UNH moves into marine autonomous vehicle sector

At the Judd Gregg Marine Research Complex, 15 miles from UNH’s main campus, in Durham, and at the mouth of Portsmouth Harbor in New Castle, N.H. It supports research, education and outreach in marine biology, oceanography and ocean engineering, with particular emphasis on marine biology and ecology, aquaculture, acoustics and ocean mapping, invasive species, autonomous surface vehicle research, ocean acidification, and renewable energy.

A University of South Florida researcher deploys Tavros02, a solar-powered marine autonomous vehicle.

— Photo by Bgregson

Edited from a New England Council report

“The University of New Hampshire has opened of a new maritime autonomy innovation hub.

“In collaboration with the Paris-based nautical-technology firm, Exail, UNH will use the new center as an operating base for marine autonomous vessels. The hub will produce pioneering un-crewed surface vessels, house a center for international remote autonomous operations, and train future generations on the use of remote autonomous vehicles. As a result, this effort will expand access to public and private customers and offer innovative solutions to help support the blue economy.

“‘This exciting collaboration will not only be good for Exail and UNH students and researchers but also good for New Hampshire and the nation,’ said Larry Mayer, director of UNH’s Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping. ‘We anticipate that it is just the start of bringing many of our other industrial partners and government colleagues to the state as we create a local engine for the new blue economy.”’

Kudos for UNH research

Thompson Hall, finished in 1892, is the oldest academic building built for the flagship campus of UNH, which moved to Durham from Hanover in 1893.

This is from The New England Council (newenglandcouncil.com):

“The University of New Hampshire (UNH), a New England Council member, has been ranked by the Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education as one of the top research universities in the country. This new rating places UNH among the 130 doctoral-granting universities with a ‘very high research activity’ label. UNH is one of only three public universities in New England, along with UMass at Amherst and the University of Connecticut, to achieve the ‘R1’ rating.

“With research programs in a range of fields, from space physics to vulnerable populations, the school attracts more than $110 million in research funding each year. UNH officials believe that this new ranking will attract talented students, researchers, faculty, and staff, as well as signal to government agencies, philanthropists, and businesses that the school can be expected to conduct high-quality research and education.

“Jan Nisbet, UNH senior vice provost for research, commented, ‘This is a powerful recognition of UNH as one of the nation’s highest-performing research universities. It underscores our ongoing commitment to research and scholarship that improves the lives of people here in the Granite State and across the globe.’’’

UNH School of Law seeks to offer mostly online degree focusing on intellectual-property law

The University of New Hampshire School of Law named its honors program after the great Massachusetts U.S. senator, secretary of state and orator Daniel Webster, a New Hampshire native.

The New England Council (newenglandcouncil.com) reports:

The University of New Hampshire School of law, in Concord, recently forayed into the online-education industry. If it gets permission from the American Bar Association, UNH will create the nation’s first specialized law degree.

“If given the approval to proceed, the online law degree from UNH will focus on intellectual property, covering topics from patents and trade secrets to privacy. The degree will take three and a half years to complete, and will likely start in the fall of 2019. The school would require the students to be in Concord only three or four weeks each year, and most classes will be taught online. The hope is that the American Bar Association will make an exception to their rule, which says law degrees can offer at most one third of total credit hours through distance learning, with the rest taking place on campus. Only three of the accredited law schools in the country, including Syracuse University, in New York State, Southwestern University, in Los Angeles, and Mitchell-Hamline University, in Minnesota, have applied for and received approval to offer an online JD degree.

“Dean Megan Carpenter said in a statement that, ‘Intellectual property is a perfect area for this. It is the law of innovation, so we should think about ways to innovate in legal education while teaching it. . . It’s satisfying to use a technology when you’re learning about law that supports that technology.’

“The New England Council congratulates UNH on this exciting new initiative and commends them for working to make law school more accessible.’’

UNH names UNC provost as next president

Congreve Hall at the University of New Hampshire's main campus, in Durham.

From the New England Council (newenglandcouncil.com)

"The University of New Hampshire (UNH), a New England Council member, has named James W. Dean as the institution’s 20th President.  Dean has most recently served as vice chancellor and provost at the  flagship University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, where he was also a professor of organizational behavior.  Dean succeeds Mark W. Huddleston, who is retiring after 11 years at the helm of UNH, the Granite State’s largest public university.

