The Advanced Science Research Center has brought CUNY to a landmark moment in its multi-billion-dollar commitment to becoming a national leader in visionary scientific research of vital, real-world consequence. Located on the south end of the City College campus in Upper Manhattan, the striking, 200,000-square-foot ASRC building embodies a bold vision of 21st Century discovery. At the center’s core is a world-class facility designed to inspire an innovative approach to the scientific method itself, one that links a new wave of talented scientists with hundreds of top researchers from CUNY campuses across the city. The ASRC focuses CUNY initiatives in five of the most energized areas of global research: Nanoscience. Photonics. Structural Biology. Neuroscience. Environmental Sciences.

These are diverse and seemingly distinct fields, but they intersect in many of the most significant research quests of our time. It was the opportunity for myriad collaborations—particularly between labs in areas that are already in CUNY’s spheres of strength—that guided the center’s planners. Led by Vice Chancellor for Research Gillian Small, what they have conceived is the DNA of a distinctive research culture—creative, collaborative, convergent—to take on scientific challenges ranging from Alzheimer’s disease to the future of the global water supply. The CUNY Advanced Science Research Center brings the nation’s leading urban public university to a landmark moment in its multibillion-dollar commitment to innovative science. The ASRC focuses on CUNY initiatives in five dynamic fields of applied science: Nanoscience, Photonics, Structural Biology, Neuroscience, and Environmental Sciences. Through its innovative architectural design, the center reflects a uniquely collaborative culture, where scientists work across disciplines to take on some of global science’s most vital and tantalizing challenges.

The school — along with six others in New York City — is part of a new Education Department initiative aimed at maintaining a racial and socioeconomic balance at schools in fast-gentrifying neighborhoods. For the first time the department is allowing a group of principals to set aside a percentage of seats for low-income families, English-language learners or students engaged with the child welfare system as a means of creating greater diversity within their schools.

The continuing segregation of American schools — and the accompanying achievement gap between white, middle-class students and poorer minority children — has become an urgent matter of debate among educators and at all levels of government. Last week, President Obama lent his weight to the issue when he included in his budget a $120 million grant program for school integration aimed at de-concentrating poverty.

Principals at these schools say they know that middle-class families often bring with them higher test scores, making the schools look better on paper. But several added that chasing test scores was not what had drawn them into education.

Administrators at the seven pilot schools say they are all motivated by their belief that classrooms that are racially and economically diverse are good for students, according to recent research, maybe even making them brighter.

Emily Cowan, a freelance artist and social worker, said she was willing to even sacrifice her own kindergartner’s slot next year to “preserve that diversity,” though it would mean sending her son to a different school next year.

McALLEN, Tex. — At 7 p.m. on a recent Wednesday, Isabella and Tony Ruiz were standing in their usual homework spot, on a crumbling sidewalk across the street from the elementary school nearest to their home.
“I got it. I’m going to download,” Isabella said to her brother Tony as they connected to the school’s wireless hot spot and watched her teacher’s math guide slowly appear on the cracked screen of the family smartphone.
Isabella, 11, and Tony, 12, were outside the school because they have no Internet service at home — and connectivity is getting harder. With their mother, Maria, out of work for months and money coming only from their father, Isaias, who washes dishes, the family had cut back on almost everything, including their cellphone data plan.
So every weeknight, the siblings stood outside the low-slung school, sometimes for hours, to complete homework for the sixth grade.
“There’s just no funds left,” Maria Ruiz said later outside the family’s white clapboard rental home. “It worries me because it will become more important to have Internet when they have to do more homework.”
With many educators pushing for students to use resources on the Internet with class work, the federal government is now grappling with a stark disparity in access to technology, between students who have high-speed Internet at home and an estimated five million families who are without it and who are struggling to keep up.
The challenge is felt across the nation. Some students in Coachella, Calif., and Huntsville, Ala., depend on school buses that have free Wi-Fi to complete their homework.

The upcoming budget for the Chicago Public Schools will rely on $500 million in yet-to-be-enacted pension savings by Illinois, school officials said. The third-largest U.S. public school system is projecting a $1.1 billion deficit in its fiscal 2016 budget, largely because of an approximately $675 million pension payment. If the $500 million in pension relief does not materialize, officials said, the school district would turn to “unsustainable borrowing and additional cuts” to balance the budget nearly halfway through the fiscal year.

“The fact is much of the pain in this year’s budget is due to a broken pension system that forces CPS to choose between making pension payments and investing in our classrooms,” interim Chief Executive Officer Jesse Ruiz told reporters.

A complete fiscal 2016 budget, which will include a $61 million property tax increase and must be in place by the end of August, will be released later this summer. The school system tapped borrowed money to make a $634 million, state-mandated fiscal 2015 payment to the Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund by a June 30 deadline. It also announced $200 million in spending cuts last month that include the elimination of 1,400 jobs. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who controls the district, called on the state legislature to either create a uniform pension system for all Illinois teachers or pay a bigger chunk of the city’s teacher pensions. The Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund said it received just $62.1 million in fiscal 2015 state appropriations, compared with $3.5 billion for the statewide Teachers Retirement System. District officials said the upcoming budget would incorporate a $106 million cut in state funding. Still, per-pupil funding will remain at current amounts of $4,390 to $5,444, depending on the grade level.

Designers at Valencia-based start up Closca design have made a meaningful first impression with the debut of Closca Fuga, an urban bicycle helmet that resolves the unfortunate clash between self-protection and self-expression. The clever design, a result of the company’s collaboration with the renowned Polytechnic University of Valencia and Culdesac, is made of 3 rings hinged together for a light, portable, and compact alternative to the traditionally cumbersome style. On top of its unprecedented convenience, Fuga has made a fashion accessory for commuters from what was previously an annoyance and compromise to personal style – unless the subject is a “Tour de France refugee.”

This is a premium and responsive theme, absolutely suited for all your web-based needs.

City riders need this simple precaution when on their way to work, to run errands, and to meet with friends; Closca has made it so that the necessity of a helmet can be fluidly incorporated into your routine and your look without weighing you down or spoiling your style. The perfectly minimal design is available in a range of materials and simple colors to suit a variety of tastes, with interchangeable accessories like visors, aviator-style ear flaps, and woolen caps to keep you looking your best. While a large part of Closca’s focus was on the aesthetic, Fuga is safety certified just like its overtly utilitarian counterparts, with fibreglass reinforced EPS, a multisize elastic system for optimal fit, and ventilation for superior air flow. It comes as no surprise that the Indiegogo project – created a mere two days ago – has already met it’s $20,000 goal. Read more, watch the video, or contribute now to claim your own.