To participate, just post a comment here by 9 a.m. Eastern on July 5 that answers the questions “What interested you most in The Times this week? Why?”
So what did you read, watch or listen to this week?
We hope you’ll click around NYTimes.com and find your own great articles, features and multimedia, but we know that not everyone who participates has a Times subscription. Because all links to Times content from the student features on our site are free, every week we’ll try to help by posting interesting pieces from a variety of sections.
Or, maybe you discovered articles in the other sections like …
Whatever caught your eye, tell us about it in the comments.
Need more details? The contest rules are all here, and you can read the work of last year’s winners here. A quick overview, though:
• You can choose from anything published in the print paper or on NYTimes.com in 2019, including videos, graphics and photographs. (In your response, please include the URL or headline of the piece you pick.)
• We’ll post this question each Friday from today through Aug. 16, and you’ll have until the next Friday morning to respond with your picks. Then we’ll close that post and open a new one with the same question.
• We’ll choose at least one favorite answer to feature on our site each week. Winners from this week will be announced on July 16.
• Feel free to participate each week, but we allow only one submission per person per week.
• New for 2019: Students in the United States and the United Kingdom must be between 13 to 19 years old to participate. However, if you are submitting from anywhere else in the world, you must be between 16 to 19 years old. Please see The New York Times’s terms of service for more details.
A common sleep recommendation is to limit naps! Wait, what?
Anyone who has struggled to get children to nap should be laughing so hard now they might be crying. As a parent of two young boys, I cherish times when they both settle down for an afternoon nap. Certainly, children should be getting more sleep than adults, but how tempted am I to nap with them? Mayo Clinic.org (2) explains that adults who nap should pay attention to the length of their nap. They suggest that going past 90 minutes in a nap is a deal breaker. After 90 minutes you typically progress into deeper sleep. Spending too much time or not enough in deep sleep stages can cause you to feel terrible after you wake.
I have been teaching my students about the role of sleep in forming memory for a while now. Psychologists Georg Muller and Alfons Pilzecker were among the first to suggest that what we learn changes overtime, and sleep can account for some of this change by improving long-term memory (3). They found that participants learning short sets of “non-sense” syllables (e.g., FOV) would recall syllables randomly, over time, even when these syllables were no longer being tested. They called the ability to remember without intention, “perseveration.” Consider not being able to stop thinking about an embarrassing event, long after you were embarrassed; this is perseveration. Muller and Pilzecker called the process of consistently remembering consolidation. This word makes me think of taking all the leftovers in my fridge and planning to eat what is still good and throw out what is too far gone each week. Consolidation is an important process to remembering.
When we make new memories, the hippocampus is heavily relied upon. Over time, memories begin to rely predominately on the cortex and in turn, less on the hippocampus. It is not that the knowledge “moves” from one place to the other. It is that as time passes, we tend to use and connect long-term memory with other memories (4). This image from research by Gordon and Diekelmann depicts how information at learning relies on activation of the hippocampus, but, after sleep and retrieval, activation shifts to the cortex.
The Online Master of Computer and Information Technology (MCIT) program at the University of Pennsylvania is designed for students from non-computer science backgrounds who want to leverage computer science to advance their careers and positively impact society. MCIT Online brings the established on-campus MCIT program into a 100% online format. This innovative degree program has a history of empowering students from diverse academic backgrounds to succeed in a variety of technology fields.
To better understand what it takes for someone with little computer science experience to land a job at a top tech company in just two years, we talked with on-campus MCIT alumni and Penn Engineering faculty about the degree program, the alumni network, and what a prospective student should know when applying.
The new suite of computer science degrees from the University of London and member institution Goldsmiths offer you the opportunity to study your degree fully online. This flexibility allows many students to continue working while gaining a qualification that will support future career ambitions. We spoke to three students about how they manage their studies with work, family, and other commitments.
You don’t need to be in a classroom at a specific time each week – all you need is internet access.
Alexeia Wiesner had already completed the first year of a computer science degree at a local university when financial pressures forced him to withdraw to work full time. Now, with nearly 10 years of on-the-job experience as a web developer, he was determined to complete his qualification and the flexibility offered by the University of London’s online computer science programme suited him perfectly.
“The University of London has a good track record for distance learning and this looked like a really good quality programme. I’m studying the Web and Mobile Development specialism which is in line with the field I’m working in and the flexibility of online study means I can still work three days a week. It’s good because you don’t need to be in a classroom at a specific time each week – all you need is internet access.”
I’m learning stuff that applies directly to my job – I can use it almost immediately.
The new programme, has been developed in partnership with academics from Goldsmiths, University of London and Coursera, one of the world’s largest online learning platforms. The interactive content has been carefully designed to engage and inspire students, whether they choose to study online or attend a local teaching centre.
