Text Only

VSU Directory

Select a VSU Department Academic Affairs Access Office Accounting and Finance Admissions Adult & Career Education Adult Degree and Military Programs Advancement Services Advancement, University African American Studies Air Force ROTC Alcohol & Other Drug Education Alumni Relations Anthropology Program Art Arts & Sciences, College of Arts, College of the Astronomy Athletics Auxiliary Services Biology BlazeFM: WVVS (90.9 FM) BlazeNet Board of Regents Bookstore Bursary (Tuition Cost & Fee    Payment) Business Admin. Grad Programs Business Admin., Langdale College    of Business Services Campus Activities Board Campus Alert System Campus Mail Campus Recreation Campus Wellness CampusConnect Career Services Catalogs, Undergraduate &    Graduate Center for Applied Research Center for Business and Economic    Research Center for Economic Education Chemistry Commencement Communication Arts Communication Disorders Communications Unit Conflict Resolution Continuing Education Cooperative Education Council of Department Heads Council on Staff Affairs Counseling Center Crime Stats Criminal Justice Curriculum & Instructional    Technology Curriculum, Leadership, and    Technology Department Dance Deaf Education Dean of Students Debate Team Dining Services Disability Services Distance Learning Early Childhood & Special    Education eCore Education, College of Educational Leadership Employee and Organizational    Development Employee Self Service Login Engineering Studies Engineering Transfer to Georgia    Tech (RETP) English English Language Institute Enterprise Application Services Environmental and Occupational    Safety Environmental Geosciences Environmental Issues Committee European Council Evening Program Event Services Faculty Research Seed Grants Faculty Scholarship Faculty Senate Finance and Administration Financial Aid Financial Services Freshman Learning Communities Freshmen Year Experience General Studies Geosciences Governor's Honors Program Graduate School Graduation Grants & Contracts Greek Life HallNet Health Promotions Health Services Helpdesk, Information Technology History Honors Program Hotline Housing & Residence Life HUB Learning Cooperative Human Resources Information Technology Institutional Planning Committee Institutional Review Board for the    Protection of Human    Subjects Internal Audits International Programs International Students Journalism Kinesiology & Physical    Education Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base Leadership Programs Legal Affairs Management Marketing & Economics Marriage & Family Therapy Mass Media Master of Library & Info    Science Master of Social Work Program Mathematics & Computer Science MEA Federal Credit Union Media Center Middle Grades Education Modern & Classical Languages Moody Air Force Base Music Native American Studies Network Services Nursing, College of OASIS Odum Library Off-Campus Credit Program Info Office of Social Equity One Card Services Organization & Mission Orientation Parent Resource Center Parking & Transportation Peach State Summer Theatre Perspectives Philosophy and Religious Studies Physics Planned Giving Planning and Budget Council Plant Operations Police Department Policies Political Science President's Office Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Psychology & Counseling Public Administration Public Services Publication and Design Services Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Reading Education Records Policy Registrar Religious Studies SACS Accreditation Science Seminar Secondary Education Small Business Development Center Social Work, Division of Sociology, Anthropology, Criminal    Justice South Georgia College Entry Program Special Education Spectator Speech Communication Sponsored Programs & Research    Administration Strategic Research & Analysis Student Affairs Student Conduct Office Student Development Organization Student Employment Student Government Association Student Handbook Student Life Student Organizations Student Success Center Student Union Tech Shop Telecommunications Testing Theatre Training and Development Undergraduate Research Council University Advancement University Assessment Committee University System of Georgia Upward Bound Vending Services Veteran's Affairs Video Production Services Volunteer Services VSU Foundation VSU TV VSU TV Live WebCT Wireless Internet for VSU Women's and Gender Studies WVVS 90.9

Prospective Students | Current Students | Faculty & Staff | Alumni & Friends | Parents & Visitors | Portals

Home > College of Arts and Sciences > Council on Undergraduate Research > News > 04-06-07

04-06-07

CUR Institutes:

Spring Institute:

Initiating and Sustaining Undergraduate Research Programs:  

This institute is currently full.  We are still accepting applications to the wait list.

