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TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2006 Chinese Turn to Net for College Prep Practicing Medicine on Robots Library of Congress Archives Recordings CHINESE TURN TO NET FOR COLLEGE PREP Chinese students are increasingly turning to the Internet for information and advice about negotiating the process of applying to colleges abroad and obtaining approval from the Chinese government to study abroad. Because a large portion of Chinese students pursue degrees from U.S. institutions, much of the online chatter is on topics specific to the United Sates, including tests such as the SAT and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Admissions sites offer advice on topics including writing essays and preparing for interviews, and some sites keep a tally of the numbers of students who apply to and are accepted by a list of U.S. colleges and universities. Chinese students must apply for and be given a visa to travel abroad to study, and many Web sites provide extremely specific tips about how to handle the visa interview with Chinese officials. CNET, 17 April 2006 http://news.com.com/2100-1032_3-6061774.html PRACTICING MEDICINE ON ROBOTS Computerized mannequins are finding a home in medical training programs in an effort "to engineer out some of the errors," according to Paul Preston, an anesthesiologist at Kaiser Permanente. The errors he is referring to are the preventable medical mistakes that lead to 98,000 deaths annually, according to the National Academy of Sciences's Institute of Medicine. Preston heads a training program for Kaiser hospitals where mannequins are used to simulate childbirth. The mannequins in the Kaiser program are made by Gaumard Scientific and can present trainees with a wide range of situations, ranging from fairly standard births to those complicated by various factors, some life-threatening. The mannequin gives birth to a plastic doll that simulates a real infant. It exhibits vital signs and can demonstrate oxygen deficiency and a number of other conditions that affect newborns. Wired News, 16 April 2006 http://www.wired.com/news/wireservice/0,70672-0.html LIBRARY OF CONGRESS ARCHIVES RECORDINGS The Library of Congress has announced this year's 50 selections to be added to the National Recording Registry. The 2000 National Recording Preservation Act charges the Library of Congress with choosing recordings each year that are at least 10 years old and are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" to be included in the registry. The registry dovetails with a number of other efforts to preserve recorded material in digital format in order to sidestep a future in which vast numbers of recordings disappear, either because they are on volatile media that are not properly preserved or because the technology to play them becomes obsolete and scarce. Researchers warn that government and private efforts must begin now to ensure the long-term accessibility of millions of tapes and records at risk. The Library of Congress has also begun digitizing nearly 4 million sound and video recordings it maintains, including 80,000 vinyl 45-rpm records. Federal Computer Week, 13 April 2006 http://www.fcw.com/article94066-04-13-06-Web ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your settings, or access the Edupage archive, visit http://www.educause.edu/Edupage/639 Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE RESOURCES The EDUCAUSE Resource Center is a repository for information concerning use and management of IT in higher education. To access resources including articles, books, conference sessions, contracts, effective practices, plans, policies, position descriptions, and blog content, go to http://www.educause.edu/resources ***************************************************** CONFERENCES For information on all EDUCAUSE learning and networking opportunities, see http://www.educause.edu/31 ***************************************************** COPYRIGHT Edupage copyright (c) 2006, EDUCAUSE
