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Saving the stars for the future

In 2009, NASA launched the Kepler space observatory to discover Earth-size planets orbiting other stars. For four and a half years, Kepler photographed a small 10-by-10 degrees section of the sky, taking snapshots each minute. "This is a goldmine of data, and we won’t see anything quite like it in the foreseeable future," explains Rasmus Handberg from the Stellar Astrophysics Centre at Aarhus University, Denmark.

Convenient connectivity while abroad

Mexican student Abraham Montoya Obeso discovered the advantages of eduroam during his stay at the University of Bordeaux in France.

International DNA database drives genetics research

Genetics researchers around the globe have access to a comprehensive record of all sequenced DNA, thanks to an international effort to share massive amounts of information between databases in Japan, the United States, and Europe.

Taking astronomy to the cloud

Astronomy has come a long way from the days of Galileo Galilei looking through a telescope to the skies. Major science infrastructures such as the Hubble Space Telescope and telescope arrays, including the forthcoming Square Kilometer Array, create huge amounts of research data for scientists across the world to explore and explain the cosmos.

Raising the yield potential of wheat to feed the world

"With the world's population estimated to reach 9.6 billion by 2050, making staple foods - wheat, grains and rice - higher yielding, more resilient to climate variability and more nutritious is vital. We can’t delay. Collaboration on a global scale is needed to produce the bulk of the food in the world, or there’ll be problems," said researcher Professor Barry Pogson.

Bringing high-speed internet to the birthplace of Zeus

Answering questions about the origins of Greek culture and athletics are at the heart of the Mt. Lykaion Excavation and Survey Project in Arcadia, Greece. Collaborative efforts within the R&E networking community have helped make the lives of the many archeologists in the field easier by bringing high-speed internet to the site.

Connecting 40.000 university students

Meet Emmanuel Togo, the mastermind behind delivering wireless connectivity to 40.000 students at the University of Ghana. Creating easy wireless connectivity for everybody on campus improves the quality of education, speeds up communication and makes it easier to access digital resources both on and off campus.

World first: French medical students now take digital exams

Every year medical students in France take a crucial exam, The National Classifying Exam, which determines the specialization they pursue and often where they will live. To address its shortcomings, this exam has now being modernised and digitized, and the French national research and education network is responsible for mission critical infrastructure.

How data can improve the quality of higher education

Big data are found in all segments of society. Even the Dutch higher education sector is increasingly recognising the potential for the vast volumes of data that it has at its disposal. What opportunities does learning analytics offer? And what challenges are the early adopters facing? Are there any runners out there who still do not track their performance with an app?

Educating the future global musician

The Global Audition Training Programme aims to expand the skill set of student musicians, no matter where in the world they live, and prepare them for today’s multifaceted professional landscape.

Sharing knowledge to strengthen emerging networks

Helina Emeru is chief technology officer of Ethiopian research and education network EthERnet. In October 2016, she joined 9 colleagues from around the world at the NORDUnet conference as part of a new Knowledge Exchange Fellowship program.

Working towards a greener China with Wuhan University

REANNZ, Unitec, NIWA and Wuhan University are working collaboratively to address the concerning issue of air pollution, via an innovative three-year project that incorporates high-end environmental science, and cutting-edge Internet technology.