Summer Institutes:

Proposal Writing Institute:  

This CUR Institute will be held July 19-23, 2007 at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.  This Institute will bring together faculty and administrators interested in preparing proposals for submission to external funding agencies.  The four-day institute will consist of one-on-one work with a mentor, small group discussions, writing and critiquing of proposals, and plenary sessions.  The institute has been developed to assist novice to experienced proposal writers in drafting complete proposals for submission.  

Registration is available by visiting: http://www.cur.org/institutes/proposal.html

Mentorship, Collaboration and Undergraduate Research in the Social Sciences and Humanities:  

This CUR Institute will be held July 13-15, 2007 at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin.  This workshop will bring together teams of three to five faculty members and administrators engaged in enhancing undergraduate research opportunities at their home institutions, focusing on undergraduate research as faculty development, student-based inquiry and institutional support structure.  The three days will consist of plenary lectures presented by facilitators associated with CUR interspersed with individual team meetings with CUR mentors.  Faculty and administrators from disciplines throughout the social sciences and humanities will spend the weekend discussing models of undergraduate research, mentorship and collaboration; what "research" and "mentorship" mean in different disciplines in the social sciences and humanities; assessing the value of undergraduate research; and means of augmenting funding for undergraduate research internally and externally.

Registration is available by visiting:  http://www.cur.org/institutes/socscihum.html

National Office News:

Developing and Sustaining a Research - Supportive Curriculum: A Compendium of Successful Practices:

The Council on Undergraduate Research is pleased to announce a new publication designed to share successful practices that enable faculty and institutions to design, implement, and sustain a research-supportive undergraduate curriculum.  The volume focuses on three broad areas: curricular elements and teaching and learning strategies that develop critical research skills, curricular infrastructure that enhances a research-supportive curriculum, and administrative contributions that initiate and sustain a research-supportive curriculum.  Authors across disciplines and from a variety of types of institutions have contributed over 30 chapters and 50 “highlights’ describing curricular approaches, methods, techniques, developed for their courses and programs of study to enhance the research experience of students and the research culture of their institutions.  Topics include curricular approaches to build research skills such as inquiry-based laboratories and interdisciplinary courses and programs, institutional infrastructure and assessment practices that promote a research-supportive curriculum, and the role of the faculty and the administration in nurturing a curriculum to support a research culture.  Specific examples of known practices at particular institutions are included in each chapter. 

Edited by Kerry Karukstis, Harvey Mudd College, and Tim Elgren, Hamilton College, this compendium of successful curricular and institutional practices to develop critical research skills emphasizes the importance of the collective efforts of the undergraduate community to integrate research and education.   By collecting and disseminating a variety of mechanisms that are effective means of creating a research-supportive undergraduate curriculum, the Council on Undergraduate Research aims to encourage faculty and institutions to continue to seek creative, useful, and significant ways to promote “learning through research”.  

This publication is available for purchase via the order form.  The cost is $45.00 plus shipping costs, and individual members are eligible for a reduced rate of $35.00, plus shipping costs.

This publication was featured in an article in Inside Higher Ed to view this article, please click the following link:  http://insidehighered.com/news/2007/02/22/research

CUR Posters on the Hill:

Posters on the Hill will be held April 25th, 2007.  CUR has selected 60 undergraduate posters to present on Capitol Hill.  These students and their faculty mentors will also meet with their senators and representatives to advocate for undergraduate research.  Congratulations to all participants.

CUR NSF-CCLI Grant:

The Council on Undergraduate Research has recently received a grant from NSF-CCLI in the amount of $499,066.  Activities will include eight regional workshops over the next two years and follow-up activities for institutions that participate in the regional workshops.  The purpose of the grant is to assist campuses to make institution-level change to establish, formalize and expand undergraduate research opportunities.  These workshops will be directed toward campuses that have not yet institutionalized undergraduate research.  Workshops sites have been identified and some dates have been confirmed.  Please visit the Grant Website at http://www.cur.org/ccli.html

Upcoming Regional Workshops:

Mid-Atlantic Penn State Delaware County, Sept 28-30, 2007

Northwest Lewis & Clark College, November 2-4, 2007

CUR Directories of Research:

The Council on Undergraduate Research has Directories of Undergraduate Research in several disciplines remaining in our inventory.  The original price for these publications varied from $45.00 - $65.00.  CUR is now offering these remaining directories to CUR Members for the cost of shipping only.  For available disciplines, publication dates, and shipping costs, please contact the National Office at (202) 783-4810 or cur@cur.org

Call for Bids to CUR Meetings:

The Council on Undergraduate Research requests bids for the 2009 Annual Business Meeting and 2010 National Conference and Annual Business Meeting.  The deadline for submissions is May 1, 2007.  Please visit http://www.cur.org/bidprocess.html for more information as well as bid documents.  Should you have any questions, please contact Julie Ackerman at julie@cur.org.   

