Jason Koerner, a Masters of Arts candidate in the Psychology program at U of L has been assisting Professor Wolfe’s Honors Psychology 201 class as part of his practicum in college teaching. He says that his experience with this honors class has been wonderful. HONORS CALENDAR
Feb. 6 Feb. 13 Feb. 15 Feb. 18 Feb. 20 Feb. 26 HVP -- Honors Volunteer Program The next HVP meeting will be held in the Etscorn Honors Center Classroom on February 26, 2008. Pizza will be provided. All HVP meetings will be held the last Tuesday of each month at the same time and place. Those who wish to be notified about HVP events by listserv, please send your name and e-mail address to anmart03@louisville.edu. Before every event, you will receive e-mail with the exact time, locations, car pool instructions and directions. Please also check out the Facebook group Honors Volunteer Program. Orientation Office Summer Office Positions The Orientation Office is looking for student workers to work full time from Monday, Feb. 25, 2008 – Friday, July 11, 2008 (Possibility to extend to beginning of school). Workers are expected to work from 8:00a.m. – 5:00p.m. and the position pays $7.00/hr. Applicants must be: extremely detail oriented, able to work independently, able to problem solve, dependable and reliable. Please contact Margie Covington in the New Student Programs Office for more information and an application. Summer Employment Opportunity Honors Peer Advisors Needed for Summer Orientation In order to apply you must have completed at least 30 hours and have a 3.35 or higher cumulative GPA. Applications are due March 30 by 4:00 p.m. IMPORTANT NOTE: Both the Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP) and Summer Term II classes will conflict with the required work schedule for a Peer Advisor. Please take this into consideration when applying for the Peer Advisor position. Please download this application. Once you have completed it, please return it to the front desk at Etscorn Honors Center.
Jason Koerner, left, assisted Professor Christy Wolfe, right, during a recent meeting of her Honors Psyc 201, Introduction to Psychology, this spring semester. |
If there are corrections or omissions, e-mail honors@louisville.edu to update information.
Honors Conference Call for Papers This year's KHR conference will be held at Eastern Kentucky University, Feb. 29 to March 1, 2008. If you have a current project, work it up for an individual presentation or coordinate projects for a panel discussion. Proposals for KHR must be in the Etscorn Honors Center by Feb. 13, 2008. Remember that research presentations range from data-rich projects to those reporting on Honors-related activities such as our Overseers International Seminar trips. Too often students pass by the Honors conferences because it is hard to recognize your own work as conference material. Another misconception about conferences is that the papers are heavy and the presentations large. Not so. Presentations are given in small venues with small groups of interested and friendly listeners. Check the Etscorn Honors Center literature rack for application forms and return to the Etscorn Center. Please also be thinking about the regional and national conferences that are coming in the spring semester. The Mid-East Honors Association Conference (MEHA) This year, U of L honors students are invited to participate in the thirtieth annual Mid-East Honors Association (MEHA) conference which will be held at the Sheraton Indianapolis City Centre Hotel in Indianapolis, Ind., March 28-30. The theme of this year’s conference is "The Ultimate Pit Crew: Getting Up to Speed in the 21st Century." More information on the MEHA conference and its tentative schedule will be made available soon on the MEHA website, in the Etscorn Honors Center or by contacting Luke Buckman. Students wishing to participate in the regional conference in SRHC are expected to participate in KHR. The application deadline for MEHA has been extended to Feb. 15, 2008. Both KHR and MEHA conferences provide the opportunity to meet fellow honors students, directors and faculty members from across the state and the region. Students attend a variety of academic presentations during the conference, while also learning about different honors programs. The Honors Program provides travel and expenses for those attending Honors conferences. Please contact Luke as soon as possible as space is limited. REMINDER For students who are submitting a thesis for graduation this spring, please note that copies of your thesis will need to be delivered to your faculty supervisor by the week of March 10-14, 2008. Students graduating in August or later please see the honors website for more information. Success for the Standardized Test REACH is offering new seminars to assist the preparation of students for the GRE, LSAT, and GMAT exams. These will be offered several times in January prior to the month of February when many students prefer to take the exams. These are free to any UofL student. Also, for students who wish to receive further review in content areas such as mathematics, we are glad to review practice exams and to help tutor students with the GRE, LSAT and GMAT exam preparation books in our centers (and also in the Overseer’s Honors House). Tutors in the Learning Resource Center and in the Math Resource Center will assist with content- specific review. Review session dates include: -LSAT: Thurs 12:00 – 12:50 p.m. -GMAT: Wed. 12:00 – 12:50 p.m. -GRE: Mon. 12:00 – 12:50 p.m. Thurs. 12:30 – 1:20 p.m. HONORS STUDENT COUNCIL (HSC) HSC is proud to sponsor the following regular monthly events: the academic lecture series and social outings. Please see below for details, and check The Current regularly for updates on activities, as well as the Facebook group Honors Program Announcements. HSC Events 10 for $10,000 During the first week of March, the Honors Student Council is planning to have a large book sale, open to the general public, with all proceeds going to the Kosair Children's Hospital. Our goal is to raise a minimum of $10,000, but to do so we need to collect a substantial amount of books. Although we are calling it a book sale, donations are not limited to books. We are also collecting CDs, DVDs, LPs, and other forms of media. At this point, the council members have collected a few thousand books and CDs, but we obviously need many more to meet our goal. We would be incredibly grateful if you took the time to look through your books, music, and movies in your room and home to select a few items to donate to this sale. Any amount of donations will be accepted, but the only items we are unable to accept are older textbooks. Books, or other items, can be dropped off Luke’s office at the Etscorn Honors Center with your name and e-mail address. Show another geek your appreciation and give the gift of a Go Geek T-shirt! HSC T-Shirts have arrived! These incredibly stylish T's are on sale in the Honors Center for $10. The front image printed on the black shirt is of the infamous white squirrel. The back of the shirt displays the following text, “Go Geek! ΗΕ Γ Honors Student Council Honors Program University of Louisville.” Box Tops for Excellence! |
