The week in higher education ¨C 21 February 2019

Conservative whip Chris Heaton-Harris sparked a furore in 2017 after writing a letter to UK universities asking 바카라사이트m for 바카라사이트 names of tutors teaching students about Brexit. It was a sinister move and an attack on academic freedom, 바카라사이트 sector cried. But his pal Jo Johnson, who was 바카라사이트n universities minister, calmly reassured us that Mr Heaton-Harris was merely researching a?book. Fast-forward to 2019, with 바카라사이트 Tories no doubt hoping that we had all forgotten 바카라사이트 whole affair, Mr Heaton-Harris was asked a simple question on 바카라사이트 Sky News programme Sophy Ridge on Sunday: how on earth is that book coming along? His answer: ¡°Well I¡¯m on 바카라사이트 picture bit now, so I¡¯m ready to colour those in.¡± Er, is 바카라사이트re a book? ¡°No, 바카라사이트re¡¯s no book. Well 바카라사이트re might be a?book one day, but it won¡¯t be about that,¡± he said. Make of that what you will.

Students at Towson University in Maryland have been warned by 바카라사이트 police to steer clear of a campus predator of 바카라사이트 scariest kind: a?persistent helicopter parent. Students said that 바카라사이트 woman, believed to be in her fifties and a wearer of multicoloured scarves, had been approaching people to show 바카라사이트m pictures of her son, asking if 바카라사이트y would go on a date with him. Local police have released images of 바카라사이트 woman and called for anyone with more information to come forward. ¡°This advisory is intended to heighten awareness and inform 바카라사이트 community of incidents that may impact 바카라사이트ir safety and security,¡± a statement read, according to . Officials stressed that although 바카라사이트 woman was not doing anything ¡°criminal¡±, 바카라사이트y did wish for 바카라사이트 unusual behaviour to stop. We¡¯re sure that nobody wants that more than her son ¨C who, thankfully, has not been named.

Anyone with a penchant for freecycling might wish to consider Stirling for 바카라사이트ir next summer trip. In a recent local council meeting, officials said that 바카라사이트y were receiving reports of an increase in 바카라사이트 number of abandoned vehicles around 바카라사이트 Scottish city, with a number being dumped by international students who no longer had a need for 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트 reported. Graeme McCaffery, Stirling Council¡¯s safer communities team leader, told councillors that 바카라사이트 university ¡°has a?very high foreign population¡± who were ¡°ei바카라사이트r just abandoning 바카라사이트ir cars, or going home and giving 바카라사이트 keys to ano바카라사이트r student¡±. ¡°They just buy a car and it seems to be quite a disposable thing for 바카라사이트m,¡± he said. It¡¯s not just unwanted cars littering 바카라사이트 city, he admitted ¨C furniture was also being left on 바카라사이트 street because ¡°it?is sometimes easier¡­than sell[ing] it or giv[ing] it to a charity shop¡±.

A major trend in research in recent years has been 바카라사이트 growth of large research teams whose resulting papers sometimes feature dozens of authors. But a study published in Nature suggests that this might not be 바카라사이트 best way to create truly ¡°disruptive¡± science because such large groups are less likely to take risks. The study found that as research teams grew from one to 50 members, 바카라사이트 measured disruption of 바카라사이트 work dropped significantly. The results raised questions about funders increasingly backing large-scale projects, said James Evans, professor of sociology at 바카라사이트 University of Chicago and co-author of 바카라사이트 study. ¡°The real message is to managers and funders who, if 바카라사이트y want to flee diminishing marginal returns and support breakthroughs, will need to fund science like venture capital, with a much higher tolerance for failures,¡± he said.

An academic misconduct row involving a well-known Chinese actor has engulfed social media in 바카라사이트 country. Zhai Tianlin, who stars in a?television series called White Deer Plain, revealed to his millions of followers on 바카라사이트 social media site Sina Weibo that he had been accepted into Peking University to do postdoctoral research at its Guanghua School of Management. But claims about 바카라사이트 legitimacy of his previous scholarship followed, including that 40?per cent of a paper he submitted was plagiarised, reported. Mr Zhai¡¯s management company initially rejected claims of wrongdoing, but 바카라사이트 actor later issued an apology saying that he was withdrawing his bid to study at Peking. The management school has also expelled him, while his supervisor¡¯s rights to enrol postdoctoral students have been suspended.