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OF NOTE
 Student’s Critique of Austerity Policies Creates Firestorm
When Thomas Herndon (economics), a third-year graduate student, began a class assignment last fall, he had no inkling that he would end up in the middle of a furious debate over international economic policies. But the results of Herndon’s work have sparked an academic and political firestorm over one of the most famous economic papers in decades, and over whether austerity or stimulus is the best route to long-term prosperity. Read more...
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Majority of Americans Oppose Killer Robots
Results of a new survey by Professor Charli Carpenter (political science) show that a majority of Americans across the political spectrum oppose the outsourcing of lethal military and defense targeting decisions to machines. The opposition to autonomous weaponry is bipartisan, with the strongest opposition on the far left and far right, and among active and former members of the military. Read more... |
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Alum Native Seed Collector Helps Dune Restoration and More
NPR's "All Things Considered" ran a story that featured Heather Liljengren '04 (environmental design). A field taxonomist with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, she collects seeds for a native plants seed bank. Liljengren was on a routine mission at Far Rockaway, Queens, just before Hurricane Sandy, collecting seeds from grasses that help stabilize the dunes, which were totally washed away. Now, those seeds will likely be a part in restoring those beaches. |
 Anthro Field Class Teaches Students to Excavate and Analyze Bones
It’s another rainy day in a series of rainy days, yet the students are used to the mud and focused on the bones that lie before them. These are not real bones but tools to help them learn about excavation and laboratory analysis of skeletal remains at the Taphonomy Research Laboratory. And mud or no mud, they are deep into it. Read more...
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 Department of Energy Taps Environmentalist Kevin Knobloch '78 as Chief of Staff
Kevin Knobloch '78 (journalism), president of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), has been named chief of staff to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Ernest Moniz, a respected physicist and leader on energy technology and policy, starting on June 24. Dr. Kathleen Rest, UCS’s executive director, will oversee the organization as it searches for a new president. Read more.
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