At Home: Scientific Data Lost

The Globe and Mail is reporting that a recent study at UBC found that most scientific data gathered is lost within a generation. Researcher Tim Vines did an examination of 516 international zoological studies archived at the UBC zoology department and found that about 80% of the data over two decades old could no longer be found.

The loss stems from faulty contact information and obsolete storage devices, as most professors do not include their full data when publishing, instead providing contact information so that those who are interested can get in touch and retrieve the data from them. However, Dr. Vines found that the e-mail addresses most of the professors listed as their preferred contact method were outdated within a few years.

Additionally, even for those professors who could be found, the data was often stored on obsolete devices such as floppy disks or in older formats that are no longer accessible. To get the data off of these devices can take a lot of effort and expertise which the professors who gathered the data simply do not have available. No word has been given as to what steps are being taken to preserve the data from this study.

Around the World: Germany Trying to Increase numbers of Foreign Students

The American Medical Association (AMA) is reporting that they have come to an agreement with their counterparts in Canada, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA). This agreement will enable the two associations to set standards for accreditation that will be recognized by either association no matter which of the two countries the student was trained in.

It’s taken three months of negotiations, but The Pie News reports that the coalition that forms the government of Germany has agreed to a strategic document to increase foreign students in Germany by about a third, to 350,000. Look for significant marketing efforts, especially toward English speaking students, encouraging Masters and Graduate level students to study in Germany. This could lead to opportunities for mobile students like those from AU.