The recent alarming headlines again in India depicting Australia as a hotbed of racism and crime should be a wake-up call. Overseas students are critical to Australia’s reputation, as well as providing our third-largest source of overseas, or so-called “export”, income. The government’s skilled migration changes announced this week will help sustain both the reputation and the integrity of our international sector. We should encourage students to come for both education and research but we should continue to welcome those students who wish to stay and contribute to Australia when we have a real need for their skills. By encouraging the best and brightest from overseas, Australia can be more competitive and focus on our future workforce needs, as well as strengthening the historic links with our neighbours. But the short-term reaction to attacks on Indian students from government and the education sector so far is not enough to deal with what has become a strategic, long-term challenge. If we mismanage the current crisis with India, we risk a chain reaction affecting our reputation across Asia. The impact of losing $16 billion from the Australian economy is unthinkable. If we get this right in the long term, Australia’s international education industry can help strengthen our understanding of Asia, build strong networks with our major trading partners and build a more sustainable and resilient engagement with our region. But we need to get serious about the services we provide to overseas students. Each student we welcome into Australia is a person with complex needs and aspirations, unlike the volumes of coal and iron ore that have traditionally dominated our links to Asia. Students should not be perceived as cash cows to be milked at every opportunity. Sure, overseas students make a huge economic contribution but why shouldn’t state governments recognise this by, for example, treating them like other students and providing travel concession cards? In our competitor countries overseas students are normally housed on campus or nearby in safe, affordable facilities. We have largely left overseas students to fend for themselves finding accommodation. But with high rental costs, particularly in Sydney, this is not a viable long-term proposition. Universities need to invest in providing more on-campus or local accommodation and public facilities. More activity and infrastructure in or around universities will in turn enrich local neighbourhoods and improve safety. The state government could help by making available under-utilised or neglected land in viable locations. The education sector could turn vacant urban spaces into revitalised and liveable precincts. We need to look upon the large numbers of overseas students in Australia as a unique resource to help build bridges to our region. The old days of our international relationships being dominated by governments and a few large resources exporters are gone. The people-to-people links we are building from international education offer us much deeper and broader links to countries in our neighbourhood that we must get to know better if Australia is to prosper in the future. Our education links are often as strong as, if not stronger than, our diplomatic links. The University of Sydney was a pioneer in Australia’s relationship with China, hosting the first students to leave China after the Cultural Revolution. Now, thousands of Chinese are educated in Sydney, and the university continues to educate Australians about China, with teaching and research from Chinese language, history and culture to contemporary law, medicine and business. Australia has been slower to recognise the importance of building understanding and engagement with India but the University of Melbourne recently established an Australia-India Institute with the University of NSW. Initiatives such as these promise to make a real difference over time. Such centres of knowledge contribute to the national debate through media commentary, fostering cultural exchange and engaging business leaders and others in direct discussions that build our international relationships. This activity is even more important than ever, given the much reduced cultural and public diplomacy role played these days by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade after many years of budget cuts. One significant exception for which our diplomats should be congratulated is the grand Australian pavilion at World Expo in Shanghai this year. It is a great example of government, business and the education sector – including the University of Sydney – working in partnership to show Australia to an important neighbour. Despite some recent bumps in the relationship, the recent visit of China’s President, Hu Jintao, to Australia’s pavilion, the only foreign pavilion he visited, would seem to indicate the friendship is not only resilient but strong. It underlines the value of cultural and public diplomacy. There is a world of opportunity for Australia to use our education and research links to build such bridges. A vital first step is for government and the education sector to show how international education can strengthen our engagement with the region, and there is good reason to make overseas students feel welcome and valued. Source: Michael Spence mh.com.au

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Do more for overseas students – comment from U of Sydney vice chancellor

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Newly appointed Tourism Australia managing director Andrew McEvoy has labelled the backpacker market “essential” to its strategy with the working holiday visa program a key contributor. Speaking to Thumbrella last week, McEvoy said backpackers are essential to tourism in Australia as they turn into travellers of the future. “It introduces first time travellers to our country and nine times out of ten they become massive advocates, they grow up and become great professionals and then older independents and they hopefully come back and see us again. So they’re essential,” he said. Read entire story on Thumbrella

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New Tourism Australia MD considers backpacker market essential to strategy