“The programme is really well done. With the videos you’re still getting a sense of face-to-face teaching and the material is given to you in an interesting format – there’s a story behind it to keep you engaged. One of my modules is themed around you being a detective and using coding skills to solve puzzles,” says Amanda Maria Bizzinotto Ferreira, who started the programme X months ago.
“I can’t lie, it does take more effort to study around work and you have to be self-disciplined and plan your time well. But I’m already learning stuff that applies directly to my job – I can use it almost immediately. In the future I’m hoping to be a freelancer and work remotely, so this flexible approach to studying suits me well and is good preparation.”
Ferreira runs a digital marketing and web development agency. She initially studied a degree in mechanical engineering before a career change led her to a role in product testing and technical support. While she learned on the job, she wanted to gain a formal qualification would help fill the gaps in her skill set.
“I didn’t want to rely solely on what I’ve learned on my own. When you’re self-taught you often have to improvise and work around problems, but with a degree you know you’re learning best practice and getting really good quality instruction.”
Studying web and mobile development will really help my business. Bringing those skills in-house will help us expand the scope of the agency.
After spending a year abroad in the United Kingdom during her first degree, Ferreira was interested in studying at a British university.
“In Brazil it can take five years to complete a degree and I wanted to complete it quicker than that. I really enjoyed my year abroad in Britain but this programme is the best of both worlds – I didn’t have to pay to move to London but I still get a University of London qualification.”
She’s already been able to apply her coursework on the job. “Studying web and mobile development will really help my business. At the moment, if a client needs to have an app built – or even if I need something developed for the agency – I have to hire a developer. Bringing those skills in-house will help us expand the scope of the agency.”
Ricardo Diaz is a self-taught machine learning engineer. When he was offered sponsorship to work in Peru he had to quit his degree in his native Venezuela. Two years later he was determined to finish his formal education and having already completed other courses through online learning platform, Coursera, the University of London degree appealed to him.
The flexibility of online study is great. I like to jump right in and access as much content as possible so it’s good to be able to go at my own pace,” says Diaz
“I’ve always had a love for tech, ever since I was a child. To be self-taught you really have to have a passion for it. But I wanted to complete my qualification and when I heard about the University of London programme on Coursera it sounded interesting,” says Diaz. “The Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence specialism is particularly suited to my career path and it’s rare that you have the chance to study such advance concepts at an undergraduate level.”
He aims to use his love of tech to make a difference in the world and hopes that gaining a strong foundation of knowledge and skills will propel his career. “Being self-taught can only take you so far. Having a formal qualification opens doors. I’m working full time as a machine learning engineer and have also recently been given a contract to write a book about machine learning so I don’t have a lot of free time. The flexibility of online study is great because I can work through four or five weeks’ work in a couple of days. I like to jump right in and access as much content as possible so it’s good to be able to go at my own pace.” Find out how a BSc in Computer Science from the University of London could fit in with your career.
New technologies are changing the way the world works. As a result, governments and organizations are looking for talent with skills that will prepare them for the future. According to our analysis of global skills, demand for technology skills has increased 13% across the globe in the last year. Other important skills like Kubernetes, robotic process automation, and computer-aided manufacturing top Upwork’s list of the 20 fastest growing skills of 2019 so far.
Want to jumpstart your career as a Google Cloud Engineer? Curious what self driving cars are all about? Check out this round of up the top new technology courses and Specializations that have launched this year and start learning today:
Having a baseline understanding of the capabilities of AI and machine learning is important for any role in tech. In this introductory course, you’ll learn AI terminology, what AI can (and cannot) do, how to spot opportunities to apply AI to problems in your own organization, what it feels like to build machine learning and data science projects, how to work with an AI team and build an AI strategy in your company, and more.
The Architecting with Google Kubernetes Engine Specialization will teach you how to implement solutions using Google Kubernetes Engine including building, scheduling, load balancing, and monitoring workloads, as well as providing for discovery of services, managing role-based access control and security, and providing persistent storage to these applications.
Using real-world examples of a serverless website and chat bot, you’ll build upon your existing knowledge of the AWS cloud to take advantage of the benefits of modern architectures for greater agility, innovation, and lower total cost of ownership across a range of AWS services, including AWS Lambda, Amazon API Gateway, Amazon DynamoDB, and Amazon Lex.
This Specialization provides a foundation in the rapidly expanding research field of computer vision, laying the groundwork necessary for designing sophisticated vision applications. Explore the integral elements that enable vision applications, ranging from editing images to reading traffic signs in self-driving cars to factory robots navigating around human co-workers. Content includes image processing and state-of-the-art vision techniques, augmented by insights from top leaders in the computer vision field. You’ll gain hands-on experience writing computer vision programs through online labs using MATLAB and supporting toolboxes. Learn more in this instructor Q&A.