Call for Nominations for CUR Fellows:

The Council on Undergraduate Research requests nominations for the CUR Fellows Awards.  The CUR Fellows Awards are presented at the biennial National Conference to two CUR members who have developed nationally respected research programs involving undergraduates.  Each CUR Fellow will also be awarded a Brian Andreen-CUR Student Research Fellowship that they will give to a deserving undergraduate at their respective institutions. Awardees have established outstanding records of obtaining funding for their work and for their students, and have published research findings with undergraduate co-authors. They reach out to students of all backgrounds, incorporate research activities into the courses they teach, and lead efforts to institutionalize research on their campuses and across the nation. In sum, they are leaders and role models for countless faculty and students. Full details of the CUR Fellow criteria and biographies of past CUR Fellows are available at www.cur.org/CUR_Fellows.html. 

Any member of CUR may submit a nomination for the CUR Fellows Awards. A nomination consists of a two-page letter highlighting the nominee's contributions to all areas of undergraduate research. Additionally, a two page Curriculum Vita (C.V.) of the nominee should be included. Although abbreviated, the C.V. should detail the nominee's contribution to undergraduate research, ranging from mentoring undergraduate students with resulting publications to promoting undergraduate research beyond the local level. The letter and C.V. must be submitted to the CUR National Office as a single PDF document attached to cur@cur.org with CUR Fellows in the Subject. The deadline for nominations is MAY 4th, 2007. Questions may be addressed to Mike Jackson, at jackson.mic2@uwlax.edu   Please Note:  This is an updated contact for CUR Fellows.  

Washington Partners News:

In recent weeks, Congress has been hard at work.  Both the House and Senate have laid out plans for federal spending next year, changes to the No Child Left Behind and Higher Education Acts have been discussed, a House Science and Technology Subcommittee has begun the process that will result in new legislation guiding the efforts of the National Science Foundation, and legislation to address the nation’s competitiveness has inched forward. 

While programs at the Department of Education address federal K-12 education priorities and a number of programs meant to improve access to postsecondary study, the National Science Foundation (NSF) is unique among the federal government’s scientific research agencies in that it supports science and engineering across all disciplines. Each year, NSF supports an average of about 200,000 scientists, engineers, educators and students at universities, laboratories and field sites all over the United States and throughout the world.   The 110th Congress is charged with reauthorizing the legislation that governs the Foundation’s activities, and the House Science and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Science Education has begun this process with hearings.  At one such hearing, NSF Director Arden Bement complimented budget proposals that would increase research efforts at the Foundation, and noted that “diverse and balanced” investments in scientific, peer-reviewed research and effective science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education programs are more important than ever.  Further, he referenced the much-anticipated report from the National Science Board’s Commission on 21st Century Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, expected to be released “this summer.”  He also specifically praised the efforts and results of the Math and Science Partnerships program and the Noyce Scholarships.  It is clear that these education and research programs are priorities for the Foundation and the lawmakers charged with the effort to author legislation to reauthorize its efforts.

While lawmakers debate the future of the Foundation, a different set will have to divvy up federal funds for its programs for FY 2008.  The House Commerce, Justice, State and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee has held hearings on its spending plan, which governs numerous and diverse federal programs, although details have not been released to date.  The Administration has weighed in, though, with a budget request that would include a modest increase for the Foundation’s Education and Human Resources directorate—the directorate that oversees its Undergraduate Education (DUE) efforts, including the Advanced Technological Education, (ATE), Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) and other programs important to undergraduate researchers.  If enacted, ATE could support 15-20 additional programs, and CCLI could see an increase of $3.5 million.  Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) would essentially receive the same funds as last year, while Research in Undergraduate Institutions could see an increase of about $500,000.  This debate and the corresponding figures will be more clearly defined in coming weeks.

