Education (Colleges & Universities)
Here's a look at documents from public, private and community colleges in the U.S.
Featured Stories
Faculty Friday: Dr. Kara Shavo
CLINTON, South Carolina, March 6 -- Presbyterian College posted the following news:
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Faculty Friday: Dr. Kara Shavo
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Presbyterian College mathematics professor sets an example for students to follow their passions
Dr. Kara Shavo has always had a love for mathematics, but her high school calculus teacher opened the door that led to her pursuing it as a career.
"There was just something about calculus that was sort of mysterious and magical to me," she said. "It sounds a little over the top, but that's really how I felt."
When she entered college, she was initially an art major, though
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CLINTON, South Carolina, March 6 -- Presbyterian College posted the following news:
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Faculty Friday: Dr. Kara Shavo
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Presbyterian College mathematics professor sets an example for students to follow their passions
Dr. Kara Shavo has always had a love for mathematics, but her high school calculus teacher opened the door that led to her pursuing it as a career.
"There was just something about calculus that was sort of mysterious and magical to me," she said. "It sounds a little over the top, but that's really how I felt."
When she entered college, she was initially an art major, thoughshe quickly realized that she missed the structure that her math classes offered.
She briefly switched to engineering before once again realizing that she was more interested in the math aspect than anything else, and by the time her sophomore year rolled around, she had declared as a mathematics education major.
Discovering her passion
While teaching wasn't always in the picture for Shavo, it was a career path she'd been open to since she was a little girl.
Many of her friends had always known they wanted to be teachers, but she didn't discover her passion for education until she was in college.
"Once I decided to be a math major, I thought I would try teaching, because I had been helping some friends and doing a little bit of tutoring," she said. "I really liked talking about math, so it seemed like a good fit."
The road to PC
Shavo found herself at PC by happenstance.
While in graduate school working toward her Ph.D., she studied with Dr. Brian Beasley, a former professor at PC who was finishing up his own doctorate.
Beasley talked about PC often and encouraged Shavo to visit campus once she had finished with the program.
"He talked a lot about PC, and he said, 'You know, when you're done, you should come check it out. It's a small college where teaching is the thing that's valued most,' which is what I was interested in," she said. "Eventually I came, and I really loved it, and I guess the rest is history."
Shavo's experience at the college has now come full circle, as her own daughter, Maggie, currently attends PC and is thriving in the tight-knit atmosphere.
"It's been great to see PC from that other viewpoint, which I'd never had before," she said.
I'm working with a student on some honors research, and I'm really excited to be doing that again since it's been a few years. I just love doing math research, too, so it's really exciting to be able to do that with a student because it kind of combines both of my roles at PC."
Dr. Kara Shavo, Professor of Mathematics
Hopes for the future
Recently, Shavo has been working with a student conducting honors research, something she's thrilled to be able to dip her toes back into.
"I'm working with a student on some honors research, and I'm really excited to be doing that again since it's been a few years," she said. "I just love doing math research, too, so it's really exciting to be able to do that with a student because it kind of combines both of my roles at PC."
Shavo said she also hopes to build renewed interest in the mathematics program and inspire more students to major in math.
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Original text here: https://www.presby.edu/faculty-friday-kara-shavo/
World-first registry data addresses major gaps in rare eye cancer
BEDFORD PARK, Australia, March 2 -- Flinders University posted the following news:
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World-first registry data addresses major gaps in rare eye cancer
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Eye experts at Flinders University have released new global findings that reveal how a rare eye cancer first appears, offering vital insights that will help doctors diagnose the disease earlier and improve care for patients around the world.
The research draws on the International Vitreoretinal B-Cell Lymphoma Registry, the world's largest global project dedicated to understanding this aggressive eye cancer.