In this four-course Specialization, you’ll explore exciting opportunities for AI applications. Begin by developing an understanding of how to build and train neural networks. Improve a network’s performance using convolutions as you train it to identify real-world images. You’ll teach machines to understand, analyze, and respond to human speech with natural language processing systems. Learn to process text, represent sentences as vectors, and input data to a neural network. You’ll even train an AI to create original poetry!
This one-week on-demand course helps prospective candidates structure their preparation for the Associate Cloud Engineer exam. The session will cover the structure and format of the examination, as well as its relationship to other Google Cloud certifications. Through lectures, demos and hands-on labs, candidates will familiarize themselves with the domains covered by the examination.
This advanced Specialization gives you a comprehensive understanding of state-of-the-art engineering practices used in the self-driving car industry. You’ll get to interact with real data sets from an autonomous vehicle―all through hands-on projects using the open source simulator CARLA.
Europe’s main MOOC providers have partnered to create new microcredentials that will allow learners to earn academic credit while gaining in-demand skills.
The initiative, called Common Microcredentials Framework, is spearheaded by the European MOOC Consortium, which comprises Europe’s largest MOOC providers:
FutureLearn, which is based in the UK and has 9 million learners.
Miriada X, which is based in Spain and has 4 million learners.
FUN, which is based in France and has 1.6 million learners.
EduOpen, which is based in Italy and has 54 thousand learners.
The consortium’s objectives include stimulating the creation of online courses, popularizing their use in academia and industry, and guiding the development of education policy in Europe.
The proponents of the framework argue that as technology evolves, in-demand skills change and continuous learning becomes a necessity; that traditional education isn’t flexible and can’t keep up with technology; and that existing microcredentials, with their different names and characteristics, can confuse learners and employers.
By contrast, microcredentials developed under the new framework aim to be widely recognized; flexible and practical; and ideal to meet the demand for lifelong learning.
To achieve those goals, the European MOOC Consortium has outlined a number of specifications that a microcredential should satisfy to be considered part of the new framework:
Credit-bearing: The microcredential should allow learners to earn academic credit after completing an ID-verified final assessment.
Recognized: The microcredential should be classified at the bachelor’s or master’s degree level in the European Qualifications Framework, which helps European universities understand academic qualifications offered in other European countries.
Transparent: The microcredential provider should issue transcripts to its graduates specifying the skills gained, effort required, and academic credit earned.
Substantial: The microcredential should involve 100 to 150 hours of study.
Practical: If the microcredential is targeted toward professionals, it should help them gain industry-relevant skills and be flexible enough to fit into a busy schedule.
By tying microcredentials to academic credit, the new framework aims to ensure the quality and rigor of its qualifications. By positioning them in the European Qualifications Framework, it aims to facilitate their recognition and portability across Europe. And by requiring them to be skill-centric and flexible, it aims to address the workforce need for upskilling and reskilling.
The first microcredentials within this new framework are expected to launch before the end of 2019.
We all know someone who can light up a room as soon as they walk in. That’s Ally Kettle. In her case, it’s a primary school classroom full of children, who are mesmerised by her energy, her command, and her passion for teaching. “My passion is in the classroom, and that’s where I get the most out of who I am.” smiles Ally.
Prior to studying Curtin University’s Bachelor of Education (Primary Education), Ally worked as an interior designer, but she was lacking the satisfaction she once knew as a child – teaching her little brother about the things she’d learnt. Ally had always wanted to teach, so in a change of heart, she called up OUA and asked a student advisor how she could become a teacher. Since completing her Bachelor, she’s moved onto Curtin’s Master of Education, with the hopes of someday becoming a school principal.
What was perfect about OUA’s set-up, was that Ally was able to study in her own time, and use school hours to volunteer at a primary school. When a graduate teaching position came up at Tulliallan Primary School, Ally jumped at the chance. It was her degree, combined with her work experience, that landed her the job over hundreds of applicants.
Now based at Tulliallan Primary School, Ally finds joy in teaching science to 5-12 year olds, who absolutely adore her. “My job is to engrave a love of science into them,” explains Ally, “because back when I was at school I hated it… and I want something different for them”. Ally continues to study through OUA, owing her success to the flexible nature of study, and her personal drive to excel. “When I really applied myself, I succeeded, and I’m so thankful I can say that”.
Study what energises you
Don’t settle on a job that doesn’t feel right. Reach for your dream career, and let OUA be your first step.
Find the right degree for you – We can guide you in your selection from over 290 degrees, and 1500 subjects, from leading Australian unis.
No barriers to study – We offer single undergraduate subjects from full degrees without any entry requirements.
Gain credit towards your degree – Apply for credit for past study, or your work experience, and finish faster.
Graduate with a degree from a leading uni – Study through us, but graduate with exactly the same university degree as on-campus students.
Support from start to finish – Our Student Advisors can guide you in the right direction and help with your enrolment.
