Beasiswa Singapura: The Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA)
December 4, 2008
Beasiswa Singapura: The Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA)
The Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA) is a collaboration between the Agency for Science, Technology & Research (A*STAR), the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU). PhD training will be carried out in English at your chosen lab at A*STAR Research Institutes, NUS or NTU. Students will be supervised by distinguished and world-renowned researchers in these labs. Upon successful completion, students will be conferred a PhD degree by either NUS or NTU.
“We want to encourage more such exchanges, to build friendships and mutual understanding. This is why we are introducing a new Singapore International Graduate Award (or SINGA), for international students to do their PhD training in a multi-disciplinary environment in Singapore. 240 SINGA Awards will be given every year to top students from all over the world. I hope that this will enhance the close educational ties between our countries and will bring our young talents even closer together.”
Extracted from Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong`s speech at the Honorary Doctorate Degree Conferment Ceremony, Eotvos Lorand University, 9 October 2007, Budapest, Hungary
ELIGIBILITY
* Open to all international students
* Graduates with a passion for research and excellent academic results
* Good skills in written and spoken English
* Good reports from academic referees
AWARD TERMS
* Attractive monthly stipend over 4 years of PhD studies, which can support you comfortably. The stipend amount is SGD 24,000 annually, to be increased to SGD 30,000 after passing Qualifying Examination.
* Full support for tuition fees for 4 years of PhD studies.
* One-time SGD 1,000 Settling-in Allowance
* One-time Airfare Grant of SGD 1,500
Estimated cost of living in Singapore
Items Per Student Per Month (SGD)
Food
- University Canteens
- Meals outside Campus
200 - 300
440 - 525
Accommodation - rental of a hostel room / room outside campus 225 - 400
Transport Expenses (local) 100 - 150
Other Expenses (stationery, toiletries, laundry, recreation, etc) 300 - 500
Total Estimated Cost of Living 1,100 - 1,700
* 1 USD is about 1.4 SGD
HOW TO APPLY
Application for January 2009 intake has closed. Click here to apply for August 2009 intake.
The application deadline for August 2009 intake is 1 January 2009. Completed application and supporting documents will have to reach us by mail then.
Incomplete applications and new applications received after 1 January 2009 will be considered for January 2010 intake.
All supporting documents are to be submitted by post to:
Attention: Jeremy Ng
A*STAR Graduate Academy
Agency for Science, Technology and Research
20 Biopolis Way, #07-01 Centros
Singapore 138668
Please check and ensure that all data you have entered in the online form is correct and accurate before you submit the online application. Amendments to the online application will not be possible after it is submitted. In addition, amendments on the hardcopy of the application form will not be included and will render the application invalid.
You may download the Academic Referee`s Recommendation Form here.
Only short-listed candidates will be notified within 2 months from the application closing date.
For more information please visit:
https://www.singa.a-star.edu.sg/theaward.php
Use And Misuse Of Bibliometric Indices In Evaluating Scholarly Performance
December 4, 2008
Use And Misuse Of Bibliometric Indices In Evaluating Scholarly Performance
Ethics In Science And Enviromental Politics / THEME SECTION / The Use And Misuse Of Bibliometric Indices In Evaluating Scholarly Performance
Editors: Howard I. Browman, Konstantinos I. Stergiou
Quantifying the relative performance of individual scholars, groups of scholars, departments, institutions, provinces/states/regions and countries has become an integral part of decision-making over research policy, funding allocations, awarding of grants, faculty hirings, and claims for promotion and tenure. Bibliometric indices (based mainly upon citation counts), such as the h-index and the journal impact factor, are heavily relied upon in such assessments. There is a growing consensus, and a deep concern, that these indices — more-and-more often used as a replacement for the informed judgement of peers — are misunderstood and are, therefore, often misinterpreted and misused. The articles in this ESEP Theme Section present a range of perspectives on these issues. Alternative approaches, tools and metrics that will hopefully lead to a more balanced role for these instruments are presented.
