http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-914653.mp3
Albany, NY – NEW FEDERAL TEXTBOOK AFFORDABILITY LAW TAKES EFFECT -
The high cost of textbooks is always a concern for students and families and one that's certainly on their minds this time of year as college is set to resume.
Some good news. A new federal law has just kicked in that hopes to reduce the rising cost of textbooks by hundreds of dollars. It's the College Textbook Affordability Act - part of the Higher Education Opportunity Act passed a while ago by Congress.
This effort was lead by Assistant Senate Majority Leader, Senator Dick Durbin, who is our first guest on TBOOK today.
Next week, we plan on talking about future plans in a new bill called the Open College Textbook Act, an effort to try and offer students books for free in some cases.
Glenn Busby reports. (4:12)
**(The web address given at the conclusion of the above story for listeners
seeking to learn additional information about this law, or Senator Durbin's newly
proposed bill is: http://www.studentpirgs.org/textbooks)**
EDUCATION HEADLINES AND UPDATES -
Fewer federally funded work-study jobs available this academic year.
Secretary Duncan resumes summer reading out loud campaign.
Appeals Court dismisses Connecticut NCLB lawsuit.
U.S. Supreme Court refuses to consider NEA NCLB lawsuit.
NEA delegates table resolution asking for Duncan to be dismissed.
NEA votes "no confidence" in Race to the Top guidelines.
Congress tries to chop 1.35 billion dollar RttT budget request.
Glenn Busby reports. (2:45)
ASTROBIOLOGY RESEARCH AND EDUCATION SERIES
"RECENT STUDIES IN PREBIOTIC CHEMISTRY"
Now, through the magic of radio, we take listeners back in time billions of years, to when Earth was born.
Our next guest studies a molecule that's widely distributed in the universe. It's been detected in the interstellar medium, in comets, meteorites, and in the atmosphere of Saturn's moon, Titan. Some scientists believe that the molecule's chemistry may have relevance to the chemistry responsible for the origins of life on Earth.
Our next guest, Dr. James Cleaves, is one of those scientists. Dr. Cleaves is a Senior Research Associate at the Carnegie Institution of Washington. His research in organic geochemistry is concerned primarily with abiological organic synthesis the question of how life arose on Earth and methods of detecting life on other planets.
Glenn Busby reports. (10:02)
The preceding is made possible by the NASA Astrobiology Institute, through support of the New York Center for Astrobiology, located at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - in partnership with the University at Albany, the University of Arizona, and Syracuse University.
**(For additional information about this story, or any of the other more than 160 stories featured in this current exclusive Astrobiology series, and past Origins of Life radio series, or if you would like to hear them again via your computer, the website given at the conclusion of the above segment is: www.origins.rpi.edu )**
THE ACADEMIC MINUTE
"MICROBE EVOLUTION" -
The Academic Minute features professors from top institutions of higher education around the United States. They explore topics ranging from updates on groundbreaking scientific research, to what's new and exciting in academia.
This week's episode features Dr. Kenneth Noll, Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Connecticut.
The Academic Minute is hosted by Dr. Lynn Pasquerella, a celebrated philosopher and medical ethicist, and President of Mount Holyoke College. (2:30)