The TopUniversities.com guide to the latest higher education news from around the world, on 25 April 2013.
Global: Universities compete to build solar-powered house
This October, 20 universities from around the world will compete in the US Department of Energy’s biennial Solar Decathlon. The competition challenges the teams to build a cost-effective, energy-efficient and attractive solar-powered home. The houses, built over two years, are judged over 10 different categories looking at everything from hot water to architecture, and given a total score out of 1,000. A sister event will be run in China this year and a European event will take place in 2014.
Green universities worldwide >
US: Brown University to award honorary doctorate to Ben Affleck
Ivy League institution Brown University is set to award actor and director Ben Affleck an honorary doctorate at this year’s commencement in Late May, along with five other notable public figures. He will be receiving his degree in the fine arts, but is not expected to attend the ceremony to collect it, reports Entertainmentwise. Affleck’s Argo took the prize for best picture at this year’s Oscars, and he also won best director at the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes.
US: University of Michigan School of Public Health invaded by zombies
The University of Michigan’s School of Public Health was invaded by zombies this Tuesday. But before you start polishing your shotguns and stocking up on tinned food, be reassured that the attack was an exercise designed to help students at the school learn about how to be prepared for outbreaks and emergencies. It was based on an exercise originally devised by the US Centers for Disease Control, reports The Huffington Post. Around 120 zombies invaded the school’s lecture hall for 90 minutes, after which they had a mass dance to – you guessed it – Michael Jackson’s Thriller!
Global: Binge drinking at university increases risk of heart disease, study finds
A study by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has found that binge drinking while at university creates a short-term risk of changes in blood circulation and a long-term risk of cardiovascular disease. The study looked at small group of healthy students during a period of binge drinking to measure the adverse effects it might have, reports the Huffington Post. Around two thirds of young adults in the US say they are regular drinkers, with just under a third admitting to drinking too much. The researchers emphasized the risks of binge drinking even in comparison with regular moderate drinking.
US: University of Texas Fund sells US$375 million in gold bars
While the idea of universities – or their investment branches – investing their funds in order to make money might seem like a thoroughly modern idea, the form in which the University of Texas’s Investment Management Co. stores a chunk of its funds is classic as they come: gold bars. The fund has sold US$375 million worth of the precious metal from its stock of US$1.4 billion, and has reinvested the money in – finance geeks only from this point onwards – equities and gold futures. The total value of the money the fund manages is US$29.2 billion, reports Bloomberg.