TITLE PAGE [Preface] ; Full text in pdf format
Browman HI, Stergiou KI / INTRODUCTION: Factors and indices are one thing, deciding who is scholarly, why they are scholarly, and the relative value of their scholarship is something else entirely ESEP 8:1-3 ; Full text in pdf format
Campbell P / Escape from the impact factor ESEP 8:5-7 ; Full text in pdf format
Lawrence PA / Lost in publication: how measurement harms science ESEP 8:9-11 ; Full text in pdf format
Todd PA, Ladle RJ / Hidden dangers of a ‘citation culture’ ESEP 8:13-16 ; Full text in pdf format
Taylor M, Perakakis P, Trachana V / The siege of science ESEP 8:17-40 ; Full text in pdf format
Cheung WWL/ The economics of post-doc publishing ESEP 8:41-44 ; Full text in pdf format
Tsikliras AC/ Chasing after the high impact ESEP 8:45-47 ; Full text in pdf format
Zitt M, Bassecoulard E/ Challenges for scientometric indicators: data demining, knowledge flows measurements and diversity issues ESEP 8:49-60 ; Full text in pdf format
Harzing AWK, van der Wal R / Google Scholar as a new source for citation analysis ESEP 8:61-73 ; Full text in pdf format
Pauly D, Stergiou KI / Re-interpretation of ‘influence weight’ as a citation-based Index of New Knowledge (INK) ESEP 8:75-78 ; Full text in pdf format
Giske J / Benefitting from bibliometry ESEP 8:79-81 ; Full text in pdf format
Butler L/ Using a balanced approach to bibliometrics: quantitative performance measures in the Australian Research Quality Framework ESEP 8:83-92 ; Full text in pdf format Erratum
Bornmann L, Mutz R, Neuhaus C, Daniel HD / Citation counts for research evaluation: standards of good practice for analyzing bibliometric data and presenting and interpreting results ESEP 8:93-102 ; Full text in pdf format
Harnad S / Validating research performance metrics against peer rankings ESEP 8:103-107 ; Full text in pdf format
Table of Contents
[http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esep/v8/n1/]
International PhD Program in Regenerative Therapiesat the BSRT/Charite, Berlin
December 4, 2008
International PhD Program in Regenerative Therapiesat the BSRT/Charite, Berlin
The international PhD program of the Berlin-Brandenburg School for Regenerative Therapies (BSRT) offers outstanding interdisciplinary training and research opportunities for students of natural sciences and engineering who want to pursue a career in the field of Regenerative Medicine and aim at translating their scientific discoveries into clinical applications.
The BSRT is a collaboration between the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, the Freie Universität zu Berlin, the Technische Universität, the Univeristy of Potsdam, Max Planck and Helmholtz Institutes and other high-ranking research institutions in Berlin and Brandenburg. This collaboration offers top class scientific training leading to the award of a PhD degree for students with a Master’s or equivalent degree in biology, iochemistry, bioengineering, veterinary medicine, chemistry, engineering or physics.The program will start in April 2009.. Students admitted to the PhD program will be supported by stipends. Application deadline is the 15th November 2008. Please use only the online application form provided on our website at www.bsrt.de where you can also find further information about the BSRT and the
application procedure. The online application forms will be available from 20th September 2008.
Contact
Prof. Dr. Georg Duda
Scientific Coordinator
Prof. Dr. Hans-Dieter Volk
Deputy-Scientific Coordinator
Dr. Sabine Bartosch
Administrative Coordinator
Berlin-Brandenburg School for Regenerative Therapies
Charité • Campus Virchow-Klinikum
Augustenburger Platz 1
13353 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 450539418
Fax: +49 30 450539918
E-Mail: info[ at ]bsrt.de
Web: www.bsrt.de
US must halt spread of nuclear, bio weapons - Biden - Reuters
December 3, 2008
US must halt spread of nuclear, bio weapons - Biden - Reuters US must halt spread of nuclear, bio weapons - Biden
BBC News
Reuters -
By Randall Mikkelsen WASHINGTON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - The United States has done too little to fight the spread of weapons of mass destruction, US Vice President-elect Joe Biden said on Wednesday, as he got a congressional report warning of their pressing …
Video: Panel Warns of a Biological Attack by 2013
• Court May Decide What Size Award Violates Rights Court May … - Washington Post • Court May Decide What Size Award Violates Rights Court May …
ABC News
Washington Post -
By Robert Barnes In civics books, and sometimes even in real life, the Supreme Court speaks and everybody falls in line, like it or not.
