Education (Colleges & Universities)
Here's a look at documents from public, private and community colleges in the U.S.
Featured Stories
University of New South Wales: From Trash to Treasure - Turning High-emissions Waste Into Fertilizer
SYDNEY, Australia, Feb. 23 (TNSjou) -- The University of New South Wales posted the following news:
* * *
From trash to treasure: turning high-emissions waste into fertiliser
Melissa Lyne
New research from UNSW Sydney could transform one of the world's most pollution-heavy chemical industries, turning waste products into fertiliser while cleaning up waterways and cutting emissions.
UNSW engineers have tackled a longstanding problem at the heart of global agriculture: how to make urea for fertiliser without the intensity of emissions associated with fossil-fuel-powered factories.
The solution
... Show Full Article
SYDNEY, Australia, Feb. 23 (TNSjou) -- The University of New South Wales posted the following news:
* * *
From trash to treasure: turning high-emissions waste into fertiliser
Melissa Lyne
New research from UNSW Sydney could transform one of the world's most pollution-heavy chemical industries, turning waste products into fertiliser while cleaning up waterways and cutting emissions.
UNSW engineers have tackled a longstanding problem at the heart of global agriculture: how to make urea for fertiliser without the intensity of emissions associated with fossil-fuel-powered factories.
The solutionis outlined in a study published recently, opens in a new window in Nature Communications.
Corresponding author Associate Professor and Scientia Fellow Dr Rahman Daiyan from UNSW Sydney's School of Minerals and Energy Resources Engineering says the work is part of a broader push to go beyond the global move to green ammonia, focusing instead on decarbonising the entire fertiliser chain.
"Urea is the fertiliser used to feed the crops for more than half of the world's population," Dr Daiyan says. "But currently, it's made from natural gas or coal. It's a very fossil-fuel intensive, high-temperature, high-pressure technology with huge emissions."
Two problems, one solution
Industrial activities release enormous amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere each year, with around 40 billion tonnes released in 2024 alone. At the same time, nitrogen pollutants such as nitrate and nitrite - collectively referred to as NOx species - from agriculture and industry contaminate waterways and ecosystems.
The UNSW study brings these two problems together. Using renewable electricity to trigger an electrochemical reaction, the researchers could directly couple CO2 with nitrogen pollutants to form urea.
"Making carbon and nitrogen bond together in a controlled and reliable way is extremely difficult," says the study's first author, UNSW PhD student Putri Ramadhany.
"To overcome this challenge, we designed a catalyst that works at an atomic scale and can hold carbon- and nitrogen-based molecules together long enough for them to react," she says.
The UNSW-developed catalyst - made of copper and cobalt - demonstrated a strong synergy between the two metals, and improved urea production when compared with existing systems.
Dr Daiyan says it's a promising foundation for a circular process that, in future, could convert captured carbon dioxide and nitrogen pollutants into urea. This, he says, is a route that removes pollution, creates valuable chemicals and runs on renewable electricity.
"We've been trying to look into pathways for decarbonising urea production," Dr Daiyan says.
"The vision is zero-carbon urea where we directly couple waste carbon dioxide with nitrogen pollutants using renewable electricity, rather than relying on ammonia as an intermediate.
"That allows us to run the system on solar and wind, avoid high temperatures and pressures and reduce emissions."
The groundwork for industrial scale-up
While most fundamental research ends at benchtop experiments, the UNSW team is taking these findings and scaling these up using urea electrolysers, which is the equipment considered a benchmark for industrial translation.
To understand how the material behaved under real-world conditions, the team used advanced electron-beam characterisation at the Australian Synchrotron. Here, they could watch the chemical reactions take place in real-time, laying the groundwork for future scale-up.
Why urea for Australia?
Although Australia is a major agricultural exporter, it does not produce enough urea domestically and so is a net importer of the fertiliser - relying heavily on overseas supply to meet demand.
In 2024, urea imports reached around 3.8 million tonnes. Dr Daiyan says this dependence is "a pity" as well as a strategic vulnerability.