Blakesley Burkhart stands before a poster representation of the Astrophysics research she collected during a summer research opportunity at the University of Wisconsin Madison. The Not-So-Scary Side of Research Editor's note: When many students hear the word research the want to go running in the opposite direction, but honors student Blakesley Burkhart would like to share some very good reasons why it might be just the thing you have been missing from your academic career. I started college as a pre-med major but quickly realized that it wasn't for me. Not only was my heart not into it but I hated the cut-throat atmosphere that is generated by many of the pre med majors. I switched to a double major in physics and mathematics with a Latin minor because I had always loved Astrophysics however I didn't think that I could do something that mathematically intensive. After a successful semester in calculus I realized that this goal was very attainable. I feel like this is a common problem for people who are interested in science but just feel like they lack the mathematical ability to succeed. My first piece of advice is to never tell yourself you can't do it. You can do anything you set your mind too, so it is best to pick a major that you love rather then what you might be good at or what will make you the most money. And now for my second piece of advice, and the rest of the story. Shortly after switching my major to physics and mathematics my I began thinking about and considering research opportunities for the first time. This consideration was fueled by two things my love for travel and some small reservations I had about my decision to stay in Louisville for college rather than leaving the state like all my high school friends did. Now, don't get me wrong, I love U of L. It's a great university and if you make the most of it, it can be better than many of the big name colleges...but I've lived in Louisville my entire life and I felt the need to experience a new place. The Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) programs are the perfect opportunities for students wanting to study science outside Louisville for a summer, and I can not stress and encourage enough other undergraduates to apply for these opportunities. Depending on where you go they will pay you $3,000-$5,000 dollars for a summer, pay your travel; pay your food and lodging...and afford you the opportunity to do ground-breaking research at another institution. My first REU was during the summer of 2006 at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. While there, I was paid to do research on spatio-temporal chaos in a neuron system. Not only did I learn a lot and get paid to have a great experience in Alaska but also I made many new friends and connections. The second REU that I participated in was easily one of the most beneficial experiences of my undergraduate career. I traveled to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to do Astrophysics research on turbulence in the interstellar medium. I worked with some of the best researchers in the field and will be getting a first author publication in the Astrophysical Journal as a result of this summer research. I recently was sent by UW-Madison (fully paid) to Austin, Texas, to present this research and won an honorable mention for my poster presentation of my research. So astrophysics may not be your particular interest, but that doesn’t mean that you should discount research opportunities. There are many wonderful research opportunities that cover all different areas of the science and also other non-science disciplines. It is never too early to get involved with undergraduate research. Graduate schools, especially those in the sciences, want to see that a student has engaged in undergraduate research. An undergraduate is a much more attractive candidate if they have research experience, especially if it is published. REUs are great if you want to get away for the summer, get paid well, and do research. I would also suggest getting involved in campus activities. I am the Society of Physics Students (SPS) President and the Associate Zone Councilor for the national SPS. My participation in these organizations earned me a free trip to Washington, D.C. to represent several states at the national meeting, and through SPS I have met many friends and feel very much apart of the U of L community. The reward of research is such a great feeling and I encourage other students to see the benefits of getting involved!Upcoming Deadlines David L. Boren Undergraduate Scholarship (NSEP) Morris K. Udall Undergraduate Scholarship Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Fellowship If you plan to apply for any of these scholarships and have not already made an appointment with the director of the Scholarship Office, Dr. Patricia Condon, you should do so immediately. Her e-mail is patricia.condon@louisville.edu or call 852-0024. REMINDER Please also note that in addition to food and drink being prohibited in the Honors House computer lab, we also kindly request you refrain from eating and drinking in the Etscorn Honors Center classroom, rm. 132. Exceptions to this rule will be made for meetings, study sessions and other events, but only as approved by Dr. Richardson. |
|---|
Volume
7, Number 11 University of Louisville ARTS & SCIENCES
February 5, 2008
Got research? It's the time of year to explore research opportunities!
THE CURRENT, the University Honors Program online newsletter published every two weeks during the fall and spring terms, welcomes submissions. Material should be submitted by the Wednesday preceding the next Monday publication date. Electronic submissions are preferable. Please send to Nichole Burruss by e-mail at nichole.burruss@louisville.edu. Hard copy may be sent to the Honors House c/o THE CURRENT. The next issue of THE CURRENT appears in February 18, 2008! Watch for it!!
University Honors Program
University of Louisville
Office: (502) 852-6293, Fax: (502) 852-3919
E-mail: honors@louisville.edu
University of Louisville
Office: (502) 852-6293, Fax: (502) 852-3919
E-mail: honors@louisville.edu
.