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在前任領導層的一系列失策後，英格蘭的高等教育監管機構必須與處於困境的該領域重建信任。在 Office for Students 簡短且不順遂的運作期間，它面臨了一系列挑戰，而大部分都未能成功應對。本週，最新且最令人尷尬的事件揭曉：高等法院果斷地拒絕了該監管機構試圖因 University of Sussex 在 Kathleen Stock 任教期間的監管失效而對其處以 50 萬英鎊以上罰款的請求。Stock 於 2021 年離開 Sussex，稱她因對性別認同和跨性別權利的看法而感到被孤立和針對。這是 OfS 面臨的最受關注的測試案例：一個極具爭議且敏感的主題，涉及學術自由和言論自由等關鍵議題。但正如 Lieven 法官的裁決所示，OfS 在急於干預的過程中，反而讓自己陷入了混亂。閱讀更多...

• 監管機構 Office for Students 因 Sussex University 處理教授跨性別權利觀點抗議活動的方式而開出罰單，此項裁決對其造成沉重打擊。 • 在高等法院駁回有關該大學違反涉及前教授 Kathleen Stock 言論自由法規的指控後，Sussex University 撤銷了由英格蘭高等教育監管機構開出的 585,000 英鎊罰款。 • 法院駁回了監管機構針對 Sussex University 如何處理因 Stock 教授對跨性別權利的看法而引發的抗議，以及她隨後於 2021 年辭職而進行的長期調查，這對 Office for Students 的信譽和管理造成了嚴重損害。閱讀更多...

Hisham Abugharbieh was arrested after standoff with police and charged with killing Zamil Limon and Nahida BristyThe man who was detained after two Bangladeshi doctoral students went missing from the University of South Florida (USF) has been booked with two counts of murder.Hisham Abugharbieh faces two counts of premeditated murder in the first degree with a weapon in the deaths of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, the Hillsborough county sheriff’s office announced on Saturday. Continue reading...

Hisham Abugharbeih, 26, taken into custody after remains of Zamil Limon found, as search for Nahida Bristy continuesThe body of one of two Bangladeshi doctoral students missing from the University of South Florida (USF) was found on a bridge over Tampa Bay, and his roommate has been taken into custody, law enforcement authorities said Friday.Zamil Limon’s remains were found on the Howard Frankland Bridge on Friday morning, but Nahida Bristy is still missing, Hillsborough county sheriff’s office chief deputy Joseph Maurer said. Continue reading...

Authors including Evelyn Araluen and Melissa Lucashenko say they won’t work with publisher after it dumps Jazz Money’s book illustrated by Matt Chun, who called Bondi victims ‘affluent beneficiaries of imperialism’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn Australian publishing house has cancelled the publication of a children’s book by an award-winning Indigenous poet over comments the book’s illustrator made about the victims of the Bondi beach terror attack, whom he called “affluent beneficiaries of imperialism”.University of Queensland said on Wednesday its publishing house would not proceed with the publication of Bila, A River Cycle, written by Jazz Money and illustrated by Matt Chun, and was considering “recycling options” for already printed copies. Continue reading...

• Researchers at the University of Washington created an artificial photosynthesis prototype converting sunlight directly into storable chemical fuels with 13% efficiency, surpassing previous laboratory records of 8-10%. • The system uses engineered nanostructures and novel catalysts to split water and fix carbon dioxide, producing methanol as a liquid fuel suitable for existing energy infrastructure, detailed in Nature Energy on April 21. • The breakthrough could enable large-scale production of carbon-neutral synthetic fuels without competing for agricultural land, addressing both climate and energy security challenges.

Head of newly formed institution questions whether naming is ‘reflective of our current reality’ amid criticism of ‘shameful’ fossil fuel company promotionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe newly formed Adelaide University is considering removing gas company Santos’s name from one of its buildings.On Saturday, students and conservationists rallied outside the Santos Petroleum Engineering building, calling on the university to dump the name because of the company’s new gas projects. Continue reading...

Rümeysa Öztürk, who faced deportation over pro-Palestinian op-ed, travels back to Turkey to begin careerSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxRümeysa Öztürk, the Tufts University student who was targeted by the Trump administration last year in response to co-writing a pro-Palestinian op-ed, completed her doctorate in the US and traveled back to her native Turkey this week.Öztürk was detained last year by immigration agents in Massachusetts, with video of the Tufts University student’s arrest going viral. She was one of many international students targeted by the Trump administration for pro-Palestinian speech and activism during widespread protests, which were especially active on US college campuses, against Israel’s war in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 deadly attack on southern Israel. Continue reading...

