Education (Colleges & Universities)
Here's a look at documents from public, private and community colleges in the U.S.
Education (Colleges & Universities)
Featured Stories
UAlbany Helps Albany Earn Spot on LinkedIn's 'Cities on the Rise' for the Second Year in a Row
ALBANY, New York, July 25 -- SUNY University at Albany issued the following news:
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UAlbany Helps Albany Earn Spot on LinkedIn's 'Cities on the Rise' for the Second Year in a Row
By Amy Geduldig
Albany has once again earned national recognition as one of the country's emerging hubs for jobs and career growth, ranking No. 12 on LinkedIn's 2026 "Cities on the Rise" list. The report also recognized the University at Albany as one of the region's top employers, reflecting the University's central role in workforce development, alongside advancing research and helping fuel the Capital Region's ... Show Full Article ALBANY, New York, July 25 -- SUNY University at Albany issued the following news: * * * UAlbany Helps Albany Earn Spot on LinkedIn's 'Cities on the Rise' for the Second Year in a Row By Amy Geduldig Albany has once again earned national recognition as one of the country's emerging hubs for jobs and career growth, ranking No. 12 on LinkedIn's 2026 "Cities on the Rise" list. The report also recognized the University at Albany as one of the region's top employers, reflecting the University's central role in workforce development, alongside advancing research and helping fuel the Capital Region'scontinued growth.
This year's report highlights Albany's emergence as a leader in semiconductor research, supported by public investment and "major educational institutions such as the University at Albany." The University is helping drive that momentum by preparing the next generation of scientists, engineers, business leaders and public servants while advancing research that strengthens the Capital Region and communities across New York.
Recent investments and research initiatives demonstrate how the University continues to support the Capital Region's expansion into sectors, such as semiconductor, life sciences and artificial intelligence:
* This year, Gov. Kathy Hochul approved a $50 million state-funded expansion of the University's Life Sciences Research Building to support the work of the RNA Institute. The project will help advance the Institute's research, training, and workforce development, including the Institute's pioneering use of artificial intelligence to accelerate drug discovery.
* UAlbany will also receive $1.5 million in federal funding to upgrade the Innovation Lab at the NY CREATES Albany NanoTech Complex. Operated by the University's College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering, the lab helps semiconductor researchers and industry partners develop and fabricate cutting-edge new materials and devices while providing hands-on training for students.
* UAlbany also announced this year seven joint research projects with IBM using new Spyre AI accelerators to study challenges ranging from cancer diagnosis and methane emissions to wireless communications.
LinkedIn's ranking uses proprietary labor market data to identify metropolitan areas with fewer than 2.5 million LinkedIn members where professionals are finding new opportunities through hiring growth, job postings and talent migration.
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Original text here: https://www.albany.edu/news-center/news/2026-ualbany-helps-albany-earn-spot-linkedins-cities-rise-second-year-row
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UAlbany Helps Albany Earn Spot on LinkedIn's 'Cities on the Rise' for the Second Year in a Row
By Amy Geduldig
Albany has once again earned national recognition as one of the country's emerging hubs for jobs and career growth, ranking No. 12 on LinkedIn's 2026 "Cities on the Rise" list. The report also recognized the University at Albany as one of the region's top employers, reflecting the University's central role in workforce development, alongside advancing research and helping fuel the Capital Region's ... Show Full Article ALBANY, New York, July 25 -- SUNY University at Albany issued the following news: * * * UAlbany Helps Albany Earn Spot on LinkedIn's 'Cities on the Rise' for the Second Year in a Row By Amy Geduldig Albany has once again earned national recognition as one of the country's emerging hubs for jobs and career growth, ranking No. 12 on LinkedIn's 2026 "Cities on the Rise" list. The report also recognized the University at Albany as one of the region's top employers, reflecting the University's central role in workforce development, alongside advancing research and helping fuel the Capital Region'scontinued growth.
This year's report highlights Albany's emergence as a leader in semiconductor research, supported by public investment and "major educational institutions such as the University at Albany." The University is helping drive that momentum by preparing the next generation of scientists, engineers, business leaders and public servants while advancing research that strengthens the Capital Region and communities across New York.
Recent investments and research initiatives demonstrate how the University continues to support the Capital Region's expansion into sectors, such as semiconductor, life sciences and artificial intelligence:
* This year, Gov. Kathy Hochul approved a $50 million state-funded expansion of the University's Life Sciences Research Building to support the work of the RNA Institute. The project will help advance the Institute's research, training, and workforce development, including the Institute's pioneering use of artificial intelligence to accelerate drug discovery.
* UAlbany will also receive $1.5 million in federal funding to upgrade the Innovation Lab at the NY CREATES Albany NanoTech Complex. Operated by the University's College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering, the lab helps semiconductor researchers and industry partners develop and fabricate cutting-edge new materials and devices while providing hands-on training for students.
* UAlbany also announced this year seven joint research projects with IBM using new Spyre AI accelerators to study challenges ranging from cancer diagnosis and methane emissions to wireless communications.
LinkedIn's ranking uses proprietary labor market data to identify metropolitan areas with fewer than 2.5 million LinkedIn members where professionals are finding new opportunities through hiring growth, job postings and talent migration.
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Original text here: https://www.albany.edu/news-center/news/2026-ualbany-helps-albany-earn-spot-linkedins-cities-rise-second-year-row
TAMIU Gains Access to Nation's Fastest University Supercomputer Through A&M System
LAREDO, Texas, July 25 -- Texas A&M International University, a member of the Texas A&M University System, issued the following news release:
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TAMIU Gains Access to Nation's Fastest University Supercomputer Through A&M System
VISION gives researchers, faculty and students across A&M University System access to world-class computing power
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Researchers, faculty and students at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) now have access to the fastest university supercomputer in the nation through their membership in The Texas A&M University System.
The A&M System's new VISION supercomputer ... Show Full Article LAREDO, Texas, July 25 -- Texas A&M International University, a member of the Texas A&M University System, issued the following news release: * * * TAMIU Gains Access to Nation's Fastest University Supercomputer Through A&M System VISION gives researchers, faculty and students across A&M University System access to world-class computing power - Researchers, faculty and students at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) now have access to the fastest university supercomputer in the nation through their membership in The Texas A&M University System. The A&M System's new VISION supercomputeris ranked as the most powerful university supercomputer in the United States, according to the June 2026 TOP500 list, which ranks VISION No. 66 among the world's fastest computing systems.
"We did not fund VISION for bragging rights. We funded it because Texas needs answers faster," said Robert L. Albritton, chairman of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, "This supercomputer gives researchers across the A&M System the power to speed up drug discovery, strengthen disaster response, improve agriculture, advance energy research, support national security and prepare students for an economy being reshaped by artificial intelligence."
TAMIU President Dr. Christopher Maynard said for TAMIU, VISION creates new opportunities to expand research, strengthen teaching and give students experience with the advanced computing tools driving modern science, business, health care, agriculture, engineering, public safety and public service.
"As a member of The Texas A&M University System, TAMIU is able to provide our students and faculty with access to world-class resources that expand research, innovation and learning," he said, "VISION will strengthen our ability to address regional and global challenges while preparing students with the advanced computing skills needed for tomorrow's workforce."
VISION is an NVIDIA DGX H200 SuperPOD housed at the West Campus Data Center at Texas A&M University. The system was acquired through World Wide Technology, an NVIDIA channel partner, as part of the A&M System's $45 million investment in advanced computing infrastructure.
The supercomputer features 95 NVIDIA DGX nodes, 760 NVIDIA H200 graphics processing units and fast storage built for data-intensive work. It will support projects involving machine learning, generative artificial intelligence, model training, image processing, graphics rendering, scientific simulations, robotics and autonomous systems.
At TAMIU, the available computing power can support research in border systems and economic innovation, artificial intelligence and advanced computing, environmental studies, and other disciplines the require processing large datasets, training sophisticated models, or running complex simulations, said TAMIU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Claudia San Miguel.
Early work already shows VISION's potential. In one drug-discovery project, Texas A&M researchers screened more than 10 million compounds in about a week, using computing power that would have taken years in a previous environment.
That kind of speed can change how researchers work. VISION can help teams test more ideas, train larger models, process more data and move from question to result faster than before.
"This new computing capability will significantly expand TAMIU's research capacity by empowering faculty and students to tackle data-intensive challenges. High-performance computing will accelerate discovery, strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, and enhance our ability to secure competitive external research funding, advancing innovative solutions to regional and global challenges," San Miguel said.
The system also gives students across the A&M System access to the kind of high-performance computing environment used in advanced research and industry. That experience can help prepare graduates for careers in fields increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, engineering, health care, agriculture, energy and national security.
VISION also illustrates one of the core benefits of being part of the A&M System: shared access to major research infrastructure that strengthens each university and agency while expanding the System's ability to serve Texas.
At TAMIU, faculty can utilize Vision to advance artificial intelligence and cybersecurity research, environmental and water resource challenges affecting South Texas, and develop data-driving solutions for cross-border trade and supply chain systems, San Miguel explained.
