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Myth-Busting Physics Professor Proves the Rock’s ‘Skyscraper’ Jump Plausible
For many college students, the thought of having to take a physics class to fill a science requirement is a daunting task. Recognizing this, Costas Efthimiou, an associate professor of physics at the University of Central Florida, is working to eliminate his students’ fear of science by teaching it through film. In his class, Physics… Read More
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How World Cup Athletes Gain a Leg Up in Extra-Time
Entering the final match of the 2018 World Cup, five of the 14 knockout stage games that have been played have gone into extra-time. Croatia’s semi-final win over England was only their most recent to require 30 draining added minutes. The second smallest nation to ever reach the tournament’s final round played extra-time in each… Read More
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Desalinating Brackish Groundwater Can Help Alleviate Water Crisis
Climate change models and population growth point to increasing scarcity of fresh water supplies, but new research suggests that desalinating brackish groundwater could help relieve the issue. Conducted by MIT researchers, the study provides an in-depth analysis on the amount of energy required to desalinate various compositions of brackish groundwater and its potential uses in… Read More
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Athletics Increase Campus Diversity
Every university strives to increase diversity on its campus. Bringing together people who come from different regions with different experiences allows students to develop empathy skills, critical to success in learning and in life. Clio Andris, assistant professor of geography at Penn State and lead author of this study, has spent the past several years… Read More
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Understanding Coral Immunity Could Be Key to Saving Coral Reefs
Coral reefs are vital ecosystems that support over a quarter of marine life, provide food and income to hundreds of millions of people, and contribute significantly to the global economy. But massive bleaching events caused by climate change have resulted in the unprecedented death of reefs around the world. The issue is so severe that… Read More
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Universities, Worldwide, Look to Blockchain to Back Up Credentials
Traditionally, when students decide to apply for a job or graduate school, or to transfer to another university, they need to contact their college bursar’s office for a copy of their transcript or academic record. This method is often not just time-consuming and inconvenient, but can also cost money — seeming like a last-ditch… Read More
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Three Serious Games to Prepare Students for the Working World
Generally, when we think of video games, our minds tend to gravitate toward games like Mario, Call of Duty, Fortnite, or Nintendo — games designed with fun and entertainment in mind. But video games have also long served as an effective way to teach and to learn. So-called “serious games” are designed with more than… Read More
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AI and Radar System Relieves Need for Diabetics to Draw Blood
Researchers from the University of Waterloo in Canada have developed a new system for diabetics to monitor their blood sugar without having to prick their finger several times a day. Using artificial intelligence (AI) and a radar device jointly developed by Google and Infineon, the researchers can detect changes in glucose levels without physically drawing… Read More
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Fast-Charging, Self-Heating Battery Set to Revolutionize Electric Vehicles
Penn State researchers have developed a self-heating car battery, capable of being rapidly charged in cold temperatures. This is a significant development since the weather is one of the biggest barriers that electric car companies face, and it could inspire more people living in cold-weather states, outside of sunny California, to purchase electric vehicles. Traditionally,… Read More
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It’s Time to Start Eating Popcorn with Chopsticks
If you’re sick of your campus food, try them in unconventional ways to enjoy them all over again like the first day of your freshman orientation, a new study suggests. In the study, a pair of researchers from the Ohio State University (OSU) and the University of Chicago wondered if changing the way we consume… Read More
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How Can a Seed Bring Clean Water to Millions?
Water is essential for life, but nearly 2.1 billion people — over 28 percent of the world population — lack access to safe drinking water, the United Nations warns. This crisis alone causes more deaths per year than violence or war, and is so drastic that every minute a child dies of water-related disease, resulting… Read More
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Mindful Movement Can Reduce Anxiety, Depression, Stress
Mental health — specifically anxiety, depression and stress — is a pressing issue on college campuses. Every year, more than 150,000 students from over 400 colleges and universities in the U.S. and internationally seek mental health treatment, according to the Center for Collegiate Mental Health at Penn State University. But now, researchers from the university… Read More
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Can ‘Exam Roulette’ Reduce Test Anxiety?
For many students, an impending exam can induce powerful feelings of anxiety. While a small degree of anxiety can compel a person to perform better on a given task, high levels of anxiety can cause people to “freeze up” in exam situations and hinder performance. Between 16 and 20 percent of students experience this kind… Read More
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Why Robots Might Pack Your Next Amazon Order
A team of three roboticists from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has developed a faster and more accurate way for robots to grasp objects in real-time, opening doors for applications in both industrial and domestic settings. Their paper was presented at the Carnegie Mellon University’s international robotics conference, Robotics: Science and Systems, last week.… Read More
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Why Smaller Class Sizes Close Performance Gaps in Science Courses
Smaller class sizes may reduce performance gaps in science courses, according to a new study from The University of Minnesota. The research suggests that some performance gap issues could be amended with improved policy development and legislative action at the university level. The research is published in the journal BioScience. Examining students To conduct the… Read More
