45 h. ago Nearly 300 apply as French university offers US academics ‘scientific asylum’

Aix-Marseille University generates interest amid a US crackdown and calls for a ‘scientific refugee’ statusNearly 300 academics have applied to a French university’s offer to take in US-based researchers rattled by the American government’s crackdown on academia, as a former French president called for the creation of a “scientific refugee” status for academics in peril.Earlier this year, France’s Aix-Marseille University was among the first in Europe to respond to the funding freezes, cuts and executive orders unleashed on institutions across the US by Donald Trump’s administration. Continue reading...

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1 week ago West Lothian pupils set up high school coffee shop as part of barista training

Senior students at Whitburn Academy set up their own coffee shop - Brewburn- which offers training to pupils.

Politics

2 w. ago Cracks more obvious in Djokovic’s game as he strives to remain at summit | Tumaini Carayol

Defeat to teenager Jakub Mensik in Miami final means 37-year-old Serb has only two titles in past 16 monthsDuring a quiet period in the relentless tennis calendar three years ago, the 16-year-old Jakub Mensik received an unexpected proposal. The Czech, who had just reached the boys’ singles final at the Australian Open, was invited by Novak Djokovic, his idol, to train together at the Serb’s academy in Belgrade. The pair quickly established a rapport, with Djokovic offering advice and counsel. For Mensik, this was a pivotal moment in his journey.That journey completed a full circle on Sunday at the Miami Open as the pair stood across the net from each other again, this time as rivals in the biggest match of the 19-year-old’s career so far, and he closed out a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4) victory to win his first ATP title in one of the top tournaments in the game. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago When the physicists need burner phones, that’s when you know America’s changed | John Naughton

US academics, fearing persecution by their own government, are becoming ideological refugees. Europe, and Britain, must offer them sanctuaryAt international academic conferences recently, one sees an interesting trend. Some American participants are travelling with “burner” phones or have minimalist laptops running browsers and not much else. In other words, they are equipped with the same kind of kit that security-conscious people used to bring 15 years ago when travelling to China.So what’s up? Well, these academics have a finger on the pulse of Trump’s America, and are concerned about what might happen when they return home. They’ve read on Robert Reich’s Substack about the French scientist who was prevented from entering the country because US Border Patrol agents had found messages from him in which he had expressed his “personal opinion” to colleagues and friends about Trump’s science policies. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago European universities offer ‘scientific asylum’ to US researchers fleeing Trump’s cuts

Academics from US hoping to escape funding freezes and ideological impositions are being actively recruitedLaced with terms such as “censorship” and “political interference”, the Belgium-based jobs advert was far from typical. The promise of academic freedom, however, hinted at who it was aimed at: researchers in the US looking to flee the funding freezes, cuts and ideological impositions ushered in by Donald Trump’s administration.“We see it as our duty to come to the aid of our American colleagues,” said Jan Danckaert, the rector of Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), in explaining why his university – founded in 1834 to safeguard academia from the interference of church or state – had decided to open 12 postdoctoral positions for international researchers, with a particular focus on Americans. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago A French university is offering ‘scientific asylum’ for US talent. The brain drain has started | Alexander Hurst

The Trump administration is cutting funding, while specifically targeting institutions like Columbia. No wonder academics want outIn six weeks, the Trump administration’s “rapid scheduled disassembly” of American science has been as sharp and deep as its trashing of the US’s alliances and goodwill; Earth science, weather forecasting and early warning systems, medical research (including cancer research), Nasa. Academic grants more broadly have been cut, paused and subject to review for a long list of banned words (including such contentious terms as “political” and “women”).This has caused universities across the country to reduce their intake of PhD students, medical students and other graduate students, introduce hiring freezes and even rescind some offers of admission. More than 12,500 US citizens currently in other countries on Fulbright research grants recently had their funding paused, along with 7,400 foreign scholars currently hosted in the US, leaving them financially stran...

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