October 23, 2020
Heads of State & Government at Extraordinary UNESCO Meeting recommit to Education and its Financing during and after the Pandemic.
Photo: UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay at the Global Education Meeting. UNESCO Headquarters, Paris. Image provided by & copyright © UNESCO/Christelle ALIX.
Photo: Global Education Meeting. UNESCO Headquarters, Paris. Image provided by & copyright © UNESCO/Christelle ALIX.
Paris, October 23, 2020 — Heads of State & Government, Ministers from over 70 countries, and international partners met online in an extraordinary Global Education Meeting convened by UNESCO, the governments of Ghana, Norway, and the United Kingdom on October 22. They adopted a Declaration expressing a strong commitment to protecting education financing and outlining measures to be chosen over the next year to safeguard education from the devastating impact of the disruption caused by COVID19.
“At a time when countries are making difficult choices and trade-offs to turn societies around, education must be our top priority, our pillar for recovery. And yet only a minuscule share - on average less than 1% - has been set aside for education and training in national stimulus packages. Financing education is not a cost: it is our most crucial long-term investment. If we do not allocate this funding now, we will face a bleaker future,” said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.
The meeting brought together the UN’s Secretary-General, the Presidents of Angola, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Namibia, Portugal, and Rwanda. The Prime Ministers of Italy, Morocco, Norway, and Spain, the Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, and SDG Advocate Queen Mathilde of Belgium attended the meeting.
Over 65 ministers of education from the five continents took the floor in the meeting to share measures to counter the pandemic’s impact on learning, along with multilateral and regional organizations, the Global Partnership for Education, and the Education Above All Foundation, among others.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres underlined that education is the solution, and financing and political will are critical.
Affirming that “education is at the heart of the EU’s investment in development,” the European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, announced, “the decision to increase EU financing of assistance to education in partner countries under my responsibility from 7% to 10%.”
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte of Italy declared that quality education would be one of the pillars of the Italian G20 presidency in 2021, focusing on people, the planet, and prosperity.
The UK’s Special Envoy for Education, Baroness Sugg, highlighted the United Kingdom’s G7 presidency’s focus. “The UK is standing up for every girl’s right to 12 years of quality education. It is putting this issue at the heart of our G7 Presidency and co-hosting a major Global Education Summit next year to raise funds to get children into school and build back better from coronavirus,” she said.
Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway, co-host of the meeting, stated that “two elements are important for rapid recovery: financing and political commitment. In many cases, the right to education will remain an empty promise unless education spending increases. We need to mobilize more international financing for global education.”
The endorsed Declaration defines priority actions that are essential for educational recovery in the coming 15 months:
- Taking every measure to reopen schools safely and inclusively;
- Supporting all teachers as frontline workers and paying heed to their training and professional development;
- Investing in skills development from the socio-emotional dimension to gaining competences for new jobs;
- Narrowing the digital divide that has shut out education for one-third of the world’s students.
These priority actions require that education budgets be at least protected, if not increased.
In the Declaration, governments and partners state their commitment to:
- Maintain or increase the share of public spending on education to at least 4-6% of GDP and 15-20% of public expenditure;
- Ensure that stimulus packages support measures that will mitigate learning losses and get the most vulnerable back to school;
- Increase the volume, predictability, and effectiveness of international aid;
- target assistance to countries and populations most in need, including those not reached by government programs.
The endorsed Declaration also condemns recent attacks on teachers, students, and schools and reaffirms education and teachers’ role.
President Uhuru Kenyatta said that Kenya “included a large education component in our economic stimulus package.”
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that “the modernization of our education system is a priority for this Government,” and “that education and professional development would become a cross-cutting policy involving all government ministries.
Colombia’s President Ivan Duque Marquez asserted that the pandemic brought understanding that education is the most important public policy tool to transform societies.
UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie, who has supported UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition, stated that “all countries face huge pressures. But to try to balance the books at the expense of education would be utterly self-defeating, as well as morally indefensible.”
In their interventions, numerous participants recognized UNESCO’s role in improving global education coordination to accelerate progress towards SDG4.
As part of the Global Education Meeting, a group of global organizations called for urgent investment in education to prevent a generational catastrophe.
Source: UNESCO, Paris
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“The first duty of government is to see that people have food, fuel, and clothes. The second, that they have means of moral and intellectual education.”
— John Ruskin.
Edited & Posted by Chief Editor | 12:32 PM | View the original post
October 20, 2020
University Grants Commission (UGC) India asks Registrars of all Universities living on its Grants and Public Funds to online exhibit their respective institution's strict implementation of the Government of India Reservation Orders.
New Delhi, October 20, 2020 — University Grants Commission (UGC) India today sent a notification to the Registrars of all Central/State/Deemed to be Universities and Grants-in-aid institutions. It has asked them to publicly display their institution’s strict implementation of the Government of India Reservation Orders.
As you are aware, the University Grants Commission continuously monitors reservation policy implementation in teaching and non-teaching posts and admission to all level courses in universities and colleges, the UGC letter to the Registrars said. “According to the UGC Act 1956, the UGC has to ensure effective implementation of the reservation policy in Universities and institutions receiving aid from the public funds under Article 30(1) of the Constitution,” the letter elaborated.
“All centrally funded Universities/colleges/institutions are required to ensure strict compliance of Government of India orders/rules on the reservation in their institutions,” the UGC communication further told the University Registrars.
Also, “State Universities including its affiliated/constituent colleges and other institutes functioning within the State should follow the percentage of reservation for SC/ST & OBC as prescribed by the concerned State Government,” the UGC letter stated.
“You are required to display the reservation roster which is to be updated at regular intervals on your Website as per instructions issued by the Government of India, Department of Personnel & Training, New Delhi.”
“You are also required to fill up the remaining backlog of identified reserved vacancies of these categories in teaching and non- teaching posts. Also, furnish a report along with statistical information in respect of non-teaching as well as admissions to all level courses and hostel accommodation during 2020-21 as per the prescribed format on the University Activity Monitoring Portal (UAMP) of UGC,” the UGC instructed the Registrars.
Source: University Grants Commission
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October 18, 2020
Academy Offers two-day Virtual Careers in Film Summit for High School and College Students.
• Panel discussions with Rick Baker, Tobin Bell, Gerard Bush, Christopher Renz, John Carpenter, Annie Chang, Jamie Lee Curtis, Lora Hirschberg, Andrea Kalas, and Shannon McIntosh, Gerard McMurray, Theresa Rygiel, Luis Sequeira, Terri Taylor, and more.
