Grace Xing receives U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy grant

Grace Xing

A crew led by Huili (Grace) Xing, professor of electrical engineering at the University of Notre Dame, has been awarded a $ 2,496,428 grant from the U.S. Division of Energy’s Innovative Study Projects Agency-Vitality (ARPA-E) system for tasks aimed at developing up coming-generation power conversion gadgets that could drastically transform how energy is controlled and converted via the grid.

Her project was funded beneath ARPA-E’s “SWITCHES” plan, short for “Strategies for Broad-Bandgap, Inexpensive Transistors for Controlling Substantial-Efficiency Programs,” whose aim is to decrease the expense and boost the efficiency of electrical power electronics.

The analysis task of Xing’s team is titled “PolarJETT Novel Vertical GaN Energy Transistor,” which was initially an concept of Kazuki Nomoto, Debdeep Jena and Xing, all in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Notre Dame. It is created to produce an progressive higher-efficiency gallium nitride (GaN) electrical power switch. Their design is substantially smaller sized and operates at much increased efficiency ranges than traditional electrical power switches, producing it ideal for use in a selection of electrical power electronics applications. Their task also will reuse expensive GaN resources and make use of typical low-expense manufacturing techniques to hold charges down. If effective, the miniature, higher-functionality, lower-value GaN electrical power transistors could make silicon switches obsolete.

Xing’s analysis focuses on the design, fabrication and characterization of semiconductors, products and nanostructures wafer bonding substantial-pace, higher-performance electronics and tunnel FETs, particularly making use of wide bandgap III-nitride semiconductors and two-dimensional crystals such as graphene and MoSe.

A member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, The Electrochemical Society, American Society for Engineering Schooling and Resources Investigation Society, Xing joined the Notre Dame faculty in 2004. She earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Peking University, a master’s degree in materials science from Lehigh University and a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Grace Xing receives U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy grant

Education Department To Drop Two NCLB Waiver Requirements

The U.S. Education Division has made a decision to abandon two No Kid Left Behind (NCLB) waiver specifications, with schooling advocates warning that the choice will harm disadvantaged college students.

In August, the Department announced that by October 2015 it would need states to use teacher evaluation information to make certain that bad and minority students are not taught by ineffective teachers at a larger price than their peers.

The Division had also planned to mandate that states and districts enhance the use of federal Title II money for specialist development, with a requirement that districts invest the funds on “evidence-based” applications and link them to new school- and profession-ready requirements, in accordance to Michele McNeil of Education Week.

Now, the Department stated it is not only carrying out away with people two needs, but also shortening the renewals from two years to 1 yr, writes Allie Bidwell of US Information.

Department officials mentioned they program to produce a 50-state method that is not limited to the 42 states plus the District of Columbia that have waivers. In accordance to Department officials, by the end of January, they will have begun a method of putting teeth into present Title I and Title II laws.

The waiver renewals have also been amended to be for only one particular 12 months, from the unique prepare of a two-year extension. States will have till the finish of February — or 60 days following they get their federal monitoring report— to apply for a waiver extension.

Kati Haycock, president of The Schooling Believe in, an advocacy group that focuses on closing achievement gaps, stated in a statement that the guidelines would have addressed “glaring problems” with its initial waiver method, and that the decision to eliminate these requirements was “baffling – and extremely disappointing.”

“Through its actions right now, the Division enables states to carry on giving colleges best ratings irrespective of how student groups perform,” Haycock stated. “And it also makes it possible for them to maintain sweeping under the rug the gaps in instructor good quality that contribute so heavily to long-standing achievement gaps.”

In accordance to Melissa Lazarin, director of education policy at the Center for American Progress, the Division could be responding to the myriad alterations currently undertaken by the states.

A lot of states are implementing the Typical Core State Standards, developing new assessments to align with those requirements, and as a outcome of the first NCLB waiver method are functioning to redesign their teacher evaluation and accountability systems.

“At the identical time, the standard federal function has often been to concentrate and appear out for the most disadvantaged students,” Lazarin stated. “I consider it will be extremely important for the department to outline a clear procedure and timeframe for addressing, in certain, the want to guarantee that each and every student has equitable accessibility to a great instructor.”

The Department started issuing waivers for the act, formally recognized as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, in 2011. Given that then, 42 states, the District of Columbia, and eight California college districts have been authorized, and of individuals states, 34 and the District of Columbia have waivers that will expire at the end of this college 12 months.