The study published in Clinical
... Show Full Article
BEDFORD PARK, Australia, March 2 -- Flinders University posted the following news:
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World-first registry data addresses major gaps in rare eye cancer
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Eye experts at Flinders University have released new global findings that reveal how a rare eye cancer first appears, offering vital insights that will help doctors diagnose the disease earlier and improve care for patients around the world.
The research draws on the International Vitreoretinal B-Cell Lymphoma Registry, the world's largest global project dedicated to understanding this aggressive eye cancer.
The study published in Clinical& Experimental Ophthalmology gives doctors essential clues to help them recognise vitreoretinal lymphoma sooner.
Vitreoretinal lymphoma is a rare cancer that begins inside the eye but often looks like a simple eye inflammation, which means many people can be treated for the wrong condition before the cancer is recognised.
The cancer can cause permanent vision loss and, in many cases, is linked with lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, in the brain. Earlier diagnosis helps protect sight, reduces distress for patients, and ensures urgent medical checks for possible brain involvement.
Corresponding author and internationally recognised ophthalmologist, Professor Justine Smith, from FHMRI Eye & Vision at Flinders University, says findings from the registry are filling a major knowledge gap.
"Our international registry creates an unprecedented opportunity to study this rare cancer in depth and across continents and provides hope for better understanding, better treatment and better quality of life for people affected," says Professor Smith.
"Delayed diagnosis of this eye cancer can carry serious consequences, but our findings offer practical information that will help clinicians consider the disease earlier, which can protect vision and reveal cases linked to brain lymphoma."
The study includes 138 newly diagnosed patients from Europe, the Americas, the Western Pacific and South-East Asia. Most patients are in their sixties, although men often develop symptoms at a younger age than women. Close to two-thirds of patients have the cancer in both eyes at the time they are diagnosed.
"This level of detail is only possible because the registry brings together data from many research centres that could not do this work alone," says Professor Smith.
The research also shows that for about one in four patients, the cancer is already present in the brain or elsewhere in the body when the eye disease is first found.
"This connection highlights how important coordinated care is for people, because eye findings may be the first sign of a much broader illness," she says.
Doctors typically identify early signs of the cancer through standard eye exams and imaging commonly used in everyday practice. These tests can reveal subtle changes that prompt specialists to investigate further.
"Our registry's global data helps us understand the early warning signs that doctors should look for, especially when a patient's symptoms don't fit the usual pattern," says Professor Smith.
The study also confirms that the vast majority of patients have the same type of lymphoma, a finding that has been difficult to establish until now.
"This finding shows how global data collection gives clarity that individual studies cannot provide," she says.
Vision loss varies widely among patients. While many still have useful vision when the cancer is found, others are already experiencing serious sight impairment.
"Understanding these patterns helps clinicians explain what patients may experience and feeds into decisions about treatment," says Professor Smith.
Professor Smith emphasises that the registry is central to improving outcomes for people affected by this rare disease.
"It collects real-world clinical information from multiple countries using a shared protocol, enabling researchers to detect trends that would otherwise go unnoticed. In this way, patient experiences contribute to discoveries that can improve diagnosis and care," says Professor Smith.
As more centres join the registry, researchers will be able to track how people's vision changes over time, evaluate which treatments work best for long-term survival. The next stages of research will focus on improving outcomes and supporting people living with this challenging cancer.
The paper, Presenting Clinical Features of Vitreoretinal Lymphoma, will be published in Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology. DOI: 10.1111/ceo.70067. Lead author is Professor Justine R Smith, with the full list of authors available in the published paper.
Acknowledgements: This work was supported by the Tour de Cure and the Queensland Eye Institute Foundation (RSP-569-2024), and the National Health and Medical Research Council (2025222).
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Original text here: https://news.flinders.edu.au/blog/2026/03/02/world-first-registry-data-addresses-major-gaps-in-rare-eye-cancer/
Statement: Supporting those impacted by the escalating conflict in Iran and across the Middle East
MELBOURNE, Australia, March 2 -- The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University issued the following news release:
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Statement: Supporting those impacted by the escalating conflict in Iran and across the Middle East
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Our thoughts are with those who have been impacted by the escalating conflict in Iran and across the Middle East.
