Brain Contour

Campus Grotto posted a list of the top 100 most expensive colleges/universities in the U.S. based on the total cost for the 2009-2010 school year. Total Cost = Tuition + Room and Board.

The three MIT students are doing real remote sensing, but in the cheapest way. No need to buy expensive satellite images to have photos of the earth from the upper atmosphere or near-space. You can do it yourself for under $150.

I visited the students’ Project Icarus website and they said they will be posting a step-by-step illustrated guide on how they did their $150 launch. The guide will be free of charge.

Is there really water on the moon? NASA will soon have answers as the world awaits for the historic event that will happen tomorrow, October 9, 2009. NASA will bomb the moon to see what is underneath the lunar surface.

You can be part of the big blasting event (LCROSS mission) by watching the live online streaming through NASA TV.

According to NASA, the live streaming will start at 6:15 am EDT/3:15 am PDT. The first hour will include commentary and status reports. The actual impact should start at 7:30 am EDT/4:30 am PDT (11:30 UT).

Here is my column for this week’s Collegian issue.

Studying overseas will open a new world outside the conventional quarters; a sphere from a completely new dimension will spring forth. The most austere of affairs will take on a new meaning when you are in a distant land. As you discover new things by living on your own and advance your intellectual capacities, you will also be so far away from your loved ones – families and friends would be missed constantly.

These are the top Universities and Colleges in South Dakota based on the 2009 web popularity ranking or the popularity of their websites.

SDSU Campanile

The South Dakota State University (SDSU) website has undergone a huge makeover. From the previous scary pictures that welcomes you on its homepage to a newer, much feel-good design now. I really love the look of the new site with the nice blending of the colors gold and blue. The site navigation has improved a lot as well. No more “where’s the f%$*@ng link?”

Did I mention that the SDSU site has a banner that talks? LOL.

I was browsing for some graduate study links online and found an interesting post from The Chronicle about the declining number of American Ph.D. degree holders. What is the trend? The U.S. is luring foreigners into taking graduate studies. You most likely notice it in action with all the foreign students eagerly wanting to get their graduate degrees in SDSU. But why the decline? Why would a young American hate science and brush aside the big opportunity of having a Ph.D. degree?

The answer is simple: it does not pay! Here are some statistics between 1993 and 2001 as gathered by E. Rubenstein, a financial analyst, economics journalist and consultant:

Sex Education

The Department of Education attempted, at the start of classes last year, to bring forward to the whole country the program on “sex education”. Such program was seen as a positive step by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities. It was supposedly be integrated to the general curriculum, beginning in the 5th grade, via subjects like Health, Filipino, Science, and Livelihood education. This way, schools could help bottle up the issue of overpopulation and educate students on the dangers of pre-marital sex, including “unwanted pregnancies”. However, everything went down the drain.