US Supreme Court takes up tobacco case for third time
Philip Morris' Legal Smoke Screen
Beasiswa Singapura: The Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA)
December 2, 2008
Beasiswa Singapura: The Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA)
The Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA) is a collaboration between the Agency for Science, Technology & Research (A*STAR), the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU). PhD training will be carried out in English at your chosen lab at A*STAR Research Institutes, NUS or NTU. Students will be supervised by distinguished and world-renowned researchers in these labs. Upon successful completion, students will be conferred a PhD degree by either NUS or NTU.
“We want to encourage more such exchanges, to build friendships and mutual understanding. This is why we are introducing a new Singapore International Graduate Award (or SINGA), for international students to do their PhD training in a multi-disciplinary environment in Singapore. 240 SINGA Awards will be given every year to top students from all over the world. I hope that this will enhance the close educational ties between our countries and will bring our young talents even closer together.”
Extracted from Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong`s speech at the Honorary Doctorate Degree Conferment Ceremony, Eotvos Lorand University, 9 October 2007, Budapest, Hungary
ELIGIBILITY
* Open to all international students
* Graduates with a passion for research and excellent academic results
* Good skills in written and spoken English
* Good reports from academic referees
AWARD TERMS
* Attractive monthly stipend over 4 years of PhD studies, which can support you comfortably. The stipend amount is SGD 24,000 annually, to be increased to SGD 30,000 after passing Qualifying Examination.
* Full support for tuition fees for 4 years of PhD studies.
* One-time SGD 1,000 Settling-in Allowance
* One-time Airfare Grant of SGD 1,500
Estimated cost of living in Singapore
Items Per Student Per Month (SGD)
Food
- University Canteens
- Meals outside Campus
200 - 300
440 - 525
Accommodation - rental of a hostel room / room outside campus 225 - 400
Transport Expenses (local) 100 - 150
Other Expenses (stationery, toiletries, laundry, recreation, etc) 300 - 500
Total Estimated Cost of Living 1,100 - 1,700
* 1 USD is about 1.4 SGD
HOW TO APPLY
Application for January 2009 intake has closed. Click here to apply for August 2009 intake.
The application deadline for August 2009 intake is 1 January 2009. Completed application and supporting documents will have to reach us by mail then.
Incomplete applications and new applications received after 1 January 2009 will be considered for January 2010 intake.
All supporting documents are to be submitted by post to:
Attention: Jeremy Ng
A*STAR Graduate Academy
Agency for Science, Technology and Research
20 Biopolis Way, #07-01 Centros
Singapore 138668
Please check and ensure that all data you have entered in the online form is correct and accurate before you submit the online application. Amendments to the online application will not be possible after it is submitted. In addition, amendments on the hardcopy of the application form will not be included and will render the application invalid.
You may download the Academic Referee`s Recommendation Form here.
Only short-listed candidates will be notified within 2 months from the application closing date.
For more information please visit:
https://www.singa.a-star.edu.sg/theaward.php
Research Doctoral Fellowship - University of Teeside
November 29, 2008
Research Doctoral Fellowship - University of Teeside
Research Doctoral Scholarships
The University of Teesside is offering three full-time Research Doctoral Scholarships across the broad theme of business applied to any area of the public, private or voluntary sectors or partnership working between them. Key areas of research strength within Teesside Business School (TBS) are around public sector management, public governance, HRM, urban and rural regeneration, leisure and tourism, marketing, organisational learning, leadership and strategy. Applications in these areas would be particularly welcome. The award/s will be for a period of three years and include fees (home/EU or international rate) and an annual stipend of £12,940. It is anticipated that the successful candidates will, through their research, also contribute to the delivery of business and/or business-related programmes within TBS for a maximum of 6 hours a week. Successful applicants should be in a position to take up the scholarship by November 2008.
For an informal discussions about these studentships please contact Dr Tom Mordue, Assistant Dean (Research), Teesside Business School: T.Mordue@Tees. ac.uk. Phone: +44 (0)1642 342808.
Research Doctoral Scholarships applicants should have at least an upper second class honours degree or equivalent qualification and ideally a postgraduate qualification. The minimum English language entry level is IELTS 6.5 with no grade below 6.0 or equivalent.