We acknowledge these events are deeply upsetting, particularly for members of the RMIT community who have family, friends, and loved ones directly affected.
As a priority we are reaching out to students and staff who may be impacted and providing them
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MELBOURNE, Australia, March 2 -- The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University issued the following news release:
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Statement: Supporting those impacted by the escalating conflict in Iran and across the Middle East
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Our thoughts are with those who have been impacted by the escalating conflict in Iran and across the Middle East.
We acknowledge these events are deeply upsetting, particularly for members of the RMIT community who have family, friends, and loved ones directly affected.
As a priority we are reaching out to students and staff who may be impacted and providing themwith support as they need it.
Members of the RMIT community are able to confidentially raise any issues or concerns and can access the support they need via our Safer Community Team.
Students can contact their College for program advice and support, or access the range of free services and supports listed below.
Importantly, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has published the following advice regarding the Middle East conflict and updated the smarttraveller website, listing all countries in the Middle East as 'do not travel'. This means that RMIT travel to the Middle East, including transit through the region, is currently suspended.
Student services and support
Students can access a range of RMIT services and support, including:
* Extensions and special consideration - if circumstances outside your control impact your studies, you can access adjustments to your assessments
* Student Welfare Advisors - support regarding personal and academic concerns, including financial and accommodation advice, crisis support, guidance with university processes, and referrals to support services outside the University
* Counselling and Psychological Services - provided by RMIT to currently enrolled students
* Safer Community - support for those personally experiencing unwanted, uncomfortable or threatening behaviour. This includes threats or hate speech, discrimination, assault, stalking, image-based abuse or family violence
* Emergency and crisis support - including urgent mental health support
* Student Connect - for admin and general enquires
* Support and services - explore the full range of support services available to RMIT students
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Original text here: https://www.rmit.edu.au/news/media-releases-and-expert-comments/2026/mar/statement-iran-conflict
Aalto University: Design Strengthens Industrial Competitiveness - Human-centered Factory Work at the Core
AALTO, Finland, March 2 -- Aalto University issued the following news release:
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Design strengthens industrial competitiveness - human-centered factory work at the core
Factory work is undergoing a transformation: new technologies and artificial intelligence are changing the content and roles of work. Aalto University's Department of Design is studying this change from a human-centered perspective in the HiFive project.
The Fifth Industrial Revolution places human-centricity at the core of industrial competitiveness. While the Fourth Industrial Revolution introduced new technologies into
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AALTO, Finland, March 2 -- Aalto University issued the following news release:
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Design strengthens industrial competitiveness - human-centered factory work at the core
Factory work is undergoing a transformation: new technologies and artificial intelligence are changing the content and roles of work. Aalto University's Department of Design is studying this change from a human-centered perspective in the HiFive project.
The Fifth Industrial Revolution places human-centricity at the core of industrial competitiveness. While the Fourth Industrial Revolution introduced new technologies intofactory environments--such as artificial intelligence, robotics, augmented reality, and digital twins--Industry 5.0 reminds us that companies cannot successfully adopt new technologies unless they are designed around the human-centered needs of work. Factories require tailored solutions, innovation, and therefore an increasingly skilled workforce.
In the HiFive project (Meaningful industrial work in hybrid human-technology-AI teams), future industrial work environments are designed in which people, technology, and AI operate together in hybrid teams.
"Through design, we can develop future work where technology supports people. This is not just about adopting new technologies, but about renewing work so that it is meaningful, sustainable, and attractive to new generations as well," says Martina Caic, Assistant Professor of Strategic Service Design at Aalto University.
The aim of the research is to identify innovative ways of working and business models that respond to the requirements of future work and strengthen industrial competitiveness.
