Nearly half of all medical school students experience burnout, and 11 percent indicate having suicidal thoughts, according to a study conducted by Liselotte Dyrbye of the Mayo Clinic. Dyrbye and her colleagues surveyed 2,248 students from seven different medical schools to find out how many students suffered from burnout, which they defined as "emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and low sense of personal accomplishment." The study also concluded that each year spent in medical school increases the chances that a student will experience burnout. Dyrbye said that though not many people are aware of the issue, schools are beginning to acknowledge the needs of their students, The New York Times reported. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education requires that medical schools provide their students with counseling services in order to keep their accreditation, according to The Times.
Environmental studies professor Ross Virginia, director of Dartmouth's Institute of Arctic Studies, warned that climate change in the Arctic region may have far-reaching geopolitical consequences, in a speech at Alumni Hall Saturday. Virginia said that ice in the Arctic Ocean could be gone by 2070, and possibly as soon as 2015. Virginia outlined the history of the Northwest Passage -- a path across the ice north of North America -- to demonstrate the radical changes that have taken place in the Arctic region. He added that studying the Arctic Ocean could give scientists a more in-depth view of global climate change. "What happens in the Arctic is a harbinger for the rest of the globe in terms of climate change signals," Virginia said. This past summer, Russia dropped a submersible submarine under the North Pole to plant a Russian flag on the ocean floor as a symbol of geopolitical dominance in the region, according to Virginia. Although many dismissed this act as a mere publicity stunt, he said, this incident highlights the lack of governance in the region.
The Environmental Defense Action Fund recently launched its Green Energy Voter Guide to educate constituents before Tuesday's election, according to the EDF web site. The guide contains an interactive timeline of important environmental milestones over the past eight years which designates 2007 as one of the hottest years in history and 2008 as having the highest carbon dioxide levels in 800,000 years. The guide also highlights government policies that failed to address research on the effects of global warming. Global warming and reliance on fossil fuels are the most important environmental problems today, according to the guide. EDF promotes bipartisan efforts to solve environmental issues and plans to concentrate on the new president's first 100 days in office to campaign for policy reforms.