How to land a good letter of recommendation: Advice from an admissions expert

by Mary Beth Carroll, Assistant Director of Student Affairs in the Office of Student Engagement and Practice at the University of Michigan School of Public Health Most graduate school applications require two to three letters of recommendation, which provide another dimension to your application and, when viewed alongside other factors such as your GPA, professional experience and […]
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A magnified view of Jupiter and Saturn at conjunction

On December 21, 2020, Jupiter and Saturn will be only 1/5 of a moon-diameter apart! Guy Ottewell offers insights and charts showing a magnified (telescopic) view of their once-in-20-years great conjunction. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/jupiter-saturn-conjunction-telescopic-magnified-dec-2020…

Darth Vader Actor From Original ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy Dies at Age 85

Reuters reports: David Prowse, the English actor who played Darth Vader in the original Star Wars films, has died aged 85, his management company said on Sunday… The champion weightlifter-turned-actor starred as the body, but not the voice, of one of cinema’s best-known villains. Director George Lucas opted to dub another voice onto Prowse’s portrayal of the towering, masked antagonist Darth…

Clues to Mars life in Earth’s Atacama Desert

Researchers in the U.S. and Spain have discovered a plethora of previously unknown microbes living in wet clay layers below Chile’s arid Atacama Desert. The finding will help future rovers search for life on Mars. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/microbes-clay-atacama-desert-life-on-mars…

Doctor Who’s Sonic Pioneers Will Turn the Internet Into a Giant Musical Instrument

“The Radiophonic Workshop has always broken new sonic ground, from the Doctor Who theme to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Now they’re at it again — this time using the internet as a musical instrument,” reports the Guardian. “The band includes composers from the original BBC Radiophonic Workshop, which created soundtracks for most BBC shows from the 60s to the…

Microsoft’s 2020 Hour of Code Lesson Doubles As Unconscious Bias Training

theodp writes: What if we could build a better world through code?”, begins the just-released teaser video for Microsoft’s 2020 Hour of Code: A Minecraft Tale of Two Villages . “Help us bring two villages together through the power of code! […] You will experience empathy and compassion for your neighbor while embracing the diversity that makes us all uniquely special.”…

How-to guide for CPR in space may help treat astronaut cardiac arrest

Nobody has experienced cardiac arrest in space yet, but such a medical emergency might occur in future – and now we have some tips for how to handle the problem Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2259815-how-to-guide-for-cpr-in-space-may-help-treat-astronaut-cardiac-arrest/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

Tips for watching N. Taurid meteors

The nominal peak of the North Taurid meteor shower is on the night of November 11-12, 2020. Source: https://earthsky.org/sky-archive/peak-night-for-n-taurid-meteor-shower-on-november-1112…

What is the Common Era?

If you encounter a date in the CE (Common Era) or BCE (Before Common Era) format, don’t fret. They mean exactly the same thing as AD (anno Domini) and BC (before Christ). Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/definition-common-era-bce-ce-bc-ad…

Keeping Up with the Demand for Data Science and Analytics: Meet Eric

Welcome to edX Insider — where we take you behind the scenes at edX HQ to interview people across the organization. In this installment, we sat down with Eric, our new Category Manager for Data Science & Analytics, to talk about remote starts, personal goals, and advice for pursuing data science opportunities during a pandemic. Let’s dive in.What are you most…