HiFive is part of Konecranes' Zero4 initiative, which belongs to Business Finland's Veturi (Leading Company) program. Partners in the HiFive project include VTT, Aalto University, the University of Jyvaskyla, Konecranes, AINS Group, Elomatic, ProVerse, and Tasowheel.
Konecranes, one of the world's leaders in material handling solutions, serves its customers' material handling needs with a broad range of products and services. Technologies are developing and digitalizing at a rapid pace.
"HiFive is a key part of our Zero4 leading-company initiative, as it brings a human-centered perspective to the whole. Collaboration with Aalto's designers is an important asset for us, as it strengthens our internal design activities and opens a connection to international design research," says Johannes Tarkiainen, Industrial Design Manager at Konecranes.
Martina Caic emphasizes the role of Business Finland projects as bridges between research and industry.
"In these projects, we address companies' everyday challenges. At the same time, we bring design expertise and new perspectives especially to companies that do not yet have in-house design capabilities," she notes.
Factory workers are proud of their expertise
Within the HiFive project, Aalto is responsible for a work package in which researchers went into factories and, through interviews and observations, collected an extensive and unique research dataset.
"Konecranes enabled us to access the premises of nine of its customer companies. We interviewed 31 factory workers and discussed their daily work, expectations, and what makes their work meaningful," says Juho Silmukari, a doctoral researcher at Aalto and a service designer at Konecranes.
The interviews showed that the meaningfulness of work is built above all on a strong culture of expertise, in which employees feel pride in their professional skills. New technologies such as automation and AI are viewed mostly positively, and technology is seen as an opportunity to make work smoother and more effective.
"It is often assumed that technology replaces physically demanding work phases. However, the interviews show that factory workers value the physicality of work, hands-on making, and the visible imprint of their craftsmanship on products. This is something they do not want to give up," Caic notes.
"The interviews revealed a clear divide between which work phases people want to transfer to technology and which they want to keep with humans. This makes the renewal of factory work demanding, as the design and planning of work require careful consideration," Silmukari explains.
AI as a work partner - and even a coach?
Artificial intelligence can have many different roles in work environments. Today it most often functions as an assistant, but in the future its role may expand.
"At the next level, AI could be developed into a team member that makes decisions together with people. At the highest level, AI could even act as a coach, supporting factory workers' development and flourishing at work," says Anna Viljakainen, a postdoctoral researcher at Aalto.
This is a completely new research area that, in the long term, opens up new perspectives on work and how it is organized.
As a doctoral researcher in a company's design team
Juho Silmukari has worked for a long time in Konecranes' Industrial Design team and is now conducting his doctoral research alongside his work within the HiFive project.
"HiFive provides an excellent starting point and strong resources for research. The project got off to a fast start, and I was able to begin interviews just a few months after starting my doctoral studies. A clearly defined research topic supports smooth progress in the studies," Silmukari says.
His dual role as a company employee and a doctoral student at Aalto has deepened his understanding of combining academic research with industrial practice.
"It's great to work with Aalto's top researchers. I can bring good research practices to Konecranes while also translating academic thinking into concrete practice," Silmukari says.
According to Assistant Professor Caic, the dual role is also a significant strength.
"It brings a genuine connection to everyday industrial practice into the research and enables the long-term integration of theory and practice. It is important that doctoral education also enables this kind of close industry collaboration," Caic concludes.
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Original text here: https://www.aalto.fi/en/news/design-strengthens-industrial-competitiveness-human-centered-factory-work-at-the-core
Aalto University: 'Mesoscale' Swimmers Could Pave Way for Drug Delivery Robots Inside the Body
AALTO, Finland, March 2 (TNSjou) -- Aalto University issued the following news release:
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'Mesoscale' swimmers could pave way for drug delivery robots inside the body
Researchers have discovered how tiny organisms break the laws of physics to swim faster -- such secrets of mesoscale physics and fluid dynamics can offer entirely new pathways for engineering and medicine.
