The TopUniversities.com guide to the latest university news from around the world, on 1 July 2013.
Canada: Students develop phone app to map mosquito activity
Students at Canada’s University of Manitoba have developed a phone app to help people spread the word about areas with high levels of mosquitoes, the Calgary Herald reports. Called M Tracker, the app allows users to rate mosquito activity in a particular location and upload the information to a shared map – so that other users know which areas to avoid. Engineering student Rory Jacob says the app was inspired by similar technology being used to track traffic congestion and the spread of illnesses like influenza. M Tracker is available for download worldwide.
Chile: 100,000 march in protest calling for free university education
Last week 100,000 protesters marched through Chilean capital Santiago as part of a campaign calling for free university education, The Guardian reports. Protests have been going on for the last two years, but have become especially prominent recently due to the upcoming presidential elections. Moisés Paredes, the 18-year-old spokesperson for a collective of Chilean secondary school students, said heavy-handed response to the protests has had the effect of “making the student movement more radical, leading to students seizing more schools and more universities.”
UK: Cambridge professor calls for drugs tests before exams
A University of Cambridge professor has suggested students should be screened for drugs before exams, The Telegraph reports. Neuroscientist Barbara Sahakian says thousands of students are using drugs like Ritalin, which are prescribed to treat conditions like ADHD, but which have also been found to improve short-term memory and attention. “Students feel under enormous pressure,” Prof Sahakian said. “Many of them feel they have to turn to the drugs to help them concentrate better and cram for tests.” Ritalin has harmful side effects and is illegal if not prescribed by a doctor, carrying a five-year prison sentence for possession and 14 years for dealing.
Global: 'Disaster University' collaboration to focus on Asia-Pacific
Academics from the US, Japan and Indonesia are collaborating to create an international research network that will focus on natural disasters in the Asia-Pacific region, The New York Times reports. The region has a particularly high concentration of natural disasters. According to M.R.C. Greenwood, president of the University of Hawaii, around 80% of natural disasters over the past few decades were in the Asia-Pacific. The new project, known as Disaster University, will focus on developing necessary knowledge and skills at universities in the region – covering everything from early warning systems to trauma management.