The states are now needed to existing programs showing the situations for the original waivers have been being met now, as properly as for the 2015-sixteen school year.

Education Department To Drop Two NCLB Waiver Requirements

US Department of Education Unveils Campaign To Recruit Top Students As Teachers

The U.S. Department of Education has launched a new campaign to recruit best performing student as teachers following the Division estimated that as a lot of as 1 million teachers could retire in the following 4 to 6 many years.

The education department partnered with the Promoting Council, Microsoft, State Farm Insurance coverage, Educate for America, the nation’s two greatest teachers’ unions and many other educational groups to unveil a public service campaign aimed at recruiting a new generation of classroom educators, writes Motoko Wealthy of The New York Instances.

The new campaign, named Teach, is created to attract younger, substantial-reaching school graduates, specifically in science, math and engineering. The campaign utilizes video spots and radio announcements that portray teaching as creative, invigorating and meaningful, and as compelling a job as medication, acting or engineering.

The video spots, beneath the slogan Make More. Teach, are being sent to television stations close to the country. The video sports feature actors enacting scenes in classrooms and beyond.

In one particular, a instructor stands in a swamp waist deep in waders as college students search on from the shore tapping iPad screens and chasing frogs. In one more scene, a teacher employs papier-mâché planets and surround-screen projection photographs of the solar method to enliven a science lesson.

Taylor Mali, a poet and a former teacher, offers the inspirational voice-over that evokes some military recruitment ads. “Teachers today are breaking down obstacles,” he says, “finding modern ways to instill old lessons, proving that greatness can be found in daily spots.”

According to Secretary of Training Arne Duncan, the retirement of little one boomers produces an “amazing chance to make a difference for decades to come.” In addition to recruiting more candidates with science and math backgrounds, Duncan stated the nation’s public schools need to entice more Hispanics and blacks, specifically men, to educating.

Duncan cited the model of many countries the place college students routinely score higher on standardized tests. They pull, he said, their teaching corps from the leading tenth to prime third of university graduates. Duncan also stated he would like to persuade “very, extremely high caliber school graduates to come and perform in our nation’s colleges.”

Microsoft and State Farm are supplying financial support for the campaign. Some of the funding will be utilised to employ recruiters to visit college campuses and talk to juniors and seniors about a career in education.

The campaign to retain the services of best college students as teachers comes at a time when public schooling is increasingly riven by battles more than the use of standardized testing in teacher overall performance evaluations and the rollout of the Frequent Core. The requirements have been adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia.

Some critics feel that such policies, which have been encouraged by the Department of Schooling, could make recruiting best candidates to the occupation far more challenging.

US Department of Education Unveils Campaign To Recruit Top Students As Teachers

History department considers further changes

Practically two weeks following the faculty approved looser requirements for the historical past significant, the Background Division has voted to move forward with a proposal to even more overhaul the main.

In a Tuesday meeting, the Historical past Division voted to split the historical past significant into two separate tracks: a “global track,” which would closely mirror the breadth of the current major, and a “specialist track” that would allow college students to target their scientific studies on a certain region, theme or time time period, in accordance to division chair Naomi Lamoreaux. The following phase will be to formalize the proposal, current it to the Program of Review Committee and place the program to a vote of the Yale University faculty, Lamoreaux said. If passed, the reforms would get rid of the major’s present geographic distribution specifications, which have been reformed two weeks in the past.

Lamoreaux mentioned that although both tracks would retain some degree of geographical diversity, the department would no longer require college students to review distinct regions. Rather than requiring college students to evaluate Western cultures with non-Western cultures, which Lamoreaux called an arbitrary policy, the department would supply background majors with the freedom to examine any permutation of geographic regions. College students who wish to compare non-Western cultures with other non-Western cultures or to compare Western cultures with every single other would be in a position to do so, she mentioned.

“We’ve now put Asia on the very same standing as the United States [and] Africa on the same level as Europe,” Lamoreaux stated. “We could have somebody majoring in background who wouldn’t get a course in U.S. historical past.”

Director of Undergraduate Scientific studies for the History Department Beverly Gage mentioned the division also voted in favor of counting up to two programs from outdoors the Historical past Division toward the key demands. The new “specialist track” may possibly lean on offerings from other departments, she said.