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The benefits of a vegetarian diet are well-known, but did you know that in addition to benefiting your health and the environment, going vegetarian can also have a positive impact on your wallet? If you’re a high school student and a vegetarian, check out this week’s Scholarship of the Week .  The Vegetarian Resource Group is offering two $5,000 college scholarships for high school seniors who are involved in promoting vegetarianism in their schools and communities.  If you’ve been actively engaged in pro-vegetarian activism or a community service project that involves raising awareness of the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle, you can write a short essay explaining your experience, your views on vegetarianism, and your future plans and goals for a chance to win this scholarship award. Prize: Two $5,000 scholarships Eligibility: High school seniors who will be graduating in the spring of 2010.  Applicants must be planning to attend a college in the United States in the fall.  Applicants must have been actively engaged in promoting a vegetarian lifestyle in their schools or communities. Deadline: February 20, 2010 Required Material: A completed scholarship application (found on the Vegetarian Resource Group website), a copy of your high school transcript, three or more letters of recommendation , and an essay (with supporting documentation wherever possible) addressing a number of topics, including your efforts promoting vegetarianism and your goals for the future. Further details about the application process can be found by conducting a free college scholarship search on Scholarships.com. Once the search is completed, students eligible for this scholarship award will find it in their search results.

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Vegetarian Resource Group College Scholarship

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Overview The ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius requests applications for 6-8 Ph.D. Scholarships in migration studies. The Bucerius Ph.D. scholarship program in migration studies “Settling Into Motion” offers up to eight scholarships for Ph.D. theses addressing migration in changing societies. For 2010, research applications on “Migration, Diversity and the Future of Modern Societies” are especially welcome. Qualified Ph.D. students of – in a broad sense – social sciences can apply until 25 February 2010. Focus 2010 Migration leads to increasing diversity in many countries all over the world. Sometimes this results in challenges of established institutions as well as cultural practices of modern societies. Current migrant populations are more heterogeneous than ever before: migrants and their descendants have not only different religious, cultural and ethnic roots, but they also differ with regard to their citizenship status, as well as their professional and economic backgrounds. At the same time, governments in receiving societies frequently react to this phenomenon with integration schemes that implicitly address a non-existent homogeneous “migrant population”. On the other hand, there are examples where diversity and cultural pluralism are seen as strength and advantage. Ph.D. students dealing with these broad issues in different regions of the world are invited to apply for a scholarship. We encourage the following topics, but will also consider other approaches: ·Diversity and political order ·Migration and cultural, ethnic and religious diversity ·Integration policies ·Cultural policy and the management of diversity ·Concepts and categories in migration and integration debates Innovative approaches both in terms of subject matter and methodology are highly encouraged. How to apply Please find further information as well as the online application on the program’s website: www.settling-into-motion.de Contact Dr. Anna Hofmann Project Director Research and Scholarship ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius Feldbrunnenstrasse 56 20148 Hamburg Germany Tel.: 0049-40-41336-785 Fax: 0049-40-41336-777 E-Mail: hofmann@zeit-stiftung.de http://www.zeit-stiftung.de Email: info@settling-into-motion.de Visit the website at http://www.settling-into-motion.de Please kindly mention Scholarization.blogspot.com when applying for this scholarship

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Germany: The Bucerius Ph.D. Scholarships in Migrations Studies ZEIT, Settling Into Motion

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Overview Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is the result of the merger of the University of Karlsruhe and the Research Center Karlsruhe. It is a unique institution in Germany, which combines the mission of a university with that of a large-scale research center of the Helmholtz Association. With 8000 employees and an annual budget of EUR 650 millions, KIT is one of the largest research and education institutions worldwide. The Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research offers two doctoral positions 50 % (Ph.D.) each limited to 3 years, at the exciting interface between radar meteorology and numerical weather prediction, within the framework of a project entitled “Efficient radar forward operator for operational data assimilation” This 3-year project will be funded by and conducted in close cooperation with the German Weather Service (DWD). The goal is to develop an efficient radar forward operator for the future C-Band dual polarisation radars of the DWD to derive virtual measurements of radar reflectivity, radial velocity and polarization parameters from the relevant fields of the COSMO-model (operational weather prediction model of the DWD). We target two different applications, both aiming at enhancing the accuracy of precipitation forecasts, which still are a major challenge for every current state-of-the-art weather prediction model: 1) model verification (requires comparatively high accuracy) and 2) assimilation of radar data (requires low(er) accuracy, but high efficiency) within the future ensemble based weather prediction system currently under development at DWD. An important aspect is the optimisation of the radar forward operator by avoiding all unnecessary computations and replacing those being necessary but complicated by efficient approximations, and, at the same time, conserve sufficient accuracy. Each position provides the opportunity to complete a doctoral thesis. Requirements for the positions: -A degree (Diploma/Master) in Meteorology/ Atmospheric Sciences/ Physics or an equivalent background with above-average final mark. -Some knowledge of basic numerical techniques, interest in radar meteorology and numerical weather prediction. – Enjoying programming under UNIX/LINUX (FORTRAN 90). MATLAB would be a plus Of advantage are: knowledge in cloud microphysics, data assimilation and/or experience with the COSMO-model. – Ability to work self-dependent and at the same time be part of a team. We offer you a challenging work which is done in close cooperation with DWD, one of the major employers in Meteorology throughout Germany. The Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research is hosted by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), resulting in a lively and dynamic work environment at one of the key research institutions for atmospheric sciences in Germany. Salary: Remuneration is on the Ph.D. standard scale (TV-L 13/2), including health care and social security plans ( approx. 1050 € / month after taxes and social security plans). KIT is pursuing a gender equality policy. We would therefore particularly encourage qualified women to apply. If qualified, handicapped applicants will be preferred. Please direct your compelling application February 26, 2010 to: Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) Herrn Dr. Ulrich Blahak Institut für Meteorologie und Klimaforschung Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen Germany Technical information gives to you Dr. Ulrich Blahak +49(0)7247/82-2805, ulrich.blahak@kit.edu, Prof. Dr. Klaus Dieter Beheng , +49(0)7247/82-2850, klaus.beheng@kit.edu Please kindly mention Scholarization.blogspot.com when applying for this opportunity