If Australia could produce its own clean, locally made urea from waste carbon and renewable electricity, it would strengthen supply chains while lowering emissions. This is especially important as the government regulation of emissions starts to go beyond carbon dioxide.
Does carbon capture and conversion work?
Dr Daiyan says he is mindful of the carbon sources he works with. He says the aim is to use unavoidable emissions from cement factories or biogenic sources like agricultural waste.
The technology is still under development, but early results show promising selectivity under laboratory conditions. Rather than relying on direct air capture, the approach is designed to use carbon dioxide that is already generated from these industrial and biogenic emission streams.
Ultimately, Dr Daiyan sees this research as part of a bigger shift towards circularity - using waste carbon for materials that require carbon dioxide for production: fuels, chemicals, plastics and other manufacturing.
He recently spoke about this issue at COP30 - the 30th session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
"At COP, I spoke to governments about the technological pathways we need," he says.
"This is one of them - there's enough carbon dioxide around. We just need to start thinking and investing in a circular economy."
He says getting technologies like this from lab to industry typically takes more than a decade - but this project may move faster.
"Hopefully it will take us another two or three years to get to the stage where we can get an industry partner onboard," he says.
Dr Daiyan says transforming carbon dioxide and nitrogen pollutants into valuable products helps move the world closer to a cleaner, smarter and more circular chemical future.
"Our work highlights how thoughtful catalyst engineering paired with real-time characterisation can turn environmental problems into opportunities."
* * *
Original text here: https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/02/from-trash-to-treasure-turning-high-emissions-waste-into-fertiliser
University of Melbourne: Truck Emissions Cost Taxpayers $6.2 Billion in Healthcare Each Year
MELBOURNE, Australia, Feb. 23 -- The University of Melbourne issued the following news:
* * *
Truck emissions cost taxpayers $6.2 billion in healthcare each year
University of Melbourne researchers have found that health impacts from heavy vehicle emissions are costing the community more than A$6.2 billion per year.
The discussion paper, titled The Unpriced Burden: Heavy vehicle emissions and the $6.2 billion health cost and co-authored by Dr Clare Walter and Professor Mark Stevenson, assesses the annual taxpayer cost of premature deaths, cardio-respiratory hospital admissions and lung cancer
... Show Full Article
MELBOURNE, Australia, Feb. 23 -- The University of Melbourne issued the following news:
* * *
Truck emissions cost taxpayers $6.2 billion in healthcare each year
University of Melbourne researchers have found that health impacts from heavy vehicle emissions are costing the community more than A$6.2 billion per year.
The discussion paper, titled The Unpriced Burden: Heavy vehicle emissions and the $6.2 billion health cost and co-authored by Dr Clare Walter and Professor Mark Stevenson, assesses the annual taxpayer cost of premature deaths, cardio-respiratory hospital admissions and lung cancertreatment resulting from inhalation of nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions produced by trucks on our roads.
The paper has been released in anticipation of the Federal Government's Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) reform later this year.
While the proposed policy options ahead of this revision consider the regulatory framework, safety, productivity, and administrative impacts of heavy vehicles, they do not adequately account for the impacts on public health and the associated economic ramifications.
The health impacts of NO2 inhalation from trucks pose a serious risk to the Australian public and contribute to an already overburdened health system, the paper found.
An analysis of major vehicle markets (including Australia) found heavy vehicles are responsible for a quarter of on-road nitrogen oxide emissions.
Even brief exposures, measured in minutes, can cause inflammation of the respiratory system and may precipitate asthma attacks in susceptible individuals, the authors said.
Exposure during activities such as walking, running, or cycling near major roads can reduce oxygen supply to the heart and activate pathways involved in blood clotting, increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Exposure to NO2 is also significantly associated with premature mortality and increased emergency department presentations and hospital admissions for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, ischaemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, cardiac arrhythmiasand hypertension.