If passed, the new geographic distribution demands will render the reforms manufactured to the background significant earlier this month obsolete. On Nov. 7, Yale School faculty voted to reduce the needs for the history main to two courses each in North American history, European historical past and either Latin American, Asian or African background.

But Gage stated the departmental vote on Tuesday did not always contradict the current reforms — rather, she said it builds on the Historical past Department’s ongoing hard work to give college students much more flexibility within the major.

“On the 1 hand it can seem like there are a great deal of adjustments occurring,” Gage stated. “But these have been [the] subsequent logical step of what we’d presently started out. It is all element of the identical intellectual process on our element.”

Lamoreaux said both the current and proposed modifications to the major are meant in element to encourage far more college students to key in history and to appeal to increased enrollments in historical past courses. To that end, she extra, the department hopes to add new classes that could be “feeder courses” into the historical past key.

Each Lamoreaux and Gage emphasized that the department’s prime priority is to make its offerings much more transparent to students. The string of recent proposals for reform came largely out of student suggestions, which was formalized this semester with the formation of an undergraduate advisory committee for the department, Gage said.

History professor Valerie Hansen, who sat on the committee that proposed these changes to the division, explained the new adjustments would let college students far more room for intellectual exploration.

“The History Division has always been a broad umbrella, but it hasn’t usually presented itself as a broad umbrella,” she explained.

Hansen cited the employing of two new Latin America scholars this year, two new South Asia scholars subsequent 12 months and the lively search for a modern Middle East scholar as evidence of the growth of the department’s offerings.

Daniel Gordon ’14, a background key, explained he doubts the proposed reform would make a lot difference to students. Even if the demands for studying European and American background are eradicated, college students will likely continue to examine people places, he explained.

“It looks as if they’re making an attempt to shift the concentrate away from Europe and America, and I don’t consider it’ll materialize,” he stated. “People’s interests at an American institution have a Western bias.”

Zoe Rubin ’16, who is also a history main, stated the current major needs make it tough for students to specialize in a non-Western field. The proposed reforms, specifically the capability to count credits from other departments towards the key, would permit students to specialize in Middle Eastern historical past or African history, she stated.

Sam Cohen ’15, an additional historical past significant, said he thinks students ought to usually be allowed to study the regions they discover most interesting.

“Most individuals acknowledge that you can’t review the historical past of 1 area without having knowing what was taking place in the rest of the planet at the time,” he mentioned. “I would bet that history majors even now consider programs from all close to the planet from that explanation.”

Background is the third biggest major at Yale, following political science and economics.

History department considers further changes

New York Ed Department Faces Lawsuit Over inBloom Student Data Plan

In New York, mother and father are concerned about privacy of their kids in the massive data Common Core era — so concerned that they are taking the state’s training official to court to end the Department from sharing students’ information with a personal firm.

A group of parents filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education for its plans to allow inBloom, a nonprofit based mostly in Atlanta, to accessibility students’ information. The lawsuit, filed in State Supreme Court in Albany, alleges that the department’s strategy to transfer 2.three million students’ names and other essential data to inBloom violates New York privacy laws, writes Chau Lam of Long Island Information Day.

The lawsuit, filed by a dozen New York City parents, states that “if the state’s current data collection program is breached, it can be contained to the neighborhood district or regional center in which the breach occurred. If inBloom safety is breached by way of inadvertence, negligence or sabotage, the of millions of students will be at chance.”

New York State Training Commissioner John B. King Jr. explained he could not comment on the pending lawsuit.  He, nevertheless, reassured concerned mother and father that students’ personal data are protected below federal law.

Students’ personalized data, which includes check scores, disciplinary information, disabilities and other data, are now stored on state computer systems. The state education officials program to transfer mass data to inBloom this fall or winter. The information management organization will shop and handle the information for public school college students in a computerized “cloud” support.

Some parents concerned about their children’s privacy and object to turning in excess of sensitive personal information to a nongovernmental company.

Pamela Verity of Commack, a mom of 3, applauded the dozen New York City mothers and fathers who filed the lawsuit to avoid the information transfer, including data on about 400,000 students on Extended Island.

“I believe it is fabulous. I feel it is excellent that people mother and father acquired together and did anything,” she stated. “I wish we could mobilize mother and father on Prolonged Island to do the exact same.”

