Laura Ray, professor at the Thayer School of Engineering, has developed a hearing system for soldiers that would improve battlefield communication, The New Hampshire Union Leader reported Monday. The system involves a process called "beamforming," a radar and sonar technology that uses several strategically placed microphones to process sound from multiple sources. The system negates background noise and is wireless, allowing soldiers to use the device without removing their ear protection. Ray told The Union Leader she hopes the technology could become a commercial product in the future. Ray owns Sound Innovations, a company based in White River Junction, Vt. The project was funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, which awarded Ray $643,000.
International universities are eager to accept more American students through exchange programs, but these programs often do not meet the needs and desires of American students, according to a report released on Monday by the Institute of International Education. The report looked at the disparity between demand for exchange programs by American students and the supply provided by foreign universities, Inside Higher Ed reported. Eighty-nine percent of foreign universities surveyed had programs lasting more than a semester while American students preferred programs shorter than two months, according to the study. The study also reported the vast majority of study abroad programs were in Europe, Canada, Australia or New Zealand. Only 11 percent of the programs were in Asia. Almost all of the foreign universities wanted more exchange programs in order to forge closer ties and conduct more research with American universities and increase their prestige in the United States. Allen Goodman, president of the Institute of International Education, told The Chronicle of Higher Education that study abroad programs were more important in an increasingly globalized world.
A new study found that merit-based and need-based financial aid correlate to similar student attributes, Inside Higher Ed reported. Both kinds of aid increased for students with higher SAT scores and decreased for families with higher incomes, according to the study. The study also found that minority students receive more grant aid from universities than white students. Colleges are using "preferential packaging," giving minority students among other groups more grant aid and fewer loans, Michael McPherson, the author of the study, told Inside Higher Ed. The study is part of the book, "College Success: What It Means and How to Make It Happen" released Monday by The College Board.