The TOP500 list ranks the world's most powerful supercomputers twice a year based on the High Performance Linpack benchmark, a standard test of computing performance. VISION posted 34.82 petaflops of measured performance.
The A&M System includes 12 universities, eight state agencies and the Texas A&M Health Science Center. Through shared investments like VISION, the System expands research capacity, strengthens the state's workforce and helps its members solve problems too large for any one institution to tackle alone.
For more information about VISION, visit.
Registration for the Fall 2026 semester at TAMIU is now underway. Visit our dedicated Registration Hub at https://go.tamiu.edu/registration to learn more and register.
The first day of classes for the Fall 2026 semester is Monday, Aug. 24, 2026.
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Original text here: https://www.tamiu.edu/newsinfo/2026/07/visionsupercomputer62326.shtml
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TAMIU Gains Access to Nation's Fastest University Supercomputer Through A&M System
VISION gives researchers, faculty and students across A&M University System access to world-class computing power
-
Researchers, faculty and students at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) now have access to the fastest university supercomputer in the nation through their membership in The Texas A&M University System.
The A&M System's new VISION supercomputer ... Show Full Article LAREDO, Texas, July 25 -- Texas A&M International University, a member of the Texas A&M University System, issued the following news release: * * * TAMIU Gains Access to Nation's Fastest University Supercomputer Through A&M System VISION gives researchers, faculty and students across A&M University System access to world-class computing power - Researchers, faculty and students at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) now have access to the fastest university supercomputer in the nation through their membership in The Texas A&M University System. The A&M System's new VISION supercomputeris ranked as the most powerful university supercomputer in the United States, according to the June 2026 TOP500 list, which ranks VISION No. 66 among the world's fastest computing systems.
"We did not fund VISION for bragging rights. We funded it because Texas needs answers faster," said Robert L. Albritton, chairman of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, "This supercomputer gives researchers across the A&M System the power to speed up drug discovery, strengthen disaster response, improve agriculture, advance energy research, support national security and prepare students for an economy being reshaped by artificial intelligence."
TAMIU President Dr. Christopher Maynard said for TAMIU, VISION creates new opportunities to expand research, strengthen teaching and give students experience with the advanced computing tools driving modern science, business, health care, agriculture, engineering, public safety and public service.
"As a member of The Texas A&M University System, TAMIU is able to provide our students and faculty with access to world-class resources that expand research, innovation and learning," he said, "VISION will strengthen our ability to address regional and global challenges while preparing students with the advanced computing skills needed for tomorrow's workforce."
VISION is an NVIDIA DGX H200 SuperPOD housed at the West Campus Data Center at Texas A&M University. The system was acquired through World Wide Technology, an NVIDIA channel partner, as part of the A&M System's $45 million investment in advanced computing infrastructure.
The supercomputer features 95 NVIDIA DGX nodes, 760 NVIDIA H200 graphics processing units and fast storage built for data-intensive work. It will support projects involving machine learning, generative artificial intelligence, model training, image processing, graphics rendering, scientific simulations, robotics and autonomous systems.
At TAMIU, the available computing power can support research in border systems and economic innovation, artificial intelligence and advanced computing, environmental studies, and other disciplines the require processing large datasets, training sophisticated models, or running complex simulations, said TAMIU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Claudia San Miguel.
Early work already shows VISION's potential. In one drug-discovery project, Texas A&M researchers screened more than 10 million compounds in about a week, using computing power that would have taken years in a previous environment.
That kind of speed can change how researchers work. VISION can help teams test more ideas, train larger models, process more data and move from question to result faster than before.
"This new computing capability will significantly expand TAMIU's research capacity by empowering faculty and students to tackle data-intensive challenges. High-performance computing will accelerate discovery, strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, and enhance our ability to secure competitive external research funding, advancing innovative solutions to regional and global challenges," San Miguel said.
The system also gives students across the A&M System access to the kind of high-performance computing environment used in advanced research and industry. That experience can help prepare graduates for careers in fields increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, engineering, health care, agriculture, energy and national security.
VISION also illustrates one of the core benefits of being part of the A&M System: shared access to major research infrastructure that strengthens each university and agency while expanding the System's ability to serve Texas.
At TAMIU, faculty can utilize Vision to advance artificial intelligence and cybersecurity research, environmental and water resource challenges affecting South Texas, and develop data-driving solutions for cross-border trade and supply chain systems, San Miguel explained.
The TOP500 list ranks the world's most powerful supercomputers twice a year based on the High Performance Linpack benchmark, a standard test of computing performance. VISION posted 34.82 petaflops of measured performance.
The A&M System includes 12 universities, eight state agencies and the Texas A&M Health Science Center. Through shared investments like VISION, the System expands research capacity, strengthens the state's workforce and helps its members solve problems too large for any one institution to tackle alone.
For more information about VISION, visit.
Registration for the Fall 2026 semester at TAMIU is now underway. Visit our dedicated Registration Hub at https://go.tamiu.edu/registration to learn more and register.
The first day of classes for the Fall 2026 semester is Monday, Aug. 24, 2026.
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Original text here: https://www.tamiu.edu/newsinfo/2026/07/visionsupercomputer62326.shtml
Four Honored With Connecticut College's Highest Faculty Awards
NEW LONDON, Connecticut, July 25 -- Connecticut College issued the following news:
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Four honored with Conn's highest faculty awards
Four Connecticut College professors have been honored with 2026 Faculty Awards for excellence in research, teaching and leadership. The 2026 winners are:
* Julia A. Flagg, Associate Professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies
JOHN S. KING FACULTY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING
Associate Professor of Sociology Julia A. Flagg is the winner of the 2026 John S. King Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award was established to recognize teacher-scholars ... Show Full Article NEW LONDON, Connecticut, July 25 -- Connecticut College issued the following news: * * * Four honored with Conn's highest faculty awards Four Connecticut College professors have been honored with 2026 Faculty Awards for excellence in research, teaching and leadership. The 2026 winners are: * Julia A. Flagg, Associate Professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies JOHN S. KING FACULTY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING Associate Professor of Sociology Julia A. Flagg is the winner of the 2026 John S. King Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award was established to recognize teacher-scholarswith high standards of teaching excellence and concern for students. It is named for the beloved professor of German whose warmth and humanity touched all who knew him.
Flagg, an environmental sociologist, joined the College in 2017 and has joint appointments in the Department of Sociology and the Environmental Studies Program, which she directs. She teaches courses in both departments at all levels, including "Nature & Society," "Sociology of the Environment," the "Climate and Society" ConnCourse and a senior seminar, "Disasters." She challenges and supports students in understanding complex environmental problems and developing creative ideas to solve them. Students read primary sources on social theory and apply ideas through animated class discussions and a productive writing process. Flagg is also a dedicated adviser and mentor, with many students visiting during her office hours to ask a wide range of questions.
In his letter of support for Flagg's award nomination, Professor of Sociology Ron Flores said, "Professor Flagg challenges students to push against assumptions. She also breaks down challenging tasks into manageable assignments so students are set up to succeed at the same time that they are pushing themselves."
A faculty colleague said, "One has to see her in person in the classroom to get the full effect of just how well prepared she. Watching her move seamlessly between a well-orchestrated lecture interspersed with open discussion, or activities around a specific prompt, is really quite something!"
* Priya Kohli, Professor of Statistics
HELEN B. REGAN FACULTY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP
Professor of Statistics Priya Kohli is the recipient of the 2025 Helen Brooks Regan Faculty Leadership Award, presented annually to a tenured faculty member whose outstanding service in a leadership role exemplifies the College's commitment to shared governance, democratic process and campus community development.
Kohli joined the College in 2012 and has served in numerous leadership roles across campus, including this year as chair of the Faculty Steering and Conference Committee. She has been assistant chair and is currently chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, where she led the development of the new statistics and data science major. She previously served two terms as chair of the Planning Priorities and Budget Committee and has served multiple terms on the Committee on Faculty Compensation and the Committee on the Status of Faculty Women.
Kohli has also demonstrated leadership in her field of research, including the Executive Committee of the American Statistical Association's Connecticut Chapter as president, vice president and treasurer. She served as the elected executive committee member for the New England Statistical Society from 2018 to 2022.
As an educator and researcher, collaborating with students and faculty colleagues on research is central to Kohli's mission and service. She has served as a statistician consultant on more than 50 collaborations with faculty, staff and students and has enhanced the scholarship of faculty and students across the College.
In her letter of support for Kohli, Professor of Sociology Afshan Jafar wrote, "Priya writes in her statement, 'I have understood faculty leadership not as episodic service, but as long-term stewardship of the structures that enable faculty voice, transparency and collective responsibility.' This statement gets at the heart of Priya's strength and philosophy as a leader. She has been serving at the College in one capacity or another since her second year. No task is too small or too big for Priya to take on. She brings her full commitment to all tasks."
