The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is pleased to announce the eleventh annual Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) Graduate Student Research Program (GSRP). Up to three outstanding graduate students in the fields of educational measurement, psychometrics, or a related field (e.g., industrial/organizational psychology) who have completed at least two years of
related graduate study, will be selected to participate in the 2008 GSRP. The program is designed to give each GSRP researcher an opportunity to develop professional skills through collaboration on a research project with a mentor from the researcher’s home university, and the MCAT research staff. It is also an opportunity to meet with other graduate students and with researchers with similar interests. The program is open to graduate students at U.S. and Canadian universities.
The announcement can be found at http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/research/gsrp/2008gsrpannouncement.pdf .
Social and educational research opportunity
Whitaker International Program
Program Overview
The Whitaker International Program is a competitive grant that is targeted at sending emerging leaders in the field of biomedical engineering overseas to increase international collaboration in the field. The grant is awarded based on an activity/project proposal that is relevant to biomedical engineering. Grantees have gone overseas to work on a wide range of activities, from pursuing Bioscience
New Website Address
The Whitaker Foundation (which had been led by current Mason faculty member Peter Katona who chairs the Bioengineering program) closed its doors in June 2006, and graciously donated their website address to be used for the Whitaker International Fellows and Scholars Program starting this year. The website address is: http://www.whitaker.org/
New Policies
Based on feedback from recent applicants, professors, and other stakeholders, the Whitaker International Program has changed its policies to expand the program's impact.
- Eligibility - We will now accept applications for Whitaker Fellowships from those applicants who demonstrate a dedication to the field in their academic body of work, even if the home institution does not offer a biomedical engineering degree. This change applies only to graduating seniors and those without any academic work beyond a bachelor's degree.
- New Program Option - We are excited to announce a new program option for Whitaker Scholar (post-doctoral) applicants. They can now apply for up to a two-year Whitaker Scholarship. This is to accommodate post-doctoral placements which may take more than one year. Applicants applying for more than one year will need to justify the time they are requesting in their project/activity proposal.
Online Application
The online application is now available, updated to reflect the new policies. Visit http://www.whitaker.org/ for more information.
Publication alert (French and Smith)
Helen French (fall 2006 apprentice) is a co-author for a paper with Robert Smith's lab (Psychology). This paper is published in the journal Synapse 62: 31-39 (2008), entitled "Continuous nicotinic administration produces selective, age-dependent structural alteration of pyramidal neurons from prelimbic cortex." Congratulations to Helen and Dr. Smith!
Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid for Students
The Sigma Xi Grant-in-Aid of Research program provides funding for undergraduate and graduate student research projects in all disciplines of science and engineering, including the social sciences. March 15 and October 15 are application deadlines for grants of up to $1000 for research in all fields of science and engineering with the exception of eye/vision and astronomy research, where special funds allow awards of up to $2500 and $5000 respectively.
Previous GMU recipients include Teresa Micheli (Jane Flinn), Laura Smith (Robert Smith), and Rachel Page Dudik (Shobita Satyapal).
If you need a Sigma Xi member to nominate you, I've been a member since 2003. I'm even featured on their front page!
Science Debate
http://sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php?id=8
Read up and participate in a blog concerning election issues surrounding science, technology, and innovation.
Summer internship at Virginia Tech (bioengineering/biotechnology)
http://www.bbsi.sbes.vt.edu/
Program Dates: May 25, 2008 to August 1, 2008
Application Deadline: February 1, 2008
The BBSI program emphasizes three major research areas: computational systems biology, computational bio-imaging, and computational physiology. The objectives of BBSI are to:
1) Provide targeted students, particularly from underrepresented groups, with quantitative and integrated bioengineering/bioinformatics related educational and research experience
2) Motivate and enable these students to pursue graduate degrees and careers in biomedical engineering and bioinformatics fields.
This paid ($2500) 10-week summer internship is open to all students, and applications from students representing minority groups are highly encouraged. Select students will also have the opportunity to continue their research efforts at their home institution and come back for a 2nd summer research experience.