To apply for a scholarship you must contact the Graduate Research School for an application form:
University of Teesside Research Doctoral Scholarships
Graduate Research School
University of Teesside
Middlesbrough
Tees Valley
TS1 3BA
UK
Email: graduateresearchsch ool@tees. ac.uk or tel: +44 (0)1642 738033
Closing date: 27 October 2008
Master by distance learning in Sweden
November 29, 2008
Master by distance learning in Sweden
Blekinge Tekniska Hogskola
Master of Business Administration
http://www.bth. se/mam/internetm ba.nsf
Blekinge Tekniska Hogskola
Master in Informatics
http://www.bth. se/tek/masters_ eng.nsf/pages/ 6ac896e585ebeb73 c12572330
038a209!OpenDocumen t
Lulea Tekniska Universitet
Master in Information Security
http://www.ltu. se/edu/program/ FMISA?l=en
Lund University
Master´s programme in Geographical Information Systems
http://www.lu. se/o.o.i. s?id=10901& lukas_id= NAGIV
Tuition fee: Free (pemerintah Swedia tidak men-charge tuition fee hingga sekarang)
Living Cost: Free (karena tidak perlu tinggal di Swedia)
Berita terakhir menyatakan pemerintah Swedia rencana akan men-charge tuition fee utk tahun academic 2009/2010. Jika benar maka programme2 tsb akan tidak free lagi.
International PhD Program in Regenerative Therapiesat the BSRT/Charite, Berlin
The international PhD program of the Berlin-Brandenburg School for Regenerative Therapies (BSRT) offers outstanding interdisciplinary training and research opportunities for students of natural sciences and engineering who want to pursue a career in the field of Regenerative Medicine and aim at translating their scientific discoveries into clinical applications.
The BSRT is a collaboration between the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, the Freie Universität zu Berlin, the Technische Universität, the Univeristy of Potsdam, Max Planck and Helmholtz Institutes and other high-ranking research institutions in Berlin and Brandenburg. This collaboration offers top class scientific training leading to the award of a PhD degree for students with a Master’s or equivalent degree in biology, iochemistry, bioengineering, veterinary medicine, chemistry, engineering or physics.The program will start in April 2009.. Students admitted to the PhD program will be supported by stipends. Application deadline is the 15th November 2008. Please use only the online application form provided on our website at www.bsrt.de where you can also find further information about the BSRT and the
application procedure. The online application forms will be available from 20th September 2008.
Contact
Prof. Dr. Georg Duda
Scientific Coordinator
Prof. Dr. Hans-Dieter Volk
Deputy-Scientific Coordinator
Dr. Sabine Bartosch
Administrative Coordinator
Berlin-Brandenburg School for Regenerative Therapies
Charité • Campus Virchow-Klinikum
Augustenburger Platz 1
13353 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 450539418
Fax: +49 30 450539918
E-Mail: info[ at ]bsrt.de
Web: www.bsrt.de
Follow up on Duke’s Motion and Two Other Items
November 29, 2008
Follow up on Duke’s Motion and Two Other Items
The Administration’s Motion Denied
As predicted, the judge in the civil suits denied the Duke administration’s motion to sanction opposing counsel for an alleged violation of Rule 3.6. (See previous post.) Here are details from the News and Observer and the Chronicle.
I wrote a letter to the Chronicle in which I call the actions by Duke’s counsel unprofessional. Understand that this motion was not a request for relief from any alleged harm. The administration’s lawyer denied in court that the motion was a request for a gag order. The motion was solely an attack on the integrity of Charles Cooper and his colleagues and, as I suggested in the previous post, one that had no basis in law. A bar complaint is a very serious matter touching on both the character and professional qualifications of an attorney. It should not be made lightly and certainly not to try and score a rhetorical point.
The administration’s motion is also a mean spirited cheap shot against the players who were also specifically targeted. Although Rule 3.6 only applies to attorneys, the motion requested that the court make a finding that “Plaintiffs and their counsel” violated Rule 3.6 and the local rule incorporating it. It accuses them of violating one of the same rules that their tormentor and the administration’s erstwhile codefendant, Mike Nifong did.
While the administration’s attorneys were rummaging through the Rules of Professional Conduct, perhaps they missed Rule 3.1:
A lawyer shall not bring or defend a proceeding, or assert or controvert an issue therein, unless there is a basis in law and fact for doing so that is not frivolous, which includes a good faith argument for an extension, modification or reversal of existing law.