• Elijah Dottery, diagnosed with sickle cell anemia as a baby, became the first U-M patient to receive the newly FDA-approved stem cell therapy. • The treatment uses patient's own stem cells edited via CRISPR to produce functional hemoglobin, administered at Michigan Medicine. • This breakthrough matters for over 100,000 U.S. sickle cell patients, offering potential cure where prior therapies only managed symptoms.

Exclusive: Move comes after Guardian Australia revealed Gemma Seymour was facing potential suspension over video criticising RMIT’s ties to weapons companiesRMIT University has dropped a misconduct case against a student who accused the institution of being “complicit in genocide” in Gaza, because of its defence and aerospace research centre’s ties to weapons companies.Guardian Australia this week revealed the student, Gemma Seymour, faced potential suspension over a social media video calling for the university’s Sir Lawrence Wackett Defence and Aerospace Centre to be shut down. Continue reading...

• Arizona State University's Extreme Environments Lab tests semiconductor technologies under harsh conditions mimicking those in low Earth orbit, where temperatures swing from minus 85°F to over 250°F and radiation exposure exceeds 100 times natural Earth levels annually. • The lab supports the Southwest Advanced Prototyping (SWAP) Hub, serving government and industry partners designing technologies for demanding applications including space stations, missile defense systems, and geothermal energy equipment. • This research capability extends to supporting radiation therapy, nuclear energy systems, and advanced scientific tools such as quantum computers, addressing critical reliability challenges for space-based microchips that cannot be serviced for a decade or more.

Lawyers for Robert Morales’s family said chatbot ‘may have advised the shooter’ on how to carry out shootingThe family of a man who was killed at Florida State University last year plans to sue ChatGPT and its parent organization, OpenAI, for allegedly telling the accused gunman how to carry out the mass shooting.Lawyers for the family of Robert Morales wrote in a statement they had learned the shooter was in “constant communication with ChatGPT” ahead of the shooting, and that the chatbot “may have advised the shooter how to commit these heinous crimes”. Continue reading...

Trump ordered data collection after raising concern about race being used as factor in college admissionsA federal judge on Friday halted efforts by the Trump administration to collect data that proves higher education institutions aren’t considering race in admissions.The ruling from the US district court judge F Dennis Saylor IV in Boston granting the preliminary injunction follows a lawsuit filed earlier this month by a coalition of 17 Democratic state attorneys general. It will only apply to public universities in plaintiffs’ states. Continue reading...

Aria Fani of University of Washington’s Middle East Center is latest critic of Israel to lose position at US universitySign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA University of Washington professor was removed as head of the school’s Middle East Center after reportedly using newsletters from the center to criticize the US and Israel’s war on Iran and describe Zionism as “cancerous”.His case is one of at least three incidents in the past month in which higher education faculty members have faced suspension or dismissal after voicing opposition to US-Israeli actions in the Middle East. Continue reading...

• On March 10, the University of Houston announced researchers at its Texas Center for Superconductivity broke the ambient-pressure temperature record for superconductivity, potentially enabling more efficient energy generation, transmission, and storage. • Superconductivity is a quantum phenomenon where materials exhibit zero electrical resistance and expel magnetic fields when cooled below a critical temperature threshold. • This breakthrough represents a major advancement in materials science that could have significant implications for energy infrastructure and technology development.

Trump administration claims list is part of an EEOC investigation into antisemitic discrimination at universityA federal judge on Tuesday ordered the University of Pennsylvania to hand over records about Jewish employees on campus to a federal agency as part of an investigation into antisemitic discrimination but said it did not have to reveal any employee’s affiliation with a specific group.US district judge Gerald Pappert said employees can refuse to take part in the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) investigation but the agency “needs the opportunity to talk to them directly to learn if they have evidence of discrimination”. Continue reading...

• A new study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln highlights how farmers' risk attitudes significantly influence crop insurance decisions and financial results. • Led by Associate Professor Cory Walters, the research analyzes behavioral factors in agricultural economics, published March 31, 2026. • Findings underscore the need for tailored insurance products to match diverse risk profiles, potentially improving farm resilience amid climate variability.

Greens amendments to force new watchdog to scrutinise uni fees and the Jobs-Ready Graduates scheme rejected by federal governmentFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe federal government is being accused of dodging promised reforms to bring down soaring university fees, after rejecting efforts to have them scrutinised by a new watchdog.On Monday, legislation to establish the independent Australian Tertiary Education Commission (Atec) passed the Senate with a number of amendments, including to improve its resourcing and ensuring it had a focus on research. Continue reading...

