By Claire Aronson | IDS Reports
Dec. 6, 2010
The Graduate and Professional Student Organization recently awarded 14 travel awards to full-time graduate and professional students. Six $500 awards and eight $250 awards were given to the winners — chosen out of about 140 applicants this semester.
The winners were chosen by an independent panel of graduate students not affiliated with GPSO, Angela Jones, GPSO communications coordinator, said.
“We tend to always get a good breadth of winners,” Jones said. “GPSO knows that travel is an important part to a graduate student’s career.”
GPSO presents travel awards in both the fall and spring semesters, Jones said, and the money must be used for academic travel purposes, which include present work or participation in a conference or audition. Spring award applications will be available online in January.
“It has to be for something really integral and specific to their career, and they need to show why they need to be there,” Jones said.
GPSO has increased the amount of recipients throughout the past several years, she said.
“It is a really great service that other organizations aren’t really doing,” Jones said.
Kevin Guidry, GSPO awards officer, said there were 41 members of the panel this semester.
“They did a great job, and I think the results came out pretty well,” he said.
GPSO typically receives a lot more applicants from graduate students in the social sciences and humanities than the physical sciences because there is less funding available for the humanities, Guidry said.
“This is reflective in the winners this semester,” he said.
http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=78904
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Relaunched M.F.A. program at IU expected to be 'bridge' to world of professional playwriting
Dec. 6, 2010
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- After a three-year hiatus, Indiana University's Department of Theatre and Drama in the College of Arts and Sciences will once again offer a master's degree in playwriting.
Read the article:
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/16606.html?emailID=16606
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- After a three-year hiatus, Indiana University's Department of Theatre and Drama in the College of Arts and Sciences will once again offer a master's degree in playwriting.
Read the article:
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/16606.html?emailID=16606
Saturday, December 4, 2010
School Spirit Pop Quiz brought to you by PhD Comics
 |
| PhD Comics is written by Jorge Cham, http://www.phdcomics.com |
How many points did you get?
http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?n=1402
Friday, December 3, 2010
Graduate Student of the Month: Francisco Parada
Francisco Parada
Neuroscience and Psychology
December 2010
If you were to visit Francisco Parada in the Imaging Research Facility lab, you wouldn’t see his desk at first. Instead, you’d see scattered papers, a computer, water bottles, balloons from his birthday a few weeks ago, and musical instruments propped underneath. Compared to the other students in the lab, it’s a little messy, and he’s the first to admit it. But sit down and speak with Parada about his research and it’s clear that he not only knows how to pull information buried in piles on his desk, but also pull information hidden within our brains.
Parada is currently a graduate student in Neuroscience and Psychology in Dr. Aina Puce’s lab, but he didn’t start out wanting to become a scientist.
“For most of my life, I was a musician more than a scientist. I started studying music when I was fifteen in Chile, and I spent more than ten years there doing music,” he said. At his Dad’s request, Parada switched gears to study psychology at the university when he was eighteen but continued a 'double life' until he was twenty one. Psychology in Chile is similar to psychology here in the 1950's or 1970s, Parada said, where researchers are debating if it should be considered a science or not; because the focus is mainly clinical and based on psychoanalysis.
“It didn’t hold my attention, but it also wasn’t interfering with my career as a musician so I kept doing it. Eventually I got to my first neuroscience class -- and it was a milestone.”
His enthusiasm for neuroscience led him to a spot as a teaching assistant for a neuroscience class one hour a week. After two years, the department gave him his own section of the class to teach.
“I was really excited about neuroscience and science in general, but in Chile, it seemed like a dream, that it wasn’t possible for me. The science groups in Chile are really small and why would they pick me when there are kids who were working on this stuff from early on and I had a late interest in this. So I gave it a shot and decided to apply to a MA degree in Chile. Just to see how it goes. Since I was a musician already, I wasn’t worried about stability,” he said.
The scientific community in the MA program was good for Parada. He spent a lot of time in the lab and that’s where he discovered electroencephalography (EEG), a method of measuring brain waves by putting electrodes on the skin to measure brain activity.
“It’s an older technique,” he said, “but it was mind blowing. You can use it to measure the brain directly and associate brain activity with cognitive processes.”
Parada knew that if he wanted to continue to work in neuroscience he would eventually have to leave Chile and start a Ph.D. program in the U.S. or Europe. Because of his experience with the EEG, he eventually connected with Dr. Tom Busey at IU, who offered him a position in his lab as a manager working with undergraduates completing honors theses. Parada also worked with Dr. Busey and his collaborators to develop an open source eye tracking system, another method to measure gaze activity in the brain. With Dr. Busey's support, Parada became a doctoral student at IU.
Developing an open source eye tracker is a huge break through, Parada said. “Usually the cheapest one is maybe $60,000, which is a lot. The principle itself is not that complicated, in the sense that it uses math to calculate where you’re looking with good accuracy.” Parada and Busey's version requires two cameras and the eye tracking program, which can be downloaded from the internet (http://code.google.com/p/experteyes/), all of which Parada estimates might cost around $300 shopping online.
Currently Parada is collaborating with a graduate student in the Art Department who doesn’t have the money to buy an eye tracker, but who would like to collect data from subjects to figure out what parts of his artwork are most attractive in the hope this will help improve his artwork. Open source also means eye trackers could be used in schools, sports, and other educational settings in ways that have been cost-prohibitive before.
What really blows the mind, however, is what Parada is working on now.
With the help of Dr. Busey, he wrote routines that allow two opposing methods to work together to create eye-tracker-guided-EEG. This allows a researcher to measure brain waves while a person is engaged in self-paced, everyday activities, which is not how it's always been.
“These techniques do not play well together,” said Dr. Puce,. his adviser, “they are like putting a cat and a dog in a bag together. It’s groundbreaking work.”
The EEG connects a hat made from linked together electrodes - it looks like high tech chain mail - with a machine to boost the tiny electric signals coming from the brain, and feeds them into a computer.
“When you measure brain waves from the outside (like with an EEG), because the waves are so small, the skin, skull, and liquid around the brain filters out the waves. Eyes are like batteries. Move your eyes and you send electric waves all over skull and they wash out your data. In EEG, the first thing you tell a subject is to hold still and don’t move your eyes. This leads to really boring tasks,” Parada said.
“What I did was combine the EEG with the eye tracker, which introduces a lot of noise to the brainwaves measured by the EEG. Then we figured out a way to remove the electric signal of the eye movement from the EEG data in order to recover the brainwave data. It’s a method that allows you to do more naturalistic stuff,” he said.
For example, Parada is collaborating with a graduate student at the Stone Age Institute studying stone tool making in hominids and early humans. Making stone tools requires fast decision making (and lots of eye movement) because the subject must hit one stone with another stone in precise movements.
“Using an MRI to scan the brain has been used for this kind of research, but is too slow for the kind of question that the Stone Age Institute group is asking; but the EEG is fast, it can do the job. You can look at data with resolution of milliseconds,” Parada said. “Using the new analytical method, we should be able to connect the subject to an EEG and an eye tracker, have the subject make a tool and see brain waves in real time, while doing real tasks. Theoretically this should work; it currently works in the computer. The next step is getting it to work in the real world.”
Parada may have had a non-traditional route to neuroscience, and he still writes music for a 5-piece Nüjazz/Zeuhl combo (www.baitonik.com), but he thinks he might have found his place in science.
“I wasn't the nerd in the class or the guy with the best grades, but science is perhaps the best place for someone like me. I can be unorganized, or work odd hours, but if I get things done and I innovate, I'm might do a good job as a scientist after all. It’s a perfect fit for me.”
Neuroscience and Psychology
December 2010
If you were to visit Francisco Parada in the Imaging Research Facility lab, you wouldn’t see his desk at first. Instead, you’d see scattered papers, a computer, water bottles, balloons from his birthday a few weeks ago, and musical instruments propped underneath. Compared to the other students in the lab, it’s a little messy, and he’s the first to admit it. But sit down and speak with Parada about his research and it’s clear that he not only knows how to pull information buried in piles on his desk, but also pull information hidden within our brains.
 |
| Neuroscience Doctoral Student Francisco Parada |
“For most of my life, I was a musician more than a scientist. I started studying music when I was fifteen in Chile, and I spent more than ten years there doing music,” he said. At his Dad’s request, Parada switched gears to study psychology at the university when he was eighteen but continued a 'double life' until he was twenty one. Psychology in Chile is similar to psychology here in the 1950's or 1970s, Parada said, where researchers are debating if it should be considered a science or not; because the focus is mainly clinical and based on psychoanalysis.
“It didn’t hold my attention, but it also wasn’t interfering with my career as a musician so I kept doing it. Eventually I got to my first neuroscience class -- and it was a milestone.”
His enthusiasm for neuroscience led him to a spot as a teaching assistant for a neuroscience class one hour a week. After two years, the department gave him his own section of the class to teach.
“I was really excited about neuroscience and science in general, but in Chile, it seemed like a dream, that it wasn’t possible for me. The science groups in Chile are really small and why would they pick me when there are kids who were working on this stuff from early on and I had a late interest in this. So I gave it a shot and decided to apply to a MA degree in Chile. Just to see how it goes. Since I was a musician already, I wasn’t worried about stability,” he said.
The scientific community in the MA program was good for Parada. He spent a lot of time in the lab and that’s where he discovered electroencephalography (EEG), a method of measuring brain waves by putting electrodes on the skin to measure brain activity.
 |
| Electroencephalography (EEG) equipment |
Parada knew that if he wanted to continue to work in neuroscience he would eventually have to leave Chile and start a Ph.D. program in the U.S. or Europe. Because of his experience with the EEG, he eventually connected with Dr. Tom Busey at IU, who offered him a position in his lab as a manager working with undergraduates completing honors theses. Parada also worked with Dr. Busey and his collaborators to develop an open source eye tracking system, another method to measure gaze activity in the brain. With Dr. Busey's support, Parada became a doctoral student at IU.
Developing an open source eye tracker is a huge break through, Parada said. “Usually the cheapest one is maybe $60,000, which is a lot. The principle itself is not that complicated, in the sense that it uses math to calculate where you’re looking with good accuracy.” Parada and Busey's version requires two cameras and the eye tracking program, which can be downloaded from the internet (http://code.google.com/p/experteyes/), all of which Parada estimates might cost around $300 shopping online.
