The TopUniversities.com guide to the latest higher education news from around the world, on 17 January 2013.
Asteroid named for Hebrew University of Jerusalem
An asteroid discovered by a Canadian astronomer has been named after the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. David Levy, who has been involved in the discovery of over 20 comets and 150 asteroids, completed a doctoral degree at the university’s English department in 2010, which looked at the night sky in the works of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. The official name of the asteroid, located in the belt between Mars and Jupiter, is Hebrewu, reports JTA.
University of Arizona to offer minor in hip hop
The University of Arizona is offering students the opportunity to minor in hip hop, reports Voxxi. The minor, which will be taught as part of the university’s School of International Languages, Literature, and Culture’s Africana program, is thought to be the first of its kind. It will focus on the history and culture of the musical genre, and look at how it has affected mainstream US culture. The goal of the course, explained Alain-Philippe Durand, the school’s director, is to educate people about hip hop, beyond the often negative stereotypes associated with it.
Delhi University students score above 100% in exams
A number of students at Delhi University have been awarded more than the maximum possible marks in examinations, reports The Economics Times. Lecturers at the university have bemoaned the errors, claiming that they have damaged the reputation of the institution, one of India’s most prestigious, with the results of the exams in question reportedly delivered in record time. The errors have been ascribed to an increased workload for markers due to the recent introduction of semesters in the academic calendar.
European Students for Liberty to host conference
European Students for Liberty is to host its second annual conference on March 8-10th at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, reports the Adam Smith Institute. The conference will feature lectures, debates and talks on the subject of liberty, and allow students to network and find out information about jobs and internships with leading organizations concerned with relevant issues. The fee to attend is €30 (around US$40) for students until the end of the month, rising to €40 (US$55) from February 1st.
Cybersecurity to be introduced as a discipline at Indian universities
India’s University Grants Commission has written to the vice chancellors of the country’s universities to ask that they add cybersecurity to their curriculums, reports The Times of India. The recommendation was made by a taskforce set up by the country’s prime minister, Monmohan Singh, to review the nation’s security system in2011.
