At Wesleyan University this year the first day of the semester is also Labor Day, which has certainly caused grumbling among some of us who have to show up for class on Monday rather than enjoying the last long weekend of summer. And of course it's not just a matter of showing up Monday. Syllabi need final preparation, lectures must be written, and advisees are looking for guidance.

But on this Labor Day all of us working in higher education should remember those who won't have to report this week at all because there aren't enough jobs. With official unemployment stubbornly remaining between 9% and 10%, there are many around us who are suffering from the poverty and despair of not being able to find work. Bob Herbert's column in the New York Times on September 4 underscores the plight of a group of custodians recently laid off from their jobs at a luxury office building in Los Angeles. Closer to home for me, the Middletown food bank Amazing Grace reports a red alert because of the low level of supplies on their shelves. Right here at Wesleyan, we have made a small number of position reductions over the last 18 months. Each job is personal as well as institutional, and each position elimination was painful.

As students plan their courses for the fall, and as faculty plan their curricula, how should we connect the reality of labor and unemployment to the broad liberal learning we so value? It can be done very specifically, as with history courses that focus on poverty, economic classes that deal with job creation, and sociology seminars that examine the impact of job loss on families. And we can make the connection more generally by thinking through how a liberal arts education is related to how one will support oneself. As I have said many times now in various venues, I believe a liberal education has never been more relevant to work in the world than it is today. This has little to do with the specific choice of concentration by an undergraduate. I was recently talking to a Wesleyan parent who told me that in interviewing over a thousand people for jobs over the years he has never asked what somebody majored in during college. Instead, he has been looking for the ability to think creatively and critically, to imagine possibilities and to solve problems. This is the kind of ability cultivated by liberal learning. A liberal arts education is not the only kind that develops these capacities, but it is a crucial one.

A liberal education teaches that rigor and innovation, far from being in tension with one another, can often go hand in hand. Patience and diligence -- practice and method -- are qualities developed across a liberal arts curriculum. The American pragmatists celebrated inquiry as a mode of experience, and teachers and students today continue to believe that we must reflexively look back on our own inquiries to assess the learning process and whether the results are relevant to life beyond the specific questions being pursued. Self-criticism need not be mere navel-gazing. The practical is not the enemy of the true.

For years I have been telling students and their families that an undergraduate education should help students to discover what they love to do, and to get better at it. I've recently realized that it is important to emphasize a third goal: to develop the capacity to share what one loves to do (and has gotten a little better at) with others. This third goal, let's call it "engagement," connects what one has learned with what one can do with the communities of which one is a part.

The liberal education that our students begin on Labor Day doesn't promise a specific kind of job, but it does promise to expand one's possibilities for meaningful work after graduation. Learning to learn also means learning to work, to engage with others in getting things done, creating opportunities and solving problems. Engaging with others also means being aware when we can be helpful to those in need, those who may not have the same opportunities we are enjoying while at the university.

My hope for Labor Day and the beginning of the semester is that through study and engagement we will eventually learn to create more jobs so that the perils and anxieties that mark this year's holiday won't become permanent parts of our economy and culture.

I'm experiencing that familiar and inevitable "back to school" feeling.

No matter how many years pass since the end of my formal education, I still get the same sensation every time September rolls around.

Part of it comes from seeing my own kids off for another academic year, which always makes me sad.

It's not all bad, though. This annual moment of transition actually serves as a useful reminder for us parents that much as we might like to hold onto our children, ultimately they must progress and make their way on their own...as must we all.

So, on the plus side, this date on the calendar signifies fresh starts and new possibilities, a renewed desire to explore and express our own distinct talents in more effective and (hopefully) beneficial ways.

And just where do we learn to strive in this way? From our parents, certainly- but also in school.

The ultimate formative experience in my life, school was where I first began to recognize what I was good at, and where I might fit in. It shaped my friends, my interests, my career, my entire outlook.

School was also where I found my first mentors, those rare teachers who made learning fun and exciting. These were virtually the first adults outside my family that I connected with in a truly personal and meaningful way. You knew these people appreciated you for yourself, not because they happened to share your blood or like your parents. Throughout my life, these few, very special human beings have never really left me.