Verity stated she is concerned about a protection breach that could potentially harm her young children. She additional that children’s information is very essential and protection cannot be guaranteed. “Once it is out on the Net, it is out there forever. It does not go away.”

In accordance to the lawsuit, New York was one particular of nine states that had meant to send students’ details to inBloom. Massachusetts has place its information-storage strategy on hold and 7 other states have dropped them.

The cloud storage program is supported by $ a hundred million from computer software billionaire Bill Gates’ family basis. The state is investing much more than $ 50 million to create a sign-on portal and relevant technological innovation.

Jane Lauer Barker of Pitta Giblin in Manhattan, the lead attorney for the New York City mother and father, said in the lawsuit that private businesses and public agencies utilizing cloud-based hosts had been hacked, including Sony and the U.S. Treasury Department’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

A judge denied the parents’ request for a temporary restraining order. The events are scheduled to return to court December 6th.

InBloom declined to comment on the lawsuit.

New York Ed Department Faces Lawsuit Over inBloom Student Data Plan

Department of Film, Television, and Theatre to present "Cabaret," its first full-scale musical in 20 years

“Cabaret,” winner of the 1967 Tony Award for very best musical, is coming to the University of Notre Dame Wednesday-Sunday (Nov. 13-17).

Acknowledged for its excellent music, edgy themes and underlying social issues, the demonstrate will be the very first full-scale musical the Division of Movie, Tv, and Theatre (FTT) has developed in a lot more than twenty many years, stated Associate Professor Kevin Dreyer.

Much more than a hundred students will be concerned as cast and crew in the show — about four instances the amount of college students needed for a non-musical production.

To bring the notorious Kit Kat Klub in “Cabaret” to existence, FTT is partnering with the Division of Music and PEMCo, the greatest student-run musical theater business on campus.

This collaboration was essential, mentioned Dreyer. “We’ve obtained extraordinary assistance from across the campus and specially the dean’s workplace to make this happen. I can’t tension adequate how significantly we enjoy that.”

As portion of the cooperative work, Dan Stowe, associate specialist expert in the Division of Music, will serve as music director for the 25 college students who will give orchestral assistance for the duration of the performances.

Senior Samantha Schubert, a theater major and producer for the PEMCo 2013-14 season, explained she is fired up about this very first-time partnership amongst FTT and the pupil theater organization. “To see two groups with such passion for what they do come with each other signifies so significantly. I’m just content to see this bridge being constructed.

“I think it’s a excellent stepping stone toward generating a stronger, lasting relationship.”

Schubert appears forward to functioning behind the scenes on “Cabaret.” She mentioned that it is an thrilling chance for college students to operate with professional director Nathan Halvorson, who will be brought in for the manufacturing.

“Because the director is from outdoors the University, it’s a chance for students to get new insight on their performances from a person with a fresh viewpoint,” she mentioned.

Halvorson is equally enthusiastic about operating with the Notre Dame faculty and college students for the very first time. “One of the joys of my life is getting ready to educate and hopefully pass on some of the things that I have discovered over my profession.

“As far as I can inform, the college students at Notre Dame are centered, driven and talented. Nothing at all helps make me happier than getting able to combine the artistic procedure with schooling.”

Although he has directed and choreographed a broad assortment of musicals, Halvorson mentioned that he has a longstanding interest in “Cabaret.” Set in 1931 Berlin amid the increasing threat of the Nazi celebration, it is the story of a struggling American author and a British cabaret singer.

“’Cabaret’ was a game-changing musical when it initial premiered,” Halvorson mentioned. “It took a horrific circumstance in historical past and used the musical theater kind as the lens to inform the story. It was the very first musical to not use a primary curtain, there was no overture, and it did not shy away from the topic matter in the slightest.

“It was genuinely revolutionary at the time, and it nonetheless is.”

Dreyer agreed, saying that the “very human story” and deeper problems within “Cabaret” appealed to the division, as nicely as the fact that it is an “excellent piece of theater with fantastic music.”

Looking ahead, Dreyer hopes to consist of a musical in the FTT theater season each 3 to 4 years.

“’Cabaret’ is going to be a really fascinating manufacturing and hopefully historic — it will be launching a new trend inside theater production at Notre Dame.”

Initially published by Carrie Gates at al.nd.edu on Sept. 26, 2013.

Department of Film, Television, and Theatre to present "Cabaret," its first full-scale musical in 20 years