Photo: Regina King and Brad Pitt pose backstage with the Oscar for “Actor in a Supporting Role” during the live ABC Telecast of The 92nd Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, CA, on Sunday, February 9, 2020. Image provided by & copyright © Nick Agro / ©A.M.P.A.S. [File Photo]
LOS ANGELES, CA - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present its 6th annual and first virtual Careers in Film Summit on Saturday, October 24 and Saturday, October 31. The two-day event will provide high school seniors and college students the opportunity to learn about careers in the motion picture industry from Academy members, Oscar-winning and nominated filmmakers, and other industry professionals.
In partnership with the Academy’s Science and Technology Council, the first day of panel discussions on October 24 highlight careers in science, technology, engineering, visual effects, and other post-production careers. The program schedule is as follows:
• 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Visual Effects from Around the World
Visual effects supervisors from Rome, Mumbai, Taiwan, Vancouver, New York, and Los Angeles
Greg Anderson, “Spider-Man 2”
Geeta Basantani, senior compositor, “Spider-Man: Far from Home.”
Gaia Bussolati, “Ford v Ferrari.”
Sherry Bharda, “War”
Ahdee Chiu, “The Wandering Earth”
Moderator: Theresa Rygiel, “John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum”
• 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Color, Sound, and Editorial
Corinne Bogdanowicz, Senior Colorist, Light Iron
Jill Bogdanowicz, Co-Head of Features Color, Company 3
Lora Hirschberg, re-recording mixer, Skywalker Sound
Kate Morrison-Lyons, Manager, Production Workflow, UCAN Netflix
Joan Sobel, ACE film editor
Moderator: Shannon McIntosh, producer
• 1:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
Science, Technology, and Engineering
Abigail Brady, software engineer (2017 Scientific and Technical Award recipient)
Andrea Kalas, SVP Asset Management, Paramount Pictures
Brian McLean, Director of Rapid Prototype, LAIKA (2015 Scientific and Technical Award recipient)
Rachel Rose, R&D supervisor, Industrial Light & Magic (2017 Scientific and Technical Award recipient)
Paige Warner, digital artist, Industrial Light & Magic (2016 Scientific and Technical Award recipient)
Moderator: Barbara Ford Grant, consultant, Movielabs
• 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Virtual Production Technology
Girish Balakrishnan, Director, Virtual Production, Netflix
Nomish Bhardwaj, FX technical director, “Puss in Boots 2,” DreamWorks Animation
Adrienne Klotz-Floyd, digital imaging technician (DIT)
Carol Alynn Payne, Imaging Specialist, Netflix
Horst Sarubin, Director, Production Technology, Universal Pictures
Moderator: Annie Chang, VP Creative Technologies, Universal Pictures
The October 31 Halloween edition features a horror genre theme highlighting animation, music, and careers in front of and behind the camera. The program schedule is as follows:
• 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
All Things Animation
Mike Belzer, animator, “The Nightmare before Christmas.”
Kendal Cronkhite, assistant art director, “The Nightmare before Christmas.”
Sandra Equihua, character designer, “The Book of Life.”
Jennifer Kluska, director/story artist, “Hotel Transylvania” films
Jackie Koehler, lead animator, “The Book of Life.”
Michelle Murdocca, producer, “Hotel Transylvania” films
Moderator: Randy Haberkamp, SVP Preservation and Foundation Programming, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
• 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Music in Horror Films
John Carpenter, writer/director/composer, “Halloween.”
Jamie Lee Curtis, actor, “Halloween.”
Moderator: Mike Muse, host of SiriusXM’s “The Mike Muse Show.”
• 1:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m
Lights, Camera, Action…Boo!
Maxime Alexandre, cinematographer, “The Nun.”
Rick Baker, outstanding makeup effects creator, “The Wolfman.”
Luis Sequeira, costume designer, “It Chapter Two.”
Jennifer Spence, production designer, “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.”
Checco Varese, cinematographer, “It Chapter Two.”
Moderator: Audrey Cleo Yap, multimedia journalist
• 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Working Above the Line
Tobin Bell, actor, “Saw.”
Gerard Bush, co-writer/producer/director, “Antebellum.”
Ian Cooper, producer, “Candyman.”
Gerard McMurray, director, “The First Purge.”
Christopher Renz, co-writer/producer/director, “Antebellum.”
Terri Taylor, casting director, “Get Out.”
Moderator: Mike Muse, host of SiriusXM’s “The Mike Muse Show.”
The event is free, but registration is required to obtain access.
Source: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
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Edited & Posted by Chief Editor | 12:01 PM | View the original post
October 15, 2020
University Grants Commission (UGC) India Extends the Last Date for Submission of Applications from Higher Educational Institutions for offering Online Programmes.
• University Grants Commission (UGC) India Extends the Last Date for Submission of Applications from Higher Educational Institutions for offering Online Programmes.
— October 15, 2020.
• University Grants Commission (UGC) India issues Public Notice inviting Applications from Higher Educational Institutions for entitlement to offer Online Programmes without UGC’s prior approval.
— October 1, 2020.
Source: UGC, India
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Edited & Posted by Chief Editor | 1:43 AM | View the original post
October 12, 2020
India's Education Minister congratulates Punjab and all Citizens of India on the Inauguration of the Ultra-modern New Campus of Central University of Punjab, Bathinda.
Photo: The Union Education Minister, Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, virtually inaugurated the ultra-modern New University Campus & Newly Constructed Buildings of the Central University of Punjab, Bathinda (CUPB), in New Delhi on October 12, 2020.
New Delhi, October 12, 2020 — India’s Education Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, virtually inaugurated the ultra-modern New University Campus & Newly Constructed Buildings of the Central University of Punjab, Bathinda (CUPB) today. Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Member of Parliament, Bathinda Lok Sabha Parliamentary Constituency, was also present.
The Minister inaugurated a total of 10 Buildings and a University Insignia Monument at CUPB New Campus. These construction works come under ‘Phase-1A’ of the development plan of CUPB New Campus, the foundation stone of which was laid on September 7, 2015, by the then Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani and the then Chief Minister of Punjab, Sardar Parkash Singh Badal.
The names of buildings inaugurated are Aryabhatta Academic Block, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Guest House, Shaheed Bhagat Singh PG Boys’ Hostel, Mata Gujari PG Girls Hostel, Annapurna Bhojnalya Bhawan, Rai Bahadur Sir Ganga Ram Water Treatment & Supply Centre, Sir M. Visvesvaraya Sewerage Treatment Plant, Radhakrishnan Residential Complex, APJ Abdul Kamal Residential Complex, Swami Dayanand Saraswati Residential Complex.
Mr. Pokhriyal appreciated that the Central University of Punjab is doing remarkable work in education & research. He praised CUPB for implementing the best administrative and teaching practices; the University Grants Commission is considering implementing them in other universities as well, he said. It is a matter of pride for Punjab that the teachers at CUPB got trained from the best universities in countries like America, Canada, Germany, England, Israel, Japan, and Australia. Not only this, the University also has students from 28 states of the country, faculty from 19 states, and staff from 12 states, he further added.