Given the profound significance of education in our lives, it's no surprise there's no shortage of movies on the subject. So now, I humbly submit ten of my own favorite films about school, learning, and those mostly noble souls who teach.

Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)- Told mainly in flashbacks, "Chips" traces the life of a beloved schoolmaster who serves over fifty years in an English public school. Reminiscing about his personal life and long career, the shy, unassuming Mr. Chipping (Robert Donat) also recalls his unexpected courtship and marriage to his stunning and spirited wife Katherine (Greer Garson). A nostalgic paean to Old England and a deeply affecting story of honorable service, "Chips" succeeds admirably, mainly due to British actor Donat's touching performance. Donat broke the Oscar sweep of "Gone With The Wind" in 1939, stealing the Best Actor statuette from under Clark Gable's nose (and ears). In addition, beautiful English ingénue Garson became an overnight star in the small but pivotal role of Chips's enchanting wife. Though sentimental by today's standards, this is a grand and moving classic for the ages.

The Browning Version (1951)- On the eve of his retirement from an all-boys boarding school where he is widely despised, ailing classics teacher Andrew Crocker-Harris (Michael Redgrave) realizes that he has failed to communicate his enthusiasm and the depth of his passions in the classroom. Scorned by his wife, Millie (Jean Kent), who's openly cavorting with popular science instructor Hunter (Nigel Patrick), Crocker-Harris appears stoically resigned to a cheerless existence. But a guileless act of kindness eventually changes him in ways no one quite expected. Anthony Asquith's mournful, absorbing ensemble drama was adapted by Terence Rattigan from his own play. Redgrave, in one of his greatest screen performances, is magnificent, communicating both the unrelenting severity and turbulent inner sadness of Crocker-Harris-who keeps a stiff upper lip about Millie's infidelities, the headmaster's disrespect for his years of service, and his own failed ambitions. With a stirring turn by young Brian Smith as Taplow, Crocker-Harris's chipper, well-meaning student, "Browning" is an outstanding drama about suffering and redemption that will stay with you long after the gut-wrenching graduation speech.

To Sir, With Love (1967)- In this triumphant urban drama, Sidney Poitier plays Mark Thackeray, a determined teacher out of his element in a tough London high school. Initially facing apathy and resistance from his students, Thackeray ditches the lesson plan and speaks directly to their inner characters, transforming his unruly charges into hopeful--and grateful--young people. Made the same year as "In the Heat of the Night" and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner", James Clavell's marvelous film-a huge hit in 1967-succeeds largely because of its lead actor. Shattering age-old stereotypes about race in all his roles, Sidney Poitier exuded nobility, strength, intelligence, and humility. Never with a chip on his shoulder, never self-pitying, he commands respect-Thackeray's students call him "Sir"-showing anger only when provoked by others' ignorance. "To Sir With Love" is a lasting testament to that impressive strength of character, and a demonstration of how it can be cultivated in others.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)- Blindly devoted to her pupils and fiercely determined to imbue her gray 1930's Edinburgh surroundings with passion and color, Scottish schoolmarm Miss Brodie (Maggie Smith) is very much her own person-a spirited, eccentric freethinker given to divulging her personal life and politics in the classroom. But she soon runs afoul of the rigid headmistress (Celia Johnson), who's determined to see Brodie out the door of her exclusive girls' school. English actress Smith captivated viewers in 1969 with her Oscar-winning portrayal of the title character in director Ronald Neame's outstanding film. Based on a novel by Muriel Spark, this hit film doesn't shy from presenting Brodie's misguided enthusiasm for Mussolini, nor her affair with a married man (real-life hubby Robert Stephens). A poignant character study of a woman whose incomplete life and untamed spirit combine to blur her judgment, the movie is a fabulous showcase for Maggie Smith's dazzling talent.