Currently Parada is collaborating with a graduate student in the Art Department who doesn’t have the money to buy an eye tracker, but who would like to collect data from subjects to figure out what parts of his artwork are most attractive in the hope this will help improve his artwork. Open source also means eye trackers could be used in schools, sports, and other educational settings in ways that have been cost-prohibitive before.
What really blows the mind, however, is what Parada is working on now.
With the help of Dr. Busey, he wrote routines that allow two opposing methods to work together to create eye-tracker-guided-EEG. This allows a researcher to measure brain waves while a person is engaged in self-paced, everyday activities, which is not how it's always been.
“These techniques do not play well together,” said Dr. Puce,. his adviser, “they are like putting a cat and a dog in a bag together. It’s groundbreaking work.”
The EEG connects a hat made from linked together electrodes - it looks like high tech chain mail - with a machine to boost the tiny electric signals coming from the brain, and feeds them into a computer.
“When you measure brain waves from the outside (like with an EEG), because the waves are so small, the skin, skull, and liquid around the brain filters out the waves. Eyes are like batteries. Move your eyes and you send electric waves all over skull and they wash out your data. In EEG, the first thing you tell a subject is to hold still and don’t move your eyes. This leads to really boring tasks,” Parada said.
“What I did was combine the EEG with the eye tracker, which introduces a lot of noise to the brainwaves measured by the EEG. Then we figured out a way to remove the electric signal of the eye movement from the EEG data in order to recover the brainwave data. It’s a method that allows you to do more naturalistic stuff,” he said.
For example, Parada is collaborating with a graduate student at the Stone Age Institute studying stone tool making in hominids and early humans. Making stone tools requires fast decision making (and lots of eye movement) because the subject must hit one stone with another stone in precise movements.
 |
| Parada performing with his band |
Parada may have had a non-traditional route to neuroscience, and he still writes music for a 5-piece Nüjazz/Zeuhl combo (www.baitonik.com), but he thinks he might have found his place in science.
“I wasn't the nerd in the class or the guy with the best grades, but science is perhaps the best place for someone like me. I can be unorganized, or work odd hours, but if I get things done and I innovate, I'm might do a good job as a scientist after all. It’s a perfect fit for me.”
Media Contact: Erika Lee, Director of Communications, The University Graduate School, ebigalee@indiana.edu
The Graduate and Professional Student Organization and the University Graduate School would like to congratulate Francisco Parada on receiving the GPSO/UGS Recognition Award. Students selected for this award were nominated by a faculty member from within their department, and selected by the GPSO and UGS for excellence in their graduate studies at Indiana University.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Dean Wimbush Interviewed for the Chronicle of Higher Education
The University Graduate School Dean James C. Wimbush was interviewed for an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education yesterday while attending the annual meeting of the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C. Read his thoughts on learning outcomes in graduate education below.
Measurement of ‘Learning Outcomes’ Comes to Graduate School
December 1, 2010, 3:34 pm
By David Glenn
Graduate-level programs were once relatively immune from pressure to define and measure “learning outcomes” for their students. But for good or ill, the student-learning-assessment movement has begun to migrate from the undergraduate world into master’s and doctoral programs. (At some institutions, there is even talk of defining a set of “foundational outcomes” for all graduate students—that is, a set of learning goals that would be analogous to general-education goals for undergraduates.)
On Wednesday morning, as the annual meeting of the Council of Graduate Schools got under way in Washington, three graduate deans led a workshop on assessing graduate students’ learning and using such assessments to improve programs.
Formal assessment for improvement, they said, is more useful and less painful than many faculty members believe. (And in any case, accreditors are insisting on it.)
The three deans sat down for an interview after the workshop.
Q. In doctoral programs with intense mentor-apprentice relationships, the idea of establishing rubrics and other lists of learning outcomes might seem off-key. If I’m a senior professor of comparative literature and I’ve supervised 30 dissertations during my career, I probably know in my bones what successful learning in my program looks like. Why should I be asked to write out point-by-point lists of the skills and learning outcomes that my students should possess?
Charles Caramello, associate provost for academic affairs and dean of the graduate school at the University of Maryland: If you write out lists of learning outcomes, you’re making the invisible visible. That’s really my answer. We’ve all internalized these standards. They’re largely invisible to us. Assessment brings them out into visibility, and therefore gives them a history.
William R. Wiener, vice provost for research and dean of the graduate school at Marquette University, who is currently dean in residence at the Council of Graduate Schools: There’s no way to aggregate and to learn unless you’ve got some common instruments. By having common instruments, we can see patterns that we couldn’t see before.
James C. Wimbush, dean of the University Graduate School at Indiana University: Part of the story has to do with the external enviroment. Because of the decrease in funding for state institutions, because of political pressures from state legislators, we are forced to be much more accountable. Our boards of trustees now are looking for more accountability. They don’t necessarily say, “We want to make sure that you’re doing assessments of graduate programs.” But they’re questioning, Do we have too many graduate programs? We have to do a better job of being accountable for how we use our resources from the state and elsewhere. Assessment is one of the ways of doing that.
To read more:
http://chronicle.com/blogs/measuring/student-learning-outcomes-come-to-grad-school/27552
Measurement of ‘Learning Outcomes’ Comes to Graduate School
December 1, 2010, 3:34 pm
By David Glenn
Graduate-level programs were once relatively immune from pressure to define and measure “learning outcomes” for their students. But for good or ill, the student-learning-assessment movement has begun to migrate from the undergraduate world into master’s and doctoral programs. (At some institutions, there is even talk of defining a set of “foundational outcomes” for all graduate students—that is, a set of learning goals that would be analogous to general-education goals for undergraduates.)
On Wednesday morning, as the annual meeting of the Council of Graduate Schools got under way in Washington, three graduate deans led a workshop on assessing graduate students’ learning and using such assessments to improve programs.
Formal assessment for improvement, they said, is more useful and less painful than many faculty members believe. (And in any case, accreditors are insisting on it.)
The three deans sat down for an interview after the workshop.
Q. In doctoral programs with intense mentor-apprentice relationships, the idea of establishing rubrics and other lists of learning outcomes might seem off-key. If I’m a senior professor of comparative literature and I’ve supervised 30 dissertations during my career, I probably know in my bones what successful learning in my program looks like. Why should I be asked to write out point-by-point lists of the skills and learning outcomes that my students should possess?
Charles Caramello, associate provost for academic affairs and dean of the graduate school at the University of Maryland: If you write out lists of learning outcomes, you’re making the invisible visible. That’s really my answer. We’ve all internalized these standards. They’re largely invisible to us. Assessment brings them out into visibility, and therefore gives them a history.
William R. Wiener, vice provost for research and dean of the graduate school at Marquette University, who is currently dean in residence at the Council of Graduate Schools: There’s no way to aggregate and to learn unless you’ve got some common instruments. By having common instruments, we can see patterns that we couldn’t see before.
James C. Wimbush, dean of the University Graduate School at Indiana University: Part of the story has to do with the external enviroment. Because of the decrease in funding for state institutions, because of political pressures from state legislators, we are forced to be much more accountable. Our boards of trustees now are looking for more accountability. They don’t necessarily say, “We want to make sure that you’re doing assessments of graduate programs.” But they’re questioning, Do we have too many graduate programs? We have to do a better job of being accountable for how we use our resources from the state and elsewhere. Assessment is one of the ways of doing that.
To read more:
http://chronicle.com/blogs/measuring/student-learning-outcomes-come-to-grad-school/27552
Monday, November 29, 2010
"Getting You Into IU" Brings Potential Graduate Students to IU
In October, IU hosted 21 underrepresented minority PhD prospects from around the country for a pre-application visit called Getting You Into IU (GU2IU). The students were selected from a pool of more than 200 applicants and came from either the natural sciences, technology and mathematics, or the social, behavioral and economic sciences disciplines.
Each GU2IU visitor receives a personalized itinerary created in partnership by the graduate program and the University Graduate School. Visitors met with IUB faculty and current graduate students, visited research centers and laboratory facilities, attended classes in their discipline, received information about application for PhD admission and funding opportunities, and visited the Bloomington community.
One applicant wrote “The faculty and staff were great. Everyone was prepared to talk with me, was eager to share their part of IU and truly loved what they were doing. Their enthusiasm was infectious! After visiting it is hard to imagine going anywhere else.”
Getting You Into IU was created in 2007 by Dr. Yolanda Treviño, Director of the IU AGEP program and Assistant Dean of the University Graduate School. The program is underwritten by the President’s Diversity Initiative and coordinated by the University Graduate School.
Each GU2IU visitor receives a personalized itinerary created in partnership by the graduate program and the University Graduate School. Visitors met with IUB faculty and current graduate students, visited research centers and laboratory facilities, attended classes in their discipline, received information about application for PhD admission and funding opportunities, and visited the Bloomington community.
One applicant wrote “The faculty and staff were great. Everyone was prepared to talk with me, was eager to share their part of IU and truly loved what they were doing. Their enthusiasm was infectious! After visiting it is hard to imagine going anywhere else.”
Getting You Into IU was created in 2007 by Dr. Yolanda Treviño, Director of the IU AGEP program and Assistant Dean of the University Graduate School. The program is underwritten by the President’s Diversity Initiative and coordinated by the University Graduate School.
Winter Commencement Caps and Gowns Available for Order from IU Bookstore IMU
Winter Commencement 2010
Rental Charges
- Bachelor’s and Associate’s apparel: $98.75
- Master’s apparel: $108.85
- Indiana's 7 percent sales tax will be added to these charges.
- Associate and bachelor's degree candidates have the option of purchasing additional stoles of gratitude for $22.65 each plus Indiana sales tax of 7 percent.
Bookstore Orders: Nov. 23-Dec. 15
From Nov. 23 through Dec. 15, graduates must order caps and gowns at the IU Bookstore in the IMU. Go to the clothing service counter on the second floor.
Students may also call the bookstore at (812) 855-0547 but should realize that it is a very busy line and they are apt to encounter voice mail. Calls are generally returned within 24 to 36 hours.
Those who do not order by Dec. 15 must wait until Commencement Day when any remaining caps and gowns will be available for rental on a first-come, first-served basis. Availability is not guaranteed.