While there has been much discussion of STEM education and competitiveness issues on Capitol Hill recently, the two major legislative efforts to date have been the introduction of the America COMPETES Act (S. 761) in the Senate and the approval of the “10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds” Science and Math Scholarship Act (H.R. 362) legislation in the House Science and Technology Committee.

The America COMPETES Act is a voluminous and expensive proposal that touches programs at almost every federal agency.  The legislation is based on a bill introduced at the end of last year by the Senate Leaders and focuses on two primary areas important to maintaining and improving U.S. innovation in the 21st Century: (1) increasing research investment and (2) strengthening educational opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics from elementary through graduate school.  Since its introduction, supporters have been working to recruit additional co-sponsors of the bill (as of this writing, there are 44 bipartisan co-sponsors) to ensure that the bill can be debated on the floor of the Senate without much controversy.  Those supportive of the measure are encouraged to ask their Senators to sign on to it. 

In the House, on March 28, the House Science and Technology Committee, chaired by Representative Bart Gordon (D-TN), met to mark up, and ultimately approve the “10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds” Science and Math Scholarship Act. 

HR 362 attempts to implement most of the K–12 science education recommendations of the National Academies’ “Rising Above the Gathering Storm” report. The bill, according to its authors, would establish a teacher education program at the National Science Foundation to encourage math, science, and engineering faculty to work with education faculty to improve the preparation of mathematics and science teachers and to provide scholarships to students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields who commit to becoming mathematics and science teachers at elementary and secondary schools; authorize summer teacher training institutes at NSF and the Department of Energy to improve the content knowledge and pedagogical skills of in-service mathematics and science teachers, including preparing them to teach challenging course in science and math, including the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses; require that NSF include support for master’s degree programs for in-service mathematics and science teachers within the NSF Math and Science Partnerships; authorize funding for the NSF STEM Talent Expansion (STEP) program and expand the program to include centers for improving undergraduate STEM education; and, establish a laboratory science pilot project at NSF. 

Building on the broad support for efforts to address the “competitiveness crisis” in the 110th Congress, Chairman Gordon and supporters of this bill are hopeful it will be considered on the floor of the House this spring. 

Lawmakers will return to Washington after the Spring recess with much work ahead of them.  While it is hard to predict where competitiveness legislation will fall on their collective list of priorities, it is clear that it remains front and center for many.

Opportunities:

The CUR National Office has received the following announcements:  

Internship Opportunity at ACS:

The Office of Legislative and Government Affairs (OLGA) at the American Chemical Society is seeking full -time (up to 40 hours/week) undergraduate or graduate student interns for Summer 2007. The internship will be a paid position at an hourly rate of $14-$18 per hour, determined by the academic experience of the intern. The intern will work in the ACS headquarters office located in downtown Washington, DC. The exact dates of the internship period and working schedule are negotiable.

The American Chemical Society and its 159,000 member scientists and engineers represent the “human scientific capital” that drives the scientific advances and innovation that have made America the world leader it is today.  The ACS Office of Legislative and Governments Affairs works with Congress, the Administration, and other industry, scientific, and education-related organization to develop a cohesive, national innovation strategy to increase science and engineering talent and maintain America’s lead at the cutting edge of science and innovation across disciplines and sectors.

Please send the following application materials to James Brown at ACS (j_brown@acs.org):

-          Cover letter describing applicant’s interest in science and legislative affairs

-          Resume

-         Contact information for three references

NIH Grant Announcement:  

MARC Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research, Institutional National Research Service Award (NRSA) Research Training Grant (T34)
(PAR-07-337)
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Application Receipt/Submission Date(s): May 25, 2007, 2008, 2009
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-07-337.html

If you have problems viewing this newsletter, please contact curmember@cur.org.  To view this email as a website, please visit: http://www.cur.org/Newsletter/newsletter071006.htm

734 15th Street NW • Suite 550 • Washington, DC  20005 • Phone (202) 7834810 • Fax(202) 7834811 • cur@cur.org • http://www.cur.org