In physics, the mesoscale lies between the microscopic and the macroscopic. It is not just the domain of tiny living creatures like small larvae, shrimp, and jellyfish, but also where physics equations become extreme. While
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AALTO, Finland, March 2 (TNSjou) -- Aalto University issued the following news release:
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'Mesoscale' swimmers could pave way for drug delivery robots inside the body
Researchers have discovered how tiny organisms break the laws of physics to swim faster -- such secrets of mesoscale physics and fluid dynamics can offer entirely new pathways for engineering and medicine.
In physics, the mesoscale lies between the microscopic and the macroscopic. It is not just the domain of tiny living creatures like small larvae, shrimp, and jellyfish, but also where physics equations become extreme. Whilethe macroscopic realm is governed by inertia and the microscopic by viscosity, the mesoscale is both and neither, requiring a new set of physics to describe it.
Now, physicists at Aalto University's Department of Applied Physics have discovered how organisms swim in the mesoscale mix of viscosity and inertia. The study was recently published in the journal Communications Physics.
Led by Assistant Professor Matilda Backholm, the multidisciplinary team found the key to efficient swimming in this realm is not just moving faster or growing bigger, but a phenomenon of non-reciprocal motion known as time reversal symmetry breaking. The results help fill a knowledge gap in fundamental physics and could pave the way for applications such as mesorobotics; tiny robots injected inside a patient's body for drug delivery or carrying out medical procedures.
Swim smarter, not harder
The team observed Artemia -- meso-organisms roughly 400-1,500 micrometres long -- measuring the physical forces at play when they swam in water while connected to a cantilever.
'During swimming, Artemia flexed a joint like part of its antenna, tracing a figure eight shape. We then decided to quantify and measure this motion range', explained doctoral researcher Sharadhi Nagaraja.
The figure-eight motion added a degree of freedom to Artemia's movement. It proved that the organism was breaking time reversal symmetry -- a physics concept governing motion in the microscopic realm.
'Time reversal symmetry means that if you film a movie of swimming bacteria, the bacteria's motion must look different if you play the movie forward or in reverse. If this isn't the case, then the swimmer cannot move forward. That's a fundamental requirement at this highly viscous regime in fluid mechanics, but it's not a requirement anymore at the mesoscale,' Backholm explains.
At the mesoscale, Artemia do not need to break time reversal symmetry to swim but they seem to do so anyway with their antenna.
'We found that if Artemia breaks time reversal symmetry more, they also swim better and they have a higher propulsive force. This is something no one has been able to directly measure for a living organism before,' Nagaraja adds.
Backholm's team filmed countless frames of Artemia's movement and used machine-learning to analyse them. Handling the organisms themselves required the combined expertise of physicists and biologists, along with a micropipette force sensor which Backholm has been instrumental in developing.
'The micropipette force sensor technique is ideal for directly measuring swimming forces of living meso-organisms, since it doesn't harm the swimmers and allows us to image the swimming motion simultaneously as we measure the time-resolved forces', postdoctoral researcher Rafael Ayala Lara explains.
From tiny organisms to tiny robots
Knowledge of mesoscale swimming physics could help engineers build and program what Backholm calls mesorobots for use in fields like medicine.
'The idea is to have very small robots that deliver medication to some specific location in the body. For example, going directly into a tumour with the poison instead of poisoning the entire body. Such mesorobots would be able to deliver larger amounts of drugs than their microscopic counterparts,' Backholm says.
It's an avenue of research where science is playing catch-up with nature, says Backholm.
'Nature has figured this out already: through evolution over millions of years, organisms have developed into the most efficient swimmers. Yet it's only now that engineers are starting to gain a deeper understanding.'
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Original text here: https://www.aalto.fi/en/news/mesoscale-swimmers-could-pave-way-for-drug-delivery-robots-inside-the-body