The Paper Chase (1973)- Like most of his peers, brilliant first-year Harvard law student James Hart (Timothy Bottoms) lives in fear and awe of crusty, demanding, no-nonsense Professor Kingsfield (John Houseman). Seeking his favor and respect prove challenging to this ambitious attorney-in-training, and things get even more complicated when Hart falls for Kingsfield's daughter, Susan (Lindsay Wagner). At a time of heightened competitiveness in academia, James Bridges's "Chase" makes for relevant as well as highly pleasurable viewing. Set in one of the most demanding environments--Harvard Law School--the film portrays learning at its most intense, where the depth and breadth of the curriculum represents a marathon, testing the brain and body's endurance. Timothy Bottoms is wonderful as the student who may be in over his head, but Oscar winner John Houseman, as the remote, brilliant law professor who strikes terror in his charges, is the real reason this film scores a solid A.

Animal House (1978)- At Pennsylvania's Faber College, stiff-shirted Dean Wormer (John Vernon) is fed up with the raucous antics of Delta House, an anarchic, thoroughly debauched fraternity with no sense of decency, decorum or, apparently, brains. So he hatches a plan to strip the Deltas, who are led by a group of seniors including Otter (Tim Matheson) and John "Bluto" Blutarsky (John Belushi), of their credentials, enlisting the help of their hated, upper-crusty rivals at Omega House. The original "party animal" teen movie (despite its "R" rating), John Landis's outrageous feature-length prank has enough gross-out humor, slapstick yucks, and all-night beer chugging to put a drunken smile on anyone's face. Matheson and co-stars James Widdoes, Peter Riegert, and Bruce McGill bring sheer lunacy to their roles as leaders of a riotous frat house for rejects, losers, and academic failures. But it's Belushi's gonzo portrayal of Bluto that remains iconic, and helped make the former "SNL" cast member a big-time comic star. Irreverent, subversive, and totally inappropriate, "Animal House" depicts the college experience most of us never had, but kind of wish we did. Watch for Kevin Bacon in a small early role as a young pledge.

Au Revoir, Les Enfants (1987)- In director Louis Malle's semi-autobiographical masterpiece, young Julien (Gaspard Manesse) dislikes the Catholic boarding school he's forced to attend by his mother (Francine Racette), but she reasonably insists that war-torn, Nazi-occupied Paris is no place for children. Indeed, the horrors of the conflict remain at a safe distance until the arrival of new student Jean Bonnet (Rafael Fejto) who carries a dangerous secret. Julien and Jean gradually become close friends, so that when the war finally does intrude on their cloistered environment, the lives of both boys are changed forever. Director Louis Malle's masterpiece is a subtly drawn, wrenching tale of childhood innocence lost to the madness of war. Malle expertly evokes this nightmarish period in his country's history, and teases pitch-perfect performances out of both juvenile leads, as their relationship evolves from one of mistrust to friendship. The film's deeply felt, highly personal quality resonates, as we discern that Julien is based on Malle himself as a boy. Among the supporting cast, Racette excels as Julien's affectionate but distracted mother, while both Francois Berleand and Philippe Morier-Genoud shine as the priests who run the school. A moving and important film for the ages.

Stand and Deliver (1988)- Based on real-life events, this inspirational drama concerns Jaime Escalante (Edward James Olmos), an Hispanic math instructor who institutes an advanced-placement calculus course in an under-resourced East L.A. public school. With a mix of humor and tough love, Escalante pushes a motley group of barrio kids to excel beyond their wildest dreams. Superbly directed by Ramon Menéndez for PBS's American Playhouse, "Stand" is a cut above most motivational storytelling, because it bypasses sentimentality in favor of a more complex, authentic tone. Olmos is a marvel as Escalante, a brilliant but idiosyncratic educator, and he deservedly nabbed an Oscar nomination. Among a dynamic supporting cast, Lou Diamond Phillips also impresses as the troubled youth who faces a choice between gang life and academic glory.

Election (1999)- Tracy Enid Flick (Reese Witherspoon), a compulsively anal, unapologetically driven high school student, runs for class president of her Nebraska high school, while teacher Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick), unable to help himself, consistently works to undermine her. Alexander Payne's smart, savage, satirical battle of wits stands out starkly from the standard run of bland contemporary comedies. Witherspoon is priceless as the cloyingly perfect schoolgirl everyone loves to hate, and Broderick also scores as the counselor who's instinctively compelled to pop her bubble. Payne, who won an Oscar nod for his screenplay and would go on to helm the critically acclaimed "About Schmidt" (2002) and "Sideways" (2004), puts his prodigious talent on full display here, actually drawing inspiration from Budd Schulberg's "What Makes Sammy Run?", a landmark 1950's TV production about a slimy, ruthless Hollywood player. This comic sleeper certainly wins my vote.