Picking Up Your Cap and Gown on Dec. 15, 16 and 17
Caps and gowns will be available for pickup from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Georgian Room on the second floor of Indiana Memorial Union.
For more information on caps and gowns, Winter Commencement and commencement in general:
http://commencement.iu.edu/bloomington/december2010/index.shtml
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Collaborating with China: Dean Daleke on recruiting, fellowships and the establishment of a new summer program
 |
| August 2009 - Visiting student researcher Lan Wang from Tsinghua University in Beijing discusses her summer research project with biology Professor Roger Innes. |
In mid-October 2010, David Daleke, Associate Dean for the University Graduate School, traveled to China to explore collaborations with top-notch Chinese universities and to recruit graduate students.
His first stop -- the International Graduate Scholars Conference (IGSC) in Beijing, China. The IGSC is sponsored by the China Scholarship Council (CSC), a subsidiary of the Chinese Ministry of Education, and focuses on connecting Chinese doctoral students with research experiences in the U.S. and other international institutions.
At the IGSC, Dean Daleke took part in a recruiting fair where he estimates 600-700 students participated. Additionally, as part of the conference, Daleke met one-on-one with representatives from 15 other institutions from China to explore potential collaboration and the CSC scholarship program.
Two types of scholarship are offered through the CSC. The first is a four-year fellowship for new students entering doctoral programs. Recently the CSC has nearly doubled the amount of support, which now comes close to providing full funding to participants.
“This increase in support has made the CSC program much more attractive to the best Chinese students,” Daleke said. To receive a student on the CSC scholarship, universities taking part in the program only need to provide a fee remission.
The second type of scholarship is a visiting scholars program where current doctoral students at Chinese universities spend one or two years abroad at an international institution like IU, then return to China to finish their research. At IU, it is estimated that more than 20 Chinese graduate students visit IU each year under this program.
Daleke’s journey continued as he traveled to Renmin University in Beijing, Xian Jiatong in Xi’an, and FuDan University in Shanghai with an additional CSC-sponsored program called the IGSF (International Graduate Scholarship Fair). In response to the success of the IGSC, the IGSF sets up one-on-one interviews with potential Chinese graduate students in three different Chinese cities for 46 universities from the US, Canada, parts of Europe, and Australia.
Different Chinese universities are selected for the IGSF each year, and Daleke said this ensures he will meet different local students in each location. Students interested in IU sign up for one-on-one interviews, and “as a result, we had more specific contacts with students than we would have at a standard recruiting fair, and I hope this approach will be more productive in terms of recruiting students in IU. The format also allowed me to give each student more focused advice and recommendations on how to prepare their application for admission.”
“Opportunities like these provided by the IGFC and the IGSC are also excellent exposure for IU,” he said. “We develop partnerships for recruiting students, and it puts our name out there, which is very important for getting good applicants from China. As a result of my recent trip, the University Graduate School passed on 200 contacts to departments as prospective recruits. In addition, we hope that the more in-depth conversations we had will encourage students to apply here.”
Daleke also used the opportunity to further develop partnerships for a program aimed at bringing Chinese undergraduate students to IU for an eight-week summer research experience. This past summer, the program brought in 11 students from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Plans are now underway for Peking and Zhejiang Universities to join the program in the summer of 2011.
“The goal for the summer program with Tsinghua University,” said Associate Dean David Daleke, “was to make a connection with these students and show them what IU is like for graduate school. It may also turn out to be a good vehicle to promote faculty colloborations.”
Most of the visiting students were rising seniors and in this initial year, all the students were placed in labs in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology and Medical Sciences but it is expected that the partnership with Zhejiang will be in the social sciences.
“The summer was great,” student Lan Wang, who was part of the first summer exchange program from Tsinghua University, said. “I enjoyed my stay in the lab, everyone was friendly and the project was amazing.”
The seed money to kick-start the program came from the VP for International Affairs, Dean Daleke said, who provided $10,000 to offset the cost of room and board, which is equivalent to $1000 per student.
The Graduate School provided another third of the funding and the host faculty paid the final third. In some cases, departments helped assisted faculty and kicked in some of the money.
“It was great to see such broad support from multiple offices and impressive that faculty were willing to commit some of their research funds to the program,” Daleke said. He hopes that departments will continue to view the program as a recruitment mechanism, as it also gives the faculty as chance to preview potential applicants.
"We want to bring some of the best students from these universities to IU. And if they like what they see, we hope they'll apply."
Monday, November 22, 2010
McNair Scholars in the News: IU student Esther Uduehi named Rhodes Scholar
Nov. 22, 2010
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/16550.html?emailID=16550
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Esther Uduehi, a senior at Indiana University Bloomington majoring in chemistry and mathematics, has been named a Rhodes Scholar for 2011. She is one of 32 Americans who have been selected for the prestigious academic award.
Uduehi, of Evansville, Ind., becomes the 16th IU student -- and second in as many years -- to receive a Rhodes Scholarship, which provides all expenses for two or three years of study at the University of Oxford In England. (Mutsa Mutembwa of Zimbabwe, who graduated in May, received the 2010 Rhodes Scholarship.)
"Esther is a truly remarkable student and is most deserving of this honor," said IU President Michael McRobbie. "All of us at Indiana University are extremely proud of what she has achieved during her years of study here and are excited for her to continue her academic pursuits at Oxford."
Uduehi, a Herman B Wells Scholar who entered the fall semester with a 3.93 grade point average, was one of three finalists from IU for the award. IU has now had four Rhodes Scholars since 2001.
"It's a great privilege not only to receive the Wells Scholarship but also to represent Indiana University," said Uduehi. "As happy as I am that I won the award, I am equally happy that IU had three finalists, who demonstrated the academic excellence and integrity of this university. I'm looking forward to continuing my career at Oxford and expanding on the great educational foundation that I received at IU."
Uduehi added that she was grateful for the support of her teachers and administrators at IU as well as her family. Her parents emigrated from Nigeria in 1988, the year before Uduehi was born, in hopes of providing a better life for Uduehi, her brother, Joshua, and her sister, Elizabeth, who is a junior at IU.
"This scholarship has meant a lot to me and to my family, and we are extremely grateful for all that IU has done for us," she said.
A former valedictorian at F.J. Reitz High School in Evansville, Ind., Uduehi entered IU in 2007 as a recipient of the Wells Scholarship, created in honor of the late IU Chancellor Herman B Wells and one of the most competitive and prestigious awards offered by any U.S. university. That same year she was also named a National Achievement Scholar and a Senator Richard G. Lugar Scholar, and received the Indianapolis Star Minority Achievement Award. This year, she received the Kenneth R.R. Gros Louis Scholarship, named after the former IU chancellor, and the Council on Advancing Student Leadership Top Ten Student Leader Award.
Uduehi is currently the vice president of IU's Board of Aeons, a 12-member student board that conducts research projects for the president's office. This fall, she also began serving as IU's second-ever Presidential Student Intern. As part of her intern responsibilities, she is a member of a new committee, established by McRobbie, that is examining the university's approaches to teaching and learning and their impact on student achievement.
Uduehi is a participant in IU's Science, Technology and Research Scholars (STARS) program, as well as the McNair Scholars program. She has worked in the laboratory of IU chemistry professor Amar Flood since her freshman year.
The Rhodes Scholarship will enable Uduehi to return to Oxford, where she studied as a visiting student in chemistry and biochemistry last fall. That experience followed a summer spent in Russia as a participant in the U.S.-Russia Global Health Care Study Program.
While at IU, Uduehi has co-founded the IU Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students (MAPS) and the IU Photography Society, served as diversity director for the IU Student Association, interned with the IU Premed Summer Experience Program, served as the first student docent at the IU Art Museum, and conducted teaching internships in the departments of Biology and Mathematics.
Uduehi is interested in a career in medicinal chemistry research and has given several national research presentations, including a presentation earlier this year at the Harvard Medical School.
The Rhodes Scholarships, the oldest international fellowships, were initiated after the death of Cecil Rhodes in 1902 and bring outstanding students from many countries around the world to the University of Oxford. The first American scholars entered Oxford in 1904. Uduehi and her fellow Rhodes Scholarship recipients will enter Oxford in October 2011.
Rhodes Scholars are chosen in a two-stage process. First, candidates must be endorsed by their college or university. More than 1,500 students each year seek their institution's endorsement; this year, 837 students were endorsed by 309 different colleges and universities.
For more on the Rhodes Scholarships, including a list of other 2011 scholars, go to http://www.rhodesscholar.org/.
Below is a list of all of IU's Rhodes Scholarship winners.
IU Rhodes Scholarship Winners
* 1905 Frank Aydelotte
* 1913 Richard Simpson
* 1919 Ernest R. Baltzell
* 1920 Ernest K. Lindley
* 1925 Philip Rice
* 1928 Harlan Logan
* 1953 Joseph B. Board
* 1964 Stephen K. Smith
* 1970 William H. Wolfe
* 1983 Barbara J. Toman
* 1985 Joel Thomas-Adams
* 1994 Zachary J. Ziliak
* 2001 Raju Raval
* 2003 Kathleen Tran
* 2010 Mutsa Mutembwa
* 2011 Esther Uduehi
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/16550.html?emailID=16550
 |
| Esther Uduehi |
Uduehi, of Evansville, Ind., becomes the 16th IU student -- and second in as many years -- to receive a Rhodes Scholarship, which provides all expenses for two or three years of study at the University of Oxford In England. (Mutsa Mutembwa of Zimbabwe, who graduated in May, received the 2010 Rhodes Scholarship.)
"Esther is a truly remarkable student and is most deserving of this honor," said IU President Michael McRobbie. "All of us at Indiana University are extremely proud of what she has achieved during her years of study here and are excited for her to continue her academic pursuits at Oxford."
Uduehi, a Herman B Wells Scholar who entered the fall semester with a 3.93 grade point average, was one of three finalists from IU for the award. IU has now had four Rhodes Scholars since 2001.
"It's a great privilege not only to receive the Wells Scholarship but also to represent Indiana University," said Uduehi. "As happy as I am that I won the award, I am equally happy that IU had three finalists, who demonstrated the academic excellence and integrity of this university. I'm looking forward to continuing my career at Oxford and expanding on the great educational foundation that I received at IU."
