Tag Archives: College

College News From Around The World

Kimberlee Parton
Staff Writer

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
Chicago, IL, USA

In a study published this week from the University of Chicago, researchers found that olfactory malfunction — the loss of the sense of smell — is a strong predictor of death. In a study conducted from 2005-06, older adults were asked to identify five different scents: peppermint, fish, orange, rose and leather. After adjusting the study to account for variances in participants’ age, physical and mental health, education level, and alcohol or substance abuse, researchers found that 40% of the 3,005 participants tested who failed the smell test had died, compared to 10% of those who had a healthy sense of smell in a follow-up in 2010-11. The study concluded that olfactory malfunction was better at predicting mortality than diagnosis of heart failure, cancer or lung disease.
Continue reading College News From Around The World

College News From Around The World

Kimberlee Parton
Staff Writer

UNIVERSITY OF KARACHI
Karachi, Pakistan

Mohammad Shakil Auj, a professor of Islamic studies at the University of Karachi, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen while being driven to an Iranian cultural center where he was invited to speak as a guest of honor. Although the crime is still being investigated by Pakistani police, many believe Auj’s death was motivated by his outspoken, liberal views of Islam, which could have upset Muslim conservatives — for example, he had issued fatwas pronouncing that Muslims and non-Muslims could intermarry. In response, students at the university have carried out protests calling for the arrest of Auj’s killers, and greater security measures to protect professors. Continue reading College News From Around The World

The Working College Student

Claudia Sanchez
Staff Writer

With college tuition prices rising each semester, many students turn to jobs, in addition to federal aid, scholarships, and loans, to pay for their tuition. There are currently 6,745 undergraduate students attending USF, and many of them are splitting their time between jobs, classes, and studying.

The university offers many on-campus job positions ranging from working with Bon Appetit catering to assistant jobs in different departments. Continue reading The Working College Student

College News From Around The World

Kimberlee Parton
Staff Writer

Harvard University
Cambridge, MA, USA

Harvard has confirmed rumors that 19th century French author Arsène Houssaye’s book, “On the Destiny of the Soul,” is an example of anthropodermic bibliopegy — the practice of binding books in human flesh. Researchers stated that the book contains a manuscript which notes that, “a book about the human soul deserves to have a human covering,” and after extensive testing, is in fact bound in skin taken from the back of an unknown woman. Although macabre, the practice is not rare for books of similar age. However, most books bound in this manner are usually medical books whose authors did not want the skin of the cadavers they were examining to go to waste.

Continue reading College News From Around The World

College News From Around the World

Kimberlee Parton
Staff Writer

DELHI UNIVERSITY

New Delhi, India In a landmark event, India’s Delhi University has decided to acknowledge transgender students by giving them a third option on their graduate application forms. Prior to this, transgender students were forced to apply and register as either male or female. This event follows a federal ruling earlier this year by India’s Supreme Court, which recognized transgender people as a third gender. Delhi University plans to also include the third gender option for undergraduate student applications starting the 2015-2016 academic year.

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

Cambridge, England, UK Have a sweet tooth? The prestigious University of Cambridge is looking for someone to earn their PhD. in…chocolate? The Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology is looking for a graduate research candidate who will be studying ‘the fundamentals of heat-stable chocolate,’ in an effort to discover how to keep chocolate from melting in high temperatures.

AL-AZHAR UNIVERSITY

Cairo, Egypt Amid a new law that passed last November that restricts street demonstrations, students of Sunni origin, who are also supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, began a destructive on-campus march that spilled into the streets of Cairo. Protesters threw rocks at campus buildings, resulting in broken windows, after which police fired tear gas in retaliation.

STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Stanford, CA, USA Powered only by a AAA battery, professor Hongjie Dai and fellow researchers at Stanford University have developed a way to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gas using iron and nickel. This is the first time scientists are able to use cheap, non-precious metals to split water at a low voltage. The gases produced can potentially be used as electricity to power cars with absolutely zero carbon emissions.