Each January, we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It is an opportunity for Americans to honor his memory as a civil-rights champion who addressed injustice through peaceful and meaningful action, and who inspired others to do the same to create a better and more just society and nation. 

If he were still alive today, would Dr. King recognize the positive impact of his legacy? I have no doubt that he would. But he would also see that some of the same injustices have evolved in new and different ways, and he would seek solutions to them. 

While none of us can be certain what Dr. King would think or what he would say about today's most pressing societal issues, we can and should raise the question and challenge ourselves to consider some answers. I suspect that he would be dismayed by the rise of anti-intellectualism in America. He believed education had both a utilitarian and moral purpose, and he would be very concerned about where we stand now and how we arrived here. 

I feel it's also safe to say he would be deeply troubled by changes in our national attitude about reducing support for education while increasing funding (with very little conspicuous debate) for incarcerating so many of our young people. 

Indeed, it is not difficult to feel concerned about the curious link between cutting funding for K-12 and higher education in America while creating new prisons to warehouse those who have failed the system and those whom the system has failed. 

According to BeginToRead.com, 85 percent of all juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate, and over 70 percent of inmates in America's prisons cannot read above a fourth-grade level. 

Do we have the moral courage to economically choose education over incarceration? 

The truth is, in 2014, we spend more to incarcerate than to educate. We now have a thriving "prison-industrial complex," a system of private prison companies with major political clout, along with booming government prison agencies that supply goods and deliver services paid for by the taxpayer. 

The result is the incarceration of more than 2 million Americans, including a lost generation of young African-American males, who now serve in disproportionate numbers at the very center of this system. 

This trend is aptly described by Michelle Alexander, law professor at Ohio State University, as an "unprecedented race to incarcerate" which is resulting in a growing segment of our population as "locked up and locked out." 

What would MLK say about that? 

He might offer us some much-needed reflection on the impact of lost human talent and lost human potential - both short- and long-term. Surely, he would find today's growing prison population a nightmare scenario that threatens to undermine our entire country's standing in a complex and volatile world. 

Make no mistake: Offenders who commit crimes deserve jail time. But we now see an institution of incarceration across the country that has moved toward a system of free labor, based on the work of inmates and funding from public monies. Why would those who benefit from this system want to see it reformed or changed? They wouldn't - and today, we have no civil rights leader who can effectively call for change. 

Across the country, the average taxpayer investment in a prisoner is now $30,000 a year, much higher in some states like California, where the average is $45,000. Just as you don't have to be a civil-rights advocate to be bothered on some level by the injustice that America's new prison system represents, you don't have to be a finance scholar to see that this does not make good economic sense. Consider the costs to society in terms the lost human capital, earning potential, and contributions to the economic well-being of the community. 

A well-educated person becomes a productive citizen and contributes to the growth and economic development of our society. Yet our economic policy no longer treats education as a public good. It is a moral imperative for America to have a well-educated citizenry. We must embolden our hope in the next generation of young people. Dr. King said "we must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope." 

As we celebrate the legacy of Dr. King's birthday, let us embrace his vision and invest more in making sure every child is literate by the fourth grade - and let us have infinite hope that every American might embrace the economics of education over incarceration. 

Robert E. Johnson is president of Becker College in Worcester. 

By Sean Smith

Despite a difficult environment for research funding around the nation in recent years, important work conducted in Clark University Professor Arshad Kudrolli's physics laboratory has, in just recent months, attracted major research grants.

Kudrolli, who is the Jan and Larry Landry University Professor and chair of the Department of Physics, and members of the Complex Matter and Nonlinear Physics Laboratory at Clark are focusing on work related to hydrocarbon behavior (erosion, fluidity, granular flow, etc.), as well as science education. The research holds implications for environmental conservation, the oil extraction and processing industry, and others.

"Important discoveries of conventional and unconventional oil and natural gas in the past five to ten years are giving rise to a need for new fundamental research that leads to a deeper understanding of grain-fluid interactions," Kudrolli said. "We are pleased with the support for    basic physics research that has implications ranging from recovery to remediation. This is especially notable due to the tough funding climate we're in."

"Arshad's work combines significant research activity with exceptional learning experiences for students at all levels-high school, undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral," said Nancy Budwig, associate provost and dean of research at Clark.  "He not only has drawn support from prestigious national funding institutions, but continues to bridge the divide between knowledge and practice."

Following are brief descriptions of the current grants: 

• Kudrolli's "Particle Sedimentation in Clay Suspensions" research received a New Directions Award of $100,000 from the Petroleum Research Fund, an endowed fund managed by the American Chemical Society that supports fundamental research directly related to petroleum or fossil fuels at nonprofit institutions in the United States and other countries. ACS-Petroleum Research Fund grants are intended as seed money, to enable an investigator to initiate a new research direction. This grant period is effective from Jan. 2, 2014 to August 31, 2016. 