To Be and To Have (2002)- Shot in a one-room schoolhouse in rural France, this priceless documentary portrays the magical innocence of children and the loving dedication of one teacher, Georges Lopez. Set to retire after 35 years, Lopez instructs, engages, and inspires several grades of schoolchildren in the course of a school year, touching all their lives. Any parents out there should quickly lay their hands on Nicolas Philibert's sublime "To Be," an intimate and heartwarming study of hands-on education in a tiny classroom. What would be a daunting task for most of us is, for Georges Lopez, the application of a natural gift to a highly rewarding purpose. Georges's innate connection with the twelve children under his care is humbling, and the wistful expression on his face at the end of the school term will put tears in your eyes. An indelible film experience.

For over 2,100 outstanding films on DVD, visit www.bestmoviesbyfarr.com

To see John's videos for WNET-Channel 13, go to www.reel13.org

Universities are paradoxical places. On one hand, they are institutions that exist to fire the imagination to embrace the new. And as we know, many of the technologies that have changed the world as we know it, were started on college campuses.

But at the same time, universities are also bastions of conservatism, structured to preserve tradition. Many of those in leadership positions view change with a skeptical eye, seeing themselves as guardians against overly-rapid, unconsidered adoption of new ideas which might be faddish or even dangerous.

The long-standing debate over the role of technology in education - stretching back to the 90s and the role of computers in the classroom, is a perfect example of this inherent tension. The more conservative factions in the university ecosystem, those who argued vociferously against computers as destructive agents that threatened the intimate relationship between professors and students, eventually lost their struggle. And now it's hard to imagine the way it used to be.

During this period, as universities debated the role of technology, business had no such philosophical struggle. Corporations quickly saw that first computers - and than the Internet - were capable of bringing unprecedented efficiencies and economies to their operations. From supply-side integration to inventory management to instant communication between far-flung operations, the technology revolution was responsible for profoundly improved productivity as well as innovation.

Yet, paradoxically, American education did not see nearly the same benefits as American business. Over the last twenty years, as our universities became wired and connected, as large domains of education and instruction were put online, we've seen a decline in relative rankings of American college students compared to their peers worldwide.

The situation is even worse at the K-12 level. Nearly 30 years ago, the National Commission in Excellence in Education warning President Reagan about a "rising tide of mediocrity" in our public schools. Since then, we've seen President Bush's "No Child Left Behind" initiative, and now President Obama's "Race to the Top." There's a chorus warning us that our global competitiveness is at risk, but that chorus fragments in quarrelsome voices about the best solution.

From where I sit, as the CEO of a company that is introducing a new digital textbook concept built expressly for the education market, the problem America faces has been a lack of innovation across the board. We've been starved for new ideas in the development of new hardware, in the creation of a new learning ecosystem built expressly into that hardware, and in integration of that into the classroom. This has been well-documented in Larry Cuban's insightful book about computers in the classroom Oversold and Underused.

Somehow, we've come to believe that simply putting computers into the hands of students is enough to trigger a revolution in learning. But that's like saying that simply putting fancy new MRI machines and PET scans into doctor's offices will create a revolution in diagnostics. An entirely new training system and medical infrastructure was created around scanning technology in medicine, and a parallel new ecosystem needs to be built around technology in the classroom.

Training teachers - yes, that includes university professors with impressive credentials and equally impressive egos - on how to integrate technology into the pedagogical experience is critical. It is the only way, in fact, that American education can recapture the global leadership position it once had.

Our Kno device was designed to hasten this adoption trajectory. The way it integrates video with a professor's own course material and the students' notes - in a rich and fluid environment - points to a new and superior academic experience.

Without a doubt, our competitiveness as a nation depends on creating the next generation of information workers, business leaders, entrepreneurs and creative thinkers. They need to be educated in an innovative system that brilliantly and elegantly integrates the same technology required to succeed in their lives. The device my company has built - the KNO - is one step in that direction. There will be others. It's time to put aside the old debate about whether technology in the classroom is a good or a bad thing. We know it's a good thing. The challenge is to make it better.