Uduehi added that she was grateful for the support of her teachers and administrators at IU as well as her family. Her parents emigrated from Nigeria in 1988, the year before Uduehi was born, in hopes of providing a better life for Uduehi, her brother, Joshua, and her sister, Elizabeth, who is a junior at IU.
"This scholarship has meant a lot to me and to my family, and we are extremely grateful for all that IU has done for us," she said.
A former valedictorian at F.J. Reitz High School in Evansville, Ind., Uduehi entered IU in 2007 as a recipient of the Wells Scholarship, created in honor of the late IU Chancellor Herman B Wells and one of the most competitive and prestigious awards offered by any U.S. university. That same year she was also named a National Achievement Scholar and a Senator Richard G. Lugar Scholar, and received the Indianapolis Star Minority Achievement Award. This year, she received the Kenneth R.R. Gros Louis Scholarship, named after the former IU chancellor, and the Council on Advancing Student Leadership Top Ten Student Leader Award.
Uduehi is currently the vice president of IU's Board of Aeons, a 12-member student board that conducts research projects for the president's office. This fall, she also began serving as IU's second-ever Presidential Student Intern. As part of her intern responsibilities, she is a member of a new committee, established by McRobbie, that is examining the university's approaches to teaching and learning and their impact on student achievement.
Uduehi is a participant in IU's Science, Technology and Research Scholars (STARS) program, as well as the McNair Scholars program. She has worked in the laboratory of IU chemistry professor Amar Flood since her freshman year.
The Rhodes Scholarship will enable Uduehi to return to Oxford, where she studied as a visiting student in chemistry and biochemistry last fall. That experience followed a summer spent in Russia as a participant in the U.S.-Russia Global Health Care Study Program.
While at IU, Uduehi has co-founded the IU Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students (MAPS) and the IU Photography Society, served as diversity director for the IU Student Association, interned with the IU Premed Summer Experience Program, served as the first student docent at the IU Art Museum, and conducted teaching internships in the departments of Biology and Mathematics.
Uduehi is interested in a career in medicinal chemistry research and has given several national research presentations, including a presentation earlier this year at the Harvard Medical School.
The Rhodes Scholarships, the oldest international fellowships, were initiated after the death of Cecil Rhodes in 1902 and bring outstanding students from many countries around the world to the University of Oxford. The first American scholars entered Oxford in 1904. Uduehi and her fellow Rhodes Scholarship recipients will enter Oxford in October 2011.
Rhodes Scholars are chosen in a two-stage process. First, candidates must be endorsed by their college or university. More than 1,500 students each year seek their institution's endorsement; this year, 837 students were endorsed by 309 different colleges and universities.
For more on the Rhodes Scholarships, including a list of other 2011 scholars, go to http://www.rhodesscholar.org/.
Below is a list of all of IU's Rhodes Scholarship winners.
IU Rhodes Scholarship Winners
* 1905 Frank Aydelotte
* 1913 Richard Simpson
* 1919 Ernest R. Baltzell
* 1920 Ernest K. Lindley
* 1925 Philip Rice
* 1928 Harlan Logan
* 1953 Joseph B. Board
* 1964 Stephen K. Smith
* 1970 William H. Wolfe
* 1983 Barbara J. Toman
* 1985 Joel Thomas-Adams
* 1994 Zachary J. Ziliak
* 2001 Raju Raval
* 2003 Kathleen Tran
* 2010 Mutsa Mutembwa
* 2011 Esther Uduehi
Friday, November 19, 2010
IU graduate student to premiere haunting new play
First student-authored work performed in Wells-Metz Theatre
EDITORS: A special Web page devoted to Playing the Bones, featuring an interview with John Drago, can be accessed at http://www.iub.edu/~thtr/2002/Bones/BonesHome.html.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- John Drago is hooked on reality TV.
The Indiana University graduate student just might need a few "survival" skills to make it through the days leading up to the world premiere of his first major playwriting effort, Playing the Bones, on Dec. 6. It will be the first student-authored work to be performed in the new Wells-Metz Theatre of the Indiana University Theatre and Drama Center.
Drago admits he is terrified -- which is surprising coming from a young man who, not long ago, spent his days touring graveyards in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. There, among the tombstones, shadows and howling winds, the third-year M.F.A. student from Louisville began formulating the idea for his new play. Playing the Bones is an eerie, haunting Appalachian tale about an orphan girl discovering the secrets of her past and coming to terms with her own mystical powers.
A relative newcomer to playwriting, Drago, who studied musical theater in college, cites everything from the theatrical works of Henrik Ibsen and Paula Vogel to reality television shows like Survivor as his primary influences. Reality TV? Despite its superficiality and questionable realism, Drago won't write off the modern-day art form. "Even though it's pretty artificial, I love the sound of real people talking," he said. "I love hearing people talk the way they really talk. I think it's a very important skill for a playwright to have."
A coming-of-age story set in the mountains and steeped in the supernatural, Playing the Bones tells the story of a teenage girl, a grieving widower and a scheming crone, all of whom live in a haunted landscape inhabited by a band of restless spirits. Drago says audiences can distinguish between the dead and living by listening to their respective speech patterns -- the dead speak in iambic pentameter; the living in an indigenous dialect that the playwright picked up during his mountain travels.
"My friend, who was a genealogist, and I would go up into these strange towns in the mountains and talk to people you don't necessarily encounter in normal society," explained Drago, who recently turned 25.
The play is being directed by Dale McFadden, director of theatre in the IU Department of Theatre and Drama. McFadden praised Drago's talent for writing effective, accessible dialogue and structuring a story around such a sympathetic main character. "I think the audience will really sympathize with the struggle of this girl and identify with those people in our lives who may be dead but still have a role in our well-being. It's a play that contains an imaginative use of language and transports audience members to a setting that's not in the realm of their usual experience," McFadden said.
McFadden added that he has enjoyed collaborating with Drago as the two prepare the play for its debut in the 236-seat Wells-Metz Theatre, which opened its doors in February. The theatre includes two balconies, movable seating and a flexible performance space that opens up a world of exciting staging possibilities to both playwright and director. "It's been an effective collaboration because John is seeing the play on its feet and learning what can and can't be done in this particular theatre," McFadden said.
McFadden encourages audiences to seize a somewhat rare opportunity to witness the initial production of a new play and "to enjoy, ponder and consider its possible value. In that way the audience is truly serving as the first responder and litmus test of the play's strengths and weaknesses," he said.
Reality has begun to set in for Drago, so forgive him if he suddenly feels alone on a remote island. This is his first "full-throttle" production, and the learning curve has been tremendous, he said. He also knows that in just a few days his play will be judged by a couple of hundred jury members and voted up or down based on whether they are inspired by the language, characters and imaginative world he has created.
It's no wonder Drago is just a little worried.
"It's a very emotionally distressing situation to be in," he admitted with a nervous laugh. "But I certainly believe in the language of this play, in the images, in the world I've created. I have to think that it will be a really effective and moving experience for everyone."
Performances of Playing the Bones are Dec. 6-7 and Dec. 9-14 at 8 p.m. with 2 p.m. matinees on both Saturdays in the Wells-Metz Theatre. Tickets can be purchased in person at the IU Auditorium box office or by phone from TicketMaster.
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/669.html
EDITORS: A special Web page devoted to Playing the Bones, featuring an interview with John Drago, can be accessed at http://www.iub.edu/~thtr/2002/Bones/BonesHome.html.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- John Drago is hooked on reality TV.
The Indiana University graduate student just might need a few "survival" skills to make it through the days leading up to the world premiere of his first major playwriting effort, Playing the Bones, on Dec. 6. It will be the first student-authored work to be performed in the new Wells-Metz Theatre of the Indiana University Theatre and Drama Center.
Drago admits he is terrified -- which is surprising coming from a young man who, not long ago, spent his days touring graveyards in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. There, among the tombstones, shadows and howling winds, the third-year M.F.A. student from Louisville began formulating the idea for his new play. Playing the Bones is an eerie, haunting Appalachian tale about an orphan girl discovering the secrets of her past and coming to terms with her own mystical powers.
A relative newcomer to playwriting, Drago, who studied musical theater in college, cites everything from the theatrical works of Henrik Ibsen and Paula Vogel to reality television shows like Survivor as his primary influences. Reality TV? Despite its superficiality and questionable realism, Drago won't write off the modern-day art form. "Even though it's pretty artificial, I love the sound of real people talking," he said. "I love hearing people talk the way they really talk. I think it's a very important skill for a playwright to have."
A coming-of-age story set in the mountains and steeped in the supernatural, Playing the Bones tells the story of a teenage girl, a grieving widower and a scheming crone, all of whom live in a haunted landscape inhabited by a band of restless spirits. Drago says audiences can distinguish between the dead and living by listening to their respective speech patterns -- the dead speak in iambic pentameter; the living in an indigenous dialect that the playwright picked up during his mountain travels.
"My friend, who was a genealogist, and I would go up into these strange towns in the mountains and talk to people you don't necessarily encounter in normal society," explained Drago, who recently turned 25.
The play is being directed by Dale McFadden, director of theatre in the IU Department of Theatre and Drama. McFadden praised Drago's talent for writing effective, accessible dialogue and structuring a story around such a sympathetic main character. "I think the audience will really sympathize with the struggle of this girl and identify with those people in our lives who may be dead but still have a role in our well-being. It's a play that contains an imaginative use of language and transports audience members to a setting that's not in the realm of their usual experience," McFadden said.
McFadden added that he has enjoyed collaborating with Drago as the two prepare the play for its debut in the 236-seat Wells-Metz Theatre, which opened its doors in February. The theatre includes two balconies, movable seating and a flexible performance space that opens up a world of exciting staging possibilities to both playwright and director. "It's been an effective collaboration because John is seeing the play on its feet and learning what can and can't be done in this particular theatre," McFadden said.
McFadden encourages audiences to seize a somewhat rare opportunity to witness the initial production of a new play and "to enjoy, ponder and consider its possible value. In that way the audience is truly serving as the first responder and litmus test of the play's strengths and weaknesses," he said.
Reality has begun to set in for Drago, so forgive him if he suddenly feels alone on a remote island. This is his first "full-throttle" production, and the learning curve has been tremendous, he said. He also knows that in just a few days his play will be judged by a couple of hundred jury members and voted up or down based on whether they are inspired by the language, characters and imaginative world he has created.
