Rising tuition a boon for private credit lenders
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (U-WIRE) - Rising tuition and demand for college education have been good for student lenders, which have seen profits soar and become some of the most profitable companies in America. America's largest student loan provider, Sallie Mae, has seen profits jump from $384 million in 2001 to $1.3 billion last year. In 2003, the company reported its chief executive officer Albert Lord earned $67 million in stock options alone and an additional $8.5 million in cash compensation.
Border patrol to deploy device from Texas A&M
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (U-WIRE) - A system developed at Texas A&M University promises to make the task of border protection easier and more cost-effective.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection deployed a series of tactics ranging from fences to infrared scopes to adding stricter monitoring and security to the border. A&M professor of electrical engineering Henry Taylor is working on a monitoring system that uses laser and fiber optics to detect intrusions.
Taylor said the system is efficient over long distances due to the relatively low costs of cables, and he expects the system to provide great assistance to the U.S. border patrol.
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N.C. college offers class modeled after 'CSI' series
(U-WIRE) RALEIGH, N.C. - The TV series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" has been a catalyst for the popular forensic science class, Science Behind CSI, at Meredith College.
Francie Cuffney, a biology professor at Meredith, created the course along with her colleague Walda Powell. Cuffney said the idea for the course came during one of her biology classes when she received an incredible amount of feedback during one of her presentations about forensic science.
"Students are very interested in forensic science because of the TV show 'CSI,'" Cuffney said. "It is popular in culture now, so students want to learn more about it."
BYU professor reveals gender bias in workplace
PROVO, Utah (U-WIRE) - Companies continue to fall short of gender equity, according to a study by Brigham Young University professor Michael Ransom.
His research of a local grocery store chain found women employees were paid less than men and prevented from obtaining higher-paying positions.
Ransom analyzed data of the local chain during the 1980s showing women were paid 8 percent less than male employees.
The research adds to other findings. According to U.S. Labor Department statistics, women in full-time jobs earn less than 80 percent of what men earn at the same jobs..
Utah researchers discover oldest human remains
SALT LAKE CITY (U-WIRE) - Modern humans' family tree just got older.
Research by Frank Brown, a University of Utah professor, and his colleagues redated fossils of human skulls at 195,000 years old.
In 1967, the Homo sapiens' skulls found in Kibish, Ethiopia, were thought to be about 130,000 years old. New research at the same site pushed that date back by about 65,000 years.
"These are the oldest-known Homo sapiens that have been dated," Brown said.
Illinois Wesleyan U. offers domestic violence talk
NORMAL, Ill (U-WIRE) - The Student Welfare and Human Relations Commission of Illinois Wesleyan University sponsored a program Monday to educate the public on domestic violence.
"We generally have speakers come in to talk about gender identity, but domestic violence was something we felt college students could relate to," sophomore, history major and Student Welfare and Human Relations Commissioner Melissa Koeppen said.
"Many students become involved in serious relationships for the first time in college, and they should be aware of warning signs for relationships that could potentially become abusive," Koeppen said.
Study finds link between nutrients, economies
DAVIS, Calif. (U-WIRE) - A healthy, micronutrient-rich diet of a developing nation's population is directly related to its economic stability, according to University of California-Davis researchers.
The more key vitamins and nutrients in the diets of people in developing countries, the better the national health, said Montague Demment and Lindsay Allen of UCD.
The researchers presented these findings at a symposium during the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C., last month.