This research holds implications for oil extraction and remediation efforts from the Alberta oil sands region in western Canada, which already supplies gas to the mid-western United States and will be distributed further by the Keystone Pipeline project. The laboratory project will address fundamental questions about sedimentation rates of sand in clay suspension and water recovery in tailing ponds, thus making them safe for reforestation, Kudrolli said. 

• An NSF Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems grant of $306,684 (Aug. 2013 to July 2016) supports Kudrolli's study of "Granular erosion, transport, and dynamic-filtration driven by fluid flow." Here, Kudrolli and his team investigate how particles in fluid are deposited or eroded under various flow conditions. This lab work involves injecting Newtonian and visco-elastic fluids into subsurface materials and studying the observed evolution of porous interface using grain-fluid interaction laws. This fundamental research is important to understanding   new hydraulic fracturing methods, Kudrolli said, as well as a host of problems ranging to mud-cake formation in bore-wells and turbidity currents on continental shelves. 

• A Department of Energy grant of $210,920 (July 2013 to July 2016) funds the study, "Internal erosion, particle transport, and channelization driven by fluid flow." This is a DOE-Basic Energy Sciences grant, which supports fundamental research to understand, predict, and ultimately control matter and energy at the electronic, atomic, and molecular levels in order to provide the foundations for new energy technologies and to support DOE missions in energy, environment, and national security.  

Further in the area of STEM education, 

• Kudrolli is co-Principal Investigator on a National Science Foundation (NSF) Science Learning Grant providing $1.1 million in support of the Clark Science-Math Teaching and Education Partnership (C-STEP), an extensive new project to further teaching excellence in science and math. 

C-STEP, led by Clark in partnership with the Worcester Public Schools, integrates the expertise of the University's mathematics and science faculty, urban teacher educators, and teachers.

Kudrolli will help identify and move undergraduates into internships and summer placements that channel them toward teaching physics, while raising awareness about physics education. A significant, two-year scholarship tuition opportunity also is available to eligible students interested in teaching science. The grant project spans five years (Sept. 2013 to Sept. 2018), and will involve approximately 25 Clark students from several disciplines.

Thomas Del Prete, director of the Adam Institute for Urban Teaching and School Practice, at Clark, is Principal Investigator of the NSF award. Clark's Hiatt Center for Urban Education, directed by Katerine Bielaczyc, will coordinate evaluation of the C-STEP program. Along with Kudrolli, other Co-Principal Investigators of the C-STEP program are Professor Natalia Sternberg, chair of the Math/Computer Science Department; Associate Professor Deborah Robertson, of Biology; and Associate Professor Luis Smith, of Chemistry.

All of these grants have a focus on supporting students, who are using complex instruments in the lab, including state-of-the-art fluorescent liquid refractive index matching and micro X-ray computer tomography techniques, Kudrolli noted. Even a high school student has been active in the NSF funded project, he added. Chelsey Pan, a high school student at the University Park Campus School, does research on fluid dynamics through a sand bed with the Kudrolli team at Clark, funded in part by an endowment by Professor Emeritus of Physics Roy Andersen.

Shooting for the stars. One western Massachusetts professor is gaining attention for her work with NASA.

That work includes the possibility of colonizing Mars and the moon.

Kylie Hanify is about to fire a weapons-grade laser at rock samples to find an extra-terrestrial connection.

"I work with a category four laser here in a lab at Mount Holyoke College and I'm basically running carousel of rock samples, which is what the Curiosity rover is doing on Mars," Hanify explains.

Hanify is working under the guidance of Professor M. Darby Dyar, who was chosen by NASA to field a team exploring the possibility on colonizing Mars or the moon.

Dyar adds, "We are actually interested in two things: human habitability on the moon and what kind of resources are going to be available to sustain humans, if they should go to the moon, either temporarily or long term."

Dyar was part of the group that made the discovery of water in the lunar soil. "On the moon, our biggest interest in water because we need water for humans to live in a sustainable way there," she says.

The Mount Holyoke College professor meticulously tests and compares samples from Earth to those found on the moon, looking to spot any challenges to men or women who might live on the moon.

"When you can walk around, you kick up a lot of dust and it could short out your spacesuit or possible clog up some of the equipment they use to breathe."