It's no wonder Drago is just a little worried.
"It's a very emotionally distressing situation to be in," he admitted with a nervous laugh. "But I certainly believe in the language of this play, in the images, in the world I've created. I have to think that it will be a really effective and moving experience for everyone."
Performances of Playing the Bones are Dec. 6-7 and Dec. 9-14 at 8 p.m. with 2 p.m. matinees on both Saturdays in the Wells-Metz Theatre. Tickets can be purchased in person at the IU Auditorium box office or by phone from TicketMaster.
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/669.html
Ph.D. student thrives despite health struggle
By Nathan Miller | IDS
Nov. 18, 2010
Jenelle Dorner has spent years fighting fatigue, malnutrition and pain.
Dorner, a doctoral candidate in neuroscience and psychology at IU, was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease, dystonia and gastroparesis, which combined have left her wheelchair-bound with a surgically inserted tube that helps send nutrition directly to her heart.
Read the rest of the story..
http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=78583&search=graduate%20student§ion=search
Nov. 18, 2010
Jenelle Dorner has spent years fighting fatigue, malnutrition and pain.
Dorner, a doctoral candidate in neuroscience and psychology at IU, was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease, dystonia and gastroparesis, which combined have left her wheelchair-bound with a surgically inserted tube that helps send nutrition directly to her heart.
Read the rest of the story..
http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=78583&search=graduate%20student§ion=search
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
GradGrants Consultant Position Opening for Spring 2011
Graduate Assistant Position Opening in the GradGrants Center for Spring 2011
As director of the GradGrants Center, I am seeking a graduate student who holds (or is eligible for) graduate work-study funding for an assistantship beginning the spring semester. If you are interested (or if you know a student who might qualify), please ask him/her to send a cover letter and vita to Jody Smith, University Graduate School, Kirkwood Hall 114, 130 S. Woodlawn Ave., Bloomington, Indiana 47405-7104, josmith@indiana.edu, or fax 812-855-4266. To qualify for graduate work-study, a student would have to complete a FAFSA and talk with Jordan Bissell of the Student Financial Aids Office (812-855-6854 or fws@indiana.edui).
THE PROPOSAL-WRITING CONSULTANT/TRAINER is one of two graduate assistant positions which works directly with fellow graduate students in the GradGrants Center, a graduate student service located in the Wells Library-BL, sponsored by The University Graduate School and available to graduate students of all IU campuses. The two consultants handle the day-to-day operation of the GradGrants Center and share training responsibilities (i.e., presenting or enlisting speakers, scheduling rooms, preparing visual aids). Our consultants assist students in their search for external funding sources and are available to work one-on-one with graduate students in discussing and critiquing their grant proposals.
QUALIFICATIONS: Successful proposal-writing experience, editing skills, teaching experience or experience in planning and presenting special-interest training programs, the ability and personality to interact well with the public. A one-year commitment to the position is strongly preferred.
This position provides invaluable opportunity to learn of various funding sources and to improve one’s own proposal-writing skills. The experience is extremely valuable to future faculty. The position is a .375% FTE during the academic year (i.e., 15 hours per week) and is eligible for student health insurance. The salary is $9,121 for the academic year (with fee remission) and $2,129 for the summer. The person hired will work half or all of the summer as arranged. The deadline for applications is Monday, November 29, 2010.
Jody Smith, Director
The GradGrants Center
Deadline to Order Caps and Gowns for Winter Commencement 2010 is November 22
Winter Commencement 2010
Online Cap and Gown Orders Close Monday, Nov. 22, 2010!
Rent your cap and gown at http://www.herffjones.com/iu/Rental Charges
- Bachelor’s and Associate’s apparel: $98.75
- Master’s apparel: $108.85
- Indiana's 7 percent sales tax will be added to these charges.
- Associate and bachelor's degree candidates have the option of purchasing additional stoles of gratitude for $22.65 each plus Indiana sales tax of 7 percent.
Bookstore Orders: Nov. 23-Dec. 15
From Nov. 23 through Dec. 15, graduates must order caps and gowns at the IU Bookstore in the IMU. Go to the clothing service counter on the second floor.
Students may also call the bookstore at (812) 855-0547 but should realize that it is a very busy line and they are apt to encounter voice mail. Calls are generally returned within 24 to 36 hours.
Those who do not order by Dec. 15 must wait until Commencement Day when any remaining caps and gowns will be available for rental on a first-come, first-served basis. Availability is not guaranteed.
Picking Up Your Cap and Gown on Dec. 15, 16 and 17
Caps and gowns will be available for pickup from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Georgian Room on the second floor of Indiana Memorial Union.
For more information on caps and gowns, Winter Commencement and commencement in general:
http://commencement.iu.edu/bloomington/december2010/index.shtml
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
GPSO Announces Fall 2010 Travel Award Winners
IU GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENT ORGANIZATION (GPSO)
PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GPSO Announces Fall 2010 Travel Award Winners
Each semester the GPSO offers a competitive, financial award for graduate and professional students to help support academic travel. The award covers expenses for events that promote academic and professional development, such as conferences, workshops, competitions and auditions. Funds may be used for registration fees, presentation materials, transportation costs, lodging and per diem expenses. The recipients are selected through a competitive, merit-based process in which an independent panel of fellow graduate and professional students review and assess anonymous applications. This year there were nearly 140 applicants, and 14 award winners were selected from these. The GPSO would like to congratulate the following award recipients:
Fall 2010 GPSO Travel Award Winners:
The GPSO Travel Awards are made possible by generous support from the University Graduate School. More information about travel awards can be found at http://www.iu.edu/~gpso/travel-award.php. The Graduate and Professional Student Organization is the formally recognized government for graduate and professional students at Indiana University Bloomington.
PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GPSO Announces Fall 2010 Travel Award Winners
Each semester the GPSO offers a competitive, financial award for graduate and professional students to help support academic travel. The award covers expenses for events that promote academic and professional development, such as conferences, workshops, competitions and auditions. Funds may be used for registration fees, presentation materials, transportation costs, lodging and per diem expenses. The recipients are selected through a competitive, merit-based process in which an independent panel of fellow graduate and professional students review and assess anonymous applications. This year there were nearly 140 applicants, and 14 award winners were selected from these. The GPSO would like to congratulate the following award recipients:
Fall 2010 GPSO Travel Award Winners:
- Robert Holahan, Political Science
- Audrey Dobrenn, French and Italian
- Kierstan Connors, Education and Language Education
- Deanna Soper Pinkelman, Biology
- Aleksandra Snowden, Criminal Justice
- Nicholas Belle, Anthropology
- Yunjuan Luo, Journalism
- Janice Levi, African American and Africa Studies
- Curtis Child, Sociology
- Kwan Nok Chan, SPEA
- Craig Howard, Instructional Systems Technology
- Paul Schauert, Ethnomusicology
- Chrystine Keener, Fine Arts
- Justin Rawlins, Communications and Culture
The GPSO Travel Awards are made possible by generous support from the University Graduate School. More information about travel awards can be found at http://www.iu.edu/~gpso/travel-award.php. The Graduate and Professional Student Organization is the formally recognized government for graduate and professional students at Indiana University Bloomington.
Contact Information:
Angela Jones, GPSO Communications Coordinator
812-855-8747
803 8th St , Bloomington, IN 47408
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Graduate Student of the Month: Rachel Smith
Rachel Smith
Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies
November 2010
Rachel Smith is a doctoral student in the department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies at Indiana University. She is studying leisure behavior with a concentration in Therapeutic Recreation, and she owes her career choice to her college roommate from freshman year.
“My roommate had a boyfriend,” Rachel said. “One Thursday, I was going into my room and it was ‘occupied.’ I decided I didn’t want to eat dinner by myself at 4:30 pm, so I went to this review section for my statistics class over in the HPER building. I wasn’t really sure where it was exactly because I hadn’t been to one of the labs yet that semester, and it was already October, but I finally found it and I took a seat. After a little while I realized I had gone to the wrong room. It ended up being an interest meeting for the Therapeutic Recreation club that puts on all these weekend camps for kids with developmental disabilities. I was so embarrassed I volunteered for all their camps.”
A few years later, Rachel graduated from the University of Tennessee in English and Psychology and got into law school, just as she had planned. “It was terrible. I left one of the sessions on the introductory day for law school and called one of my professors -- ‘Doc’ was his name -- I said, ‘hey Doc, do you have room for one more grad student this semester?’ He said, ‘Yup’ and I filled out the paperwork and started right then.”
What is therapeutic recreation? Rachel says it’s an allied health service in the same vein as occupational or physical therapy focusing on the use of recreation to restore, remediate and rebuild function. In her work, Rachel looks at ways to use physical activity and leisure as a way of decreasing obesity and increasing social functioning in patients, specifically in children with autism.
She works on four different research teams, three of which are currently putting out research articles: the Therapeutic Recreation Research Team; Severe Mental Illness Research Team; Bradford Woods Research; and Disability Studies in Physical Activity Research Team. Rachel has also been highly active within her discipline at IU -- teaching, serving as a leader amongst her peers, and presenting her research at national conferences.
Her pride and joy, however, is in developing and running the Physical Activity and Social Skills Development (PASSD) service learning program. The PASSD program partners Indiana University Therapeutic Recreation (TR) with Stone Belt, one of the oldest and largest service providers for individuals with developmental disabilities in south central Indiana. Through the program, TR students at IU receive training opportunities and the Stone Belt participants are provided with high quality TR services.
“I get to help people live a higher quality of life,” she said. “Physical therapy can teach someone to use their knee again, but recreational therapists come in and ask ‘now that you can walk, what do you want to do, what do you love to do’ -- let’s do that to help you. We look at that next step.”
For example, Rachel taught children with autism to rock climb then helped them start a rock climbing club at their school. The children will then be seen as successful at something by their classmates, she said, sometimes for the first time ever.
“Children tend to see other children with autism at their worst point, at school, because that’s the hardest [place for children with autism to fit in]. If people knew me only as the person who is terrible at being still, for the thing I was worst at, for example, it would be a really hard life to live,” she said.
