You might call him a painter. His work does require a tremendous amount of creativity, and Masoud Moshref Javadi has been known to write on the walls to work out problems. But, his artistic endeavors involve computer networks, data traffic, and operating systems. Moshref Javadi, a PhD recipient in Computer Engineering from the University of Southern California, developed a network management system called DREAM (Dynamic Resource Allocation for Software-defined Measurement), which makes the future of cloud computing more efficient, reliable, and secure.

In 2015, Moshref Javadi was one of only 15 PhD students across the U.S. awarded the prestigious Google PhD Fellowship, a two-year award created in 2009 to recognize and support outstanding graduate students doing exception work in computer sciences and related disciplines. Moshref Javadi grew up in Iran, and his interest in computers began in high school. He went on to earn a master’s degree in IT engineering from Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, the top engineering university in the country.

“Writing (computer) programs involves creativity — like having a canvas for painting,” Moshref Javadi said. “You’re trying to create something.” To learn more about Masoud’s work, visit the University of Southern California website.

After a 15-year career as a professional dancer, Joseph Blake needed to expand his horizon. He began teaching dance to students aged five through 65+ and found their passion inspiring. Blake decided to pursue his MFA in dance from the University of Washington with the intent of teaching at the collegiate level, but he’s using his passion and dedication to dance outside the UW campus.

Since starting the MFA program in 2015, Blake has focused on dance as a tool to communicate the importance of critical thinking and climate change, using yoga to help heal local incarcerated youth, and to reach people living with Parkinson’s. Blake underscores the importance of dance as a community activity and one that promotes inclusivity for all, not exclusively able-bodied professional dancers.

Blake is taking his commitment to have an impact on the world one step further with his project Ballo Conservatio alongside friend and colleague Steve Korn. Their partnership as choreographer (Blake) and photographer (Korn) seeks to capture “powerful visual moments of human interaction with renewable and finite resources.” The hope is to use art to raise awareness for the importance of sustainability. “There’s always a story to be told, and it’s so easily done with the body and with the voice,” he says. To read more about Joseph’s work, visit the University of Washington website.

**Photo Credit: Mitch Allen

With more than 18,300 applications this year, the NASA astronaut program is extremely competitive, but Zena Cardman hoped her diverse set of experiences including working in the engine room of a boat and several Antarctic expeditions might give her the edge. She was right. Cardman, a doctoral student in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Penn State University, was recently named a member of NASA’s 2017 class of astronauts. The 12 men and women were recognized during a ceremony at the Johnson Space Center in Houston on June 7.

Cardman’s research in the geosciences focuses on microbe-rock interactions and what those interactions reveal about life on Earth and perhaps life elsewhere. The possibility of life on other planets drives her research interests, including her current work on the alien-like lifeforms found growing on walls of damp, remote caves. “I’m especially interested in life that lives in oddball environments on Earth, the extremophiles,” said Cardman. “For me, that’s a good analogy for environments that might be habitable on another planet.”

In August, Cardman must report to NASA’s Johnson Space Center for training that will include flying jets, learning Russian, taking mock spacewalks, and getting to know her teammates. She’ll be in the candidate-training program for two years before she becomes a full astronaut and qualifies for spaceflight missions. To read more about Zena’s work, visit the Penn State website.

**Photo Credit: NASA

The benefits of treating PhD students as university employees, an issue under consideration by some institutions in the UK and US, have been spotlighted by the recent completion of reforms in Sweden. In the US, some universities are now making it possible for PhD candidates to join unions that can fight for better terms and conditions. A spokeswoman for the US Council of Graduate Schools said that most universities have viewed graduate students as students first and foremost as US doctoral programmes involve coursework, not just research.

American colleges and universities’ ability to attract international students is in decline...‘Our deans describe it as a chilling effect,’ said Suzanne Ortega, president of the Council of Graduate Schools. The numbers are provoking anxiety in some programs that rely on international students, who bring more than $32 billion a year into the U.S. economy˘ Slumping graduate school applications can now be seen at universities ranging from giant Big Ten public universities like Ohio State and Indiana University to regional programs such as Portland State.”

According to a three-year study conducted by the Council of Graduate Schools in conjunction with TIAA that concluded in 2016, 60 percent of master’s students and 55 percent of doctoral students feel stressed about their finances.

A new report from the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) observes, “the majority of PhDs gain employment outside the academy.” What will really matter for these doctorate holders is how well they understand and navigate the quite different processes that lead to nonacademic employment.

A 2016 report by the Washington, D.C.-based Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) underscores the importance of a holistic review of applicants to master's and doctoral programs in fostering diversity in higher education, as well as improved student outcomes.

At that moment the only information I had to work with was from the Canadian Association of Graduate Studies (CAGS) - a group that had already been in significant discussions with the US Council of Graduate Schools (CGS).

Nearly 40 percent of colleges are reporting overall declines in applications from international students, according to a survey of 250 college and universities, released this week by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. The biggest decline is in applications from the Middle East. Many officials cited worries among prospective students about Trump administration immigration policies. “International student recruitment professionals report a great deal of concern from students all over the globe,” the study said.

Graduate schools appear to be feeling the worst pinch, with nearly half reporting drops. “Our deans describe it as a chilling effect,” said Suzanne Ortega, president of the Council of Graduate Schools.