Issue 119, Volume 121
--Tuesday, September 18, 2012
URSA helps students get lab experience RJ Vogt News Editor
Tara Sripunvoraskul • The Daily Beacon
A student works in a lab on Sept. 16, 2011. The Undergraduate Research Students’ Association is having an open meeting for students to learn about the opportunities available on campus.
The Undergraduate Research Students’ Association will have an open meeting at 5:30 tonight in the UC Shiloh Room. The group will discuss how to get involved in undergraduate research, a growing factor in admission to graduate degree programs. “It’s almost a requirement to get into grad schools,” Melissa Lee, senior in neuroscience, said. Lee co-founded the organization during her freshman year with Mark Remec, senior in biochemistry and molecular and cellular biology. They felt many students failed to see the importance and availability of undergraduate research. “We knew that most of the people we knew didn’t know how to get involved, or even to get involved,” Lee said. “It seemed like a general perception that undergraduate research was something that only overachievers did.” Getting into a lab is not the only way to get involved with undergraduate research. Lee and Remec broadly define the group’s focus, inviting those working in the arts and humanities to join. For the founders of URSA, the education provided by hands-on experience in the field is the most valuable experience of a college undergraduate. “We think that undergraduate research is the most important part of our education,” Lee said. “We learn more from that than doing anything else. When you’re doing research, you’re solving real-world problems; it’s a real world application that you don’t get in the classroom.” She speaks from experience. After two of her high school summers were spent in a neurobiology lab in Nashville, she decided to pursue the subject in college. This year, Lee has continued her work on the brain, researching the expression of certain types of proteins. “I look at cells in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which is part of the hypothalamus. That’s the part of your
brain that basically controls your circadian rhythms,” Lee said. The event features two faculty members speaking on the importance and availability of research as an undergraduate. Nichole Fazio-Veigel, the new full-time Assistant Director of the Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships, will discuss the development of undergraduate research advisors at the library. Dr. Lee Riedinger, the interim Vice Chancellor for Research, plans to explain the relationship between Oak Ridge National Laboratory and UT, opening up pathways for more undergraduate students to work at their labs. Students will also present opportunities for their classmates to get involved. Sarah Russell, senior in history and editor-in-chief of Pursuit, plans to encourage students to pursue publishing. “I’m going to be talking primarily about Pursuit, the Journal of Undergraduate Research. I hope to use that time with undergraduates interested in research to let them know about the opportunity to publish their work as undergraduates,” Russell said. “Pursuit is an excellent way to go through the process of submission and publication as an undergraduate. I am continually impressed every year by the quality and diversity of undergraduate research at UT.” Julia Ross, junior in biology, will also speak, discussing the Roosevelt Institute Campus Network, an organization she is bringing to Knoxville. The program offers students a chance to engage in progressive activism and promote their own ideas for change. The URSA, though relatively new to campus, has big plans for the future. Lee explained a developing plan for a research series with the library. Professors would present their own research and lecture on research ethics, postermaking workshops and more. They also hope to expand the honors symposium this year, transforming it to a general undergraduate research conference. The conference would last more than one day and outside universities would be invited to attend, Lee said.
‘Safety Expo’ held today to create awareness David Cobb Assistant News Editor UT’s Department of Environmental and Health Safety works to ensure safety on campus in ways that often go unnoticed. The organization regulates air quality in UT buildings and removes hazardous waste from campus, among other things. But this morning in rooms 225 and 226 of the UC, EHS is seeking to appeal to the public as it hosts its first ever “Safety Expo.” “We’ve never done anything like this before,” EHS Administrative Specialist Kim Harmon said. “We have a lot of involvement with the students, faculty and staff here on campus. And there are not a lot of people that know a lot about what we do or the different things that our campus
‘Today’ travels to Knoxville looking for best college spirit Staff Reports NBC’s “Today” show will be live on campus Wednesday, and this is everyone’s chance to be seen on national TV! UT is one of six finalists in the show’s “Kathie Lee and Hoda Go Back to College” challenge. UT is now in competition to have the show broadcast live from campus in early October. A Today reporter will be doing live segments from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday from the south
does.” The event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and will feature a variety of programs designed to educate UT students. “We’re going to have on-campus and off-campus vendors in here and we’ll have things about personal safety like hearing protection,” Harmon said. “It’s just different things here on campus that we want to get more involvement with to let people know that we are here and we’re here for them.” The morning will be split into six sessions. The only one lasting longer than 30 minutes is designed to give those in attendance a skill that could save lives. Susan Fiscor is the safety officer on UT’s Agriculture campus. She will teach “Family & Friends CPR Anytime,” at both 9:30 and 11:30. Participants in her class won’t earn CPR certification, but they will be trained in it and will have the opportunity to practice on dummies. “A couple of years ago a student athelete had a sudden
cardiac arrest at the TRECs,” Fiscor said. “And in the aftermath of that we really started thinking about how having AED’s accessible could save someone’s life in the event of a cardiac arrest.” In addition to the CPR class, other sessions will include a general safety presentation by UTPD titled “RAD, Alcohol Awareness and Theft Prevention,” a presentation by Brian Gard, UT’s Director of Emergency Management, along with other safety-oriented programs. Harmon said that participants will be eligible to win a variety of door prizes, including gift cards, even if they don’t stay for the entire event. UTPD will provide students the opportunity to register their property in case it is stolen. An alcohol awareness table will also allow attendees to try on drunk goggles. “Come and go as you please,” Harmon said. “There will be a list of the small classes we have. There’s only one that lasts longer than 30 minutes.”
Around Rocky Top
side of Ayres Hall to introduce UT to viewers and promote the competition. Students, faculty and staff are invited to be part of that broadcast. They are encouraged to wear orange and turn out to prove to “Today” viewers that UT has the best college spirit in America. For more about the challenge and to vote for UT, visit the “Today” website. The other five finalists are Syracuse University, The Ohio State University, Brandeis University, the University of South Florida, and Creighton University.
Parker Eidson • The Daily Beacon • Photo courtesy of nbc.com
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Lady Vols tie Dores over weekend page 7
Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit share a laugh after making their game picks on ESPN’s “College GameDay” on Sept. 14.
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