Mr. Nishank congratulated Punjab and all citizens of India on the inauguration of the CUPB New Campus. The Minister also praised the CUPB family for creating an environmentally friendly and green campus by planting more than 40,000 trees inside the campus. He expressed his firm belief that CUPB faculty and students will set high-water marks in infrastructural growth in academic and co-academic excellence in this state of the art new campus.
Smt Harsimrat Kaur Badal congratulated CUPB employees, students, and Punjab people on the New Campus of the Central University of Punjab. She stated that Bathinda City will now be known as the education hub of Punjab as students from across the country and overseas will come here for quality education.
Prof. (Dr.) Raghavendra P. Tiwari, the Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Punjab, stated that the lush green new campus of CUPB spreads in 500 acres. It is the first of its kind campus in the country that is environment-friendly & energy-efficient.
Prof. Tiwari said that this day would be historic for Punjab, Punjabi, and Punjabiyat. The ultra-modern New Campus of the Central University of Punjab, situated at Punjab’s holy land, would benefit India’s youngsters with quality education.
Source: Ministry of Education, Government of India
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Edited & Posted by Chief Editor | 11:19 AM | View the original post
October 9, 2020
University of Oxford's Role-playing Computer Game helps Players understand How Vaccines Work on a Global Scale.
Photo: Oxford: High Street (Oxfordshire). Image credit: Michael Day.
Photo: A screenshot of the University of Oxford’s Vaccination Game. The computer game helps Players understand How Vaccines Work on a Global Scale. Image credit: Professor Hal Drakesmith.
Oxford, October 9, 2020 — A free game launched today allows players to role-play a virtual vaccine’s deployment to help to halt the global spread of a viral pandemic. The Vaccination Game, created by researchers at the University of Oxford’s MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, in collaboration with Goldsmiths, University of London, challenges players to figure out how they can deploy limited doses of the vaccine to best control a disease modeled on influenza.
Professor Hal Drakesmith and colleagues conceived the idea of developing a game. They are part of a research network focussing on immunizing babies and mothers to fight infections in low and middle-income countries. Following funding from, and in collaboration with, the IMPRINT research network, they were able to begin developing the game.
“We originally had the idea of the game and began developing it back in 2019, with influenza as our example disease,” said Professor Drakesmith. “Then COVID-19 struck, and the ideas behind the game are much more relevant.”
“Our game isn’t intended as a modeling or simulation tool, or meant to predict real-world scenarios,” Professor Drakesmith said. “Instead, we hope it’s educational, as it illustrates how vaccines can work on a global scale and shows that precisely how we deploy a vaccine across populations can be crucial to its effectiveness.”
Professor Drakesmith and his group collaborated with the Analysis, Visualisation, and Informatics group based in the University of Oxford’s MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine to develop the game. They also worked with Goldsmiths, University of London, to produce the final version based on mathematical models of how a virus spreads and what effect a vaccine might have.
The virtual vaccine in the game is available in limited doses per week, and the player has to decide who to vaccinate in each of the 99 cities worldwide that are part of the game. Finally, the player receives a report on how well they played the game and how many lives were saved by the vaccine.
Steve Taylor, Group Leader of the Analysis, Visualisation and Informatics group, said, “You can replay the game multiple times to improve strategy and save more lives - it is possible to do very well!”
Professor Drakesmith concludes, “We hope players find The Vaccination Game interesting, useful, and fun to play.”
Source: The University of Oxford
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— The Chief Editor holds an Oxford Alumni Card and is a Member of the Oxford and Cambridge Society of India.
Edited & Posted by Chief Editor | 12:38 PM | View the original post
September 24, 2020
India's University Grants Commission issues Guidelines on Academic Calendar for the First Year of Under-Graduate and Post-Graduate Students of the Universities for the Session 2020-21.
Photo: University of Mumbai. Image credit: Ben Beiske.
Photo: UGC Guidelines on Academic Calendar for the First Year of Under-Graduate and Post-Graduate Students of the Universities for the Session 2020-21 because of COVID-19 Pandemic.
Source: UGC, India
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Edited & Posted by Chief Editor | 2:11 PM | View the original post
September 17, 2020
University of Oxford Resumes Vaccine Trial
Oxford, September 16, 2020 —The University of Oxford has announced that the ongoing randomized controlled clinical trials of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 have resumed across all UK clinical trial sites.
“Globally, some 18,000 individuals have received study vaccines as part of the trial. In large trials such as this, it is expected that some participants will become unwell, and every case must be carefully evaluated to ensure careful assessment of safety,” the university said.
“On Sunday [06/09/2020], our standard review process triggered a study-pause to vaccination across all of our global trials to allow the review of safety data by an independent safety review committee and the national regulators. All routine follow-up appointments continued as usual during this period.
“The independent review process has concluded, and following the recommendations of both the independent safety review committee and the UK regulator, the MHRA, the trials will recommence in the UK.
“We cannot disclose medical information about the illness for reasons of participant confidentiality.
We are committed to our participants’ safety and the highest standards of conduct in our studies and will continue to monitor safety closely,” Oxford University stated.
• Brazilian trial of Oxford vaccine resumes.
On Saturday [September 12], the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) and the National Council for Research Ethics (Conep) informed the Federal University of São Paulo that all centers participating in the study in Brazil could resume vaccination of volunteers from Monday [September 14]. The Federal University of São Paulo coordinates the clinical research of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 in partnership with Oxford University.
In Brazil, 4,600 volunteers have already been recruited from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Salvador.
• Serum Institute of India to Resume Clinical Trial Of Oxford Covid-19 Vaccine.
The Serum Institute of India has received approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to resume the clinical trial of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine candidate, officials from the drug manufacturing company confirmed on Wednesday.
The Serum Institute of India is the manufacturing partner of the vaccine candidate named Covishield, developed jointly by the University of Oxford’s Jenner Institute and AstraZeneca.
The Pune-based firm has selected 17 sites in India to conduct the trial. A total of 1,600 candidates will take part in the study.
The selected sites include —
- AIIMS (Delhi)
- Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research PGIMER (Chandigarh)
- Andhra Medical College (Visakhapatnam)
- JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research (Mysore)
- Seth G. S. Medical College (Mumbai)
- King Edward Memorial Hospital Parel (Mumbai)
- KEM Hospital Research Centre (Vadu)
- B J Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital (Pune)
- All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (Jodhpur)
- Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, (Patna)
- Institute of Community Medicine (Chennai)
- Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University Medical College and Hospital (Pune)
- Jehangir Hospital (Pune)
- ICMR- Regional Medical Research Centre (Gorakhpur)
- TN Medical College & BYL Nair Hospital (Mumbai)
- Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (Sewagram)
- Government Medical College (Nagpur)
Sources: The University of Oxford. Serum Institute of India.
