Science is safe, says universities' paymaster
The head of the universities' funding council wrote off concern over the closure of chemistry and physics departments as "moral panic" yesterday and praised new cross-curricular courses such as forensic science. Sir Howard Newby dismissed fears that students were taking an easy option and said forensic science graduates had acquired useful skills, even if there were not enough jobs for them. Both the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Institute of Physics have expressed concern about the future of science in Britain following a series of closures of university departments.
The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, The Guardian, The Scotsman
Clarke attack on expert sparks battle with LSE
The debate over identity cards descended into a slanging match today. Home Secretary Charles Clarke turned his venom on one of the academic experts behind a damning report into the scheme. He accused Simon Davies - a visiting fellow at two UK universities - of "fabricating" material for the London School of Economics study. He went on to claim that the LSE had barred the Home Office from giving evidence for the report. His remarks triggered an angry response from the university - which accused Mr Clarke of trying to "bully" its academics and "caricature" its motives.
The Evening Standard, The Daily Telegraph
Funding aid for open access
The drive to make publicly-funded academic research available for free received a boost yesterday as the leading public investors in research proposed mandating researchers to put their writings on the internet. Research Councils UK, which brings together the eight councils, wants to make it a condition of grants that researchers put work they have funded in freely-available online archives as soon as possible. The RCUK said its proposal, which will apply to all new grants awarded after October 1 this year, is just a starting point as the technology involved in publishing scientific research on the web is still evolving.
The Guardian
Controversy surrounds proposed Liverpool academy
The education secretary, Ruth Kelly, today gave the go-ahead to a new academy school for Liverpool, the second to be jointly run by a university and the latest to attract controversy before it has even opened. The North Liverpool academy will take its first students in September 2006 and will be sponsored by Liverpool University and the educational publishers Granada Learning. A third sponsor, Stanley Fink, the chief executive of Man Group plc, will contribute to the building phase of the project.
The Guardian
Student wins claim over bank charges
A law student is expected to be awarded hundreds of pounds in compensation against his bank after claiming that the £32 that it charged him every time he went overdrawn was unfair. Consumer groups and banking watchdogs yesterday welcomed the victory and said that it could open the way for thousands of similar claims and could help to bring about changes in costs to bank customers. Stephen Hone, 29, brought the civil court action against the Abbey bank, on the grounds that the penalty was “disproportionate” to the costs incurred by the bank.
The Times, The Daily Telegraph
Roadmap to unravelling autism revealed
The intersection of genetics and neuroscience may hold the key to autism, says a leading UK researcher. By twinning the Autism Genome Project with brain imaging studies, it may finally be possible to reach an understanding of the complex and highly variable disorder. “What we are trying to do is identify the function of genes and how they affect the way the individuals process information and the structure of the brain. This is the future of research in this area,” said Simon Baron-Cohen, of the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge, at a press conference in London.
New Scientist
'Biggest' survey will assess fishing threat to dolphins
The largest international survey of whales, dolphins and porpoises begins next month when ships and aircraft launch a project to assess how man are being killed accidentally by the fishing industry. The exercise, co-ordinated by the Sea Mammal Research Unit at the University of St Andrews, will involve seven ships and three aircraft. The survey, involving researchers from throughout western Europe, is part of the Scans-II project (Small Cetaceans of the European Atlantic and North Sea) supported by the European Commission Life Nature programme and 12 European governments.
The Scotsman