Author: Blythe

Calling All STEM Students

The Norma Slepecky Undergraduate Research Prize is endowed in memory of Professor Slepecky by her family, friends and colleagues. Students conducting  research in the sciences or engineering are eligible to apply.  The 2014 Prize Committee is now accepting submissions.

The first place prize is $750 awarded in April 2014

Students wishing to compete for the Slepecky Prize should submit evidence of their research in the form of one or more of the following:

¨ an Honors or Senior Thesis (near-final draft is acceptable given the submission date)

¨ the text of a paper submitted to a peer-reviewed Archival Journal as senior author.

¨ a published or accepted Abstract for a scientific or professional society meeting in combination with the text of the Oral or Poster Presentation (the student must be the senior author and presenter).

A student who did not win previously can resubmit materials from the prior year submittal for review.  SU science and engineering students enrolled in the Colleges of Engineering & Computer Science and Arts & Sciences are encouraged to apply. Women science and engineering students are strongly encouraged to apply.

A full list of qualifications and requirements available here

Research Award Info Recap

The Next Zuck – Message from Honors Student and Founder, Amanda Quick

The Next Zuck

 

 

 

Looking for an internship or ways to get hands-on experience?

The Next Zuck is looking to fill positions for the spring semester!

The Next Zuck, is a media startup, web series and website that features college entrepreneurs, student-run startups, investors, accelerators, startup programs and more. Founded by Amanda Quick, Honors student and Crown Scholarship winner. So far, the team has interviewed college entrepreneurs at Syracuse University, Cornell University, Columbia University, Michigan State University, Ohio State University, Miami University (OH), RIT and Ithaca College. They will officially launch in mid-February.

If you’re interested in becoming apart of the team email thenextzuck@gmail.com with your name, resume, and short blurb (150 words) about your experience and interest.

The Next Zuck is looking for: Animators, Copy Editors, Video Editors, Programmers, Researchers, Social Media Gurus, a Web Director, Writers, and anyone interested in startup culture! (see below for details).

Animators – Animation team members will work with our production team to design animations for each of our web segments. Experience with animation is required. Please submit a resume and examples of work.

Copy Editors – We are looking for two copy editors who will edit stories, blog posts and “startups to watch” blurbs. Copy editors will be required to edit 3-4 stories a week as well as consult with Co-Founders and web team before posting to the website. Previous experience with copy writing is preferred for candidates, but not required. Candidates should have strong writing and editing skills. Please submit a resume and two writing samples.

Video Editors – Editors will work with our production team at the Orange Television Network. Editors will edit 1 video a week (2-3 minutes in length) and will be required to use Avid and/or Adobe Premiere. Editors should also be familiar with After Effects. Please submit a resume and links to your work.

Programmer – Will work with Web Director. Please submit a resume and links to any of your sites.

Researchers – Researchers will work with our campus team to research student startups and startup cultures prior to each of our campus visits. Research includes contacting students startups, incubators, accelerators, semester programs, unique startup events and potential partners who would be interested in being featured by The Next Zuck. Candidates should be curious, interested in startups and willing to meet with Co-Founders twice a month to discuss research and potential story ideas. Please submit a resume.

Social Media Team – The social media team will be responsible for posting and generating content to Facebook,Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest daily. Candidates should have experience with social media in a professional manner. Please submit a resume.

Web Director – Will work with Programmer to design and keep website up to date. Web Director should be familiar with Word Press, HTML 5, Javascript and Google Analytics. Please submit a resume and links to any of your websites.

Writers – Will write 1-2 stories per month about a student startup or campus startup event. Co-Founders and researchers will provide writers with story ideas and contacts. Candidates should be curious, creative, and strong writers with good interview skills. Please submit a resume and two writing samples.

Honors Advisory Board

Honors students,

Did you know that we have a student advisory board?  So far, they’ve been working quietly behind the scenes, coming up with great ideas like the donut and coffee cafés, and movie nights.  They have really taken their activities to the next level this term, and are organizing to bring some great opportunities and activities to Honors students.  You will be hearing more from them in the coming weeks about some of the great things they have instore, but in the meantime you can check out their page on the Honors website, familiarize yourself with who they are, and if you have an idea or feedback for one of them, definitely get in touch!

