with a private company to train scabs?

It may be much harder to write a short paper than a long paper, but it’s much more interesting to tell a story – any story – in six words.

The news business, the fight against CIPSA, and an important Supreme Court decision - all on my mind this week.