'We call on the review panel for the Heavy Vehicle National Law to consider health impacts from truck emissions outlined in our discussion paper. We set out achievable recommendations that will see an enormous return on investment thereby delivering preferred health outcomes,' said Professor Stevenson.
Children are particularly impacted by heavy vehicle emissions, the paper found, both due to their susceptibility to NOx inhalation and the frequency of schools and childcare centres on major roads.
In a recent case study of a proposed childcare centre in Melbourne's west, researchers found the concentration of air pollution particles measured at the site exceeded both World Health Organization and Australian guideline levels, resulting in a 28 per cent increase in the risk of childhood asthma incidence - equivalent to being exposed to 8.4 cigarettes per day.
Dr Walter and Professor Stevenson recommend establishing low-emission corridors throughout urban areas, accelerating the transition to low- and zero-emission heavy vehicles including our bus fleets, shifting freight to cleaner modes, and exploring options to route freight away from residential areas, schools, and childcare centres.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.unimelb.edu.au/newsroom/news/2026/february/truck-emissions-cost-taxpayers-$6.2-billion-in-healthcare-each-year
Students, take the lead: how a peer-led program could transform our kids' trajectories
CALLAGHAN, Australia, Feb. 23 -- The University of Newcastle posted the following news:
* * *
Students, take the lead: how a peer-led program could transform our kids' trajectories
*
Giving primary-school students a chance to teach and lead their younger peers not only strengthens their leadership skills, but also improves wellbeing, classroom engagement and student confidence, a new Australian study has shown.
The Learning to Lead (L2L) program, led by Professor David Lubans from the University of Newcastle and HMRI's Global Sport and Movement Collaborative, demonstrates children as young
... Show Full Article
CALLAGHAN, Australia, Feb. 23 -- The University of Newcastle posted the following news:
* * *
Students, take the lead: how a peer-led program could transform our kids' trajectories
*
Giving primary-school students a chance to teach and lead their younger peers not only strengthens their leadership skills, but also improves wellbeing, classroom engagement and student confidence, a new Australian study has shown.
The Learning to Lead (L2L) program, led by Professor David Lubans from the University of Newcastle and HMRI's Global Sport and Movement Collaborative, demonstrates children as youngas 10 can learn and apply effective leadership behaviours. Furthermore, these skills translate into tangible benefits for their younger peers.
"Schools are the ideal setting for developing leadership skills, and yet most leadership opportunities are afforded to those who already stand out," Professor Lubans said.
"We set out to evaluate what would happen if leadership development was afforded to every student and embedded into everyday learning - the results of which are incredibly encouraging for a scalable program that could transform our kids' trajectories."
Funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) and NSW Department of Health, with support from the NSW Department of Education, Professor Lubans' research team engaged more than 1,800 students at 20 primary schools across NSW.
Grounded in transformational leadership theory, older students were taught key leadership behaviours across six lessons before teaching 12 movement skills sessions to younger students during the school term.
Key findings
For student leaders (aged 10 - 12):
* Significant improvements in leadership effectiveness, as rated by teachers.
* Better wellbeing, bucking the typical decline in mental health often seen as children approach adolescence.
* Greater focus in class, with a 7 per cent increase in time spent on-task during lessons.
For younger peers (aged 8 - 10):
* Higher perceived motor competence, meaning students felt more capable and confident in their physical skills.
* More physical activity, with an increase in daily minutes of moderate to vigorous activity during school hours.
* Improved cardiorespiratory fitness, suggesting health benefits from even short bursts of increased movement.
"Children look up to other children. When older students are trained to be positive, motivational leaders, it creates a ripple effect. They grow in capability, confidence and empathy, and the younger students benefit academically, socially and physically," Professor Lubans explained.
Unlike traditional programs focused on surface-level skills, L2L is designed to fit within the school timetable, demonstrating how peer-led, school-based programs can deliver academic, psychological, and physical benefits at scale.
Professor Lubans said the support of NSW Department of Education was a crucial and encouraging component of ensuring the outcomes were implemented to benefit students state-wide.
"Our work proves that leadership development doesn't need to be exclusive or abstract," he said.