* Brett Evans, Assistant Professor of Classics
HELEN MULVEY FACULTY AWARD FOR FOSTERING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
Assistant Professor of Classics Brett Evans is the 2026 winner of the Helen Mulvey Faculty Award. This award is presented to an assistant professor who regularly offers classes that challenge students to work harder than they thought they could and to reach unanticipated levels of academic achievement. Evans, a scholar of ancient Greek literature, epigraphy and cultural history, joined Connecticut College in 2023.
Evans has demonstrated dedication to expanding the Classics curriculum, teaching 12 courses. This achievement reflects his commitment to offering students diverse access points into the ancient world. Evans makes the ancient Greeks and Romans present for students to learn from and apply their lessons to current social and global problems.
In his letter of support for Evans' award application, Professor of Classics Darryl Philips wrote, "In more than 30 years of college teaching ... I have never known a colleague more deserving of this award than Brett Evans," adding, "Ancient Greek is hard--incredibly hard ... In just two semesters, Dr. Evans takes his students from learning the alphabet to reading the works of Plato in the original."
In addition to his classroom teaching, Evans has engaged students as an adviser for the ConnSSHARP and Mellon Mays programs. He has also served as a faculty fellow in the Walter Commons, where he has advised many students who are applying for national competitive fellowships. Director of the Walter Commons Melissa Ryan shared, "In my advising appointments, I often tell students that at Connecticut College, their greatest asset is access to faculty who invest deeply in their growth.
Professor Evans exemplifies this commitment to our students and to our shared mission as a liberal arts institution. He mentors students ... encouraging them to take risks, articulate their values and connect their academic experiences with their future aspirations."
He was awarded a 2026-2027 Loeb Classical Library Foundation Fellowship in support of his current book project investigating the royal court society of Ptolemaic Egypt in the third century B.C.E. as presented by the court's premier scholar-poet, Callimachus.
* Maria Rosa, Associate Professor of Biology
NANCY BATSON NISBET RASH FACULTY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH
Associate Professor of Biology Maria Rosa is the recipient of the Nancy Batson Nisbet Rash Award for Excellence in Research. The award was established in 1995 in memory of Nancy Rash, the Lucy C. McDannel '22 Professor of Art History at Conn from 1972 to 1995.
Rosa, who joined the College in 2018, is a marine ecological physiologist. Her research focuses on how marine organisms adapt, both behaviorally and physiologically, to environmental changes. Rosa's current applied research focuses on the Thames River and Mamacoke Marsh along the Connecticut shoreline. At the Thames River site, her pilot research program has trained students in field methods to assess the baseline water quality and biodiversity near Conn. These methods include building reef balls, which are silica-enhanced cement structures that act as an artificial reef, creating a living shoreline to help protect against erosion. Rosa's research at the Mamacoke Marsh includes site visits with local stakeholders, securing funding to support data collection and designing restoration and resiliency plans for the remaining marsh. Additional active projects include collaborations with colleagues at Save the Sound and CT NEER on eelgrass restoration.
Rosa has received more than $5 million in external grant funding to support her research at the College on eel grass restoration, the Mamacoke Marsh restoration project, and the Living Shorelines restoration project. Rosa includes Conn students, faculty and staff in all of these projects, and this work has led to 11 publications, including four with Conn students as co-authors, in peer-reviewed journals.
In her letter of support, Associate Professor of Biology Taegan McMahon wrote, "I believe one of the reasons Dr. Rosa has been so successful in her research program is because she loves science. This draws in collaborators, myself included, and makes people want to engage and to contribute. The students feel her enthusiasm, and she is always surrounded by eager participants ... She is an incredible scientist herself and she is clearly committed to mentoring the next generation of scientists with passion."
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Original text here: https://www.conncoll.edu/news/news-archive/2026/faculty-awards/
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Four honored with Conn's highest faculty awards
Four Connecticut College professors have been honored with 2026 Faculty Awards for excellence in research, teaching and leadership. The 2026 winners are:
* Julia A. Flagg, Associate Professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies
JOHN S. KING FACULTY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING
Associate Professor of Sociology Julia A. Flagg is the winner of the 2026 John S. King Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award was established to recognize teacher-scholars ... Show Full Article NEW LONDON, Connecticut, July 25 -- Connecticut College issued the following news: * * * Four honored with Conn's highest faculty awards Four Connecticut College professors have been honored with 2026 Faculty Awards for excellence in research, teaching and leadership. The 2026 winners are: * Julia A. Flagg, Associate Professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies JOHN S. KING FACULTY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING Associate Professor of Sociology Julia A. Flagg is the winner of the 2026 John S. King Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award was established to recognize teacher-scholarswith high standards of teaching excellence and concern for students. It is named for the beloved professor of German whose warmth and humanity touched all who knew him.
Flagg, an environmental sociologist, joined the College in 2017 and has joint appointments in the Department of Sociology and the Environmental Studies Program, which she directs. She teaches courses in both departments at all levels, including "Nature & Society," "Sociology of the Environment," the "Climate and Society" ConnCourse and a senior seminar, "Disasters." She challenges and supports students in understanding complex environmental problems and developing creative ideas to solve them. Students read primary sources on social theory and apply ideas through animated class discussions and a productive writing process. Flagg is also a dedicated adviser and mentor, with many students visiting during her office hours to ask a wide range of questions.
In his letter of support for Flagg's award nomination, Professor of Sociology Ron Flores said, "Professor Flagg challenges students to push against assumptions. She also breaks down challenging tasks into manageable assignments so students are set up to succeed at the same time that they are pushing themselves."
A faculty colleague said, "One has to see her in person in the classroom to get the full effect of just how well prepared she. Watching her move seamlessly between a well-orchestrated lecture interspersed with open discussion, or activities around a specific prompt, is really quite something!"
* Priya Kohli, Professor of Statistics
HELEN B. REGAN FACULTY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP
Professor of Statistics Priya Kohli is the recipient of the 2025 Helen Brooks Regan Faculty Leadership Award, presented annually to a tenured faculty member whose outstanding service in a leadership role exemplifies the College's commitment to shared governance, democratic process and campus community development.
Kohli joined the College in 2012 and has served in numerous leadership roles across campus, including this year as chair of the Faculty Steering and Conference Committee. She has been assistant chair and is currently chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, where she led the development of the new statistics and data science major. She previously served two terms as chair of the Planning Priorities and Budget Committee and has served multiple terms on the Committee on Faculty Compensation and the Committee on the Status of Faculty Women.
Kohli has also demonstrated leadership in her field of research, including the Executive Committee of the American Statistical Association's Connecticut Chapter as president, vice president and treasurer. She served as the elected executive committee member for the New England Statistical Society from 2018 to 2022.
As an educator and researcher, collaborating with students and faculty colleagues on research is central to Kohli's mission and service. She has served as a statistician consultant on more than 50 collaborations with faculty, staff and students and has enhanced the scholarship of faculty and students across the College.
In her letter of support for Kohli, Professor of Sociology Afshan Jafar wrote, "Priya writes in her statement, 'I have understood faculty leadership not as episodic service, but as long-term stewardship of the structures that enable faculty voice, transparency and collective responsibility.' This statement gets at the heart of Priya's strength and philosophy as a leader. She has been serving at the College in one capacity or another since her second year. No task is too small or too big for Priya to take on. She brings her full commitment to all tasks."
* Brett Evans, Assistant Professor of Classics
HELEN MULVEY FACULTY AWARD FOR FOSTERING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
Assistant Professor of Classics Brett Evans is the 2026 winner of the Helen Mulvey Faculty Award. This award is presented to an assistant professor who regularly offers classes that challenge students to work harder than they thought they could and to reach unanticipated levels of academic achievement. Evans, a scholar of ancient Greek literature, epigraphy and cultural history, joined Connecticut College in 2023.
Evans has demonstrated dedication to expanding the Classics curriculum, teaching 12 courses. This achievement reflects his commitment to offering students diverse access points into the ancient world. Evans makes the ancient Greeks and Romans present for students to learn from and apply their lessons to current social and global problems.
In his letter of support for Evans' award application, Professor of Classics Darryl Philips wrote, "In more than 30 years of college teaching ... I have never known a colleague more deserving of this award than Brett Evans," adding, "Ancient Greek is hard--incredibly hard ... In just two semesters, Dr. Evans takes his students from learning the alphabet to reading the works of Plato in the original."
In addition to his classroom teaching, Evans has engaged students as an adviser for the ConnSSHARP and Mellon Mays programs. He has also served as a faculty fellow in the Walter Commons, where he has advised many students who are applying for national competitive fellowships. Director of the Walter Commons Melissa Ryan shared, "In my advising appointments, I often tell students that at Connecticut College, their greatest asset is access to faculty who invest deeply in their growth.
Professor Evans exemplifies this commitment to our students and to our shared mission as a liberal arts institution. He mentors students ... encouraging them to take risks, articulate their values and connect their academic experiences with their future aspirations."
He was awarded a 2026-2027 Loeb Classical Library Foundation Fellowship in support of his current book project investigating the royal court society of Ptolemaic Egypt in the third century B.C.E. as presented by the court's premier scholar-poet, Callimachus.