“I like to turn that on it’s head, so the child with autism is the expert -- the best climber in the group -- so the children are modeling after them instead of the other children being the model. A lot of times children will forget about the autism part then. ‘Oh he’s such a great climber!’ It really does change the way other people perceive [children with autism], and to be truly accepted in a community, you need to be perceived as being related, being competent and connected.”
Rachel works on inclusion and community integration, she said. For children with autism having trouble integrating into a school, recreation can serve as a bridge into that community.
“To me, recreation and leisure are the true universal languages because people can’t necessarily play better than other people. They can play differently than other people, but the skills can be taught and practiced,” she said.
Therapeutic Recreation is what Rachel calls a discovery major. “Almost everyone you meet has a story, because people don’t know about it -- it’s something you have to discover. And I’m very glad I did because I think I’d be an unhappy lawyer.”
Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies
November 2010
Rachel Smith is a doctoral student in the department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies at Indiana University. She is studying leisure behavior with a concentration in Therapeutic Recreation, and she owes her career choice to her college roommate from freshman year.
 |
| IU Graduate Student Rachel Smith |
A few years later, Rachel graduated from the University of Tennessee in English and Psychology and got into law school, just as she had planned. “It was terrible. I left one of the sessions on the introductory day for law school and called one of my professors -- ‘Doc’ was his name -- I said, ‘hey Doc, do you have room for one more grad student this semester?’ He said, ‘Yup’ and I filled out the paperwork and started right then.”
What is therapeutic recreation? Rachel says it’s an allied health service in the same vein as occupational or physical therapy focusing on the use of recreation to restore, remediate and rebuild function. In her work, Rachel looks at ways to use physical activity and leisure as a way of decreasing obesity and increasing social functioning in patients, specifically in children with autism.
She works on four different research teams, three of which are currently putting out research articles: the Therapeutic Recreation Research Team; Severe Mental Illness Research Team; Bradford Woods Research; and Disability Studies in Physical Activity Research Team. Rachel has also been highly active within her discipline at IU -- teaching, serving as a leader amongst her peers, and presenting her research at national conferences.
Her pride and joy, however, is in developing and running the Physical Activity and Social Skills Development (PASSD) service learning program. The PASSD program partners Indiana University Therapeutic Recreation (TR) with Stone Belt, one of the oldest and largest service providers for individuals with developmental disabilities in south central Indiana. Through the program, TR students at IU receive training opportunities and the Stone Belt participants are provided with high quality TR services.
“I get to help people live a higher quality of life,” she said. “Physical therapy can teach someone to use their knee again, but recreational therapists come in and ask ‘now that you can walk, what do you want to do, what do you love to do’ -- let’s do that to help you. We look at that next step.”
For example, Rachel taught children with autism to rock climb then helped them start a rock climbing club at their school. The children will then be seen as successful at something by their classmates, she said, sometimes for the first time ever.
“Children tend to see other children with autism at their worst point, at school, because that’s the hardest [place for children with autism to fit in]. If people knew me only as the person who is terrible at being still, for the thing I was worst at, for example, it would be a really hard life to live,” she said.
“I like to turn that on it’s head, so the child with autism is the expert -- the best climber in the group -- so the children are modeling after them instead of the other children being the model. A lot of times children will forget about the autism part then. ‘Oh he’s such a great climber!’ It really does change the way other people perceive [children with autism], and to be truly accepted in a community, you need to be perceived as being related, being competent and connected.”
Rachel works on inclusion and community integration, she said. For children with autism having trouble integrating into a school, recreation can serve as a bridge into that community.
“To me, recreation and leisure are the true universal languages because people can’t necessarily play better than other people. They can play differently than other people, but the skills can be taught and practiced,” she said.
Therapeutic Recreation is what Rachel calls a discovery major. “Almost everyone you meet has a story, because people don’t know about it -- it’s something you have to discover. And I’m very glad I did because I think I’d be an unhappy lawyer.”
Friday, November 5, 2010
New MA in Jewish Studies
Indiana University’s new master’s degree program in Jewish Studies provides students with the advanced interdisciplinary and language study necessary to prepare them for a doctoral program in a disciplinary department or for nonacademic careers in the professional world and nonprofit sector. Building on the unique strengths of the Borns Jewish Studies Program, the M.A. program in Jewish Studies allows students to take classes with IU's world-class faculty in a wide range of areas within Jewish Studies, to work closely with a faculty mentor on an independent master’s thesis project, and to pursue internship opportunities as part of the master’s degree program.
The program will normally take two years to complete. It is designed to provide students with a solid working knowledge in one or more languages relevant to the study of Jewish culture (typically Modern Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew, and/or Yiddish), a broad exposure to the academic field of Jewish Studies in a number of different disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, and the analytical skills that should serve students whether they choose to pursue a doctoral degree related to Jewish Studies or find employment in the professional world, for example in nonprofit management or education.
The M.A. in Jewish Studies can be combined with a certificate in nonprofit management from Indiana University’s School for Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA). Students with a particular interest in modern Jewish history can pursue a dual M.A. in Jewish Studies and History.
The program will normally take two years to complete. It is designed to provide students with a solid working knowledge in one or more languages relevant to the study of Jewish culture (typically Modern Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew, and/or Yiddish), a broad exposure to the academic field of Jewish Studies in a number of different disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, and the analytical skills that should serve students whether they choose to pursue a doctoral degree related to Jewish Studies or find employment in the professional world, for example in nonprofit management or education.
The M.A. in Jewish Studies can be combined with a certificate in nonprofit management from Indiana University’s School for Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA). Students with a particular interest in modern Jewish history can pursue a dual M.A. in Jewish Studies and History.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Call for Proposals: Who Am I – U? : An Inclusive Conference on Identities
It’s not just where you’re from but where you are now and where you are going.
It’s not just who you are but what you do and why you do it.
It’s not just the people you’re with but the people you reach out to.
Who Am I – U? : An Inclusive Conference on Identities
Indiana University, Bloomington
March 3-4, 2011
Call for Proposals
The purpose of this conference is to engage all Bloomington faculty, students, staff, administrators, alumni, and emeriti, as well as members of the community, in building a culturally literate and inclusive campus. Through panels, workshops, roundtables, poster sessions, blog sessions, artwork displays, word slams, dance and performances, this conference approaches inclusion as a process of intellectual and creative inquiry that is informed by practice and that informs future practice. By an inclusive campus, we mean policies and practices that promote understanding of cultural, physical, and mental differences, and that encourage cooperation across the lines of race, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status, gender, generation, abilities, sexualities, and institutional positions. A campus is inclusive when all of its members, especially those from underserved populations, can thrive and succeed, individually and collectively. It is culturally literate when its members, majority and minority, have knowledge of, respect for, and the skills necessary to interact with people from other cultures in both domestic and international contexts. In working toward these shared goals, we will contribute to a multidisciplinary knowledge commons and enrich our sense of self-efficacy as engaged citizens meeting both the challenges and the opportunities of our global 21st Century world.
This conference continues the mission of ARC 2010! Attention, Reflection, Connection: Steps Toward an Inclusive Campus. We welcome you as partners and value the different ways you will be contributing to this conference.
To submit a proposal (or browse session ideas): https://www.indiana.edu/~arc2010/WhoAmIUCFP
For ideas on possible conference activities.
We look forward to hearing from you, and please feel free to contact any of us below!
The ARC 2011! Conference Organizers
Clarence W. Boone boonec@indiana.edu (Director, Diversity Programming, IU Alumni Association)
Deborah Getz dgetz@indiana.edu (Director, Center for Student Leadership Development, HPER)
Bruce Jacobs jacobsb@indiana.edu (Executive Director, IMU/IU Auditorium, Auxiliary Services & Programs)
Diana Jacobs dajacob@indiana.edu (Director, Academic Initiatives & Services)
Nathaniel Kenninger nkenning@indiana.edu (Student, Kelley School of Business; OVPUE Student Advisor)
Joan Linton jlinton@indiana.edu (Associate Professor, Department of English, College of Arts and Sciences)
Eric Love elove@indiana.edu (Director, Office of Diversity Education, Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center)
David Macon Jr davmacon@indiana.edu (Student, Office of Diversity Education)
Barry W. Magee bmaggee@indiana.edu (Assistant Director for Diversity Education, Student Programs and Services)
Jason Nguyen jrnguyen@indiana.edu (Student, Ethnomusicology; Asian American Studies, College of Arts and Sciences)
Mary Norman mcnorman@indiana.edu (Student, Arts Administration, General Studies; OVPUE Student Advisor)
William Shipton shiptonw@indiana.edu (Director, Student Programs and Services)
Elizabeth Uduehi enuduehi@indiana.edu (Student, Speech & Hearing, OVPUE Student Advisor; OWA Savant Peer Educator; Asian American Association)
Kenecia Williams kenewill@indiana.edu (Student, Public Finance Management, SPEA; IUSA, dir. Multicultural Affairs)
It’s not just who you are but what you do and why you do it.
It’s not just the people you’re with but the people you reach out to.
Who Am I – U? : An Inclusive Conference on Identities
Indiana University, Bloomington
March 3-4, 2011
Call for Proposals
The purpose of this conference is to engage all Bloomington faculty, students, staff, administrators, alumni, and emeriti, as well as members of the community, in building a culturally literate and inclusive campus. Through panels, workshops, roundtables, poster sessions, blog sessions, artwork displays, word slams, dance and performances, this conference approaches inclusion as a process of intellectual and creative inquiry that is informed by practice and that informs future practice. By an inclusive campus, we mean policies and practices that promote understanding of cultural, physical, and mental differences, and that encourage cooperation across the lines of race, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status, gender, generation, abilities, sexualities, and institutional positions. A campus is inclusive when all of its members, especially those from underserved populations, can thrive and succeed, individually and collectively. It is culturally literate when its members, majority and minority, have knowledge of, respect for, and the skills necessary to interact with people from other cultures in both domestic and international contexts. In working toward these shared goals, we will contribute to a multidisciplinary knowledge commons and enrich our sense of self-efficacy as engaged citizens meeting both the challenges and the opportunities of our global 21st Century world.
This conference continues the mission of ARC 2010! Attention, Reflection, Connection: Steps Toward an Inclusive Campus. We welcome you as partners and value the different ways you will be contributing to this conference.