"As UNC’s chief academic officer, Dean hired seven deans, bolstered faculty retention efforts, and led campus-wide efforts for the university’s 10-year review process for reaccreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission., He also worked to strengthen student advising to better meet the needs of the diverse campus.  Dean was selected after a national search and was approved by the University System of New Hampshire board of trustees by a unanimous vote. He starts in his new position on June 30, 2018.

"John Small, chairman of the University System board, said UNH is gaining an “experienced leader from one of the nation’s top public universities.” Dean said, “I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to serve as president of UNH at a time when all public universities need to rethink our efforts to support the public through teaching, research and engagement.”

UNH, NOAA expanding ocean-mapping center

Seafloor map of southern Indian Ocean.

This is from the New England Council (newenglandcouncil.com)

"NEC member the University of New Hampshire (UNH) — in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – is expanding its Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping and Joint Hydrographic Center by adding nine additional labs, offices, and an amphitheater.  The joint UNH-NOAA initiative was established in 2000 with the goal of mapping the worldwide ocean floor.

"Students and scientists at the center on UNH’s Durham campus monitor live streams from ships that are collecting data of ocean floor, track fish and whale patterns, and create 3D prototypes.  Currently, only 11% of the ocean’s 140 million square mile floor is mapped and internationally, scientists aim to complete a map of the ocean floor in the next thirteen years to ensure ships can safely navigate the ocean by being aware of any potential hazards below them.  The center is home to 25 students and scholars from around the world who work with both the private sector and government agencies to achieve that goal.

'''I’ve always wanted to explore the ocean for as long as I can remember. We have better maps of the moon than we do of the ocean,' said UNH student Victoria Dickey during U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter’s recent visit to the center.''

To read more, hit this link.

Lou D'Allesandro: In N.H., a 'Granite Guarantee' for some college students

Thompson Hall (1892), at UNH.

Via the the New England Board of Higher Education (nebhe.org):

Regardless of where you come from, the ability to access and receive a high-quality education is the key to success.

The dream of an accessible education will now become a reality for many New Hampshire youngsters, thanks to a new University of New Hampshire (UNH) initiative called the Granite Guarantee Program.

The UNH Granite Guarantee will begin with the incoming freshman class in fall 2017. An estimated 400 New Hampshire students will benefit from the program, saving a combined $5.9 million in tuition costs at the UNH campuses in both Durham and Manchester. Freshmen who are awarded the Granite Guarantee aid will be eligible to receive it for four years, provided they remain eligible for at least $1 in federal Pell Grant aid.

Last year, 21 percent of New Hampshire students at UNH were Pell Grant recipients, and we know that the financial need of families in our state sending their kids off to college is real. As the cost of our public colleges and universities continues to rise, this is a huge opportunity for New Hampshire's own to secure a world-class education.

The intention is for the program to grow with each new class, so the group of freshmen entering in 2018 will be eligible, then the group in 2019, and so on. By the time the 2020 cohort begins their studies, there will be Pell-eligible New Hampshire students at each grade level receiving support from the Granite Guarantee. We estimate that could amount to as many as 1,600 New Hampshire students—a little more than 10% of UNH’s total enrollment.

The Granite Guarantee is totally supported by private fundraising and was made possible by UNH's 150th campaign.

UNH has a lot to be proud of lately. Its nationally competitive women's and men's basketball teams have helped bring more visibility, funding and vibrant campus life to the university. Its engineering and technology programs are key elements in supporting the high-tech industry in New Hampshire.

For example, a strategic partner like Lonza Biologics, in Portsmouth, N.H. employs a workforce of approximately 30 percent UNH graduates, uses university instruments for ongoing testing, and partners with faculty and students on internships, senior projects and research. Additionally, through the New Hampshire Innovation Research Center, UNH is currently providing research expertise to Turbocam International, in Barrington, N.H. and HALO Maritime Defense Systems, in Newton, N.H.

The university is increasing its profile in other ways, too. A recent study by the national journal published by the Ecological Society of America, ranked UNH's ecology program second in the country out of 316 higher ed institutions in research and scholarship opportunities—a clear indicator that our state's university is a leader in this significant and growing field.

While free tuition proposals have garnered a lot of attention nationally, New Hampshire's decisions are independent of those made in other states. We should all commend UNH's leadership for recognizing that cost is often unfortunately a barrier for students seeking a college degree, and for finding ways to balance their budget while reducing costs to students and families in an increasingly competitive world. Indeed with the Granite Guarantee, UNH is the only non-Ivy higher education institution in New Hampshire offering this kind of long-term, guaranteed financial support to low-income students. The Granite Guarantee will offer more confirmation that our land grant, sea grant and space grant university is a place to go and change your life.