* Maria Rosa, Associate Professor of Biology
NANCY BATSON NISBET RASH FACULTY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH
Associate Professor of Biology Maria Rosa is the recipient of the Nancy Batson Nisbet Rash Award for Excellence in Research. The award was established in 1995 in memory of Nancy Rash, the Lucy C. McDannel '22 Professor of Art History at Conn from 1972 to 1995.
Rosa, who joined the College in 2018, is a marine ecological physiologist. Her research focuses on how marine organisms adapt, both behaviorally and physiologically, to environmental changes. Rosa's current applied research focuses on the Thames River and Mamacoke Marsh along the Connecticut shoreline. At the Thames River site, her pilot research program has trained students in field methods to assess the baseline water quality and biodiversity near Conn. These methods include building reef balls, which are silica-enhanced cement structures that act as an artificial reef, creating a living shoreline to help protect against erosion. Rosa's research at the Mamacoke Marsh includes site visits with local stakeholders, securing funding to support data collection and designing restoration and resiliency plans for the remaining marsh. Additional active projects include collaborations with colleagues at Save the Sound and CT NEER on eelgrass restoration.
Rosa has received more than $5 million in external grant funding to support her research at the College on eel grass restoration, the Mamacoke Marsh restoration project, and the Living Shorelines restoration project. Rosa includes Conn students, faculty and staff in all of these projects, and this work has led to 11 publications, including four with Conn students as co-authors, in peer-reviewed journals.
In her letter of support, Associate Professor of Biology Taegan McMahon wrote, "I believe one of the reasons Dr. Rosa has been so successful in her research program is because she loves science. This draws in collaborators, myself included, and makes people want to engage and to contribute. The students feel her enthusiasm, and she is always surrounded by eager participants ... She is an incredible scientist herself and she is clearly committed to mentoring the next generation of scientists with passion."
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Original text here: https://www.conncoll.edu/news/news-archive/2026/faculty-awards/
Economist Bhaven Sampat Joins Johns Hopkins Faculty
BALTIMORE, Maryland, July 25 -- Johns Hopkins University issued the following news:
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Economist Bhaven Sampat joins Johns Hopkins faculty
Sampat, who is interested in how science policy may solve public problems and improve social outcomes, is now the university's Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Science and Innovation Policy
Annika Weder
Bhaven N. Sampat, an economist by training, is working to understand how to design policies and institutions to promote scientific progress and shape innovation to address public problems. Sampat, who recently joined Johns Hopkins University as a ... Show Full Article BALTIMORE, Maryland, July 25 -- Johns Hopkins University issued the following news: * * * Economist Bhaven Sampat joins Johns Hopkins faculty Sampat, who is interested in how science policy may solve public problems and improve social outcomes, is now the university's Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Science and Innovation Policy Annika Weder Bhaven N. Sampat, an economist by training, is working to understand how to design policies and institutions to promote scientific progress and shape innovation to address public problems. Sampat, who recently joined Johns Hopkins University as aBloomberg Distinguished Professor of Science and Innovation Policy, studies science funding, the links between scientific research and innovation, and patent policy.
"I'm interested in science policy with the ultimate goal of solving public problems and improving social outcomes," Sampat says. "New knowledge and technologies have the potential to drive tremendous improvements in human well-being. That's my North Star."
Sampat's work brings historical perspective and data together with modern empirical approaches to better understand how policy decisions shape science and innovation. He has examined the role of World War II research and development in shaping U.S. science, science policy, and innovation; pharmaceutical patent policy in the U.S. and globally; and the economics, history, and politics of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the largest single funder of biomedical research in the world. His work also examines how different stakeholders, including taxpayers, scientific interest groups, universities, Congress, and industry, interact to influence science policy.
About the BDP
* Name: Bhaven N. Sampat
* Title: Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Science and Innovation Policy
* Appointments: School of Government and Policy; Carey Business School
* BDP cluster: Promoting and Governing Technological Advances
* Previous role: Consortium for Science Policy and Outcomes and School of Public Affairs, Arizona State University
* Education: BA in Economics, Columbia University; MA in Economics, Columbia University; PhD in Economics, Columbia University
The stakes are enormous. For example, in health, the focus of much of his recent work, Sampat says there is much to gain from getting policy right.
"The economic value of new and better treatments, to say nothing of the human benefits, runs into the trillions of dollars," Sampat explains. "The rate and direction of medical progress depend not just on scientific and technical factors but also on institutional design and policy choices. Improving our approaches to funding and governing science and innovation can yield large benefits for generations to come."
Sampat notes that we are at a critical moment in which the post-World War II framework for science policy in the U.S., which laid the foundation for the relationship between the federal government and scientific research, is under extraordinary strain.
"We're at an inflection point right now where core aspects of the U.S. innovation system are under pressure," Sampat says. "In rebuilding science policy, we will need to confront age-old questions: How should we fund science? What are the roles of universities? What are the appropriate roles of science in democracy? What are the appropriate roles of democracy in science? What is the value of science, and to whom? As we think about the future, this is also an important moment to step back and think about the fundamentals of what we're doing and to draw on the last 75 years of evidence, together with modern techniques and data, to help inform what comes next."
At the same time, Sampat says that recent advances in computational social science and artificial intelligence are transforming how researchers can measure and understand the innovation system. Where scholars once relied primarily on counting patents, publications, and citations, new techniques now allow researchers to analyze the text of documents and trace linkages across different parts of the innovation ecosystem with far greater sophistication.
"We're in the middle of a revolution in our ability to measure, track, and understand the innovation system," Sampat says. "There have been tremendous advances in how we measure the links between science, innovation, and outcomes. That opens up the opportunity to do much more in a much more nuanced way than we've typically done."
Sampat, who spent most of his career at Columbia University before moving to Arizona State University, comes to Johns Hopkins as part of the Promoting and Governing Technological Advances BDP cluster. He describes the opportunity to join the nation's first research university--and a long-standing leader in federally funded science and medicine--as particularly meaningful, given his career studying universities, federal science funding, and life science innovation.
"Johns Hopkins is an old institution, but it has a startup mindset and is building in new directions," Sampat says. "I'm thrilled to be at this institution that embodies everything I know and love about universities, but that also gives me the opportunity to think creatively and reimagine what's possible. I'm particularly excited to be part of the founding faculty of the new School of Government and Policy, reimagining policy research and education for the challenges of the 21st century, and joining the Carey Business School, an international leader in the business of health."
Sampat emphasizes that the most pressing questions cannot be answered from within any single discipline, and he looks forward to working with colleagues from across the university.
"I'm excited to work on science and innovation policy issues with scientists, technologists, engineers, and social scientists across campus and connect with the amazing faculty across Hopkins working to improve health and healthcare," Sampat says. "I don't think we're going to build what comes next from any one discipline. The opportunity to bring highly accomplished scholars with different lenses together to tackle a common set of problems is invigorating."
Says William Howell, the inaugural dean of the School of Government and Policy: "We are so fortunate to have Bhaven Sampat in our community, teaching our students, and contributing to the intellectual life and foundations of our university. And at a time when profound questions are being asked about the future of the research university and the returns from public investment in basic science, his long track record of study and his deep sense of history offer wellsprings of insight and leadership."
Adds Carey Business School Dean Alex Triantis: "Bhaven Sampat brings a remarkable portfolio of research that is groundbreaking, interdisciplinary, and highly impactful. His deep knowledge of the economics of science, innovation policy, and the institutions that shape scientific progress positions him to engage meaningfully with faculty across the university and advance important conversations about how research shapes health and society."
* * *
Original text here: https://hub.jhu.edu/2026/07/24/economist-bhaven-sampat-joins-hopkins-faculty/
* * *
Economist Bhaven Sampat joins Johns Hopkins faculty
Sampat, who is interested in how science policy may solve public problems and improve social outcomes, is now the university's Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Science and Innovation Policy
Annika Weder
Bhaven N. Sampat, an economist by training, is working to understand how to design policies and institutions to promote scientific progress and shape innovation to address public problems. Sampat, who recently joined Johns Hopkins University as a ... Show Full Article BALTIMORE, Maryland, July 25 -- Johns Hopkins University issued the following news: * * * Economist Bhaven Sampat joins Johns Hopkins faculty Sampat, who is interested in how science policy may solve public problems and improve social outcomes, is now the university's Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Science and Innovation Policy Annika Weder Bhaven N. Sampat, an economist by training, is working to understand how to design policies and institutions to promote scientific progress and shape innovation to address public problems. Sampat, who recently joined Johns Hopkins University as aBloomberg Distinguished Professor of Science and Innovation Policy, studies science funding, the links between scientific research and innovation, and patent policy.
"I'm interested in science policy with the ultimate goal of solving public problems and improving social outcomes," Sampat says. "New knowledge and technologies have the potential to drive tremendous improvements in human well-being. That's my North Star."