Improving Mentoring
Ric Weibl, director for the AAAS Center for Careers in Science and Technology, has pointed out for me a great website that has been created to compile research and resources to evaluate effective mentoring in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.
Feel free to read and bookmark http://ehrweb.aaas.org/sciMentoring/ .
Social science/behavioral psychologists and management students/faculty may be interested in the document that lists the current gaps of knowledge in the field. Anyone want a nice thesis project?
Teleconference on promoting undergraduate research
I have registered to log into this teleconference on promoting a culture of undergraduate research. If anyone at GMU is interested in listening in, please let me know by Monday the 10th.
The telecon is on Wednesday, December 12, 2pm ET.
Spring 2008 Apprentices Selected
Adapted from the Gazette.
Seventeen students were selected as participants in the Undergraduate-Faculty Apprenticeship Program for Creative or Scholarly Projects.
- Wendy Baccus (Psychology) with James Thompson (Assistant Professor, Psychology): The Influence of Visual Perception, Recognition, and Physical Practice on Motor Learning
- Joanna Berezny (Theater) with Ken Elston (Assistant Professor, Theater): Practical Marketing for Live Theatre
- Jessica Dawn Billings (Theater) with Mary Lechter (Adjunct Faculty, Theater): An Education in Action: A Critical Look at Performance Techniques Through Observation
- Claire Suzanne Forman (Global Affairs , Latin American Studies) with Jo-Marie Burt: (Associate Professor, Public & International Affairs) The Trial of Alberto Fujimori: Human Rights Violations and the Quest for Accountability in
- Tisidra Jones (Music) with Karen Rosenblum (Professor, Sociology): The Preservation of Social Identity Through Music
- Geoffrey Lewis (Psychology) with Shannon Davis (Assistant Professor, Sociology & Anthropology): The Impact of Sexual Abuse on Adult Sexual Behavior
- Jenna Krall (Mathematics, Dance Performance) with Rebecca Goldin (Associate Professor, Mathematics): The Promotion of Responsible Use of Statistics through STATS
- Kristin T. May (History, Global Affairs) with T. Mills Kelly (Associate Professor, History & Art History): Short publication on
- Elizabeth Nohelty (Biology) with Dr. Ancha Baranova (Associate Professor, Molecular & Microbio): Real-Time PCR analysis of the putative tumor suppressor gene KCNRG in human hematopoietic tumors and cell lines
- Daniel Rollins Odom III (Art History, Global Affairs) with John "Fred" Saddler (Adjunct Faculty, History/Art History): The Invisible Other and Construction of the Homosexual Counterculture through Abstract Expressionism
- Chris Piotrowski (Government, International Affairs) with Kenneth Button (Public Policy): Climbing a Rope of Sand -- A Study of Bus Rapid Transit and Sprawl
- Matthew Relph (History, Spanish) with Lisa Marie Rabin (Associate Professor, Modern & Classical Languages): Language Ideologies in the
- Adrianne Urrego (Neuroscience) with Robert Smith (Professor, Psychology): Does chronic nicotine exposure produce long lasting alterations in the dendritic morphology of pyramidal cells from the infralimbic cortex?
- Angela Panayotopulos (English) with Rose Cherubin (Philosophy): Writing Fellowship for Philosophy 301
- Afra Saeed (Psychology) with June Tangney (University Professor, Psychology): Writing Fellowship for Psychology 324: Personality Theory
Chemistry undergraduate research
The Chemistry Club will hold its semester Undergraduate Research Symposium on Friday, December 7, from 10am to 1pm at Johnson Center Meeting Room G. Some of our Research Apprentices will be presenting their work, so come and show your support!
UNCF/Merck Program
The United Negro College Fund, Inc. and The Merck Institute For Science Education Research Laboratories have established scholarship awards for outstanding African American students pursuing studies and careers in the field of biomedical research.
For more information, access http://www.uncf.org/merck/default.htm
The headquarters for this program happens to be in Fairfax. I may organize a presentation for the director of this initiative in spring semester. Stay tuned.
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