One of the great things about running Flashlight Worthy Book Recommendations -- a website full of hundreds of lists of great books -- is the new way in which we see the calendar.

For example, until we started the site, we viewed late August as a time for Beach Reads. Whether steampunk, Bond or Chick Lit, August was for plunking down on a towel with something mindless.

But our August isn't everyone's. As Molly Ives Brower reminded us:

Every year late August means students and faculty everywhere return to campus. If you're not fortunate enough to be one of them, you can still get that collegiate feeling by settling into a comfy chair with a great campus novel. There are certain to be many beyond this list, but those below all have one thing in common: they evoke a sense of being at a particular kind of college at a particular point in time.

Enjoy Molly's campus picks and be sure to comment to let us know what titles she missed. When you're done, head on over to Flashlight Worthy for hundreds more book lists.

Another election cycle, another spiraling narrative about the persistently fickle youth vote, another misleading piece that mischaracterizes an entire generation before a single poll opens. We're not as shallow as the now infamous New York Times piece on the youth vote would allow you to believe were are.

We're nuanced. Poll after poll indicates that the vast majority of us aren't overtly partisan -- yet we care about issues and in that department, we're progressive. The Pew poll referenced in the times shows barely any statistical change in party affiliation. Moreover, the very same poll shows that regardless of party affiliation young people are strongly progressive on the issues. From the poll:

The political leanings of this youngest group of voters may be linked to their outlook on politics and society. Analysis of long-term political values finds that Millennials are far more liberal in a number of areas than are older Americans. This is reflected in Millennials' views on contemporary policy issues as well, from their widespread belief that gays should be allowed to openly serve in the military to their reservations over the use of U.S. military forces in Afghanistan and Iraq and their continued preference for a more expansive role for government.

Moreover, Millennials are far more likely than older people to describe themselves as liberals. In the fourth quarter of 2009, as many Millennial voters identified themselves as liberals (29%) as conservatives (28%), while 40% said they are moderates. In every other age group, far more voters described their views as conservative than liberal. Among voters in Gen X, 38% described their political views as moderate and 38% said they were conservative; only 20% described themselves as liberal.

So that's that. There's certainly reason to be cynical. Our political process is broken and ridiculous. Only in Congress could a majority of votes ...not really count as a majority. We're weary. There are reasons to believe that our votes mattered in not only 2008 but in the years before it (after all, youth turnout has been increasing since 2000). Yet those reasons are often overshadowed by, say, the insincerity of politicians who claim to be standing up "for future generations" only to then vote against unemployment benefits for a generation facing 20% unemployment.

Yet, therein lies the beauty of midterm elections. Members of Congress may have the power to vote for or against legislation, but we have the power to vote for or against every one of them.

That mentality may not translate into political allegiances -- but that actually says more about the candidates than it does about young voters. What this article would suggest is that candidates, from both parties, would be wise to fight for our votes. The youth vote is always up for grabs, and contrary to what the New York Times might suggest, the youth vote isn't synonymous with "the college vote." We're not a monolith. We're a diverse generation that comes from different backgrounds, armed with different stories, still united in a shared belief that the issues matter.

What is true is that midterm elections often see a decrease in turnout from every demographic. What is true is that it's harder to turn out voters in an off year, and that it's hard to draw a correlation between those issues and the midterm elections. What is true is that youth organizations are acting accordingly -- finding new and creative ways to reach a wider audience and to go around.

It is the recognition of how challenging this cycle is that's inspired over 30 youth organizations and media partners to create http://www.voteagain2010.com

Check out the launch video for Vote Again 2010 here:

The media may continue to dismiss us as a legitimate voting cohort. Reporters may continue to insist that we're unreliable, fickle and superficial.

Well, I think they're wrong. I think we're powerful.

Fundamentally, while members of Congress may have the power to vote for or against legislation -- we have the power to vote for or against every one of them.

Why wouldn't we vote again?

Sweat poured down my face as the Dateline correspondent questioned me.

And before you jump to conclusions -- I was not on To Catch a Predator.