Sampat's work brings historical perspective and data together with modern empirical approaches to better understand how policy decisions shape science and innovation. He has examined the role of World War II research and development in shaping U.S. science, science policy, and innovation; pharmaceutical patent policy in the U.S. and globally; and the economics, history, and politics of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the largest single funder of biomedical research in the world. His work also examines how different stakeholders, including taxpayers, scientific interest groups, universities, Congress, and industry, interact to influence science policy.
About the BDP
* Name: Bhaven N. Sampat
* Title: Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Science and Innovation Policy
* Appointments: School of Government and Policy; Carey Business School
* BDP cluster: Promoting and Governing Technological Advances
* Previous role: Consortium for Science Policy and Outcomes and School of Public Affairs, Arizona State University
* Education: BA in Economics, Columbia University; MA in Economics, Columbia University; PhD in Economics, Columbia University
The stakes are enormous. For example, in health, the focus of much of his recent work, Sampat says there is much to gain from getting policy right.
"The economic value of new and better treatments, to say nothing of the human benefits, runs into the trillions of dollars," Sampat explains. "The rate and direction of medical progress depend not just on scientific and technical factors but also on institutional design and policy choices. Improving our approaches to funding and governing science and innovation can yield large benefits for generations to come."
Sampat notes that we are at a critical moment in which the post-World War II framework for science policy in the U.S., which laid the foundation for the relationship between the federal government and scientific research, is under extraordinary strain.
"We're at an inflection point right now where core aspects of the U.S. innovation system are under pressure," Sampat says. "In rebuilding science policy, we will need to confront age-old questions: How should we fund science? What are the roles of universities? What are the appropriate roles of science in democracy? What are the appropriate roles of democracy in science? What is the value of science, and to whom? As we think about the future, this is also an important moment to step back and think about the fundamentals of what we're doing and to draw on the last 75 years of evidence, together with modern techniques and data, to help inform what comes next."
At the same time, Sampat says that recent advances in computational social science and artificial intelligence are transforming how researchers can measure and understand the innovation system. Where scholars once relied primarily on counting patents, publications, and citations, new techniques now allow researchers to analyze the text of documents and trace linkages across different parts of the innovation ecosystem with far greater sophistication.
"We're in the middle of a revolution in our ability to measure, track, and understand the innovation system," Sampat says. "There have been tremendous advances in how we measure the links between science, innovation, and outcomes. That opens up the opportunity to do much more in a much more nuanced way than we've typically done."
Sampat, who spent most of his career at Columbia University before moving to Arizona State University, comes to Johns Hopkins as part of the Promoting and Governing Technological Advances BDP cluster. He describes the opportunity to join the nation's first research university--and a long-standing leader in federally funded science and medicine--as particularly meaningful, given his career studying universities, federal science funding, and life science innovation.
"Johns Hopkins is an old institution, but it has a startup mindset and is building in new directions," Sampat says. "I'm thrilled to be at this institution that embodies everything I know and love about universities, but that also gives me the opportunity to think creatively and reimagine what's possible. I'm particularly excited to be part of the founding faculty of the new School of Government and Policy, reimagining policy research and education for the challenges of the 21st century, and joining the Carey Business School, an international leader in the business of health."
Sampat emphasizes that the most pressing questions cannot be answered from within any single discipline, and he looks forward to working with colleagues from across the university.
"I'm excited to work on science and innovation policy issues with scientists, technologists, engineers, and social scientists across campus and connect with the amazing faculty across Hopkins working to improve health and healthcare," Sampat says. "I don't think we're going to build what comes next from any one discipline. The opportunity to bring highly accomplished scholars with different lenses together to tackle a common set of problems is invigorating."
Says William Howell, the inaugural dean of the School of Government and Policy: "We are so fortunate to have Bhaven Sampat in our community, teaching our students, and contributing to the intellectual life and foundations of our university. And at a time when profound questions are being asked about the future of the research university and the returns from public investment in basic science, his long track record of study and his deep sense of history offer wellsprings of insight and leadership."
Adds Carey Business School Dean Alex Triantis: "Bhaven Sampat brings a remarkable portfolio of research that is groundbreaking, interdisciplinary, and highly impactful. His deep knowledge of the economics of science, innovation policy, and the institutions that shape scientific progress positions him to engage meaningfully with faculty across the university and advance important conversations about how research shapes health and society."
* * *
Original text here: https://hub.jhu.edu/2026/07/24/economist-bhaven-sampat-joins-hopkins-faculty/
Charting The Course for Tomorrow - Makerere University Unveils Its Strategic Plan 2026-2030
KAMPALA, Uganda, July 25 -- Makerere University issued the following news:
* * *
Charting The Course for Tomorrow; Makerere University Unveils its Strategic Plan 2026-2030
By Gloria Murungi
Building a century of excellence, Makerere University Strategic Plan 2026-2030 lays a clear roadmap to strengthen research, innovation, transformative education as well as national and global development over the next five years.
On Thursday 2nd July 2026, at Makerere Main Campus, the launching event gathered government leaders, development partners, university leaders and dignitaries such the Minister ... Show Full Article KAMPALA, Uganda, July 25 -- Makerere University issued the following news: * * * Charting The Course for Tomorrow; Makerere University Unveils its Strategic Plan 2026-2030 By Gloria Murungi Building a century of excellence, Makerere University Strategic Plan 2026-2030 lays a clear roadmap to strengthen research, innovation, transformative education as well as national and global development over the next five years. On Thursday 2nd July 2026, at Makerere Main Campus, the launching event gathered government leaders, development partners, university leaders and dignitaries such the Ministerof Finance, Planning and Economic Development, representative of the Executive Director of the National Planning Authority as well as the University Vice Chancellor. Makerere launched its strategic plan under the theme; 'Optimizing the University's Research Potential for National and Global Transformation.'
Preparing the strategic plan
'Preparing this plan has been a process,' the Deputy Vice Chancellor Finance and Administration, Prof. Herny Alinaitwe said. He emphasized that the strategic plan was developed through careful consultation, review and participation rather than being created in isolation. The previous Makerere University plan used to have long term of 10years. However, around 2019-2020 the National Planning Authority advised to adjust to the five years of National Development Plan (NDP IV) ensuring that the University contributes directly to the country's development.
Accelerating to national transformation
The Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, began his speech by reaffirming University's long-term vision. 'Our vision is to be an outstanding leader of knowledge generation for societal transformation and development.' He added the Makerere's mission is to provide transformative and innovative teaching, learning, research and service responsive to dynamic national and global needs.
He emphasised that the new strategic plan is designed to transform Makerere into a research-led University and for this to happen we need to have more than 419 professors and 473 associate professors. Currently the university has 73 professors and 144 associate professors.
'We are not removing undergraduate programmes but we want to reduce them gradually and increase graduate numbers because those are the ones going to do the innovations and transform the economy,' continued Prof. Nawangwe. He stressed the postgraduate students play a crucial role in research and innovation and increasing postgraduates from 10% to 16.1% enrolment is therefore central to achieving the University's vison of becoming a leading research institution.
He said, 'Makerere University continues to contribute its fair share to transforming human capital in the country and economic development.' He thanked and encouraged the government and other partners to further increase the goodwill towards the institution.
'Today marks not the end of the process but the beginning of an even greater responsibility it's successful implementation,' noted the Chairperson of Makerere University Council, Mrs. Lorna Magara. reminded stakeholders that the launch is only the first step and its success will depend on faithful implementation.
She highlighted the central roles of higher education, research and innovation in Uganda's economic transformation. 'Let us therefore move with courage, lead with integrity, purse excellence without compromise and together we will build a much stronger Makerere for a stronger Uganda.'
Transformation objectives
Prof. Nawangwe and the chairperson University Council Mrs. Lorna presented possible targets in the strategic plan, among them increasing PhD student enrolment from 15% to 35%, registered patents from 15 to 45, commercialised innovations from 25 to 65, STEM enrolment from 32% to 55%, postgraduate enrolment from 3700 to 7000 by 2030 and raise graduate employability from 45% to 65%within six months of graduation.
Government commitment to the strategic plan
Speaking as the Guest of Honor, Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Hon. Henry Musasizi launched the strategic plan 2025-2030 describing it as a timely and forward-looking roadmap that aligns with Uganda's vision 2040, the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), and the country's Tenfold Growth Strategy.
'This Strategic plan comes at an important time as the country works to grow its economy from about USD50 billion to over USD500 billion by 2040.'
The Chief Guest, Hon. Herny Musasizi noted that Uganda's ambition to expand its economy from approximately USD50 billion to over USD500 billion by 2040 will require sustained investment in research, innovation, industrialisation and human capital development, with universities playing a central role in achieving these aspirations.
He reaffirmed government's commitment to continue working with Makerere University to build a growing income, industrialised and knowledge driven economy while stressing accountability, innovation and the need to apply research in solving Uganda's development hardships. He also commended Makerere for aligning its strategic priorities with national development goals, explaining that such alignment would facilitate government support and resource allocation through the national budgeting process.