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11(b)(2) has a similar requirement.
It is hard to see the administration’s motion as a good faith argument for the extension, modification or reversal of existing law. Interpreting a statute or rule is a matter of reading the text, which is entirely controlling, and there was no suggestion that the language used is vague or ambiguous. Duke’s argument that the spirit of the rule was violated, even if it were true, is utterly beside the point. Moreover, Rule 3.6(b)(2), the public documents exception, appears specifically intended to operate as a safe harbor rule for lawyers trying to comply with the general rule stated in Rule 3.6(a). Finally, even if the court did announce a new rule, it could not give it retroactive effect.
What we are left with the administration is attempting to try the case in the media under the guise of upholding the exact opposite principle. For the administration, appearances have always been the only thing that mattered. Still, this is a new low.
Elmo a Citizen
Congratulations to Moezeldin Elmostafa, or “Elmo” as he affectionately came to be known to supporters of the accused players, who recently became a US citizen. He was also recently named “Hero of the Year” by Reader’s Digest magazine. Durham needs more citizens like him.
Elmo was the taxi driver who picked up Reade Seligmann from the party and was able to help document Reade’s alibi. After Reade’s alibi came to light, Mike Nifong sent two detectives working on the lacrosse case to arrest Elmo on a stale warrant. When they arrested him, they asked him if he “had anything new to say about the lacrosse case.” When he said no, they then took him to a magistrate. He was eventually found innocent at trial.
I hope that the recent renewed publicity will focus attention on one loose end that remains in making Nifong fully accountable for his conduct. Attempting to alter the testimony of a witness is obstruction of justice. While Nifong’s ethical misconduct was addressed by the North Carolina Bar, he has never been made to account for his criminal conduct. Also suspicious was Nifong’s conduct in relation to another witness, the second dancer Kim Roberts. The same day that Nifong personally intervened to have her bail reduced on an unrelated criminal charge, she started giving an account that contradicted her earlier statement to police that no rape had occurred.
Elmo’s case also should be instructive to those who saw Nifong as some sort of champion for social justice because he was targeting affluent or supposedly affluent people. As an immigrant looking to become a citizen, Elmo was one of the most vulnerable people in our society. A criminal conviction of any kind could have resulted in his deportation and permanent exclusion from the United States. Yet, Nifong was as willing to maliciously prosecute him for his own purposes as he was Reade, Collin and David. Indeed, given the fact that Elmo refused to change his story when pressured by police, Nifong’s decision to prosecute him anyway was purely vindictive.
Amended Complaint
Bob Ekstrand who is representing three of the players in the civil suits recently filed an amended complaint which contains additional allegations and information. It also contains embedded audio and video exhibits. Warning! It is a huge file (121 MB). Such is the extent of the misdeeds of Duke and Durham’s leaders.
Student As Scholar | Scholar As Student
I Have Created A New Global Facebook Group Named
“Student As Scholar / Scholar As Student”
“Undergraduate education should adopt the “Student as Scholar” Model throughout the curriculum, where scholar is conceived in terms of an attitude, an intellectual posture, and a frame of mind derived from the best traditions of an engaged liberal arts education. With this framework, not only each research project, but also each course, is viewed as an integrated, and integrating, part of the student experience.”
David Hodge, Kira Pasquesi, Marissa Hirsh / Miami University ; Paul LePore / University of Washington
For The Full View, Please See The Blog Post
_The Student as Scholar: Undergraduate Research and Creative Practice_
[ http://scholarship20.blogspot.com/2008/07/student-as-scholar-undergraduate.html]
OR
[http://tinyurl.com/669xvm]
The “Student As Scholar / Scholar As Student” Global Open-To-AnyOne Facebook Group Is Located At
[http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=27141416631]
!!! PLEASE JOIN AND CONTRIBUTE !!!
Various PhD Positions, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy
November 29, 2008
Various PhD Positions, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy
website link: http://www.unimore. it/en/academics/ doctorates. html
The Call for admission to Ph.D. Programmes (XXIV cycle - year 2009) with administrative headquarters at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia is published on the website of the University http://www.unimore. it/en/ at page http://www.unimore. it/en/academics/ doctorates. html (in the sections relating to each Doctoral School).