To express your interest in any of the degrees or single subjects on offer through OUA – fill out the form on this page and a friendly Student Advisor will get in contact.
If you’re keen to explore on your own, simply head over to our website to browse the extensive catalogue of courses from universities across Australia.
Seven years ago, Nikki decided to make the move from the Philippines to Sydney, to broaden her opportunities, and challenge herself in a new environment. With a psychology degree to her name, Nikki went back into study – this time, focusing her energy on early childhood education. As a naturally warm and patient person, Nikki was a great fit, and felt her ambition grow stronger. To give herself the strongest possible foundation, Nikki enrolled in Macquarie University’s Master of Teaching (Birth to 5 years), online through Open Universities Australia.
Nikki hits the books at night, while during the day, she works as a Room Leader at KU Children’s Services. She’s in charge of a small group of children, guiding them as they explore new things, and connect with others around them. “The relationships that I’m able to form with the children, and seeing the world from their perspective – it helps me appreciate life more”. What Nikki loves about studying while working is that she can apply what she’s learning immediately, and witness how it works in a real setting. She’s often learned a technique during a night of study, then tried it out the very next morning on the children under her care.
“The relationships that I’m able to form with the children, and seeing the world from their perspective – it helps me appreciate life more”
Nearing the finish line of her degree, Nikki is soon to be a fully qualified professional, and can’t wait to be a positive influence on Sydney’s youngest and most impressionable minds.
Find yourself in a meaningful role
There are so many reasons to pursue meaningful work – the work hours fly by faster, you’re more motivated to get out of bed, and you come home feeling more satisfied. Making a career change is easy through OUA – whether it’s a small shift, or a total 180°.
Find the right course for you – We can guide you in your selection from over 170 degrees, and 1300 subjects, from leading Australian unis.
Start studying, regardless of history – We offer single undergraduate subjects from full degrees without any entry requirements.
Gain credit towards your degree – Apply for credit for past study, or your work experience, and finish faster.
Graduate with a degree from a leading uni – Study through us, but graduate with exactly the same university degree as on-campus students.
Feel supported from start to finish – Our Student Advisors can guide you in the right direction and help with your enrolment.
To express your interest in any of the courses on offer through OUA – fill out the form on this page, and a friendly student advisor will get in contact. Otherwise, head over to our website to browse over 190 degrees and 1500 subjects from leading Australian universities.
It was mid-career when Chris began work in the justice system, with no prior experience. He’d worked in hospitality, retail and aged care, but never law. What landed him a job, and turned his life around, was the degree he’d recently completed – Griffith University’s Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice.
As a Court Assessment and Prosecutions Supervisor, Chris’ day-to-day work sees him mentoring staff, appearing in court, assessing people’s suitability for court orders, and prosecuting those who defy court orders, to name a few duties. His goal at the end of the day is to protect the community, and help offenders better themselves by listening to their stories, empathising, and supporting them back into good behaviour. Chris adores his role – it’s the most meaningful he’s ever had. “When you walk out of here at 5 o’clock, you’ve made a difference”.
In 2001 after high school, Chris enrolled online study, but found that the technology at the time was lacking. On top of that, the subject matter wasn’t of interest, so Chris jumped into the workforce instead, motivated to make money to support a child on the way. Years later, after a separation from his partner, Chris went in search of a big change, and found it in a new degree. “It was a turning point in my life – it was really something that I wanted to do,” recalls Chris “and the fact that I committed myself to it, and got through it, was a real feather in my cap”.
“You see it on TV, but it’s actually nothing like that. You’re dealing with real people”
Chris’ favourite aspects of the course were psychology, where he was able to get into the mind of a criminal, and the court process, which taught him about the types of courts and the roles within them. He was particularly interested to learn about things like the events between the point of arrest and appearing in court. “You see it on TV, but it’s actually nothing like that. You’re dealing with real people” says Chris.
Chris plans to continue working his job up until retirement, attesting to the old adage that a person who loves their job will never work a day in their life. With hard work and a little faith, it’s entirely possible to turn your career around.
There’s always a way
Landing your dream role isn’t an easy task, but you’ve got to start somewhere, and the best first step is knowledge. Through Open Universities Australia (OUA), you can:
Find the right course – Choose from over 290 degrees and 1500 single subjects from universities across Australia.
Earn the same degree as on-campus – Enrol through us, then study online with your chosen uni (and graduate with them too).
Study, regardless of your history – Start with single undergraduate subjects without any entry requirements.
Gain credit towards your degree – Apply for credit for past study or work experience, and finish faster.
Feel supported from start to finish – Get help from a friendly student advisor, right through to graduation.
To express your interest in this course, or any that we offer – fill out the form on this page, and we’ll put you in touch with a friendly student advisor. If you’re keen to explore on your own, simply head over to our website to browse the extensive catalogue of courses from universities across Australia.