Leading to national economic transformation through universities
Reflecting on the central role of higher education in Uganda's economic transformation, Samuel Kasule, the Senior Planner for Education and Skills, National Planning Authority appreciated Makerere roles.
At the cornerstone of increased labour productivity is the role of universities especially in supporting the high impact sectors identified in the tenfold growth strategy,' Mr. Kasule remarked.
He elaborated that universities are expected to equip graduates with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to drive innovation across sectors such as minerals, oil and gas, agro-industrialisation, tourism and agriculture. He also argued the by producing highly skilled human capital as well as fostering innovation institutions like Makerere University will play a pivotal role in increasing labour production and accelerate economic growth achieving Uganda's ambition of becoming a USD500 billion from USD50 billion under the Tenfold Growth Strategy.
Conclusion
Guided by its strategies direction of excellence, accountability, professionalism, integrity and respect together with inclusivity, the University has reinforced its commitment to advancing quality education, research and innovation. The launch of strategic plan 2025-2030 reflects this commitment by positioning the University as a key partner in Uganda's development and transformation, consistent with national priorities.
* * *
Original text here: https://news.mak.ac.ug/2026/07/charting-the-course-for-tomorrow-makerere-university-unveils-its-strategic-plan-2026-2030/
* * *
Charting The Course for Tomorrow; Makerere University Unveils its Strategic Plan 2026-2030
By Gloria Murungi
Building a century of excellence, Makerere University Strategic Plan 2026-2030 lays a clear roadmap to strengthen research, innovation, transformative education as well as national and global development over the next five years.
On Thursday 2nd July 2026, at Makerere Main Campus, the launching event gathered government leaders, development partners, university leaders and dignitaries such the Minister ... Show Full Article KAMPALA, Uganda, July 25 -- Makerere University issued the following news: * * * Charting The Course for Tomorrow; Makerere University Unveils its Strategic Plan 2026-2030 By Gloria Murungi Building a century of excellence, Makerere University Strategic Plan 2026-2030 lays a clear roadmap to strengthen research, innovation, transformative education as well as national and global development over the next five years. On Thursday 2nd July 2026, at Makerere Main Campus, the launching event gathered government leaders, development partners, university leaders and dignitaries such the Ministerof Finance, Planning and Economic Development, representative of the Executive Director of the National Planning Authority as well as the University Vice Chancellor. Makerere launched its strategic plan under the theme; 'Optimizing the University's Research Potential for National and Global Transformation.'
Preparing the strategic plan
'Preparing this plan has been a process,' the Deputy Vice Chancellor Finance and Administration, Prof. Herny Alinaitwe said. He emphasized that the strategic plan was developed through careful consultation, review and participation rather than being created in isolation. The previous Makerere University plan used to have long term of 10years. However, around 2019-2020 the National Planning Authority advised to adjust to the five years of National Development Plan (NDP IV) ensuring that the University contributes directly to the country's development.
Accelerating to national transformation
The Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, began his speech by reaffirming University's long-term vision. 'Our vision is to be an outstanding leader of knowledge generation for societal transformation and development.' He added the Makerere's mission is to provide transformative and innovative teaching, learning, research and service responsive to dynamic national and global needs.
He emphasised that the new strategic plan is designed to transform Makerere into a research-led University and for this to happen we need to have more than 419 professors and 473 associate professors. Currently the university has 73 professors and 144 associate professors.
'We are not removing undergraduate programmes but we want to reduce them gradually and increase graduate numbers because those are the ones going to do the innovations and transform the economy,' continued Prof. Nawangwe. He stressed the postgraduate students play a crucial role in research and innovation and increasing postgraduates from 10% to 16.1% enrolment is therefore central to achieving the University's vison of becoming a leading research institution.
He said, 'Makerere University continues to contribute its fair share to transforming human capital in the country and economic development.' He thanked and encouraged the government and other partners to further increase the goodwill towards the institution.
'Today marks not the end of the process but the beginning of an even greater responsibility it's successful implementation,' noted the Chairperson of Makerere University Council, Mrs. Lorna Magara. reminded stakeholders that the launch is only the first step and its success will depend on faithful implementation.
She highlighted the central roles of higher education, research and innovation in Uganda's economic transformation. 'Let us therefore move with courage, lead with integrity, purse excellence without compromise and together we will build a much stronger Makerere for a stronger Uganda.'
Transformation objectives
Prof. Nawangwe and the chairperson University Council Mrs. Lorna presented possible targets in the strategic plan, among them increasing PhD student enrolment from 15% to 35%, registered patents from 15 to 45, commercialised innovations from 25 to 65, STEM enrolment from 32% to 55%, postgraduate enrolment from 3700 to 7000 by 2030 and raise graduate employability from 45% to 65%within six months of graduation.
Government commitment to the strategic plan
Speaking as the Guest of Honor, Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Hon. Henry Musasizi launched the strategic plan 2025-2030 describing it as a timely and forward-looking roadmap that aligns with Uganda's vision 2040, the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), and the country's Tenfold Growth Strategy.
'This Strategic plan comes at an important time as the country works to grow its economy from about USD50 billion to over USD500 billion by 2040.'
The Chief Guest, Hon. Herny Musasizi noted that Uganda's ambition to expand its economy from approximately USD50 billion to over USD500 billion by 2040 will require sustained investment in research, innovation, industrialisation and human capital development, with universities playing a central role in achieving these aspirations.
He reaffirmed government's commitment to continue working with Makerere University to build a growing income, industrialised and knowledge driven economy while stressing accountability, innovation and the need to apply research in solving Uganda's development hardships. He also commended Makerere for aligning its strategic priorities with national development goals, explaining that such alignment would facilitate government support and resource allocation through the national budgeting process.
Leading to national economic transformation through universities
Reflecting on the central role of higher education in Uganda's economic transformation, Samuel Kasule, the Senior Planner for Education and Skills, National Planning Authority appreciated Makerere roles.
At the cornerstone of increased labour productivity is the role of universities especially in supporting the high impact sectors identified in the tenfold growth strategy,' Mr. Kasule remarked.
He elaborated that universities are expected to equip graduates with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to drive innovation across sectors such as minerals, oil and gas, agro-industrialisation, tourism and agriculture. He also argued the by producing highly skilled human capital as well as fostering innovation institutions like Makerere University will play a pivotal role in increasing labour production and accelerate economic growth achieving Uganda's ambition of becoming a USD500 billion from USD50 billion under the Tenfold Growth Strategy.
Conclusion
Guided by its strategies direction of excellence, accountability, professionalism, integrity and respect together with inclusivity, the University has reinforced its commitment to advancing quality education, research and innovation. The launch of strategic plan 2025-2030 reflects this commitment by positioning the University as a key partner in Uganda's development and transformation, consistent with national priorities.
* * *
Original text here: https://news.mak.ac.ug/2026/07/charting-the-course-for-tomorrow-makerere-university-unveils-its-strategic-plan-2026-2030/
Centennial of International Summer School at Universitat Heidelberg
HEIDELBERG, Germany, July 25 -- Heidelberg University issued the following news release:
* * *
Centennial of International Summer School at Universitat Heidelberg
In 1926 there first came 60 participants from abroad - today the course is one of the biggest of its kind in Germany
-
In order to overcome Germany's international isolation after the First World War and promote exchange between young people, Heidelberg University organized its first International Summer School in 1926. What started with 60 visiting students is today - 100 years later - the oldest and one of the biggest vacation ... Show Full Article HEIDELBERG, Germany, July 25 -- Heidelberg University issued the following news release: * * * Centennial of International Summer School at Universitat Heidelberg In 1926 there first came 60 participants from abroad - today the course is one of the biggest of its kind in Germany - In order to overcome Germany's international isolation after the First World War and promote exchange between young people, Heidelberg University organized its first International Summer School in 1926. What started with 60 visiting students is today - 100 years later - the oldest and one of the biggest vacationcourses at a German university. In this anniversary year again over 430 young people from all over the world are expected in Heidelberg. From 29 July until 28 August 2026 they will get to know the German language and culture in courses, seminars and lectures, as well as in a comprehensive side and excursion program.
"The International Summer School at Heidelberg University was a model for success from the start. Every year it offers hundreds of young people from all over the world an opportunity not only to learn German but also to become acquainted with the country, the city and the culture," underlines Prof. Dr Marc-Philippe Weller, Vice-Rector for International Affairs and Diversity of Ruperto Carola. Contributing to this has, for 100 years, been the combination of language classes, academic lectures, concerts and an interesting program of cultural and social events. "Those completing the course leave Heidelberg as ambassadors for our city and our university," says Dr Alexander Au, director of Ruperto Carola's International Relations Division. The enthusiasm of the participants is, not least, shown in the fact that many of them later return to Heidelberg when studying for a degree.
The idea of organizing a summer school for international students arose after the First World War. Academics at Heidelberg University - including eminent researchers like Alfred Weber, Edgar Salin and Arnold Bergstrasser - wanted to revive international exchange. In 1922 and 1923 courses for Scandinavian students arose from their initiative. In 1926 Ruperto Carola hosted the first "summer school for foreigners" - and 60 students came to Heidelberg. The combination auf language classes with a varied side program proved attractive right away. In the second year the number of participants had already tripled, by 1930 it had increased to 300.