To submit a proposal (or browse session ideas): https://www.indiana.edu/~arc2010/WhoAmIUCFP
For ideas on possible conference activities.
We look forward to hearing from you, and please feel free to contact any of us below!
The ARC 2011! Conference Organizers
Clarence W. Boone boonec@indiana.edu
Deborah Getz dgetz@indiana.edu
Bruce Jacobs jacobsb@indiana.edu
Diana Jacobs dajacob@indiana.edu
Nathaniel Kenninger nkenning@indiana.edu
Joan Linton jlinton@indiana.edu
Eric Love elove@indiana.edu
David Macon Jr davmacon@indiana.edu
Barry W. Magee bmaggee@indiana.edu
Jason Nguyen jrnguyen@indiana.edu
Mary Norman mcnorman@indiana.edu
William Shipton shiptonw@indiana.edu
Elizabeth Uduehi enuduehi@indiana.edu
Kenecia Williams kenewill@indiana.edu
Monday, November 1, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Agenda for "Queering the Countryside"
Monday, Nov. 6, 2010
8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Frangipani Room, IMU
Schedule of Events
8:30 – 9:00 Coffee and Muffins
9:00 – 9:15 Welcome and Opening Remarks
Mary L. Gray
9:15 – 10:45 Session 1 - Circulations
Brian J. Gilley
Coup Counting Queens: Native Sexual Circulation and Queer Ordered Entropy
John Howard
Digital Oral History and the Joy (and Limits) of (Urban White Male) Gay Sex
10:45 – 11:00 Break
11:00 – 12:30 Session 2 – Temporalities
Marlon M. Bailey
Engendering Space: Ballroom Culture and Black Queer Performance Geographies in Detroit
Mary Pat Brady
Intersectional Time
12:30 - 1:30 Break for Lunch
1:30 – 3:30 Session 3 – Formations
Scott Herring
Hixploitation, or, the Cultural Emergence of Sarah Palin
E. Patrick Johnson
The Queerness of Class: Building Community Outside the City
Mab Segrest
The Countryside Queered Us
3:30 – 3:45 Break
3:45 – 4:45 Full Group Discussion
4:45 -5:00 Closing Remarks
Colin R. Johnson
5:30 – 7:30 Reception
FARMbloomington - 108 East Kirkwood Avenue
9:00 – 10:30 The Eggplant Faerie Players presents
Welcome to Homo Hollow: 16 Years of Queer Country Living Celebrated through Music, Satire, Juggling and Drag
Woodburn Hall 101
Indiana University Bloomington
Students: Be part of a studio audience for "Beyond the Syllabus"
Are you an IU student?
You are invited to be a part of
a studio audience for the Big Ten Network program
BEYOND THE SYLLABUS
DATE: Friday, November 19th, 2010
PLACE: Radio – TV Building, Room 251
Free food, T-shirt & Water Bottle for all participants
PLACE: Radio – TV Building, Room 251
Free food, T-shirt & Water Bottle for all participants
1:30 PM – Psychological and Brain Sciences Professor Olaf Sporns
Internationally renowned professor will lead an amazing journey through the human brain.
4:00 PM – Professor of Chemistry Richard DiMarchi
Celebrated IU scientist will discuss the life sciences discoveries you can expect to see in your lifetime.
Celebrated IU scientist will discuss the life sciences discoveries you can expect to see in your lifetime.
Space is limited & reservations are required.
All audience members will be filmed and should expect to be on TV as part of the finished programs.*
RSVP via http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/beyondthesyllabus for this free event!
* A signed release form is required as the program will be aired on national television.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
IU seeking applicants for student trustee
Oct. 5, 2010
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- A unique leadership opportunity will open to all full-time IU students on Monday (Oct. 11), when applications for the student position on the Board of Trustees become available.
Applications will be available online at www.indiana.edu/~trustees and in the following offices and locations on each campus:
Applications are due Jan. 21, 2011, at 5 p.m.
IU has had a student trustee for three decades. The first student trustee, Leslie C. Shively, was sworn in on Jan. 1, 1976. The current office holder, Abbey Stemler, who is a third-year law student and an MBA student in the Kelley School of Business on the IU Bloomington campus, is the 18th student to hold the position.
Stemler, whose term expires June 30, 2011, said, "Serving on the board has been an incredible honor and responsibility. Every day, I am challenged to understand a variety of perspectives and make decisions that will affect the institutions for decades to come."
William R. Cast, chair of the board, urged students to apply, saying the position provides students with an opportunity to have a voice in shaping IU's future.
"The board relies on the student trustee for balanced opinion and reporting of important trends," Cast said. "The student trustee who can bring a broad knowledge of student life and its associated problems, as well as a background of participation on his or her campus, can play an important role on the board."
Cast noted that the student trustee is a fully vested member of the board with all rights, responsibilities and privileges accorded to all trustees. He or she is expected to participate in at least six board meetings a year, serve on board committees, take part in various university functions and ceremonies, and complete any assigned projects.
The only difference between the student trustee and all other trustees is the length of term: student trustees serve two years, while all others serve three.
Any IU student enrolled at any of IU's eight campuses may apply. The student trustee must be a full-time student for the duration of the appointment. He or she may be an undergraduate or graduate student.
The term of office begins July 1, 2011. Applications for the student position will be reviewed by the 2011 IU Student Trustee Search and Screen Committee, which is appointed by the president of the university, and is composed of students from IU's campuses and a representative of Gov. Mitch Daniels.
The committee will interview selected finalists on April 1 and 2 in Indianapolis. All finalists must participate in the interviews on one of those dates. According to state law, the committee must forward 10 names to the governor, who usually makes the final selection by June 30.
The Board of Trustees is Indiana University's governing board, its legal owner and final authority. The board holds the university's financial, physical, and human assets and operations in trust for future generations. The board was created in 1820. Today it has nine members, six appointed by the governor, and three elected by alumni.
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/15837.html?emailID=15837
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- A unique leadership opportunity will open to all full-time IU students on Monday (Oct. 11), when applications for the student position on the Board of Trustees become available.
Applications will be available online at www.indiana.edu/~trustees and in the following offices and locations on each campus:
- IU Bloomington: IUSA (IMU 387); Board of Trustees (IMU M005).
- IUPUI: Campus and Community Life (Campus Center, CE 370); Graduate Office (UN 207); Housing and Residence Life (BR 105).
- IU East: Campus Life (Springwood Hall 107); Chancellor's Office (Springwood Hall 204).
- IU Kokomo: Student Activities (Kelley Center 210); Chancellor's Office (Hunt Hall 212).
- IU Northwest: Student Life (Savannah 217); Chancellor's Office (Library 107).
- IU South Bend: Athletics and Recreation (SAC 130); Housing and Residential Life (Community Building front desk); Chancellor's Office (Administration 250).
- IU Southeast: Campus Life (University Center South, Room 010); Student Affairs (University Center South, Room 155); Chancellor's Office (University Center South, Room 156); Residence Life (Meadow Lodge).
- IPFW: Chancellor's Office (Kettler Hall 166).
Applications are due Jan. 21, 2011, at 5 p.m.
IU has had a student trustee for three decades. The first student trustee, Leslie C. Shively, was sworn in on Jan. 1, 1976. The current office holder, Abbey Stemler, who is a third-year law student and an MBA student in the Kelley School of Business on the IU Bloomington campus, is the 18th student to hold the position.
Stemler, whose term expires June 30, 2011, said, "Serving on the board has been an incredible honor and responsibility. Every day, I am challenged to understand a variety of perspectives and make decisions that will affect the institutions for decades to come."
William R. Cast, chair of the board, urged students to apply, saying the position provides students with an opportunity to have a voice in shaping IU's future.
"The board relies on the student trustee for balanced opinion and reporting of important trends," Cast said. "The student trustee who can bring a broad knowledge of student life and its associated problems, as well as a background of participation on his or her campus, can play an important role on the board."
Cast noted that the student trustee is a fully vested member of the board with all rights, responsibilities and privileges accorded to all trustees. He or she is expected to participate in at least six board meetings a year, serve on board committees, take part in various university functions and ceremonies, and complete any assigned projects.
The only difference between the student trustee and all other trustees is the length of term: student trustees serve two years, while all others serve three.
Any IU student enrolled at any of IU's eight campuses may apply. The student trustee must be a full-time student for the duration of the appointment. He or she may be an undergraduate or graduate student.
The term of office begins July 1, 2011. Applications for the student position will be reviewed by the 2011 IU Student Trustee Search and Screen Committee, which is appointed by the president of the university, and is composed of students from IU's campuses and a representative of Gov. Mitch Daniels.
The committee will interview selected finalists on April 1 and 2 in Indianapolis. All finalists must participate in the interviews on one of those dates. According to state law, the committee must forward 10 names to the governor, who usually makes the final selection by June 30.
The Board of Trustees is Indiana University's governing board, its legal owner and final authority. The board holds the university's financial, physical, and human assets and operations in trust for future generations. The board was created in 1820. Today it has nine members, six appointed by the governor, and three elected by alumni.
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/15837.html?emailID=15837
New IUPUI Ph.D. program in applied earth sciences one of first in U.S.
Oct. 6, 2010
INDIANAPOLIS -- One of the nation's first doctoral programs in applied earth sciences, merging geoscience, geoinformatics and human health, has been established in the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
The unique interdisciplinary doctoral program is designed to prepare individuals for teaching, research, industrial and policy careers that apply environmental aspects of earth sciences, biology and chemistry for the benefit of the individuals who live and work in that environment.
"Our new degree program in applied earth sciences offers a unique transdisciplinary perspective to contemporary problems in water quality management, pollution remediation and human health," said Kevin Mandernack, newly appointed chair of the Department of Earth Sciences. "The earth sciences faculty have a broad range of expertise and have established productive collaborations with faculty in other departments within the School of Science, School of Engineering and the IU School of Medicine, that make it eminently qualified to produce unique and significant contributions in applied geosciences."
Doctoral candidates in applied earth sciences will explore the complex interactions between earth's surface and the plants, animals and human beings who occupy it. Study concentrations include water resources research and environmental health sciences. These areas of concentration are supported by the Center for Earth and Environmental Sciences and the Center for Urban Health, both Signature Centers on the IUPUI campus and both directed by faculty in earth sciences.