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Germany: Doctoral Positions at The Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)

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Overview The ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius requests applications for 6-8 Ph.D. Scholarships in migration studies. The Bucerius Ph.D. scholarship program in migration studies “Settling Into Motion” offers up to eight scholarships for Ph.D. theses addressing migration in changing societies. For 2010, research applications on “Migration, Diversity and the Future of Modern Societies” are especially welcome. Qualified Ph.D. students of – in a broad sense – social sciences can apply until 25 February 2010. Please find further information as well as the online application on the program’s website: www.settling-into-motion.de Focus 2010 Migration leads to increasing diversity in many countries all over the world. Sometimes this results in challenges of established institutions as well as cultural practices of modern societies. Current migrant populations are more heterogeneous than ever before: migrants and their descendants have not only different religious, cultural and ethnic roots, but they also differ with regard to their citizenship status, as well as their professional and economic backgrounds. At the same time, governments in receiving societies frequently react to this phenomenon with integration schemes that implicitly address a non-existent homogeneous “migrant population”. On the other hand, there are examples where diversity and cultural pluralism are seen as strength and advantage. Application Ph.D. students dealing with these broad issues in different regions of the world are invited to apply for a scholarship. We encourage the following topics, but will also consider other approaches: ·Diversity and political order ·Migration and cultural, ethnic and religious diversity ·Integration policies ·Cultural policy and the management of diversity ·Concepts and categories in migration and integration debates Innovative approaches both in terms of subject matter and methodology are highly encouraged. Contact Dr. Anna Hofmann Project Director Research and Scholarship ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius Feldbrunnenstrasse 56 20148 Hamburg Germany Tel.: 0049-40-41336-785 Fax: 0049-40-41336-777 E-Mail: hofmann@zeit-stiftung.de http://www.zeit-stiftung.de Email: info@settling-into-motion.de Visit the website at http://www.settling-into-motion.de Please kindly mention Scholarization.blogspot.com when applying for this scholarship

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Germany: The Bucerius Ph.D. Scholarships in Migrations Studies

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Washington: Parents should go easy on disciplining toddlers or teaching them self control, or it might be detrimental to their future development.Tiny tots are fidgety and have a terrible time concentrating on even the most stimulating project. They might be fascinated by a colourful new …

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Parents, go easy on disciplining toddlers

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It may not always seem like it, but going to college can actually make you happier.  Perhaps not in the short term–there are finals, after all, and that general lack of money or personal space that comes with the college lifestyle –but in the long term, people who go to college consistently report being happier.  They also claim to be healthier and more likely to make good choices.  This comes on top of the financial benefits of receiving a degree, which include better job security, lower unemployment, and higher salaries. In a working paper entitled, “How Large Are Returns to Schooling? Hint: Money Isn’t Everything,” available from the National Bureau of Economic Research , two researchers use data from General Social Surveys from 1972 to 2000 to gauge whether increased education has any correlation with increased happiness, job satisfaction, and other indicators of a better life.  While it’s difficult to show direct causation, their analysis did find a strong correlation between college education, especially receiving a bachelor’s degree or higher, and many positives in life.

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Want a Happier Life? Go to College

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The United States will push for more student exchanges with China over the next several years, the US ambassador said.

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Student exchanges between China, US set to rise

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  Student mobility and international cooperation are key objectives for Norway.

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Explore Norway – a great place to study

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