• A year after federal mandates threatened to disrupt scientific research, university laboratories are experiencing cautious recovery in funding from NIH, NSF, and NASA. • Researchers at Northern Kentucky University and other institutions faced significant uncertainty when federal cuts impacted grants, laboratory operations, and student research opportunities. • The gradual thaw in federal science funding represents a critical turning point for academic research infrastructure, though underlying uncertainty about future appropriations remains.

• Columbia University announced on March 26, 2026, that three faculty members were selected as AAAS Fellows for distinguished scientific contributions and service. • Recognition by the American Association for the Advancement of Science honors excellence across research disciplines. • Fellows represent Columbia's leadership in advancing peer-reviewed scientific discoveries.

• Rising sea levels are creating 'ghost forests' of dead trees along the eastern US coast, where saltwater intrusion drowns vibrant ecosystems, as presented at ACS Spring 2026 meeting in Atlanta on March 26. • Undergraduate Samantha Chittakone's team studies water cycling through these dying stands to predict coastal forest responses to climate change. • Findings could inform preservation strategies amid accelerating sea level rise threatening US shorelines.

• Tulane University in New Orleans will host the inaugural US Chagas Disease Meeting on March 26-27, 2026, marking the first such conference on American soil. • The event convenes experts to discuss diagnosis, screening, research, and patient care for Chagas disease, now argued by some to be endemic in the US with approximately 300,000 infected Americans per CDC estimates. • Occurring at a pivotal moment, the meeting aims to boost awareness, improve public health responses, and advance peer-reviewed findings on this neglected parasitic disease.

Idris Robinson says Texas State violated his constitutional rights over off-campus talk seized on by pro-Israel activistsPhilosophy professor Idris Robinson has sued Texas State University officials, asserting that the school violated his constitutional rights by ending his contract after he gave a talk on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict off-campus in another state where a fight broke out, the Guardian has learned.Perhaps in part because Robinson did not introduce himself as connected to Texas State at the event, it took several pro-Israel social media accounts a year to identify him and launch a campaign to get Robinson fired, targeting the school’s leadership and accusing him of being a terrorist and inciting violence. Continue reading...

• University of Utah geophysicists used electromagnetic data from airborne surveys to identify a newly discovered freshwater reservoir under the Great Salt Lake's Farmington Bay, marking a first-of-its-kind breakthrough. • The reservoir, located in a key area of the lake, could potentially alleviate Utah's ongoing water scarcity issues amid prolonged drought conditions. • This finding matters as it reveals untapped groundwater resources critical for the western U.S., where the Great Salt Lake has shrunk by nearly 50% since 1980 due to overuse and climate change.

Archivist Jo Klett says the 40 boxes of material will provide ‘a full picture of Roger’s entire working career’“It’s a joy to be old,” wrote Roger McGough, one of Britain’s most popular, prolific and funniest poets. “The dog dead and the car sold.”Another joy might be decluttering. After the departure of dozens of boxes of notebooks, manuscripts, drafts, project files, journals, posters, letters, personal artworks and more, McGough has admitted his house is significantly emptier. “If anyone wants to buy some old empty filing cabinets then get in touch … through you,” he joked. Continue reading...

• A University of Alabama student disappeared in Spain while on spring break, with foul play fears growing as of March 19, 2026. • U.S. authorities and Spanish police are searching for the student, last seen in a popular tourist area, amid reports of potential abduction risks. • The case underscores vulnerabilities for American travelers abroad during global tensions, drawing State Department involvement.

• The Center for Technological Responsibility, Reimagination, and Redesign (CNTR) at Brown University has created a new portal to help the public, journalists, researchers, and policymakers understand the complex landscape of AI-related legislation in the United States. • The portal contains 5,000 bills with detailed profiles on 100, created with a framework evaluating policies on transparency, data protection, bias, education, content, and labor. • More than 1,000 AI-related bills have been introduced in the US over the past three years, with the majority of Americans favoring greater AI regulation despite the overwhelming volume of proposals.

Students in Canterbury given antibiotics for fast-acting and invasive meningococcal disease, says UKHSATwo people have died and 11 are reportedly seriously ill in hospital after an outbreak of a rare form of invasive meningitis at the University of Kent.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it had provided antibiotics to students in the Canterbury area after it detected 13 cases of invasive meningococcal disease, a combination of meningitis and septicaemia. Continue reading...