In particular Italian and foreign applicants in possession of an academic qualification awarded outside Italy and equivalent to an Italian degree (ante D.M. 509/99) or specialist/teaching degree (D.M. 509/99 and D.M. 270/04) will be required to provide the degree certificate with a list of exams taken complete with Italian translation, legalisation and “declaration of legal value in loco (Dichiarazione di valore in loco)” supplied by the Italian consulate or diplomatic representative competent for the country concerned, in accordance with current admission regulations concerning foreign students (further information is available in the enclosed file).
PhD researcher Environmental toxicology and chemistry - Utrecht University
PhD researcher Environmental toxicology and chemistry (1,0 fte)
Utrecht University
(Utrecht), 38 hours per week
Job description
The objective of the PhD project is to get a better understanding of the sorption and bioavailability of cationic surfactants in sediments. This knowledge is essential for improving the environmental risk assessment of this class of contaminants. The project is funded by the European Chemical Industry Council and will be performed in collaboration with the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig.
One of the tasks is to improve the analytical procedure for measuring the freely dissolved concentration of cationic surfactants in environmental samples, including sediment suspension. Sorption studies will be performed to elucidate the contribution of sorption to clay minerals to the overall sorption capacity in natural sediments. Measuring freely dissolved concentrations in the pore water phase of a sediment toxicity test will clarify whether adverse effects to biota are solely controlled by the freely dissolved concentration in the pore water.
Requirements
Required education/skills: University Graduate
We are looking for an enthusiastic candidate carrying a master’s or equivalent degree in biology, chemistry or geochemistry with a background in environmental toxicology or chemistry and an affinity for analytical methodologies.
Job type: Research / Advising
Workfield(s) :
- Research trainees, non-tenured lecturers, researchers( Scientific discipline: Health)
Organization
Utrecht University
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
The Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS) is an interfacultary research institute from the faculties Veterinary Medicine and Medicine, and the departments Biology and Pharmaceutical Sciences of the Science faculty at the Utrecht University. The mission of IRAS is to provide research and education on human health risks of exposure to potentially harmful agents in the environment, at the workplace and through the food chain. IRAS has three research divisions. The Environmental Epidemiology division performs epidemiological research on respiratory, cardiovascular and carcinogenic health risks in relation to biological and chemical exposures. Within the Veterinary Public Health division research is conducted to identify and study possible adverse health effects from microbial and non-microbial agents occurring in food derived from the animal production process. Research within the Toxicology division covers the part of the risk assessment in which the availability and dose – adverse health effect relationships of toxic substances are studied. The aim of IRAS is to perform quality research with a high relevance for society.
PhD researcher Environmental toxicology and chemistry
Conditions of employment
Estimated maximum salary per month: eur 2500 - 3000
Salary: scale 10.
Maximum salary amount in Euro’s a month 2558
Employment basis: Temporary for specified period
Duration of the contract: 1,5 year
Maximum hours per week: 38
Additional conditions of employment:
The IRAS can offer you a temporary full-time appointment of one and a half year with the perspective of prolongation with another 2½ years. The gross salary starts with € 2,000.- per month in the first year and increases to € 2,558.- per month in the fourth year of employment (salary scale “P” Collective Employment Agreement of the Dutch Universities) .
Secondary benefits, based on the Collective Employment Agreement of the Dutch Universities are excellent in general and include e.g. a pension scheme, flexible employment conditions and salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and a year-end bonus of 6.4% per year.
As a partner in the Postgraduate Education in Toxicology (PET) programme, IRAS offers the opportunity to follow courses in this programme with the aim of obtaining the possibility to register as a toxicologist with the Dutch Society of Toxicology as well as with EUROTOX.
Additional Information
Additional information about the vacancy can be obtained from:
Dr Joop Hermens
Telephone number: 31 30 2535337
E-mail address: j.hermens@uu. nl
Or additional information can be obtained through one of the following links:
* About the organization (http://www.vet. uu.nl/viavet/ viavet_english)
* About the function (http://www.iras. uu.nl/)
Application
You can apply for this job before 09-10-2008 (dd-mm-yyyy) by sending your application to:
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
J.C.M. Schoonenberg
Yalelaan 1
3584 CL Utrecht
E-mail: vacatures1@vet. uu.nl
When applying for this job always mention the vacancynumber 12875.
