You know all about Carl Jung, and you've studied Sigmund Freud -- but what do you know about the married couple Kenneth and Mamie Clark and their contribution to psychology? This duo conducted research in the 1950's on how children react to race, using dolls during their experiments -- they found that school children (both black and white) described the black dolls with negative adjectives, while they described the white dolls in a more positive light. The experiment was largely inspired by Mamie's thesis for her master's degree, and it directly contributed to the desegregation of American public schools. Kenneth even starred as an expert witness for the Briggs v Eilliot case in South Carolina, which played an intricate roll in the Brown v Board of Education case that later went before the US Supreme Court. The couple met while studying at Howard University in Washington, DC and they both received a Ph.D. from Columbia University in New York -- Kenneth was in fact the very first African-American to receive a Ph.D. in psychology from Columbia University. Who was the second? Mamie of course! You think Kenneth took advantage of those bragging rights? Not if he knew what was good for him! Let's check out some grad school news:

• Kaja Reban is a grad student at UW-Madison, and she is currently battling the Citizens United v Federal Election Committee ruling that says corporations have free speech just like individuals, and money donated to political campaigns is considered "speech."Check out this interview with Kaja from The Cap Times.
• Meanwhile, a computer science grad student is planning a battle of his own -- against the internet. He claims to know how to [theoretically] crash the entire internet. Let's hope his plan doesn't fall into the wrong hands!
• Some say that grad school isn't worth it -- all the work, the stress, the debt -- while others say grad school is more necessary today than at anytime in the past. DivineCaroline took a look at "the myth of grad school" to determine if more education equals more problems.
• So if you wanted to improve your university and put a greater emphasis on the educational mission, would you consider cutting admins and athletic programs to get it done? Some grad students at the University of New Mexico say "yes," and they have solid facts to support their stance.
• The California Institute of Technology has had 31 Nobel Prize winners among their alumni. That is incredible. But they're making the news for a different reason lately --the men's basketball team just ended their 310 game conference losing streak that had lasted 26 years! Congrats to the team and all their fans.

Be sure to check in tomorrow when I review the book How to Survive Your Ph.D. by Jason R. Karp, Ph.D. Until then you can follow GradShare on Twitter & Facebook!

A remarkable stand up comedy career, classic hit television shows, and named one of the 100 Greatest African Americans in 2002 -- Bill Cosby is quite an accomplished man. Did you know that in addition to being a college graduate (Temple University), Mr. William Henry "Bill" Cosby also earned a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Massachusetts in 1976? He wrote a dissertation entitled, "An Integration of the Visual Media Via 'Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids' Into the Elementary School Curriculum as a Teaching Aid and Vehicle to Achieve Increased Learning." Try saying that with a mouth full of Jell-O pudding! Let's check out some other grad school news:

• I guess some students were inspired by the protests in Egypt, because a group of grad students at Yale recently staged a protest of their own.
• Speaking of Egypt, Sarah Christian is a post-grad student at Indiana State University that just returned from an internship in Cairo. Glad she made it back safely!
• You may read a lot of blogs about grad school (you're reading one right now), but have you ever considered writing your own blog about your experiences as a grad student?
• Attention all grad students studying the sciences, Tales of the Genomic Repairman has got a great list of who you should be reading. Check it out.
• Are you a humanities grad student? If so, please take a minute to complete this survey for our friend, and researcher, Margaret Meiman!

Be sure to check back for more, and don't forget to follow GradShare on Twitter & Facebook!

Spike Lee recently attended a U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting at Morehouse University, the focus of which was to encourage more black students to become teachers. Alongside congressmen John Lewis, Morehouse president Robert Michael, and various other educators, Lee spoke about why black students - especially young black males - can help the black community and the community as a whole by becoming teachers. He expressed that "too many black teens only see three career options -- sports, rap music, or the corner." The author of the AJC Get Schooled Blog, Maureen Downey, wrote so poignantly, "seeing a black man in front of the classroom will reveal another option to children." Lee is a strong proponent of education, he attended Morehouse University, as did his father and grandfather, and Lee now teaches at NYU, where he attended grad school. Let's check out some other grad school news:

• Washington DC may be a long way from Cairo, but that didn't stop Mohammad Abdeljaber from organizing a protest at the Egyptian Embassy to show support for those in his homeland.
• It can be tricky being a non-traditional student in graduate school, but with a few helpful tips you'll be on the road to success in no time.
• The Dr. PhD Blog recently posted a great list of Top 50 Blogs Every Grad Student should read -- and GradShare came in 2nd! So if you are reading this blog right now, you must be on the right track!

Be sure to check back for more grad school news, and don't forget to check us out on Twitter & Facebook!