"When leadership is embedded into meaningful, active learning experiences, it produces spillover benefits - enhancing wellbeing, engagement, and health for both those leading and those being taught."
HMRI is a partnership between the University of Newcastle, Hunter New England Health and the community.
*
* Ngukurr to Newcastle: The best 'from little things, big things grow' story
* Don't let perfect get in the way of good uni reforms
* From Delhi to Newcastle, full tuition scholarship makes STEM dreams come true
* Post-mining research comes to life in community art exhibition
***
Original text here: https://www.newcastle.edu.au/news/2026/02/students-take-the-lead-how-a-peer-led-program-could-transform-our-kids-trajectories
'Granfluencers' inspire hope - and boost tourism marketing
BRISBANE, Australia, Feb. 23 -- The University of Queensland posted the following news:
* * *
'Granfluencers' inspire hope - and boost tourism marketing
*
A wave of older social media influencers is reshaping the tourism landscape, with research highlighting their growing power in steering travel trends.
Dr Rashid Saeed from The University of Queensland's Business School said 'granfluencers', influencers over 60, are becoming increasingly popular and have great potential to influence one of the tourism industry's most influential customer groups, older tourists, who are driven by financial
... Show Full Article
BRISBANE, Australia, Feb. 23 -- The University of Queensland posted the following news:
* * *
'Granfluencers' inspire hope - and boost tourism marketing
*
A wave of older social media influencers is reshaping the tourism landscape, with research highlighting their growing power in steering travel trends.
Dr Rashid Saeed from The University of Queensland's Business School said 'granfluencers', influencers over 60, are becoming increasingly popular and have great potential to influence one of the tourism industry's most influential customer groups, older tourists, who are driven by financialconfidence and a desire for meaningful travel.
"This study provides the first empirical evidence that age-defying portrayals of 'granfluencers' have measurable impacts on consumer behaviour among older adults," Dr Saaed said.
"Across 3 experimental studies, participants consistently responded more positively to age-stereotype-defying 'granfluencers' than they did to conventional depictions of ageing.
"People reported stronger emotional engagement, more favourable attitudes toward travel brands and a greater intention to book experiences."
While younger influencers often present carefully curated and idealised personas, 'granfluencers' stand out for their authenticity, wisdom and relatability.
Dr Saeed said the feeling of hope plays a key role in shaping the favourable influence of granfluencers' age-defying representations.
"The emotional connection of seeing someone their own age breaking norms is central to why they are so effective," he said.
"The study participants felt more optimistic about their own future and that optimism flowed into how they viewed the advertising."
People aged over 60 are projected to make up nearly a quarter of the global population by 2050 according to the World Health Organization.
"Solo travel among older adults is also rising, with travellers over 65 increasingly exploring destinations on their own terms," Dr Saeed said.
"By portraying older adults as capable, adventurous and future-focused, they contribute to a more inclusive understanding of ageing, one that resonates across generations."
Dr Saeed said the study findings offer guidance for tourism operators, destination marketers and travel brands looking to better connect with older audiences.
"By incorporating 'granfluencers' into campaigns, they can create advertising that feels more relatable, emotionally resonant and reflective of the diverse realities of modern ageing."
The research is published in Tourism Management.
Collaboration and acknowledgements
Research co-authors are Professor Sean Sands and Dr Neelam Yousaf from Swinburne University of Technology, and Associate Professor Justin Cohen from Adelaide University.
***
Original text here: https://news.uq.edu.au/2026-02-granfluencers-inspire-hope-and-boost-tourism-marketing
University of Baltimore's NextGen Leaders for Public Service Surpass 100,000 Hours of Dedicated Service to Maryland
BALTIMORE, Maryland, Feb. 22 -- The University of Baltimore posted the following news:
* * *
University of Baltimore's NextGen Leaders for Public Service Surpass 100,000 Hours of Dedicated Service to Maryland
*
The Schaefer Center for Public Policy at The University of Baltimore has announced a major milestone for its NextGen Leaders for Public Service internship program: NextGen Leaders have collectively provided more than 100,000 hours of service to state and local government, as well as nonprofit organizations across Maryland, since the program's inception in fall 2022.
