The Center for Digital Strategies at the Tuck School of Business recently released a list of the Top Tech Toys for 2008, according to a Tuck news release. The list, compiled by six Tuck students under the direction of professor Eric Johnson, focuses on toys that cost less than $25 in light of the current economic crisis. The students ranked toys for all age groups on the basis of innovative technology, overall play value and price point, the release reported. They found that toys that emphasize basic fun, employ technology and sell for a relatively low price will be most successful. Some toys on the list included the Move & Crawl Ball, Playskool Honeybee Hop, Abby & Emma Deluxe Magnetic Dress-Up and Barbie iDesign Ultimate Stylist.
In 2007 American universities increased the number of research doctorates awarded, the sixth consecutive year of growth, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. The total number of research doctorates for 2007 reached 48,079 an increase of 5.4 percent from the previous year. Despite the overall increase in the number of Ph.D.'s awarded, the number awarded in the humanities decreased by 4.6 percent. Chemistry and mechanical engineering were the only two science fields to see declines for the year. Approximately 80 percent of the gain in doctoral recipients this year can be attributed to science and engineering fields. These increases alleviate some concerns about a lack of research in the physical sciences, according to The Chronicle.
Michael Starks, a freshman at Utah State University, who died Friday, is believed to have been the victim of alcohol poisoning, according to a report in The Herald Journal. The police have not yet confirmed the exact cause of death, but believe alcohol may have been the cause. His brother George Starks claims that Michael Starks, a pledge at Sigma Nu fraternity, was a victim of an initiation ritual in which he was forced to drink a fifth of vodka within an hour, The Herald Journal reported. This information has not yet been confirmed by the university or the police, but Michael Starks was reportedly drinking off-campus before arriving at the fraternity house Friday night. He was found to be unresponsive at 4 a.m., at which point fraternity brothers called 911 for assistance. Starks was pronounced dead at Logan Regional Hospital, according to The Herald Journal. The Utah State University chapter of Sigma Nu has temporarily suspended all activities at, Sigma Nu Fraternity Inc.'s executive director Brad Beacham told The Herald Journal. The chapter will remain inactive throughout the investigation.