My flop sweat was due to being interviewed about a story I worked on in college about a girl who was almost killed. Her name is Kristen Grindley. The case is ongoing and her ex-boyfriend has been charged. Dramatic.

Couple that with the fact that the town -- Pullman, WA -- is, for fear of being cliché, a quiet little hamlet nestled among the wheat basket of eastern Washington and it kind of ups the ante.

And, as much as Dick Wolfe and whoever does CSI would have you believe, young women don't normally meet mortal violence in Smalltown, USA.

After all, this ain't Aruba.

Plus Kristen survived. That's the kicker.

After waking from a coma she couldn't remember what happened. At least not well enough to give the prosecutor what he needed.

That's a lot of back story. Hence the reason I included links. But me dripping sweat was the way I began so to that I must return.

Sweat poured from me, a) because I was nervous, b) I've been cursed genetically and c) it was during that interview I realized why I hadn't gone into broadcast journalism.

The fact that I, the 25-year-old sweating mess of a student reporter, was the expert on this story spoke volumes to me about the state of the media.

Lil' 'ole me -- a print journalism kid in po'-dunk Washington -- got the scoop before anyone in New York or L.A. or Seattle. But more importantly, as a student and community-member, what happened to Kristen impacted me just as much as everyone else.

People had questions. They wanted answers. So did I. And I was a reporter. So I went about getting them.

I filed public records requests for police reports and found that Grindley's boyfriend had been arrested a few months prior for hitting her in public. The cop saw him.

I posted the records on my blog (which I shamelessly link to here). But during Kristen's coma, when there was not much movement on the case, the documents generated much discussion around town.

Naturally, everyone I spoke with assumed he was guilty. And to this I cannot attest. No one knows. Just because a jury announces a verdict or a judge bangs his gavel doesn't make a ruling gospel truth. I wasn't there on that road that night. The blood's dry.

What I do know is that, as a young journalist, covering this story confirmed my ardent belief in community journalism.

I felt what others felt and it's not bias - it's empathy.

Out-of-town reporters with camera and lights, microphones and makeup can't cover the story -- just the drama. Just the heat that real-life tragedy emits.

And that's why we hate the media. And our hatred might be well founded.

But the media and journalism are not always the same.

In this age of globalism everyone's looking back to the local. Buy local, eat local, be local. And it's because we've expanded everything -- communication, technology, commerce -- to such an extent that we've lost our sense of belonging to a community.

I'm still a kid in many peoples' eyes but I can see the writing on the wall. We are social animals and we communicate through story. We've been that way since we lived in tribes and we're still that way even though we live in condos.

Stories make us relate and feel empathy. And storytellers need to be invested in the community. Not as a part of the story but as someone who can understand what people are feeling.

That's the conclusion I came to while dripping sweat on Dateline.

What do you think?

Sweat poured down my face as the Dateline correspondent questioned me.

And before you jump to conclusions -- I was not on To Catch a Predator.

My flop sweat was due to being interviewed about a story I worked on in college about a girl who was almost killed. Her name is Kristen Grindley. The case is ongoing and her ex-boyfriend has been charged. Dramatic.

Couple that with the fact that the town -- Pullman, WA -- is, for fear of being cliché, a quiet little hamlet nestled among the wheat basket of eastern Washington and it kind of ups the ante.

And, as much as Dick Wolfe and whoever does CSI would have you believe, young women don't normally meet mortal violence in Smalltown, USA.

After all, this ain't Aruba.

Plus Kristen survived. That's the kicker.

After waking from a coma she couldn't remember what happened. At least not well enough to give the prosecutor what he needed.

That's a lot of back story. Hence the reason I included links. But me dripping sweat was the way I began so to that I must return.

Sweat poured from me, a) because I was nervous, b) I've been cursed genetically and c) it was during that interview I realized why I hadn't gone into broadcast journalism.

The fact that I, the 25-year-old sweating mess of a student reporter, was the expert on this story spoke volumes to me about the state of the media.

Lil' 'ole me -- a print journalism kid in po'-dunk Washington -- got the scoop before anyone in New York or L.A. or Seattle. But more importantly, as a student and community-member, what happened to Kristen impacted me just as much as everyone else.

