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Study abroad offers two new summer locations BY ANASTASIA MILLICKER AND GIANCARLO CHAUX STAFF WRITERS
While some students take their summer courses at the University and across the countr y at community colleges, others are taking their summer courses abroad. This summer, students will have the opportunity to study in two new locations in Brazil and Argentina, in addition to more than 20 other study abroad programs being offered during the summer, said Amanda Goodman, University Outreach and Recruitment Coordinator for Study Abroad. In Brazil, students will be able to take courses in English and Portuguese in the Rio de Janeiro Intensive Language and Culture program offered by the Council on International Educational Exchange, according to the program’s description. Another new program that will be offered is a language education program in Argentina, designed for students interested in teaching, Goodman said. According to the study abroad website, there are 21 different programs offered in 16 different countries. The only program that ran in the past but will not be running this summer is the Russia Language program — it will be running in 2013, Goodman said in an email. The University Study Abroad Office offers more than 100 programs in 38 countries, either for a semester, a year or over the summer, said Carrie Wojenski, the regional coordinator for the Study Abroad Office, in a past article. “We can help them go abroad if they want to,” she said in the article. “They just need to apply.” For these programs, all students can apply, including firstyear students, Goodman said. There is no GPA requirement for most as long as the student is in good standing, she said. Some programs last 10 days and some run for two months, depending on the program and the location, she said. Summer applications for study abroad are due April 1.
The price of an abroad experience depends on the destination and might include housing and meals, but there are some programs that are cheaper than staying at the University, said Mark Libatique, a School of Ar ts and Sciences senior. Libatique completed a study abroad program in Paris during the spring 2011 semester — an experience he said helped him become a more open-minded person by introducing him to a socially diverse environment. “[Studying abroad] takes me out of my comfor t zone and gives me oppor tunities to interact with people from all walks of life,” Libatique said. “Doing it in a dif ferent language, in a countr y you are initially a stranger to, is a ver y rewarding experience.” While the experience can be beneficial for those who participate, Libatique said students are often discouraged by the costs associated with the trips. “Cost is always an issue as a student,” he said. “Sometimes it was tough hanging out with students with more money to spend than me.” Students who go abroad can also apply for scholarships to help them pay for the costs of the program, Goodman said. The Gilman Scholarship, for example, offers 2,300 grants for up to $5,000 for American citizens, according to the Institute of International Education website. The University’s Study Abroad Scholarships range from $2,500 to $5,000, according to the University’s Study Abroad website. There are also numerous scholarships for Douglass Residential College students interested in many programs, Goodman said. Despite the monetary issues, Libatique still recommends going abroad as it provided him with a new outlook on his own life back in the U.S. “Traveling somewhere and living somewhere is different. You are thousands of miles from home, which is both thrilling and scar y … The world will be smaller when you come back, and so much more inviting,” he said.
GRAPHIC BY ENRICO CABREDO / ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
The University’s Study Abroad program will offer 21 programs in 16 different countries for the summer semester.
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U. programs provide research opportunities BY YASHMIN PATEL UNIVERSITY EDITOR
Rather than spending time on the beach or going away on vacation, some students will be participating in various undergraduate research opportunities available through the University.
students on the mentor’s project,” she said. Students will be paired with faculty members to research various aspects of social sciences such as psychology, Miller said. Miller said an example of a research study will involve a student doing statistical analysis on data collected by a faculty member that addresses the question of how an individual’s symptoms af fect his or her application to medication. “We provide [students] with the kinds of skills they need to critically read literature and know how to write a research paper so that when they get to graduate school they’ll be really well prepared,” Miller said. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provides funding that helps the organization put students in University residence halls over the summer, pay for class credit and give a stipend to the students.
