By Hayley Dixon. Although such a step could be seen as “social engineering” it could build bridges between those coming from abroad to study and their British counterparts, said Paul White, pro-vice chancellor for learning an teaching at the University of Sheffield. While universities are generally good at helping students form friendships they also create “close communities of students who don’t interact with each other”, Professor White said.
For example Chinese, Indian and British students all tend to stick with their national groups, he claimed. An international faculty of Sheffield University - City College, in Thessaloniki, Greece – has already banned national student societies, he told the Westminster Higher Education Conference.
“They want their students from the Balkan region not to feel that they are Serbs of Kosovans or Macedonians,” he said. More...

By Steve Caplan. Are students discriminated against for choosing poor or unsuccessful mentors? Scientific life isn't fair, so choosing wisely at the outset is crucial for student success. Recently I was "volunteered" to deliver a seminar at my institute, to explain – from a reviewer's perspective – what the major criteria are for submission of a competitive PhD student fellowship application. I anticipated a small turnout and even suggested to the organisers that a small seminar room that held 50 people would be more than sufficient. After all, the eligibility for most fellowships in the US today is exclusively for US citizens or those with permanent resident status. And our graduate student body is comprised of a large number of international students. I found myself rather shocked to find the large auditorium almost packed with PhD students, post-docs and mentors, regardless of nationality. I guess that in the age of a major "scientific recession", the interest in ways to support students and post-docs is greater than ever. Read more...

Learning how to be selective in the opportunities you take is challenging, says Adam Dunn, but can shape a research career. I say yes to new research opportunities much more often than I should. Whether it is new collaborations, helping colleagues with statistical analyses and data visualisation, reviewing obscure multidisciplinary manuscripts, or chasing down the bizarre ideas that arrive in the middle of the night, I have trouble saying no. All academics face endlessly growing to-do lists, yet there is precious little advice out there about what to avoid putting on the list in the first place. The portrait of the low stress, no pressure Forbes professor is a myth. The reality for early career researchers is much closer to the other extreme. Read more...