People had questions. They wanted answers. So did I. And I was a reporter. So I went about getting them.

I filed public records requests for police reports and found that Grindley's boyfriend had been arrested a few months prior for hitting her in public. The cop saw him.

I posted the records on my blog (which I shamelessly link to here). But during Kristen's coma, when there was not much movement on the case, the documents generated much discussion around town.

Naturally, everyone I spoke with assumed he was guilty. And to this I cannot attest. No one knows. Just because a jury announces a verdict or a judge bangs his gavel doesn't make a ruling gospel truth. I wasn't there on that road that night. The blood's dry.

What I do know is that, as a young journalist, covering this story confirmed my ardent belief in community journalism.

I felt what others felt and it's not bias - it's empathy.

Out-of-town reporters with camera and lights, microphones and makeup can't cover the story -- just the drama. Just the heat that real-life tragedy emits.

And that's why we hate the media. And our hatred might be well founded.

But the media and journalism are not always the same.

In this age of globalism everyone's looking back to the local. Buy local, eat local, be local. And it's because we've expanded everything -- communication, technology, commerce -- to such an extent that we've lost our sense of belonging to a community.

I'm still a kid in many peoples' eyes but I can see the writing on the wall. We are social animals and we communicate through story. We've been that way since we lived in tribes and we're still that way even though we live in condos.

Stories make us relate and feel empathy. And storytellers need to be invested in the community. Not as a part of the story but as someone who can understand what people are feeling.

That's the conclusion I came to while dripping sweat on Dateline.

What do you think?

Try explaining your college in a few words to someone who isn't in-the-know. It's a delicate business. Why not do the obvious and compare your institution of higher learning with a popular gangster rapper?

Here are my favorite examples... What do you think? Have better ideas? Come up with your own, and I'll add the best.

Try explaining your college in a few words to someone who isn't in-the-know. It's a delicate business. Why not do the obvious and compare your institution of higher learning with a popular rapper?

Here are my favorite examples... What do you think? Have better ideas? Come up with your own, and I'll add the best.

In a world where it takes only seconds to locate nearby restaurants, retailers and even friends, why does it take several days to detect potentially deadly E. coli O157:H7 in our food and drinking water?

As the public is becoming increasingly aware, E. coli O157:H7, which was first found in 1982, can easily threaten public health and safety through contamination in food and water. In fact, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report an estimated 73,000 cases of infection and 61 resultant deaths each year in the U.S.

Yet the conventional methods to detect E. coli O157:H7 are time consuming, and can take several days to a week for results. Given the severe health and safety risks, it is evident that a faster method of detecting E. coli O157:H7 is highly desirable.

Working in a lab at the University of Maine, my research is for just that -- a rapid method to detect E. coli O157:H7 in water, enabling quick corrective action to be taken upon its detection--in hours as opposed to days.

But why the focus on water?

With water quality becoming an increasing concern in the public eye, it is important to recognize that E. coli O157:H7 poses a threat not just in meat and produce but in drinking water as well. E. coli O157:H7 in drinking water usually indicates sewage or animal waste contamination and poses an enormous threat to human health through killing the cells of the intestinal lining, destroying the kidneys, causing blood clots in the brain, as well as causing seizures, paralysis, and respiratory failure.

The method we developed is an alternative to the traditional labor-intensive and time consuming method, which requires waiting for cultures to grow and then counting individual bacterial cells. By applying microbiology and nanotechnology principles, we optimized a biosensor capable of detecting E. coli O157:H7 in water in a much shorter time.

Our research was recently selected as the U.S. winner of the 2010 Stockholm Junior Water Prize, sponsored by global water leader ITT Corporation. And now just a few days after starting my freshman orientation at Washington University in St. Louis, I've packed my bags and am heading off to Stockholm, along with students from over 30 other countries, for the international leg of the competition during World Water Week (September 5- 11).

What is next?

It is my hope that this research will contribute to the scientific community's collective endeavor in the continuous improvement and the mainstream adoption of a rapid method for detecting E. coli O157:H7. As a result of this research, I have become more interested in the environmental sciences -- and may consider pursuing additional studies in that direction. After all, the environment is our most precious resource.