"This is among a small handful of Ph.D. programs in applied earth sciences in this country, a distinction that IUPUI is particularly well suited for given the wide range of programs we offer throughout the School of Science and our success in building top-quality research programs that are national and international in scope," said Gabriel Filippelli, professor of earth sciences and former department chair, who was instrumental in developing the proposal for the department's doctoral degree program.
Filippelli noted that "this program will engage faculty and students from across the physical, natural and health sciences to develop science-based solutions to the great current and future challenges to environmental and human health."
Commencing in January 2011 the School of Science at IUPUI will accept applications for the new program. When fully implemented the program will enroll 20 doctoral candidates in applied earth sciences.
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/15857.html?emailID=15857
INDIANAPOLIS -- One of the nation's first doctoral programs in applied earth sciences, merging geoscience, geoinformatics and human health, has been established in the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
The unique interdisciplinary doctoral program is designed to prepare individuals for teaching, research, industrial and policy careers that apply environmental aspects of earth sciences, biology and chemistry for the benefit of the individuals who live and work in that environment.
"Our new degree program in applied earth sciences offers a unique transdisciplinary perspective to contemporary problems in water quality management, pollution remediation and human health," said Kevin Mandernack, newly appointed chair of the Department of Earth Sciences. "The earth sciences faculty have a broad range of expertise and have established productive collaborations with faculty in other departments within the School of Science, School of Engineering and the IU School of Medicine, that make it eminently qualified to produce unique and significant contributions in applied geosciences."
Doctoral candidates in applied earth sciences will explore the complex interactions between earth's surface and the plants, animals and human beings who occupy it. Study concentrations include water resources research and environmental health sciences. These areas of concentration are supported by the Center for Earth and Environmental Sciences and the Center for Urban Health, both Signature Centers on the IUPUI campus and both directed by faculty in earth sciences.
"This is among a small handful of Ph.D. programs in applied earth sciences in this country, a distinction that IUPUI is particularly well suited for given the wide range of programs we offer throughout the School of Science and our success in building top-quality research programs that are national and international in scope," said Gabriel Filippelli, professor of earth sciences and former department chair, who was instrumental in developing the proposal for the department's doctoral degree program.
Filippelli noted that "this program will engage faculty and students from across the physical, natural and health sciences to develop science-based solutions to the great current and future challenges to environmental and human health."
Commencing in January 2011 the School of Science at IUPUI will accept applications for the new program. When fully implemented the program will enroll 20 doctoral candidates in applied earth sciences.
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/15857.html?emailID=15857
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
National Research Council study validates quality of IU doctoral programs
 |
| The University Graduate School Dean, James C. Wimbush Courtesy of Chris Meyer, Indiana University. |
Sept. 29, 2010
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University programs in the natural and mathematical sciences, humanities, social sciences and public affairs were recognized as among the best in the United States in the Assessment of Research Doctorate Programs released Tuesday (Sept. 28) by the National Research Council.
While the assessment does not include single numerical rankings, IU programs in folklore, musicology, ecology and evolutionary biology, public policy, psychology, mathematics, sociology and public affairs ranked at or near the top of their fields, and other programs were close behind.
Read the complete article:
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/15754.html?emailID=15754
IU President McRobbie outlines “principles of excellence” in annual State of the University address
 |
| IU President McRobbie delivered the State of the University address today (Sept. 28) on the IUPUI campus. |
Sept. 28, 2010
INDIANAPOLIS -- Following a year of record-breaking progress, Indiana University will rededicate itself to the "principles of excellence" that have helped the university position itself as one of the state's most successful enterprises in spite of continuing financial challenges.
In his annual State of the University address, delivered today (Sept. 28) on the IUPUI campus, IU President Michael McRobbie outlined six core principles that will guide the university over the next decade leading up to the university's bicentenary in 2020: ensuring an excellent education; recruiting and retaining a great faculty; maximizing research; increasing international engagement; supporting the health sciences and health care; and strengthening the university's efforts in engagement and economic development.
McRobbie also reflected on the university's mission statement, approved by IU Trustees in 2005, and the vision that grew out of that statement: for IU to be one of the great research universities of the 21st century and the preeminent institution of higher education in Indiana.
For the complete text of McRobbie's State of the University address, go to http://www.indiana.edu/~pres/vision/state-of-university/index.shtml or watch an archived broadcast at http://broadcast.iu.edu.
See the original release:
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/15751.html
Friday, September 24, 2010
IU 'Design Matters' forum focuses on sustainable design
Sept. 22, 2010
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Leading designers and architects will gather at Indiana University on Oct. 1 (Friday) for a free, open-to-the-public panel discussion on how the "built environment" has been impacted by sustainability initiatives.
IU's Department of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design will host the Oct. 1 panel discussion, "Design Matters: Sustainability and the Built Environment," from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Whittenberger Auditorium of the Indiana Memorial Union. The panel discussion was made possible by the support from the IU College of Arts and Sciences' Themester 2010 "sustain•ability: Thriving on a Small Planet" and by the Friends of the Department of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design.
Read full article:
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/15657.html?emailID=15657
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Leading designers and architects will gather at Indiana University on Oct. 1 (Friday) for a free, open-to-the-public panel discussion on how the "built environment" has been impacted by sustainability initiatives.
IU's Department of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design will host the Oct. 1 panel discussion, "Design Matters: Sustainability and the Built Environment," from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Whittenberger Auditorium of the Indiana Memorial Union. The panel discussion was made possible by the support from the IU College of Arts and Sciences' Themester 2010 "sustain•ability: Thriving on a Small Planet" and by the Friends of the Department of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design.
Read full article:
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/15657.html?emailID=15657
National organization touts School of Education doctoral dissertation tying extra-curricular activity to student success
 |
| John Houser |
Sept. 22, 2010
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Institute for Education Leadership in Washington, D.C., is citing as a major contribution to the field a study by a recent Indiana University School of Education Ph.D. graduate suggesting a relationship between higher participation in extra-curricular programs and better grades at an Indianapolis community school.
School psychology doctoral graduate John H. Houser's dissertation analyzed participation and grades during the 2008-09 school year at George Washington Community High School (GWCHS), a full-service community school. For that year, the students who had a higher participation rate in extra-curricular activities also had a higher grade-point average.
"There's certainly a relationship going on between participating in these programs both offered by the school and the community and how that relates to how they're doing academically," Houser said.
Read full article:
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/15649.html?emailID=15649
IU, community representatives collaborate for Bloomington Multicultural Expo 2010
 |
| Bloomington Multicultural Expo |
WHAT: Bloomington Multicultural Expo 2010
WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 2, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
WHERE: Bryan Park, 1001 S. Henderson St.
Sept. 23, 2010
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana University and Bloomington communities will come together at Bryan Park Saturday, Oct. 2, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. to celebrate Bloomington Multicultural Expo 2010.
Formerly known as the Bloomington Multicultural Festival, the popular event changed its composition last year to combine the annual Soul Food Festival, the Moon Festival and Festival Latino.
The combined festival includes "villages" at which visitors can do crafts, take part in children's activities prepared by the Mathers Museum, hear music and sample ethnic foods from different cultures (available for purchase). An International Village focuses on the celebration of cultures around the world. This year, a Native American Village has been added to the mix.
"As part of the planning committee, I'm really excited to see how everything fell into place," said Sandy Britton, director of the Leo R. Dowling International Center.
"This annual tradition is such a great opportunity to celebrate Bloomington's cultural diversity."
Each of the individual festivals comes with its own tradition.
"The Soul Food Picnic started over 20 years ago to give the small number of African Americans in Bloomington a sense of community," said Beverly Calender-Anderson, safe and civil city director for the City of Bloomington. "It evolved from a small picnic to a community festival that is now part of the Bloomington Multicultural Expo, where the entire community has an opportunity to gather, renew old friendships, share stories and enjoy the wonderful food and music that is a part of the African American tradition."
More than 40 cultural organizations will host individual booths that provide information and items for sale.
Performances of music and dance will reflect cultures that include Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, India and the Middle East.
Bloomington Multicultural Expo 2010 is sponsored by City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation, Leo R. Dowling International Center, City of Bloomington Community and Family Resources, Bloomington Black Business and Professional Association, Indiana University Commission on Multicultural Understanding, IU Residential Program and Services, IU Latino Studies Program, IU La Casa, IU Asian Cultural Center, IU Mathers Museum of World Cultures, Ivy Tech Community College-Bloomington and Monroe County Community School Corp.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, see www.bloomington.in.gov/bme.
See article:
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/15663.html?emailID=15663
IUPUI receives $2 million to expand state, national science and technology talent pool
 |
Courtesy of Indiana University. |
INDIANAPOLIS -- A $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis is targeted to boost the number of students graduating with bachelor's degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics by 10 percent.
The funding is designed to encourage more students, including those who begin their college education in a local community college, to embark on careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and to provide those students with the support needed to achieve this goal. With this award, IUPUI hopes to increase STEM degrees to an additional 782 undergraduates by 2015.
Read the full article:
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/15715.html?emailID=15715
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Graduate Student Exchange Program
Graduate Student Exchange Program
The Office of the Vice President for International Affairs has opportunities for Graduate Students to participate in one of our 10 Graduate Student Exchange Programs.
This is a great opportunity to work on dissertation research, brush up on a foreign language, and meet exceptional faculty.
These opportunities are for anywhere from one semester to an academic year.
October 28, 2010
For more information see our website at:
http://www.indiana.edu/~ovpiaovpia/funding/oGrants.php#GSE
The Office of the Vice President for International Affairs has opportunities for Graduate Students to participate in one of our 10 Graduate Student Exchange Programs.
This is a great opportunity to work on dissertation research, brush up on a foreign language, and meet exceptional faculty.
These opportunities are for anywhere from one semester to an academic year.
- University of Costa Rica
- Free University of Berlin, Germany
- University of Debrecen, Hungary
- Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiors (CIESAS), Mexico
- Zhejiang University, China
- Jagiellonian University, Poland
- Warsaw University, Poland
- Yonsei University, South Korea
- University of Seville, Spain
- National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), Thailand
October 28, 2010
For more information see our website at:
http://www.indiana.edu/~ovpiaovpia/funding/oGrants.php#GSE
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