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Edited & Posted by Chief Editor | 3:31 AM | View the original post
September 16, 2020
ACADEMY REVEALS 2020 STUDENT ACADEMY AWARD WINNERS
Photo: Narrative film winners Hua Tong (left), Brian Robau (center), and Kelley Kali before the 45th Annual Student Academy Awards on Thursday, October 11, 2018, in Beverly Hills, CA. Image provided by & copyright © Richard Harbaugh / A.M.P.A.S. [File Photo]
LOS ANGELES, CA - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has voted 18 students as winners of the 47th Student Academy Awards competition. This year, the Student Academy Awards competition received 1,474 entries from 207 domestic and 121 international colleges and universities. The 2020 winners join the ranks of such past Student Academy Award winners as Patricia Cardoso, Pete Docter, Cary Fukunaga, Spike Lee, Trey Parker, Patricia Riggen, and Robert Zemeckis.
The winners are (listed alphabetically by category):
Alternative/Experimental (Domestic and International Film Schools)
- Curry Sicong Tian, “Simulacra,” University of Southern California
Animation (Domestic Film Schools)
- Pilar Garcia-Fernandezsesma, “Ciervo,” Rhode Island School of Design
- Daniela Dwek, Maya Mendonca and Chrisy Baek, “Hamsa,” School of Visual Arts
- Kate Namowicz and Skyler Porras, “Mime Your Manners,” Ringling College of Art & Design
Animation (International Film Schools)
- Pascal Schelbli, “The Beauty,” Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg (Germany)
Documentary (Domestic Film Schools)
- Allison A. Waite, “The Dope Years: The Story of Latasha Harlins,” University of Southern California
- Laura Zéphirin, “Making Waves,” New York University
- Yucong Chen, “Unfinished Lives,” University of Southern California
Documentary (International Film Schools)
- Maren Klakegg, “Dear Father…,” Westerdals Institute of Film and Media, Kristiania University College (Norway)
Narrative (Domestic Film Schools)
- Karishma Dube, “Bittu,” New York University
- Rommel Villa Barriga, “Sweet Potatoes,” University of Southern California
- Talia Smith, “Umama,” New York University
Narrative (International Film Schools)
- Percival Argüero Mendoza, “Crescendo,” Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica (Mexico)
- Marie Mc Court, “I Was Still There When You Left Me,” Institut des Arts de Diffusion (Belgium)
- German Golub, “My Dear Corpses,” Baltic Film & Media School, Tallinn University (Estonia)
First-time honors go to Baltic Film & Media School, Tallinn University, Estonia, and Institut des Arts de Diffusion, Belgium.
All Student Academy Award-winning films are eligible to compete for 2020 Oscars in the Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, or Documentary Short Subject category. Past winners have gone on to receive 64 Oscar nominations and have won or shared 13 awards. The medal placements - gold, silver, and bronze - in the seven award categories will be revealed in a virtual program highlighting the winners and their films on Wednesday, October 21.
The Student Academy Awards were established in 1972 to provide a platform for emerging global talent by creating opportunities to showcase their work.
Source: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
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Edited & Posted by Chief Editor | 9:41 AM | View the original post
September 15, 2020
Chandigarh University bags Overall Diamond Rating in the prestigious QS I-Gauge 2020 Indian Universities Rating.
• Chandigarh University ranks amongst the top 20 elite Educational Institutions of India and becomes Punjab’s first University to get placed in the prestigious ratings.
CHANDIGARH, India, Sept. 15, 2020 — QS I-Gauge Rating agency has released the 2020 version of the prestigious ratings of India’s top and elite Universities and Institutions. Chandigarh University Gharuan has managed to barge in Top 20 Educational Institutions of India Ratings with Overall Diamond Rating. Besides, Chandigarh University has emerged as top University (First Position) in Innovation parameter, which recognizes the institution as the Best Research University in India. QS I-Gauge, Indian Universities Ratings are part of the World Universities Rankings and Ratings released every year by the prestigious Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) in-depth analysis of higher education institutions around the world.
“This year, about 20 Indian Universities and Institutes have bagged Diamond Rating. Chandigarh University has become the Youngest University of India and the first University of Punjab to be placed amongst India’s top 20 elite educational institutes,” said Chandigarh University Chancellor, Satnam Sandhu. “Besides, Chandigarh University has become the only University of North India to bag Diamond Rating in 7 parameters which included Teaching & Learning, Faculty Quality, Employability, Student Diversity, Infrastructure Facilities, Social Responsibility, and Innovations.” Dr. S.S. Sehgal, Registrar, Chandigarh University, was also present during the media interaction.
“The 2020 edition of QS I-Gauge Ratings has placed 20 Indian Universities or Institutions in the Diamond Ratings while there are 32 Educational Institutions with Gold Ratings and 10 Institutions with Silver Ratings,” added Mr. Sandhu. Earlier in 2019, Chandigarh University had become the youngest University of the country to get an A+ Grade in its first cycle by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). “Students are the major beneficiary of the prestigious rankings and ratings of Universities by National & International Rating Agencies as it opens new avenues for them,” said Dr. S.S. Sehgal, Registrar, Chandigarh University.
“Chandigarh University has managed to scale new heights in National Ranking and Ratings within a short span of its existence as it has been able to perform in every sphere of higher education. In the research domain, Chandigarh University was ranked All India 2nd and first in the Stand-alone University category for filing the highest number of patents 334 in a year for 2018-19. The Office of Controller General of Patent Designs and Trademarks, Government of India had released this rating,” Dr. Sehgal added.
Chandigarh University, located near Chandigarh in Punjab, is the youngest University in India and the only private University in Punjab to be honored with an A+ Grade by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council). CU offers more than 109 UG and PG programs in engineering, management, pharmacy, law, architecture, journalism, animation, hotel management, and commerce.
Source: Chandigarh University
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Edited & Posted by Chief Editor | 1:13 PM | View the original post
September 14, 2020
U.S. News & World Report Announces the 2021 Best Colleges Rankings for the USA
• The New edition ranks test-blind schools and includes measures of student debt at graduation.
Photo: Princeton University Campus. Image credit: MaxVT.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2020 — U.S. News & World Report today unveiled the 2021 U.S. News Best Colleges in the USA. U.S. News said it remains committed to providing data-driven information and guidance to help prospective students and their families understand their higher education options as students and schools across the nation grapple with the coronavirus pandemic’s impacts.