NextGen interns
... Show Full Article
BALTIMORE, Maryland, Feb. 22 -- The University of Baltimore posted the following news:
* * *
University of Baltimore's NextGen Leaders for Public Service Surpass 100,000 Hours of Dedicated Service to Maryland
*
The Schaefer Center for Public Policy at The University of Baltimore has announced a major milestone for its NextGen Leaders for Public Service internship program: NextGen Leaders have collectively provided more than 100,000 hours of service to state and local government, as well as nonprofit organizations across Maryland, since the program's inception in fall 2022.
NextGen internshave contributed a total of 103,207 public service hours across 631 internship placements, the Schaefer Center says. These placements include 240 with nonprofits, 231 with state agencies, 129 with county agencies, and 19 with municipal agencies. The achievement of this number of public service hours and counting showcases the program's impact on both the community and the development of future public sector leaders.
"We are incredibly proud of our students, who are applying their classroom learning to improve the lives of Marylanders every day," said Dr. Ann Cotten, executive director of the Schaefer Center. "The NextGen program represents a powerful investment in the future of Maryland's public sector workforce, preparing talented, motivated professionals to meet the challenges of tomorrow."
The NextGen Leaders program is a member of the Volcker Alliance NextGen Service Corps initiative and is designed to inspire and prepare UBalt students from all majors to explore and pursue careers in public service. The program is unique in its approach, offering many opportunities including paid internship experiences that provide essential, professional experience across a diverse range of host sites, including Maryland state, local, and municipal government, Maryland nonprofits, and Baltimore Community Development organizations. Co-curricular activities that engage students in hands-on learning outside the classroom and academic programs that offer courses and credentials to support students' interests in the government and nonprofit sectors.
Learn more about the NextGen Leaders for Public Service Internship Program.
Learn more about the Schaefer Center for Public Policy.
The Volcker Alliance NextGen Service Corps, part of the Volcker Alliance, is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing effective public service. The NextGen Service Corps initiative is focused on attracting and retaining talented young people in public service careers.
***
Original text here: https://www.ubalt.edu/about/newsroom/ubaltnews-nextgen-reaches-milestone-of-public-service.cfm
Penn State THON 2026 raises record-breaking $18.8 million
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pennsylvania, Feb. 22 -- Pennsylvania State University posted the following news:
* * *
Penn State THON 2026 raises record-breaking $18.8 million
*
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -Penn State THON 2026 has raised $18,841,726.53 for Four Diamonds at Penn State Health Golisano Children's Hospital. This surpasses THON 2025's record-breaking total of $17,737,040.93 by more than $1.1 million.
More than 700 students danced and stood without sleep for 46 hours during THON Weekend -from 6 p.m. Feb. 20 through 4 p.m. Feb. 22 -at the Bryce Jordan Center (BJC) on the University Park campus.
As
... Show Full Article
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pennsylvania, Feb. 22 -- Pennsylvania State University posted the following news:
* * *
Penn State THON 2026 raises record-breaking $18.8 million
*
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -Penn State THON 2026 has raised $18,841,726.53 for Four Diamonds at Penn State Health Golisano Children's Hospital. This surpasses THON 2025's record-breaking total of $17,737,040.93 by more than $1.1 million.
More than 700 students danced and stood without sleep for 46 hours during THON Weekend -from 6 p.m. Feb. 20 through 4 p.m. Feb. 22 -at the Bryce Jordan Center (BJC) on the University Park campus.
Asthe world's largest student-run philanthropy, THON raises millions of dollars each year for Four Diamonds, funding pediatric cancer research and supporting children and families fighting childhood cancer. Since 1977, THON has raised more than $272 million for Four Diamonds. To learn more about THON and its impact, visit thon.org.
