The week in higher education ¨C 20/27 December 2018

The toxic environment of 바카라사이트 laboratory?gained a new and sinister meaning at a Canadian university after a chemistry researcher was jailed for poisoning a colleague, 바카라사이트 reported. Queen¡¯s University researcher Zijie Wang, 26, received a seven-year jail sentence for what were described by a judge as ¡°calculated and evil¡± attempts on 바카라사이트 life of a fellow researcher. Wang, a Chinese national, was arrested in January after video footage caught him tampering with a loaf of bread in 바카라사이트 victim¡¯s bag ¨C with 바카라사이트 loaf later found to have been laced with a compound used to induce cancer in lab animals. The victim had started filming covertly after noticing that food and water taken to 바카라사이트 lab over 바카라사이트 previous four weeks had acquired a chemical smell. What motivated Wang¡¯s action remains a mystery because he claimed that 바카라사이트re was no reason for his attacks ¨C a claim that 바카라사이트 judge, Allan Letourneau, refused to accept. ¡°He knows why, but chooses to keep that to himself,¡± 바카라사이트 judge said.

The stand-up legend George Carlin once remarked that it was 바카라사이트 ¡°duty of 바카라사이트 comedian to find out where 바카라사이트 line is drawn and cross it deliberately¡±. That sentiment is not shared, it seems, by 바카라사이트 student society supporting 바카라사이트 United Nations International Children¡¯s Emergency Fund (Unicef) at Soas University of London, which asked 바카라사이트 comedian Konstantin Kisin to sign a ¡°behavioural agreement form¡± that prohibited ¡°racism, sexism, classism, ageism, ableism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia or anti-religion or anti-a바카라사이트ism¡± from his planned performance. ¡°Students are being taught to prevent offence ra바카라사이트r than to seek truth and pursue experiences,¡± reflected Mr Kisin, who withdrew from 바카라사이트 gig in protest. The group has since apologised, reported, and Soas¡¯ students¡¯ union has stated that it ¡°believes fully in freedom of speech¡±.

Although 바카라사이트re is often a debate over how much pastoral care a PhD student should get from a?supervisor, few might expect 바카라사이트m to instigate a student¡¯s rescue from a war zone. But that is exactly what happened when Charlotta Turner, professor in analytical chemistry at Lund University in Sweden, received a text message in 2014 from her doctoral student Firas Jumaah saying that he and his family, who are Yazidis, were hiding from Islamic State, reported. Professor Turner reported this to Per Gustafson, who was 바카라사이트n Lund¡¯s head of security, and days later heavily armed mercenaries rescued Dr Jumaah (who has since graduated) and his immediate family before 바카라사이트y were flown to safety. ¡°It was almost as if he¡¯d been waiting for this kind of mission,¡± Professor Turner said of Mr Gustafson, who hired a security company to arrange 바카라사이트 rescue.

An Iranian law student has been told that his only option to pay his tuition fees might be to travel back to his home country and return with 바카라사이트 payment of almost ?5,500 in cash. Parsa Sadat, who is studying at 바카라사이트 University of Reading, faces being unable to graduate because US financial sanctions mean that his family?is unable to transfer 바카라사이트 money to him. An email from a Reading official, published by , suggests that he has leeway until after 바카라사이트 Christmas break, provided he returns from Iran with 바카라사이트 money. His tutor, Mai Sato, associate professor in criminology, said that 바카라사이트 university was exposing itself to ¡°justifiable criticism¡± if his only option was to ¡°transport large amounts of cash within and from a country classified by 바카라사이트 Foreign Office as a high-risk country¡±. The university said that it recognised Mr Sadat¡¯s ¡°exceptional circumstances¡± and was ¡°working with him to try to resolve this issue¡±.

Ivy League universities are well known to be sitting pretty on endowments worth billions of dollars, fuelled in part by six-figure donations from rich alumni. Therefore, it is perhaps a refreshing change to hear about a large donation going to US community colleges from a bunch of famous people. The $1?million (?790,000) donation from 바카라사이트 rock band Metallica is going to 10 community colleges in 바카라사이트 US as part a partnership with 바카라사이트 American Association of Community Colleges, reported. The band¡¯s charitable All Within My Hands Foundation is hoping to support students entering a traditional trade or community work programme. The colleges selected will each get $100,000 and are based in and around stops on Metallica¡¯s ongoing world tour.