“The pandemic has affected students across the country, canceling commencement ceremonies and switching classes from in-person to remote,” said Kim Castro, editor, and chief content officer of U.S. News. “Whether students have slightly altered their college plans or changed them entirely, it remains our mission to continue providing students and their families with the tools they need to help find the right school for them.”
This year’s edition includes several updates to the Best Colleges methodology that addresses essential issues directly impacting students and their families. These new measures look at timely topics such as student debt, social mobility, and test-blind admissions policies.
For the 2021 rankings, Princeton University is once again No. 1 among National Universities, and Williams College remains in the top spot among National Liberal Arts Colleges. For Top Public Schools, the University of California—Los Angeles is No. 1 among National Universities. The United States Naval Academy ranks No. 1 for Top Public Schools among National Liberal Arts Colleges.
This 36th edition of Best Colleges evaluates more than 1,400 colleges and universities on 17 academic quality indicators. The data used in the 2021 Best Colleges rankings pertain to student and faculty cohorts that predate the pandemic.
2021 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges
National Universities - Top 10
- Princeton University (N.J.)
- Harvard University (M.A.)
- Columbia University (N.Y.)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, (M.A.)
- Yale University, New Haven, (C.T.)
- Stanford University, Stanford, (C.A.)
- University of Chicago, Chicago, (I.L.)
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, (P.A.)
- California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, (C.A.)
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, (M.D.)
National Liberal Arts Colleges - Top 3
- Williams College (M.A.)
- Amherst College (M.A.)
- Swarthmore College (P.A.)
Top Public Schools
National Universities - Top 3
- University of California—Los Angeles
- University of California—Berkeley
- University of Michigan—Ann Arbor
National Liberal Arts Colleges - Top 3
- United States Naval Academy (M.D.)
- United States Military Academy (N.Y.)
- The United States Air Force Academy (C.O.)
Top Performers on Social Mobility
National Universities - Top 3
- University of California—Riverside
- University of California—Irvine
- Rutgers University—Newark (N.J.)
National Liberal Arts Colleges - Top 3
- College of Idaho
- Lake Forest College (I.L.)
- Thomas Aquinas College (CA)
U.S. News & World Report is a leader in quality rankings that empower people to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. Founded in 1933, U.S. News has its headquarters in Washington, D.C.
SOURCE: U.S. News & World Report
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by Chief Editor | 2:51 PM | View the original post
September 2, 2020
Oxford tops Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021; Record Number of US Colleges in Top 10, but China and COVID-19 Threaten US Status as Higher Education Superpower, Says Times Higher Education Survey of Global University Leaders.
US domination of top 10 masks broader decline as THE releases the largest ever annual World University Rankings.
China achieves first ever top 20 finish to break the domination of western institutions.
Data shows China is closing the gap with US universities for the impact of global research.
THE survey of 200 global university leaders on the expected effect of Covid-19 lays bare challenges to US universities.
Photo: A Park at Oxford University. Oxford tops Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021. Image credit: Michael Day.
LONDON, Sept. 2, 2020 — America’s higher education system has long been the world’s envy, competing only with the UK and Europe’s top universities when it comes to global reach and attracting the best student teaching and research talent. But the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2021, released today, and a recent THE survey of 200 global higher education leaders, suggest that outside of its elite institutions, US higher education is facing the stark reality of decline. It must overcome enormous challenges if it wants to retain its position on the world stage.
US higher education commands a record 8 of the top 10 positions in the globally-recognized rankings. It would be easy to assume that US higher education is in fair health, but evidence shows it is losing out to Chinese universities’ rise.
Mainland China’s Tsinghua University becomes the first-ever Asian institution to break into the THE World University Rankings top 20, claiming joint 20th this year. In contrast, the country’s representation in the top 100 has doubled, up from three in 2020 to six in 2021. In 2016, China had just two universities in the top 200; in 2021, that number stands at seven.
And outside of the elite top 200, US institutions have been on a consistent downward trend since 2016 versus their Chinese counterparts.
Just 51% of US leaders think that science and research will become significantly higher priorities for the US Government once the pandemic is over. It compares to 78% of their Chinese counterparts and 71% in the UK.
About 44% of US leaders believe that the pandemic will reduce the government’s willingness to invest in higher education over the next five years (compared to just 8% in China). Perhaps most concerning is the almost universal belief that the pandemic is likely to result in institutions going bankrupt.
With research and government funding at risk, other funding sources could become vital for success.
Together, the World University Rankings 2021 and the THE global leaders’ survey paint a worrying picture for the US that could see China’s rise through the rankings accelerate with a dramatic rebalancing of the global knowledge economy in the coming years.
Phil Baty, Chief Knowledge Officer at THE, commented:
“The THE World University Rankings 2021 is a real wake-up call for the US higher education system, which has long dominated the global knowledge economy alongside the UK. It continues a trend over the past five years that has seen China’s rapid rise breaking into the top 100 at Western institutions’ expense. It is clear from our leaders survey that without long-term commitments to funding, and an ability to reduce reliance on international student fees, China is in pole position to benefit at the expense of the United States on the global higher education stage.”
THE WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS 2021 - TOP 25
- University of Oxford — United Kingdom
- Stanford University — United States
- Harvard University — United States
- California Institute of Technology — United States
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology — United States
- University of Cambridge — United Kingdom
- University of California, Berkeley — United States
- Yale University — United States
- Princeton University — United States
- University of Chicago — United States
- Imperial College London — United Kingdom
- Johns Hopkins University — United States
- University of Pennsylvania — United States
- ETH Zurich — Switzerland
- University of California, Los Angeles — United States
- UCL — United Kingdom
- Columbia University — United States
- University of Toronto — Canada
- Cornell University — United States
- =Duke University — United States
- =Tsinghua University — China
- University of Michigan-Ann Arbor — United States
- Peking University — China
- Northwestern University — United States
- National University of Singapore — Singapore
SOURCE: Times Higher Education (THE)
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by Chief Editor | 11:47 AM | View the original post
August 30, 2020
UCLA Medical study aims to enroll 30,000 volunteers across the United States to test the COVID-19 Vaccine developed by Oxford University.
Photo: The state-of-the-art UCLA Medical Center at the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, United States. Image Credit: Minuk.
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 29, 2020 — Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and UCLA Medical Center in Westwood are recruiting volunteers for phase 3 trials of a new investigational COVID-19 vaccine. They expect to administer the first dose in early September.
The Vaccine, developed by Oxford University, is called AZD1222 and has already gone through early trials. This trial would determine whether the Vaccine can prevent symptomatic COVID-19 after two doses. The study aims to enroll 30,000 volunteers across the United States. It is important to note that this Vaccine does not have a live virus and cannot give a person COVID-19. If the trial results are positive, the Vaccine could be made available to the public to prevent the disease.