In the period of National Socialism ten of the 40 professors offering classes at the summer school were removed from service - this happened to Karl Jaspers and Walter Jellinek, amongst others. The Nazis misused the program for their propaganda, and participant numbers declined. In the war years of 1940 and 1941 the summer school was cancelled and from 1942 to 1945 participants came exclusively from allied or occupied regions. The revived version of the summer school after the Second World War was equally open to students from Germany as well as from other countries - which was intended to contribute to reconciliation. As of 1949 the summer school resumed its traditional format - with international participants only.
Planned from the start for people from all nations, it mainly drew participants from the United States and Europe at first. For example, a registration list from 1928 names 55 students from the United States and 55 from the United Kingdom. The other half of the total of 222 came primarily from western European countries, with a handful from India, Japan, South Africa and Russia. Over the decades the composition of those attending constantly changed. In the 1980s and 1990s many of them came from Italy, while as of the late 1980s the share of students from eastern Europe increased. Meanwhile many participants come from Asia. This y year 82 students are expected from China, followed by Taiwan with 59. In total, participants from 66 countries and from almost every continent will be welcomed in the anniversary year.
The early 21st century saw enrolment numbers for the International Summer School ranging from 500 to over 700. The Covid pandemic in 2020 led to an enforced pause. After starting again with lower figures, interest is now steadily rising again. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has made an important contribution to the success of the program. By annually granting a scholarship it enables 150 to 200 young people to attend. About 60 more participants come from partner universities with which cooperation has in some cases existed for many years.
The approximately 430 participants coming to Heidelberg this year for the summer school - with its overall theme "Germany, between European responsibility and global challenges" - will mostly be accommodated in student residences and private homes. Host families play a significant role in this regard. "By offering a room they provide more than a roof over a person's head. They contribute to making our international visitors feel at home in Heidelberg and, at the same time, open the possibility of enriching encounters and lively cultural sharing," says Melanie Le Touze, Academic Director of the International Summer School.
* * *
Note for newsrooms
The history and prospects of the International Summer School are the topic of a panel event (in German) titled "Summer School Centenary: Looking Back to the Future", to take place on Thursday, 20 August 2026, in Lecture Hall 13 of the New University. It starts at 5.15pm. Media representatives are welcome.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/en/newsroom/centennial-of-international-summer-school-at-universitat-heidelberg
* * *
Centennial of International Summer School at Universitat Heidelberg
In 1926 there first came 60 participants from abroad - today the course is one of the biggest of its kind in Germany
-
In order to overcome Germany's international isolation after the First World War and promote exchange between young people, Heidelberg University organized its first International Summer School in 1926. What started with 60 visiting students is today - 100 years later - the oldest and one of the biggest vacation ... Show Full Article HEIDELBERG, Germany, July 25 -- Heidelberg University issued the following news release: * * * Centennial of International Summer School at Universitat Heidelberg In 1926 there first came 60 participants from abroad - today the course is one of the biggest of its kind in Germany - In order to overcome Germany's international isolation after the First World War and promote exchange between young people, Heidelberg University organized its first International Summer School in 1926. What started with 60 visiting students is today - 100 years later - the oldest and one of the biggest vacationcourses at a German university. In this anniversary year again over 430 young people from all over the world are expected in Heidelberg. From 29 July until 28 August 2026 they will get to know the German language and culture in courses, seminars and lectures, as well as in a comprehensive side and excursion program.
"The International Summer School at Heidelberg University was a model for success from the start. Every year it offers hundreds of young people from all over the world an opportunity not only to learn German but also to become acquainted with the country, the city and the culture," underlines Prof. Dr Marc-Philippe Weller, Vice-Rector for International Affairs and Diversity of Ruperto Carola. Contributing to this has, for 100 years, been the combination of language classes, academic lectures, concerts and an interesting program of cultural and social events. "Those completing the course leave Heidelberg as ambassadors for our city and our university," says Dr Alexander Au, director of Ruperto Carola's International Relations Division. The enthusiasm of the participants is, not least, shown in the fact that many of them later return to Heidelberg when studying for a degree.
The idea of organizing a summer school for international students arose after the First World War. Academics at Heidelberg University - including eminent researchers like Alfred Weber, Edgar Salin and Arnold Bergstrasser - wanted to revive international exchange. In 1922 and 1923 courses for Scandinavian students arose from their initiative. In 1926 Ruperto Carola hosted the first "summer school for foreigners" - and 60 students came to Heidelberg. The combination auf language classes with a varied side program proved attractive right away. In the second year the number of participants had already tripled, by 1930 it had increased to 300.
In the period of National Socialism ten of the 40 professors offering classes at the summer school were removed from service - this happened to Karl Jaspers and Walter Jellinek, amongst others. The Nazis misused the program for their propaganda, and participant numbers declined. In the war years of 1940 and 1941 the summer school was cancelled and from 1942 to 1945 participants came exclusively from allied or occupied regions. The revived version of the summer school after the Second World War was equally open to students from Germany as well as from other countries - which was intended to contribute to reconciliation. As of 1949 the summer school resumed its traditional format - with international participants only.
Planned from the start for people from all nations, it mainly drew participants from the United States and Europe at first. For example, a registration list from 1928 names 55 students from the United States and 55 from the United Kingdom. The other half of the total of 222 came primarily from western European countries, with a handful from India, Japan, South Africa and Russia. Over the decades the composition of those attending constantly changed. In the 1980s and 1990s many of them came from Italy, while as of the late 1980s the share of students from eastern Europe increased. Meanwhile many participants come from Asia. This y year 82 students are expected from China, followed by Taiwan with 59. In total, participants from 66 countries and from almost every continent will be welcomed in the anniversary year.
The early 21st century saw enrolment numbers for the International Summer School ranging from 500 to over 700. The Covid pandemic in 2020 led to an enforced pause. After starting again with lower figures, interest is now steadily rising again. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has made an important contribution to the success of the program. By annually granting a scholarship it enables 150 to 200 young people to attend. About 60 more participants come from partner universities with which cooperation has in some cases existed for many years.
The approximately 430 participants coming to Heidelberg this year for the summer school - with its overall theme "Germany, between European responsibility and global challenges" - will mostly be accommodated in student residences and private homes. Host families play a significant role in this regard. "By offering a room they provide more than a roof over a person's head. They contribute to making our international visitors feel at home in Heidelberg and, at the same time, open the possibility of enriching encounters and lively cultural sharing," says Melanie Le Touze, Academic Director of the International Summer School.
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Note for newsrooms
The history and prospects of the International Summer School are the topic of a panel event (in German) titled "Summer School Centenary: Looking Back to the Future", to take place on Thursday, 20 August 2026, in Lecture Hall 13 of the New University. It starts at 5.15pm. Media representatives are welcome.
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Original text here: https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/en/newsroom/centennial-of-international-summer-school-at-universitat-heidelberg
California Institute of Technology: Low-Level Cloud Loss Amplifies Global Warming
PASADENA, California, July 25 (TNSjou) -- The California Institute of Technology issued the following news:
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Low-Level Cloud Loss Amplifies Global Warming
Low-level clouds over the earth's oceans play a prominent role in keeping our planet cool by reflecting sunlight away from the surface. But their response to climate change has been hard to model. Now, researchers at Caltech and Google have uncovered important new insights about how clouds might respond to warming sea-surface temperatures and rising CO2 levels using a large and powerful dataset of simulations developed by the group.
"One ... Show Full Article PASADENA, California, July 25 (TNSjou) -- The California Institute of Technology issued the following news: * * * Low-Level Cloud Loss Amplifies Global Warming Low-level clouds over the earth's oceans play a prominent role in keeping our planet cool by reflecting sunlight away from the surface. But their response to climate change has been hard to model. Now, researchers at Caltech and Google have uncovered important new insights about how clouds might respond to warming sea-surface temperatures and rising CO2 levels using a large and powerful dataset of simulations developed by the group. "Oneof the largest open questions in climate prediction is how low clouds will respond to global warming," says Zhaoyi Shen, lead research scientist at Caltech's Ronald and Maxine Linde Center for Global Environmental Science and a co-author on a paper outlining the team's findings published July 24 in Science Advances. "Our results show potentially large rapid adjustments of low clouds to high CO2 concentrations, which suggests the earth's climate might be more sensitive to high CO2 levels than some climate models currently project."
The team also found that the thinning of low clouds--uniform layers or large, lumpy expanses below 6,000 feet that cover massive portions of subtropical seas--amplify global warming through a feedback loop: Rising sea surface temperatures lead to fewer clouds, meaning less reflected sunlight and a warmer planet.
"This supports the growing body of evidence from the last few years," says Tapio Schneider, the Theodore Y. Wu Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering at Caltech and co-author of the paper; Schneider is also a principal scientist at Google. "We can now confidently rule out the idea that this effect is zero or that it somehow dampens global warming."