To do those tests, NASA has entrusted her with moon rocks gathered by the Apollo missions and there are very few of those in existence

"When we go to other bodies in the solar system, we don't bring back truckloads of samples. We bring back tiny samples and so, for 20 years, I've been working on special technology that helps us analyze teeny tiny samples," Dyar says, adding "After filling out and ten page application and promising your first born child, if you're a good enough scientist, they will loan lunar sample for scientific research.

More than good enough. This western Mass. connection to the cosmos has become of one of NASA's most valuable resources.

Although Dyar firmly believes that we will one day colonize the moon, there is celestial body we won't conquer.

"[Would we ever land a human being on the sun?] Not the sun. [What if we go at night?] No, we will never land a human being on the sun."

But shooting for the moon and beyond isn't bad.

Dyar work with NASA has led to a $1 million grant to Mount Holyoke College.

North�eastern Pres�i�dent Joseph E. Aoun will par�tic�i�pate in a higher edu�ca�tion summit at the White House on Thursday hosted by Pres�i�dent Barack Obama that will focus on max�i�mizing col�lege access, afford�ability, and suc�cess for low-income students.

The summit will include col�lege and uni�ver�sity pres�i�dents from across the country as well as leaders from city and state gov�ern�ment, the pri�vate sector, non�profits, and phil�an�thropic orga�ni�za�tions. Aoun's par�tic�i�pa�tion under�scores his lead�er�ship on addressing higher education's most pressing issues on a national stage. These efforts include serving as board chair of the Amer�ican Council on Edu�ca�tion, working to pre�serve national finan�cial aid pro�grams, and serving on a fed�eral advi�sory council focused on how uni�ver�si�ties can con�tribute to America's national secu�rity efforts.

In recent years, North�eastern has taken a range of steps to enhance access, afford�ability, and suc�cess for stu�dents. This year, the uni�ver�sity is investing an unprece�dented $204 mil�lion in insti�tu�tional grant aid, the largest invest�ment in North�eastern his�tory. It marked the sixth straight year North�eastern increased finan�cial aid at double the rate of tuition and fees.

Among the university's other related com�mit�ments is the "North�eastern Promise," a unique com�pact made to ensure that stu�dents and fam�i�lies are equipped to antic�i�pate the costs of a col�lege edu�ca�tion and to pre�vent unex�pected cir�cum�stances from impacting a student's progress toward a degree. The promise guar�an�tees eight semes�ters of level funding to stu�dents who receive need-based North�eastern grant assis�tance and auto�mat�i�cally increases need-based aid at the same rate of future tuition increases.

North�eastern also par�tic�i�pates in the national "Say Yes to Edu�ca�tion" pro�gram, which allows stu�dents with family income below $75,000 to attend tuition free. The uni�ver�sity also sup�ports high-talent, low-income stu�dents through its inno�v�a�tive Torch Scholars Pro�gram and the Ujima Scholars Pro�gram.

To build on these ini�tia�tives and con�tinue improving col�lege access, North�eastern is plan�ning to offer 150 full-tuition need-based schol�ar�ships this year to Boston Public Schools grad�u�ates, including 30 new schol�ar�ships cov�ering 100 per�cent of demon�strated need for low-income stu�dents who live near campus. North�eastern will also host sev�eral col�lege readi�ness events on campus for BPS stu�dents and their fam�i�lies aimed at helping them pre�pare and apply for col�lege and finan�cial aid.

In addi�tion, BPS grad�u�ates will be offered pri�ority admis�sion to Northeastern's Foun�da�tion Year pro�gram, which gives stu�dents one year of col�lege at little or no cost, after which they can transfer into North�eastern or to another col�lege or university.

The uni�ver�sity will also ini�tiate a com�pre�hen�sive finan�cial lit�eracy pro�gram focused on ensuring that all stu�dents obtain the skills and knowl�edge to make informed and effec�tive finan�cial decision-not only about paying for col�lege, but throughout their lives. The pro�gram will focus on helping stu�dents lower their edu�ca�tion debt by lim�iting and elim�i�nating con�ve�nience bor�rowing, and coun�seling will include issues such as man�aging per�sonal credit, loan repay�ment, and auto and home purchases.

What's more, Northeastern's expe�ri�en�tial edu�ca�tion model-which com�bines rig�orous class�room learning with mean�ingful career-aligned work experience-provides stu�dents with dis�tinct advan�tages after grad�u�a�tion. Ninety per�cent of grad�u�ates from 2006 through 2012 were employed full time or enrolled in grad�uate school nine months after grad�u�a�tion. Eighty seven per�cent of full-time employed grad�u�ates were doing work related to their major, and 50 per�cent of them received a job offer from at least one pre�vious co-op employer.

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Pine Manor College on Tuesday named the 11th president in the 103-year history of the private, four-year liberal arts school located in the Chestnut Hill section of Brookline.