“We are excited to work with the National Institutes of Health in this study to identify an effective and safe vaccine for COVID-19. Particularly for those communities most impacted by this pandemic,” said Dr. Eric Daar, Lead Researcher at the Harbor UCLA Medical Center and Professor at UCLA’s Geffen School of Medicine. “We are looking forward to engaging and talking with those who are interested in enrolling in the study. Without the support from volunteers, identifying an effective vaccine won’t be possible. LA County has been hit hard by the virus; vaccines end pandemics, and it is our hope and goal that we can come together and help stop COVID-19 in LA and everywhere.”
“This is a critical moment in time. We need a groundswell of turnout from those in the Los Angeles community to volunteer for this study,” said Dr. Raphael Landovitz, Lead Researcher for UCLA Medical Center in Westwood. “In vaccine trials, we mustn’t only focus on one population; at the same time, it is critical to enroll those who are at the highest risk of getting exposed, and also getting sick if exposed. Help Stop COVID LA is an opportunity for us to come together, be a part of the solution, and move forward together.”
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center’s Lundquist Institute and UCLA Medical Center in Westwood are part of the COVID-19 Prevention Network. The clinical research network, supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of NIH, aims to enroll thousands of volunteers in large-scale clinical trials testing various investigational vaccines monoclonal antibodies intended to protect people from COVID-19.
Harbor-UCLA and UCLA Westwood seek to engage and recruit more than 750 volunteers who reside in Los Angeles County, primarily including individuals at high-risk for severe disease.
To be eligible, a volunteer cannot have tested positive for COVID-19. Volunteers will be assigned at random to receive a placebo (saline injection) or the investigational Vaccine. The trial is blinded, meaning the participants and the investigators will not know who gets the Vaccine. Two-thirds of the volunteers will get the study vaccine, and one-third will get a placebo or harmless injection. It would allow researchers to compare outcomes in the vaccine group versus the placebo group. Researchers will monitor all study volunteers for the development of symptomatic COVID-19.
Sources: Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and UCLA Medical Center in Westwood.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
— The Chief Editor holds an Oxford Alumni Card and is a Member of the Oxford and Cambridge Society of India.
Edited & Posted by Chief Editor | 3:49 AM | View the original post
August 26, 2020
College Consensus Publishes Annual Ranking of the Best Colleges in New York 2020 and California 2020.
Photo: Sage Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. Sage Hall was built in 1875 at Cornell University’s Ithaca, New York campus. Originally designed as a residential building, it currently houses the Johnson Graduate School of Management. Image Credit: O. Bill.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Aug. 25, 2020 — College Consensus, a unique new college ranking website, has published its ranking of the Best Colleges in New York 2020 and Best Online Colleges in New York 2020 at their Website.
To identify the Best Colleges in New York and Best Online Colleges in New York for 2020, College Consensus combined the latest results from the most respected college ranking systems with thousands of real student reviews to produce a unique consensus score for each school. According to College Consensus founder Jeremy Alder, “College Consensus gathers the publisher rankings and student reviews from around the web and distills the results into simple, easy-to-understand scores so students can quickly and easily compare schools. It is the ranking of all rankings, so to speak.”
To help prospective New York students evaluate the higher education options that fit their individual needs, College Consensus identified the Empire State’s best-ranked colleges:
Traditional
- Cornell University - Ithaca, NY
- Columbia University in the City of New York - New York, NY
- Colgate University - Hamilton, NY
- Vassar College - Poughkeepsie, NY
- Barnard College - New York, NY
- Hamilton College - Clinton, NY
- Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art - New York, NY
- Union College - Schenectady, NY
- New York University - New York, NY
- CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice - New York, NY
Online
- Columbia University in the City of New York - New York, NY
- New York University - New York, NY
- Syracuse University - Syracuse, NY
- SUNY College at Brockport - Brockport, NY
- Stony Brook University - Stony Brook, NY
- University at Buffalo - Buffalo, NY
- Marist College - Poughkeepsie, NY
- Rochester Institute of Technology - Rochester, NY
- Canisius College - Buffalo, NY
- Molloy College - Rockville Centre, NY
New York is known as an epicenter for all things innovative. “Ranking the best colleges and universities in New York,” Managing Editor Carrie Sealey-Morris explains, “is pretty close to a fool’s errand.” With more than 200 institutions, “New York’s higher education excels in the areas where New York dominates,” including areas as far afield as theater and medicine, finance and fine arts.
Photo: Stanford University Campus. Image Credit: HD.
College Consensus has also published its ranking of the Best Colleges in California 2020 and the Best Online Colleges in California 2020.
To help prospective California students evaluate the higher education options that fit their unique needs, College Consensus identified the best-ranked colleges in the Golden State:
Traditional
- Stanford University - Stanford, CA
- Pomona College - Pomona, CA
- Claremont McKenna College - Claremont, CA
- University of California-Los Angeles - Los Angeles, CA
- University of California-Berkeley - Berkeley, CA
- Harvey Mudd College - Claremont, CA
- California Institute of Technology - Pasadena, CA
- University of California-Santa Barbara - Santa Barbara, CA
- California State University-Stanislaus - Turlock, CA
- University of California-Davis - Davis, CA
Online
- Stanford University - Stanford, CA
- University of Southern California - Los Angeles, CA
- California State University-Dominguez Hills - Carson, CA
- California State University-Northridge - Northridge, CA
- California State University-Chico - Chico, CA
- California State University-San Bernardino - San Bernardino, CA
- Mount Saint Mary’s University - Los Angeles, CA
- California State University-Fullerton - Fullerton, CA
- Fresno Pacific University - Fresno, CA
- University of San Diego - San Diego, CA
American higher education didn’t start in California, but California might have perfected it. As Managing Editor Carrie Sealey-Morris explains, “Higher education takes place on an unprecedented scale in California.” There is no other state like California, combining size, population, and diversity: “the third-largest state by land size, and the largest in population, higher education in California excels and is on par with the world’s leading educational institutions.”
Source: College Consensus
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by Chief Editor | 10:28 AM | View the original post
August 24, 2020
Committed to make Punjab an Industrial & Agricultural powerhouse, says Punjab Chief Minister at Chandigarh University's Industry Meet.
Photo: Chandigarh University (CU) Campus.
CHANDIGARH, India, Aug. 22, 2020 — “Punjab is offering the best ecosystem which includes Single Window Clearance System, Cheapest Power, Skilled Talent, and Infrastructure to welcome the Industry in the state. It will result in the generation of more job opportunities for our youth,” said Capt. Amarinder Singh, Chief Minister, Punjab. The Chief Minister addressed a group of industry leaders during the Chandigarh University’s Industry Meet (Virtual Meet). The theme of the Virtual Meet was ‘Revival of Economy in the post-COVID-19 scenario.’