Lou D'Allesandro is a New Hampshire state senator and former chair of NEBHE.

UNH students getting free access to IBM's Watson

The New England Council reports:

"IBM Watson Analytics, a branch of New England Council (NEC) member IBM Corporation, recently partnered with the University of New Hampshire, a fellow NEC member, to provide UNH students with free access to IBM’s Waston Analytics Student Edition.

"Waston Analytics is a cloud-based smart data analytics and visualization service. In addition to providing students free access to the service, IBM ran a 90-minute training program to teach UNH faculty how to incorporate the technology into their classes. IBM Watson Analytics and UNH connected at the Peter T. Paul Entrepreneurship Center’s fall hackathon on data analytics, which was sponsored by IBM. IBM Watson Analytics was so impressed by the caliber of students participating from UNH that the company offered to provide access to their service for all students on UNH’s Durham, Manchester and Concord campuses.

“'The end goal is to prepare our students for the new demands of the workforce,' said UNH Director of Graduate Analytics and Data Science, Robert McGrath. 'We believe Watson Analytics will help prepare the next generation of ‘citizen’ data scientists and be instrumental in helping close a critical skills gap identified in the workforce.”'

"The New England Council commends IBM and UNH for creating this opportunity for UNH students to expand their marketable data analytics skills and help prepare them to enter the workforce.''

Chris Powell: The thought police are prowling

MANCHESTER, Conn. Another college speech code was reported last week, this one at the University of New Hampshire. It was assembled two years ago by university staff and student groups purporting to represent women and racial and sexual minorities and was posted on the university's Internet site.

But when it was brought to his attention, the university's president, Mark Huddleston, purported not to have been aware of it and forcefully repudiated it, particularly for its assertion that "American" should not be used to mean citizens of the United States because doing so is disrespectful to residents of Central and South America.

"While individuals on our campus have every right to express themselves," Huddleston said, "the views expressed in this guide are not the policy of the University of New Hampshire. ... The only UNH policy on speech is that it is free and unfettered on our campuses. It is ironic that what was probably a well-meaning effort to be 'sensitive' proves offensive to many people, myself included."

Welcome, President Huddleston, to the political correctness that now permeates higher education in (North) America, even in the state whose license plates, bearing the state motto, simply yet eloquently rebuke all speech codes: "Live free or die."

That proscription of "American" in the UNH speech code is the least of it.

Also proscribed are "older people," "elders," "seniors," and "senior citizen," though the latter two are euphemisms of long standing. According to the speech code, "people of advanced age" is preferable, as if no one might take offense at that as well, and as if any euphemism could make people prefer to be 80 instead of 30.

"Poor" is to be replaced by "person who lacks advantages others have," and "people of size" is to replace "overweight," as if these euphemisms will make such people feel better too, as if such people are too stupid to notice euphemism, and as if the assumption of their stupidity wouldn't be more insulting than "poor" and "overweight."

Higher education in Connecticut came down with the PC plague early. Twenty-six years ago the University of Connecticut tried to ban "inconsiderate jokes" and "inappropriately directed laughter," proscriptions that were themselves laughed to death, though the Connecticut Civil Liberties Union, increasingly PC itself, failed to petition the Motor Vehicles Department, as it should have done, for creation of a license plate reading: "Laugh free or die."

But it's not all so funny, for in "1984" George Orwell described the impulse to control language as an impulse to control thought. Orwell imagined a new language for the totalitarian state of the future, a language he called Newspeak for an ideology he called "Ingsoc," shorthand for "English socialism."

"The purpose of Newspeak," Orwell wrote, "was not only to provide a medium of expression for the worldview and mental habits proper to the devotees of Ingsoc but to make all other modes of thought impossible. It was intended that when Newspeak had been adopted once and for all and Oldspeak forgotten, a heretical thought -- that is, a thought diverging from the principles of Ingsoc -- should be literally unthinkable. ... Newspeak was designed not to extend but to diminish the range of thought. ..."

A lexicographer who is developing Newspeak elaborates: "The whole literature of the past will have been destroyed. Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Byron -- they'll exist only in Newspeak versions, not merely changed into something different but actually changed into something contradictory of what they used to be. ... The whole climate of thought will be different. In fact there will be no thought as we understand it now. Orthodoxy means not thinking -- not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness."

And now that universities have overtaken churches in the orthodoxy business, they even award degrees for it.

Chris Powell is managing editor of the Journal Inquirer, in Manchester, Conn.