***
Original text here: https://www.psu.edu/news/campus-life/story/penn-state-thon-2026-raises-record-breaking-188-million
HKU Engineers Discover New Physics Principle to Break Sound Absorption Barriers in Ventilated Spaces
HONG KONG, Feb. 22 -- The University of Hong Kong issued the following news release:
* * *
HKU Engineers Discover New Physics Principle to Break Sound Absorption Barriers in Ventilated Spaces
*
In everyday life, designing spaces that both let air flow and absorb sound can be a tricky balancing act. Usually, materials that allow air to pass through-like vents-also let sound escape, making it hard to reduce noise effectively. Conversely, sound-absorbing materials like foam often block airflow, limiting their use in ventilated areas.
A research team led by Professor Nicholas X. Fang from the
... Show Full Article
HONG KONG, Feb. 22 -- The University of Hong Kong issued the following news release:
* * *
HKU Engineers Discover New Physics Principle to Break Sound Absorption Barriers in Ventilated Spaces
*
In everyday life, designing spaces that both let air flow and absorb sound can be a tricky balancing act. Usually, materials that allow air to pass through-like vents-also let sound escape, making it hard to reduce noise effectively. Conversely, sound-absorbing materials like foam often block airflow, limiting their use in ventilated areas.
A research team led by Professor Nicholas X. Fang from theDepartment of Mechanical Engineering from the Faculty of Engineering at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has solved this puzzle using new scientific methods and found an exciting breakthrough. They identified a fundamental physical principle called duality symmetry that sets new limits, and opens new possibilities, for designing ventilated sound-absorbing materials.
The research was carried out in partnership with Professor I. David Abrahams from the University of Cambridge and industrial partner Acoustic Metamaterials Group Ltd.. The research findings were published in the renowned journal Nature Communications.
"The most exciting moment for me was realising that duality symmetry-a concept from field theory-governs the absorption bandwidth of a ventilated system," said Dr Sichao Qu, lead author and Research Assistant Professor at HKU's Department of Mechanical Engineering. "Symmetry and absorption bandwidth were previously unrelated ideas. Our derivation reveals a deep mathematical coupling between them."
The team designed a new type of ventilated structure made of two connected acoustic chambers. This setup allows air to flow freely while trapping and dissipating sound energy through a process called destructive interference, significantly improving noise reduction.
Experiments showed that this innovative material could absorb over 86% of sound across a wide range of frequencies-from low (300 Hz) to high (6000 Hz)-outperforming traditional foam panels of the same thickness. The researchers also introduced a new performance measure called the Figure of Merit (FOM), which evaluates how well the system works across bandwidth, thickness, and airflow all at once.
Traditionally, the well-established physics principle, "causality constraint", defines a theoretical limit between material thickness and bandwidth. This new study not only challenges those limits for ventilated systems but also provides a new design approach based on duality symmetry.
Such advances could lead to quieter buildings, better noise control in aircraft engines, and more effective damping solutions in various engineering fields. With the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced simulation techniques, this breakthrough holds strong potential for real-world applications, making our environments quieter and more comfortable without sacrificing ventilation.
Link to paper: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65786-w
Generalized causality constraint based on duality symmetry reveals untapped potential of sound absorption. Nature Communications, 16, 10749.
About Professor Nicholas Fang
The research efforts in Professor Fang's group concentrate on focusing wave physics into sub-wavelength scales. While the main efforts focus on new insights of design for advanced manufacturing of wave functional material and devices, his group also actively pursue the applications in the areas of energy conversion, communication, and biomedical imaging. His research also leads to over 16 patent applications on nano- and micro-fabrication, additive manufacturing, and imaging technologies with successful technology transfer to industry (e.g. Osram, BASF, Nissan) and startups.
Media Enquiries
Faculty of Engineering, HKU
Ms Christina Chung (Tel: 3910 3324; Email: chungmc@hku.hk )
Ms Natalie Yuen (Tel: 3917 1924; Email: natyuen@hku.hk )
***
Original text here: https://www.hku.hk/press/press-releases/detail/28948.html