Industry leaders showed great interest in investing in Punjab. They appreciated the Ease of Doing Business and Industry-friendly environment of the state. Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh assured the Industry that the Punjab Government would work in the direction of meeting the expectations of the corporate world and look into the resolutions of the problems if any.
Referring to some of the Government of Punjab’s measures to bring the economy back on track, Capt. Amarinder Singh said, “The government has already appointed a high-level committee under economist Montek Singh Ahluwalia to develop a medium to long-term recovery strategy for the state from the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown.”
Business leaders who joined the Chief Minister during the Virtual Meet on Revival of Economy in the post-COVID-19 scenario included:
- Anubrata Biswas, MD & CEO, Airtel Payments Bank;
- Rahul Sharma, President, Amazon Web-services, India & South Asia;
- Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Executive Chairperson, Biocon;
- Shantanu Jha, CHRO, Cognizant Technologies;
- Arpinder Singh, Partner & Head, Ernst & Young;
- Rajeev Talwar, MD, DLF Developers;
- Sanjeev Mehta, Chairman & MD, Hindustan Unilever;
- Rajeev Dubey, Principal Advisor, Mahindra & Mahindra;
- Ira Gupta, Head HR, Microsoft India;
- Anand Deshpande, Founder, Chairman & MD, Persistent Systems;
- Rekhi Singh, Founder CEO, R Systems International;
- Sameer Wadhwa, Senior Vice-President & Head HR, Samsung Electronics;
- Ashok Ramachandran, President & CEO, Schindler India;
- CP Gurnani, CEO & MD, Tech-Mahindra;
- Pavan Vaish, Head Central Operations, South Asia, Uber Technologies; and
- Vinod Aggarwal, MD & CEO, Volvo-Eicher Vehicles Ltd.
“It is remarkable that due to the business-friendly environment of Punjab, top Industry has shown interest in coming to the state. Chandigarh University will act as a bridge between Government and Industry to felicitate the establishment of new Industry,” said Satnam Singh Sandhu, Chancellor, Chandigarh University. “The University has the best of talent, world-class infrastructure, research & incubation facilities which we have offered to the Industry and we will surely make Punjab the next Knowledge and Industry hub of the region,” added Sandhu.
Chandigarh University is an autonomous educational institution located near Chandigarh in the state of Punjab. It is the youngest university in India and the only private university in Punjab to be honored with A+ Grade by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council). CU offers more than 109 UG and PG programs in engineering, management, pharmacy, law, architecture, journalism, animation, hotel management, commerce, and other disciplines.
Source: Chandigarh University
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Certificate dene waalo ka bhi Certificate Dekha Karo, says CU.
Edited & Posted by Chief Editor | 2:39 AM | View the original post
August 13, 2020
AcademicInfluence.com Reveals the 100 Richest Universities in North America.
FORT WORTH, Texas, August 12, 2020 — At a time when many colleges and universities were already facing cashflow woes, along came a global pandemic. So a significant endowment may be a measure not only of a school’s ability to attract top talent and fund research but also whether it will live to teach another day.
AcademicInfluence.com, who innovated the Influence Engine technology that measures the global influence of institutions and people, has announced North America’s higher education institutions with the most significant financial strength.
The five wealthiest universities in North America:
Harvard University, $39.4 Billion
The University of Texas System, $30.9 Billion
Yale University, $30.3 Billion
Stanford University, $27.7 Billion
Princeton University, $26.1 Billion
For the rest of the 100, visit AcademicInfluence.com at the link below:
The Richest Universities in North America
“Healthy financials enable better scholarship and more research opportunities, as well as the power to attract the top talent in every field of study,” said Dr. Jed Macosko, academic director of AcademicInfluence.com and professor of physics at Wake Forest University.
“Students who want to make an impact need to know which institutions can make their dreams possible. Schools struggling to pay their bills can’t focus on changing the world for the better. The colleges and universities in our analysis have plenty of funds on hand. They can venture beyond basic education and equip students and faculty with what they need to make a lasting contribution to scholarship and to improving our future.”
“For a college or university, strong financials help build and expand influence,” added Macosko. “Those institutions that flourish create opportunities for students, faculty, and even alumni that might otherwise not exist. This ranking of North America’s richest universities from AcademicInfluence.com is just the thing for anyone who needs the most out of education.”
Criteria considered for this college ranking include undergraduate tuition costs, professor salaries, research expenditures, and overall endowment. Each of the 100 entries features insights into the school’s strengths and benefits. Additionally, AcademicInfluence.com provides a separate school ranking based on the highest annual research expenditures alone.
The Richest Universities in North America ranking spotlights AcademicInfluence.com’s commitment to providing unbiased, high-quality data analysis to help learners everywhere reach their fullest potential, the rankings site said.
AcademicInfluence.com further stated that it is a unique technology-driven rankings site dedicated to students, researchers, and inquirers from high school through college and beyond, offering resources that connect learners to leaders.
Source: AcademicInfluence.com
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by Chief Editor | 6:53 AM | View the original post
UGC India issues Public Notice on Non-Retention of Certificates of Teachers by Higher Education Institutions.
New Delhi, August 13, 2020 — The University Grants Commission (UGC) India has issued a Public Notice concerning Non-Retention of Certificates of Teachers by the Higher Education Institutions.
Source: University Grants Commission
|GlobalGiants.Com|
• UPDATE
August 28, 2020.
Supreme Court upholds UGC’s decision to hold final exams by September 30.
The Supreme Court of India today upheld the University Grant’s (UGC) decision to hold final year exams by September 30.
The bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan, R. Subhash Reddy, and M.R. Shah said that States must hold exams to promote students. If any state feels they cannot conduct exams, they must approach UGC for suitable reliefs.
The bench further said that State disaster management authority could postpone exams due to the COVID pandemic, but the universities cannot promote students without final examination as ordered by UGC.
Edited & Posted by Chief Editor | 6:53 AM | View the original post
August 3, 2020
Drugs Controller General of India approves Phase II+III trials of Oxford University vaccine by Serum Institute, Pune.
New Delhi, August 03, 2020. — The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has allowed the Serum Institute of India, Pune, to conduct Phase II+III clinical trials of the Oxford University-Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine (COVISHIELD). This approval will hasten the development of the COVID-19 vaccine in India, India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced today.
Source: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
— The editor is a holder of an Oxford Alumni Card and is a member of the Oxford and Cambridge Society of India.