THE ARESTY RESEARCH CENTER Various students will be paired up with a faculty member this summer to conduct a research study in fields such as psychology, biology, physics, environmental science and genetics. The University’s Aresty Research Center will be providing a summer program that will allow rising sophomores to gain research experience outside the classroom, said Patricia Buckendahl, a par ticipating faculty mentor in the Aresty Research Center. “They can learn a lot more by doing things that mean something where the outcomes FOR D ISCR ETE aren’t always predictable … C ENTER research doesn’t guarantee the MATHEMATICS AND THEORETICAL results, so that’s basically what COMP UTER S CIENCE FOUNDED AS N ATIONAL A the program S C I E N C E of fers in terms of FOUNDATION science oppor tu“They can learn S CIENCE AND nities,” she said. Research proja lot more by doing T E C H N O L O G Y C E N T E R ects will var y things that mean (DIMACS) from mentor to mentor and will something where Some stube conducted the outcomes aren’t dents will be parthrough the variin a ous University always predictable.” ticipating research project c a m p u s e s , PATRICIA BUCKENDAHL throughout June Buckendahl said. Faculty Mentor at the Aresty and July with a Buckendahl will Research Center chance to spend lead one of the time in Prague. projects that One of the involves testing for Discrete mice, in which students will be Center able to research the cells Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science Founded as in mice. “They’re going to take the a National Science Foundation and Technology mouse and they’re going to take Science the tissues out and they’re Center’s programs, Research for going to disperse them and Experiences they’re going to put them on a Undergraduates, will study culture plate and let them grow aspects of math and how it and maintain them and test relates to various other fields, said Rebecca Wright, director them,” she said. Buckendahl said the study will of DIMACS. Most of the projects include test to find out how the cells react a core computational or to protein. component, “If you stimulate the cell with mathematical certain chemicals does it make it Wright said. “[Students] come in and meet more or less of the protein and how does it communicate with with their mentors and make sure the students understand how other cells,” she said. The research study will be their project is supposed to go so funded by the Aresty family and they get some background matewill last 10 weeks from June to rial,” she said. Research studies will take August, Buckendahl said. place at the University, but a select few students will get a P ROJECT LEARN Project Learn will be having chance to continue their study a 10-week program that will in Prague with a different group train students on research of students. “I think certainly for anyone methods and data analysis and prepare them for graduate thinking about going on to graduschool, said Jane Miller, direc- ate school, considering a career in research, this is a really good tor of Project Learn. “We take 10 students — they way to get a sense of what are taught coursework on statis- research is about as a process.” The National Science tics, research methods, research writing, and each of them are Foundation is one of the primary matched individually with a facul- organizations that provides fundty mentor and they work with ing for the program.
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Summer session offers unconventional courses BY RICHARD CONTE CORRESPONDENT
Students looking to study during the warmer months will be able to choose between courses that appeal to a variety of unique tastes, including a hands-on meteorology course and a crime scene investigation forensics course. Students who wish to get a firsthand experience of analyzing severe weather can sign up for “Severe Weather Forecasting Field Trip,” said Steven Decker, the course’s professor. The class, offered by the University Meteorology Undergraduate Program, will take 13 to 18 students on a 14-day trip to the Great Plains, an area North of Texas that is a prime location for the type of fieldwork the course is trying to achieve, Decker said. “In the Great Plains states, the summer is the time of year that gives the class the best chance to find severe weather,” said Decker, an assistant professor in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. The field trip will consist of groups of two or three students who will form a forecast team, with each team taking charge of choosing a target area every day, Decker said. Among the requirements for the course is a minimum enrollment of 13 students, as well as a necessary obligation for at least five students to become certified drivers through the University defensive driving course, Decker said. The driving course will be required for the safety of students. “With the [defensive driving] course we are trying to minimize the risk of car accidents [during the trip],” Decker said. “Hopefully it will reduce the chances of students getting into an accident.” The safety of the students will remain a top priority throughout the trip, and the participants will be asked to abide by the course instruc-
tor’s necessar y precautionar y measures, Decker said. “Students should bring their health insurance card in case we need it for an emergency,” he said. “They should also have emergency contact information as well.” An extra course fee will also be administered to cover transportation costs, gas costs, lodging and any equipment, he said. While the course is an attention-grabbing option for students, Decker said he was responsible for granting permission to those who wish to participate, meaning his own students may have a better chance of getting into the class. “There will be a priority list for students with the most meteorological background,” Decker said. After those students, the course is open to the general public. Students interested in learning about the forensic side of criminal justice may also be interested in “Scientific Applications in Justice,” said Michael Emanuel, a part-time lecturer who will be handling the course. “[This course] is an intro to forensic science, and I’ve been teaching this course since 1985,” said Emanuel, a State Medical Examiner’s Office retiree, via email correspondence. The course is two parts, he said. The first part will deal with lecture material on the different disciplines in forensic sciences, while the second section will deal with examples of how the information is applied in real life scenarios. “The 306 section includes disciplines such as DNA, firearms, arson and explosives, terrorism, significance of glass evidence, investigative techniques,” he said. “[The second part will include] student presentations of high-profile cases.” Emanuel said on the University’s official summer session website the class is practical for students planning to enter law enforcement or law school.
CALENDAR MAY
10 29
Last day for registration without late fee for Session I. Term bill due date for all students for Session I
Summer Session I classes begin
JUNE
6 20 25
Last day for registration without late fee for Session II Term bill due date for all students for Session II
Last day for registration without late fee for Session III Term bill due date for all students for Session III
Summer Session II classes begin
JULY
9
Summer Session III classes begin.
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