E. Joseph Lee II will take over as president on a full-time basis after working for the past six months as interim head, campus officials said.

"His commitment to academic excellence and student-focused learning, along with his substantial management expertise, make him ideally suited to lead our institution during this period of growth," said a statement from the chairman of the school's Board of Trustees, Serena Strazzulla Kokjer Greening.

"His vision for the liberal arts education - one that encourages academic and personal growth, community service and the practical application of knowledge - embodies the qualities that have made Pine Manor College a truly transformative experience for students for more than 100 years," she added.

Lee has more than 35 years of experience working in higher education, including as president of St. Joseph's College in Maine and Thomas More College in Kentucky, officials said.

"I'm proud and honored to serve as president of Pine Manor College, a place where students are truly encouraged to achieve their full academic and personal potential," Lee said in a statement.

"As president, I am committed to building on the rich traditions of Pine Manor," he added. "We will focus, expand and enrich the academic experience, increase enrollment, and create and renew partnerships, internships and philanthropic connections. I am tremendously excited about the opportunity in front of us."

In his time as interim president, Lee led the college during major transition.

The former women's college became a co-educational institution at the start of this month after voting to make the change last summer and getting approval in the fall from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges last September.

The school said that during Lee's interim presidency it also passed an accreditation review and has seen "significant" increases in applications and enrollment after Lee launched an "ambitious and aggressive effort" to expand its outreach to prospective students, establish more partnerships and to return the college to financial stability.

Lee holds a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from St. Michael's College, and a doctorate from Boston College.

The Regis College School of Nursing, Science and Health Professions announced it will offer a new Bachelor of Science with a major in Nursing through its collaborative program with Lawrence Memorial and on the campus at Lawrence Memorial Hospital in Medford. The RN-BS program, which begins this January, is for current students and graduates of the Lawrence Memorial/Regis College Associate of Science Program.

"This is really a unique program," said Nancy Bittner, PhD, CNS, RN, vice president of education for the Lawrence Memorial/Regis College Nursing and Radiography Programs. "It's an excellent example of our collaboration with Regis College and a remarkable opportunity for our students."

"For those interested in continuing their education without barriers, this program offers two paths," said Dean Penelope Glynn, PhD,RN, of the Regis College School of Nursing, Science, and Health Professions. "The first is for those already holding a Bachelor's degree and an Associate of Science in Nursing, allowing them to earn their Bachelor' degree with a major in nursing in as little as one semester, and the second is for those for whom an Associate in Nursing is their first degree. While the program may take a little longer for students seeking their first Bachelor's, Regis is committed to moving the students along as quickly as possible."

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By Anne-Gerard Flynn

According to a release posted on the website of Smith College, Kathleen McCartney, president of the Northampton women's school, is among the 100 college and university presidents, as well as 40 leaders from other related groups, meeting in D.C. on Jan. 16, for a White House summit on education, with President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

During the summit, McCartney is to announce that Smith will expand its commitment to educational access for the under served, the theme of the summit, by enrolling 10 low-income students -- a "posse" -- a year, who are interested in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The program, that exists at other higher education venues, is known as Posse STEM, a reference to the fields of study.

Smith will enroll its first posse in fall 2015, drawn from public high schools in New York City. The program will run in tandem with Smith's AEMES (Achieving Excellence in Mathematics, Engineering and Science) program, founded by faculty members in biology and chemistry, according to the site.

"As a first-generation college student and a social scientist, I am delighted to join forces with the Posse Foundation's STEM Initiative and to be part of an innovative program that supports access to higher education for underserved populations," McCartney said in the release.

"As the home of the country's first engineering program for women, and through the existing structure of our AEMES programs, Smith is uniquely positioned to support STEM education and success for our Posse scholars. I look forward to greeting our first group and supporting their success."

Enrolling 2,600 students from every state and 66 other countries, Smith is the largest undergraduate women's college in the country.

According to the Posse Foundation, the STEM Initiative is "one of the largest scholarship announcements in the past decade aimed at assisting undergraduate urban students who are focused on science, technology, engineering and math."

Along with the 10 full scholarships per year, Smith will meet any additional financial need, provide a faculty or staff mentor for each Posse class and offer a summer enrichment program for the Posse students.

The STEM Initiative was launched by the Posse Foundation in 2008 and was highlighted in 2012 by President Obama as being well-aligned to his initiative to train 1 million or more STEM graduates over the next 10 years.

Alongside Smith, Posse's STEM partner institutions are Brandeis, Bryn Mawr, Davidson, Franklin & Marshall, Georgetown, Middlebury, Pomona, Texas A&M and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.