Edited & Posted by Chief Editor | 6:20 AM | View the original post
August 2, 2020
Devastating Cost of Failure to Coordinate Economic Re-openings; Immediate need for a Coordinated Policy across States, Regions, and Nations around the world — says MIT Study.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 30, 2020 — MIT Social Analytics Lab has published new, peer-reviewed research. The research shows the devastating cost of the chaotic and uncoordinated reopening of states and cities across the U.S. The study uses data from mobile phones and network connections through social media and census data. It estimates that total welfare gets dramatically reduced when reopening is not coordinated among states and regions.
For example, the study showed that the policies and behaviors of people in other, sometimes distant areas significantly influence the contact patterns of people in a given region. When states fail to coordinate significant spillovers, total welfare is reduced by almost 70 percent.
As federal, state, and local governments continue opening businesses and relaxing shelter-in-place orders nationwide, policymakers are doing so without quantitative evidence on how policies in one region affect mobility and social distancing in other areas. And while some states are coordinating on COVID policy at the level of “mega-regions,” most, unfortunately, are not. This lack of coordination will have devastating effects on efforts to control COVID-19, according to the study.
“There have been many calls for a coordinated national pandemic response in the U.S. and around the world, but little hard evidence has quantified this need,” said Sinan Aral, Director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy and a corresponding author of the study. “When we analyzed the data, we were shocked by the degree to which state policies affected outcomes in other states, sometimes at great distances. Travel and social influence over digital media make this pandemic much more interdependent than we originally thought. Our results suggest an immediate need for a nationally coordinated policy across states, regions, and nations around the world,” he added.
Governors from all states and territories will convene virtually for the Summer meeting of The National Governor’s Association on August 5. The MIT study assesses the impact of an uncoordinated reopening and gives governors a map to coordinate in the absence of national guidance. The research done for all fifty states shows which regions affect each other the most and maps the areas that should be coordinating. These maps are sometimes surprising because, as a result of digital social media, each state’s success with social distancing gets impacted by the policy decisions of geographically proximate states and socially connected, but geographically distant lands. For instance, Florida’s social distancing was most affected by New York implementing a shelter-in-place policy due to social media influence and travel between the states, despite their physical distance. New Hampshire had a substantial impact on adjacent Massachusetts, despite being a small state.
As the Governor’s Association convenes, this research highlights the need for states across the country to coordinate, even if they are not near one another. The results suggest which regions should be coordinating with which other states based on the strength of the spillovers between them.
Source: MIT Sloan School of Management
|GlobalGiants.Com|
— The editor holds a certificate from the MIT Teaching Systems Lab.
Edited & Posted by Chief Editor | 10:37 AM | View the original post
July 20, 2020
Oxford University coronavirus vaccine produces a robust immune response, reveals a new study.
Photo: Balliol College, University of Oxford, Oxford, England. Image Credit: Billy Wilson.
Oxford, July 20, 2020 — A team of scientists at Oxford University’s Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group has taken the next step towards discovering a safe, effective, and accessible vaccine against coronavirus.
The results published in The Lancet confirmed a single dose of AZD1222 resulted in a four-fold increase in antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein in 95% of participants one month after injection. The results indicate no early safety concerns. The vaccine induces robust immune responses in both parts of the immune system.
The vaccine provoked a T cell response within 14 days of vaccination (white blood cells that can attack cells infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus), and an antibody response within 28 days. Antibodies can neutralize the illness so that it cannot infect cells when initially contracted.
During the study, participants who received the vaccine had detectable neutralizing antibodies, which have been suggested by researchers as necessary for protection, and these responses were most potent after a booster dose, with 100% of participants’ blood having neutralizing activity against the coronavirus. The next step in studying the vaccine is to confirm that it can effectively protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Professor Andrew Pollard, Chief investigator of the Oxford Vaccine Trial at Oxford University, said: “The interim Phases I and II data for our coronavirus vaccine shows that the vaccine did not lead to any unexpected reactions. It had a safety profile similar to previous vaccines of this type. The immune responses observed following vaccination are in line with what we expect will be associated with protection against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, we must continue with our rigorous clinical trial program to confirm this. We saw the strongest immune response in participants who received two doses of the vaccine, indicating that this might be a good strategy for vaccination.”
During the Phases I and II trials, Oxford evaluated the vaccine in more than 1,000 healthy adult volunteers aged between 18 and 55 years in a randomized controlled trial. A subset of these volunteers (10 people) received two doses of the vaccine. Between April 23, 2020, and May 21, 2020, 1077 volunteers, received the vaccine ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 or a placebo MenACWY vaccine. There were no serious adverse health events related to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19.
These encouraging results support further evaluation of this candidate vaccine in our ongoing large-scale Phase III program, which is still needed to assess the vaccine’s ability to protect people from COVID-19, the University stated.
The University of Oxford is working with the UK-based global biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca for further development, large-scale manufacture, and potential distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine, with plans for clinical development and production of the Oxford vaccine progressing globally. The project has been further spurred by £84 million of Government funding to help accelerate the vaccine’s growth.
“We are encouraged by the Phases I and II interim data showing AZD1222 was capable of generating a rapid antibody and T-cell response against SARS-CoV-2. While there is more work to be done, today’s data increases our confidence that the vaccine will work. It allows us to continue our plans to manufacture the vaccine at scale for broad and equitable access around the world,” said Mene Pangalos, Executive Vice President of BioPharmaceuticals Research and Development at AstraZeneca.
Oxford and AstraZeneca are collaborating with clinical partners worldwide as part of a global clinical program for the trial of the Oxford vaccine. The comprehensive plan includes a Phase III trial in the US enrolling 30,000 patients, a pediatric study, and Phase III trials in low-to-middle income countries like Brazil and South Africa.
AstraZeneca remains committed to fulfilling its commitment for broad and equitable access to the vaccine, should late-stage clinical trials prove successful. So far, we have promised to supply more than 2 billion doses of the vaccine to the UK, US, Europe’s Inclusive Vaccines Alliance (IVA), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI), Gavi the Vaccine Alliance and Serum Institute of India.
Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: “Today’s results are extremely encouraging, taking us one step closer to finding a successful vaccine to protect millions in the UK and worldwide. Backed by £84 million Government investment for the vaccine’s development and manufacture, the agility and speed with which the University of Oxford has worked is outstanding. I am very proud of what they have achieved so far.”
Kate Bingham, Chair of the UK’s Vaccine Taskforce, said: “The UK is fortunate to have such outstanding academic innovators working alongside the highly experienced global team at AstraZeneca. This partnership is working at exceptional speed to demonstrate the safety and clinical effectiveness of the vaccine in protecting people against COVID-19 infection.”
Source: The University of Oxford
|GlobalGiants.Com|
— The editor is a holder of an Oxford Alumni Card.
Edited & Posted by Chief Editor | 1:44 PM | View the original post