See You Next Year for Dinner

Each year Honors hosts a table for ten at the Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. This year was no different. Students and staff member Karen Hall and her family enjoyed good food, good conversation, an inspiring speaker and wonderful dance, song and poetry. A shout out to Honors student Ashley Thibaud who performed a spoken word poem with  the  Nu Rho Poetic Society! We got to applaud Honors instructor Georgia Popoff’s years of community service when she was awarded an Unsung Hero Award. Be one of the first to respond to next year’s invitation so you can be a part of this meaningful event.

Students enjoying MLK Celebratioin

It’s -11 in Syracuse…

….so you’re probably starting to dream about next next summer! Summer is an excellent time for research, study abroad, or internships and applications deadlines are approaching.

Here’s a new cross-post from the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) blog. We’ve been featuring SU student winners of nationally competitive awards and asking them 6 questions about their experiences.  In this edition, Honors student Emily Kraus describes her summer research experience through the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates Program (NSF REU).

Are you planning for next summer or working on applications?  CFSA is here to help!  Check out this link to a list of summer opportunities: http://nationalscholarships.syr.edu/?page_id=3718

No matter where you are in the process, come by our drop-in advising sessions especially to talk about summer plans or applications:

Summer Starts Here

Jan. 16th   3:00 – 4:30 PM

Jan. 22nd   11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Bird Library, Room 123

Bring drafts for comments, or just bring your notebook or laptop to get started. It’ll be a great way to continue or jump start your application process. We’ll have advisors on hand to answer questions, provide feedback on essay drafts, or talk about where to start.

 

1) Why was this program a good fit for your academic interests?

My name is Emily Kraus and I am a junior physics major here at SU. During the summer of 2013 I participated in an NSF-funded research experience for undergraduates (REU) at Rutgers University. This was a good fit for my academic interests because research is a very important component of becoming a physicist, which is my career goal.

Presenting my research in poster format at the end of the REU program.
Presenting my research in poster format at the end of the REU program.

 

2) Tell us about your research there – what did your daily schedule look like?

My project was in nuclear physics. I carried out computational analysis about the structure of protons and neutrons. A typical day for me involved writing and debugging computer code to calculate the charge distribution and charge radii for these two particles and interpreting the results. I would often get lunch with my advisor and his graduate students. After work I hung out with all of the new friends I made who were also doing research in physics or other areas of science.

3) Who was a particularly interesting person that you met?

A particularly interesting person that I met was Noemie Koller, an 80-year-old woman nuclear physicist who still does research at Rutgers. Affectionately known as the grandmother of the physics department there, she told me many interesting stories over lunch one day about the trials of being a female graduate student in the 1950’s and working for the famous physicist Madame Wu.
4) You’re in a lab at SU. Why was it helpful to have a research experience at another university?

The physics building at Rutgers.
The physics building at Rutgers.

Here at SU I work for the experimental high energy physics laboratory. It was helpful to get research experience at another university because it enabled me to explore a different subfield, a different way of doing research, and different people. This is something everyone should do in their undergraduate years not only to zero in on what subfield they ultimately want to end up in, but also to expand their breadth of knowledge in their field.

5) What did you do for fun during the program?

During my free time after work and on weekends there was a lot to do for fun. We often explored the greater New Brunswick area around Rutgers. Some weekends we went hiking or to the beach. The REU also planned several educational field trips to Hayden Planetarium, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, and Brookhaven National Laboratory.

The physics REU students on a field trip to Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island. I am second from the left.
The physics REU students on a field trip to Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island. I am second from the left.
6) Any advice for SU students applying to NSF REU programs?

I’d say the best advice I can give to anyone applying to REU’s is to apply to at least eight programs and be honest in your application! Even if you haven’t had any research experience, that’s okay. Everyone has to start somewhere and often many universities are actually looking for students who are less experienced; so that they can give them that initial taste of research.

 

Pretending to be a particle in an accelerator at IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

Pretending to be a particle in an accelerator at IBM T.J. Watson Research Center