Follow up on Duke’s Motion and Two Other Items
November 27, 2008
Follow up on Duke’s Motion and Two Other Items
The Administration’s Motion Denied
As predicted, the judge in the civil suits denied the Duke administration’s motion to sanction opposing counsel for an alleged violation of Rule 3.6. (See previous post.) Here are details from the News and Observer and the Chronicle.
I wrote a letter to the Chronicle in which I call the actions by Duke’s counsel unprofessional. Understand that this motion was not a request for relief from any alleged harm. The administration’s lawyer denied in court that the motion was a request for a gag order. The motion was solely an attack on the integrity of Charles Cooper and his colleagues and, as I suggested in the previous post, one that had no basis in law. A bar complaint is a very serious matter touching on both the character and professional qualifications of an attorney. It should not be made lightly and certainly not to try and score a rhetorical point.
The administration’s motion is also a mean spirited cheap shot against the players who were also specifically targeted. Although Rule 3.6 only applies to attorneys, the motion requested that the court make a finding that “Plaintiffs and their counsel” violated Rule 3.6 and the local rule incorporating it. It accuses them of violating one of the same rules that their tormentor and the administration’s erstwhile codefendant, Mike Nifong did.
While the administration’s attorneys were rummaging through the Rules of Professional Conduct, perhaps they missed Rule 3.1:
A lawyer shall not bring or defend a proceeding, or assert or controvert an issue therein, unless there is a basis in law and fact for doing so that is not frivolous, which includes a good faith argument for an extension, modification or reversal of existing law.
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11(b)(2) has a similar requirement.
It is hard to see the administration’s motion as a good faith argument for the extension, modification or reversal of existing law. Interpreting a statute or rule is a matter of reading the text, which is entirely controlling, and there was no suggestion that the language used is vague or ambiguous. Duke’s argument that the spirit of the rule was violated, even if it were true, is utterly beside the point. Moreover, Rule 3.6(b)(2), the public documents exception, appears specifically intended to operate as a safe harbor rule for lawyers trying to comply with the general rule stated in Rule 3.6(a). Finally, even if the court did announce a new rule, it could not give it retroactive effect.
What we are left with the administration is attempting to try the case in the media under the guise of upholding the exact opposite principle. For the administration, appearances have always been the only thing that mattered. Still, this is a new low.
Elmo a Citizen
Congratulations to Moezeldin Elmostafa, or “Elmo” as he affectionately came to be known to supporters of the accused players, who recently became a US citizen. He was also recently named “Hero of the Year” by Reader’s Digest magazine. Durham needs more citizens like him.
Elmo was the taxi driver who picked up Reade Seligmann from the party and was able to help document Reade’s alibi. After Reade’s alibi came to light, Mike Nifong sent two detectives working on the lacrosse case to arrest Elmo on a stale warrant. When they arrested him, they asked him if he “had anything new to say about the lacrosse case.” When he said no, they then took him to a magistrate. He was eventually found innocent at trial.
I hope that the recent renewed publicity will focus attention on one loose end that remains in making Nifong fully accountable for his conduct. Attempting to alter the testimony of a witness is obstruction of justice. While Nifong’s ethical misconduct was addressed by the North Carolina Bar, he has never been made to account for his criminal conduct. Also suspicious was Nifong’s conduct in relation to another witness, the second dancer Kim Roberts. The same day that Nifong personally intervened to have her bail reduced on an unrelated criminal charge, she started giving an account that contradicted her earlier statement to police that no rape had occurred.
Elmo’s case also should be instructive to those who saw Nifong as some sort of champion for social justice because he was targeting affluent or supposedly affluent people. As an immigrant looking to become a citizen, Elmo was one of the most vulnerable people in our society. A criminal conviction of any kind could have resulted in his deportation and permanent exclusion from the United States. Yet, Nifong was as willing to maliciously prosecute him for his own purposes as he was Reade, Collin and David. Indeed, given the fact that Elmo refused to change his story when pressured by police, Nifong’s decision to prosecute him anyway was purely vindictive.
Amended Complaint
Bob Ekstrand who is representing three of the players in the civil suits recently filed an amended complaint which contains additional allegations and information. It also contains embedded audio and video exhibits. Warning! It is a huge file (121 MB). Such is the extent of the misdeeds of Duke and Durham’s leaders.