While virtually all global climate models show that the earth is getting warmer, they differ widely on predictions of the exact long-term temperature rise triggered by sustained increases in atmospheric CO2. A large part of the challenge in reaching a scientific consensus has been the inability to resolve the fine-scale atmospheric turbulence that drives low-level cloud formation and dissipation.
By combining a modeling framework for simulations developed by Shen with the power of Google computing resources, the research team used simulated large-scale weather data from a trusted global climate model developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to drive thousands of high-resolution large-eddy simulations.
The simulations used atmospheric and surface-level conditions from 500 randomly selected locations across the tropical Pacific Ocean, taken during four different months to represent seasonal changes. Each location-season combination was then used to drive large-eddy simulations for four climate change scenarios: a 4 degrees Celsius sea-surface temperature increase from baseline; a quadrupling of atmospheric CO2 alone; a 4 degrees Celsius warming with doubled CO2; and a 4 degrees Celsius warming with quadrupled CO2.
"We found that clouds respond directly to CO2 changes, a fact well understood in physics but perhaps a surprise to many," Schneider says. "Simply altering atmospheric CO2 shifts how infrared radiation moves through the air, directly affecting clouds even if temperatures are artificially held steady. Crucially, this effect is nonlinear; it accelerates as CO2 levels rise."
The team used more than 7,000 simulations in their investigation, which represents a massive increase in sample size compared to earlier work. For example, an earlier study by Shen combined data from 500 simulations, which was itself an increase from the dozens of simulations in previous experiments.
The massive upscaling was made computationally feasible using a large-eddy simulation code that leverages Google's tensor processing unit (TPU) clusters to build a robust collection of cloud states under different conditions. TPUs are specialized computer chips designed to accelerate artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning workloads.
"This experiment demonstrates the scale of computation made possible by Google's hardware capabilities," says Yi-Fan Chen, a software engineering director at Google and lead of the Google team that carried out the research. "It's computing at an extraordinary scale, demonstrating how processors originally developed for AI and machine learning can accelerate scientific discovery, enabling simulations that were previously out of reach."
In addition to modeling the future, the dataset can help researchers elucidate the planet's past climates, such as during the Eocene Epoch (which began 56 million years ago and ended 33.9 million years ago), when CO2 levels were up to four times higher than today. Plus, the dataset is public, meaning anyone with a laptop can use it to build their own models.
"This new public dataset has the potential to help the broader scientific community evaluate and train turbulence, convection, and cloud models for global climate models," says Shen. Shen is also part of the Climate Modeling Alliance (CliMA), a Caltech-based coalition of scientists, engineers, and applied mathematicians from Caltech and MIT. "At the Climate Modeling Alliance, we are currently developing a new climate model designed to learn from data using AI and machine learning, and I am using this dataset to calibrate our model's new turbulence and convection schemes."
Schneider, who leads CliMA, says the group is already using the data extensively and that he is excited to see what others can glean from it.
"I hope researchers come up with new and creative ways of representing clouds in climate models and that we finally reduce these massive uncertainties in climate predictions," he says. "It's not going to happen overnight to change all sorts of climate models around the world, but over time, I think this can happen."
The Science Advances paper is titled "High-resolution simulations reveal positive global warming feedback from Pacific low clouds." Additional authors from Google are Sheide Chammas, Qing Wang, Rob Carver, Jeffrey B. Parker, Cenk Gazen, Matthias Ihme, Yi-Fan Chen, and John Anderson. The work was supported by the National Science Foundation and Schmidt Sciences.
-- Written by Katie Neith
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Original text here: https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/low-level-cloud-loss-amplifies-global-warming
* * *
Low-Level Cloud Loss Amplifies Global Warming
Low-level clouds over the earth's oceans play a prominent role in keeping our planet cool by reflecting sunlight away from the surface. But their response to climate change has been hard to model. Now, researchers at Caltech and Google have uncovered important new insights about how clouds might respond to warming sea-surface temperatures and rising CO2 levels using a large and powerful dataset of simulations developed by the group.
"One ... Show Full Article PASADENA, California, July 25 (TNSjou) -- The California Institute of Technology issued the following news: * * * Low-Level Cloud Loss Amplifies Global Warming Low-level clouds over the earth's oceans play a prominent role in keeping our planet cool by reflecting sunlight away from the surface. But their response to climate change has been hard to model. Now, researchers at Caltech and Google have uncovered important new insights about how clouds might respond to warming sea-surface temperatures and rising CO2 levels using a large and powerful dataset of simulations developed by the group. "Oneof the largest open questions in climate prediction is how low clouds will respond to global warming," says Zhaoyi Shen, lead research scientist at Caltech's Ronald and Maxine Linde Center for Global Environmental Science and a co-author on a paper outlining the team's findings published July 24 in Science Advances. "Our results show potentially large rapid adjustments of low clouds to high CO2 concentrations, which suggests the earth's climate might be more sensitive to high CO2 levels than some climate models currently project."
The team also found that the thinning of low clouds--uniform layers or large, lumpy expanses below 6,000 feet that cover massive portions of subtropical seas--amplify global warming through a feedback loop: Rising sea surface temperatures lead to fewer clouds, meaning less reflected sunlight and a warmer planet.
"This supports the growing body of evidence from the last few years," says Tapio Schneider, the Theodore Y. Wu Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering at Caltech and co-author of the paper; Schneider is also a principal scientist at Google. "We can now confidently rule out the idea that this effect is zero or that it somehow dampens global warming."
While virtually all global climate models show that the earth is getting warmer, they differ widely on predictions of the exact long-term temperature rise triggered by sustained increases in atmospheric CO2. A large part of the challenge in reaching a scientific consensus has been the inability to resolve the fine-scale atmospheric turbulence that drives low-level cloud formation and dissipation.
By combining a modeling framework for simulations developed by Shen with the power of Google computing resources, the research team used simulated large-scale weather data from a trusted global climate model developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to drive thousands of high-resolution large-eddy simulations.
The simulations used atmospheric and surface-level conditions from 500 randomly selected locations across the tropical Pacific Ocean, taken during four different months to represent seasonal changes. Each location-season combination was then used to drive large-eddy simulations for four climate change scenarios: a 4 degrees Celsius sea-surface temperature increase from baseline; a quadrupling of atmospheric CO2 alone; a 4 degrees Celsius warming with doubled CO2; and a 4 degrees Celsius warming with quadrupled CO2.
"We found that clouds respond directly to CO2 changes, a fact well understood in physics but perhaps a surprise to many," Schneider says. "Simply altering atmospheric CO2 shifts how infrared radiation moves through the air, directly affecting clouds even if temperatures are artificially held steady. Crucially, this effect is nonlinear; it accelerates as CO2 levels rise."
The team used more than 7,000 simulations in their investigation, which represents a massive increase in sample size compared to earlier work. For example, an earlier study by Shen combined data from 500 simulations, which was itself an increase from the dozens of simulations in previous experiments.
The massive upscaling was made computationally feasible using a large-eddy simulation code that leverages Google's tensor processing unit (TPU) clusters to build a robust collection of cloud states under different conditions. TPUs are specialized computer chips designed to accelerate artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning workloads.
"This experiment demonstrates the scale of computation made possible by Google's hardware capabilities," says Yi-Fan Chen, a software engineering director at Google and lead of the Google team that carried out the research. "It's computing at an extraordinary scale, demonstrating how processors originally developed for AI and machine learning can accelerate scientific discovery, enabling simulations that were previously out of reach."
In addition to modeling the future, the dataset can help researchers elucidate the planet's past climates, such as during the Eocene Epoch (which began 56 million years ago and ended 33.9 million years ago), when CO2 levels were up to four times higher than today. Plus, the dataset is public, meaning anyone with a laptop can use it to build their own models.
"This new public dataset has the potential to help the broader scientific community evaluate and train turbulence, convection, and cloud models for global climate models," says Shen. Shen is also part of the Climate Modeling Alliance (CliMA), a Caltech-based coalition of scientists, engineers, and applied mathematicians from Caltech and MIT. "At the Climate Modeling Alliance, we are currently developing a new climate model designed to learn from data using AI and machine learning, and I am using this dataset to calibrate our model's new turbulence and convection schemes."
Schneider, who leads CliMA, says the group is already using the data extensively and that he is excited to see what others can glean from it.
"I hope researchers come up with new and creative ways of representing clouds in climate models and that we finally reduce these massive uncertainties in climate predictions," he says. "It's not going to happen overnight to change all sorts of climate models around the world, but over time, I think this can happen."
The Science Advances paper is titled "High-resolution simulations reveal positive global warming feedback from Pacific low clouds." Additional authors from Google are Sheide Chammas, Qing Wang, Rob Carver, Jeffrey B. Parker, Cenk Gazen, Matthias Ihme, Yi-Fan Chen, and John Anderson. The work was supported by the National Science Foundation and Schmidt Sciences.
-- Written by Katie Neith
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Original text here: https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/low-level-cloud-loss-amplifies-global-warming