Hello, Folks!  I wanted to let you know that once again, the Portland ACS section will be sponsoring an undergrad poster symposium and career fair this fall, in the afternoon of October 25.  The room will be full of star undergrads from the institutions in the Portland area, and we are hoping that you folks will send one or more people to set up a table and recruit them.  This year we will designate some time specifically for recruiting activities, so you will not (always) have to compete with poster presentations.   Please let me know if someone from your institution will be able to join us.  Thanks!

Dave Reingold
Chair, Portland ACS Section

As promised in April, Focus on Ecampus is going to revisit Brian Tanis, an OSU doctoral student in the Integrative Biology program. Brian is working on some pretty interesting things!

He continues:

After graduating, I hope to remain within academia, teaching courses and conducting research. To build upon my teaching skills, I am working on completing the Graduate Certificate in College and University Teaching. As part of the program I chose to take “Instruments and Online Interactions in the Sciences” (CH 584) through the Chemistry Ecampus program.

I am originally from New Jersey and completed my undergraduate degrees in Biology and Ecology from Susquehanna University in PA. Following graduation, I moved to Kansas where I worked on a Master’s degree at Fort Hays State University, researching the impacts of wind energy turbines on the scavenging mammal community. Currently, I am working towards a PhD in Zoology at Oregon State University, where I am focusing on exploring the dynamic interactions between apex predators and meso-predators over the past 11,000 years. This will hopefully give us a better idea of how interactions between predators change and how that impacts the ecosystem as a whole.

I have always been interested in learning more about the patterns seen in nature and passing that information on to others. As an undergraduate, I became involved with a variety of research projects, and quickly developed a love for scientific research. As an undergraduate I also got the opportunity to work as a teaching assistant, and found it was very rewarding to help people make connections between materials and clarify difficult concepts. I decided that I would like to remain within academia and continue to try to make advances in my field, and to share those advances with as many students as possible.

I decided to take “Instruments and Online Interactions in the Sciences” because more universities and students are looking for non-traditional methods for higher education. The course offered a great opportunity to learn about how to best implement science courses, which typically rely on physical laboratories, into a virtual setting without sacrificing any of the information for students. Not only did we cover techniques and tools used within a virtual classroom, but we also covered key concepts in designing courses and the rationale behind developing assignments and activities. This type of knowledge really makes me more marketable to future employers and improves my abilities in the courses I currently teach.

As far as advice for other online students, one of the most challenging aspects of any online course is staying up to date with the material and assignments without the structure of a traditional classroom. I highly recommend that online students seriously devote a set amount of time each day to going over the course materials. Also, be sure to use the instructor and your fellow students as resources. Sometimes, an online course can make students feel isolated, but it is easy to reach out over the internet and make connections or ask for clarification. Often, your instructor and classmates will be glad to discuss the material and help out with more challenging concepts.

In the near future, I will be working on collecting and analyzing data for my dissertation, which I hope to complete in the next 3 years. After that, I will be looking for post-doctoral positions to further my teaching and research abilities, before looking for full time employment at a university or museum.

Thanks to Brian for sharing his story!

Here’s your weekly message from the Business Center about upcoming fiscal year-end deadlines.

Friday, June 12th
·         Last day for ordering Autopay goods and supplies for inclusion in the FY15 accounting records.
·         Last day to reimburse petty cash funds. Inactive petty cash funds should be returned to the Cashier’s Office with a reconciliation form.
·         Last day for processing OSUF Direct Pays to guarantee check payment will be issued to payee by June 30.
·         Last day for Business Center HR/Payroll staff to enter paperwork for June.
·         Last day for work-study students to work on FY15 work-study funds (Last day of Spring term).

Next Week’s Deadlines:
Wednesday, June 17th
·         Last day to request a scholarship through the Scholarship System (GRRS) for awards in FY15 for graduating students.
Friday, June 19th
·         Last day to request a scholarship through the Scholarship System (GRRS) for awards in FY15 for NON graduating students.

Graduate School invites your program’s participation in a campus-based competition for selection of OSU’s nominee for the 2015-16 WAGS/UMI Innovation in Technology Award.
This award recognizes distinguished scholarly achievement at the master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation level for the development of an innovative technology and its utilization for the creative solution of a major problem.  A nominee must have earned the master’s or doctoral degree within the period of July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015.
This prestigious regional competition is an important opportunity for OSU to showcase technological innovation and creativity by our graduate students to institutions throughout the western region and to celebrate our success. We encourage you to take the time to prepare a nomination.
OSU AWARDS AND RECOGNITION:  The Graduate School will provide a cash award of $500 to the student selected as OSU’s nominee for the Western Association of Graduate Schools/UMI Innovation in Technology Award.  In addition, the Graduate School will award $500 to the graduate department/program that submits the thesis selected as OSU’s nominee for the Western Association of Graduate Schools/UMI Innovation in Technology Award.
PROCEDURES:  Each graduate program may submit only one nomination for consideration. Graduate programs must provide in one electronic PDF file items b, c and d as reflected in the attached WAGS/UMI guidelines. Please refer to the full announcement for complete details.
NOMINATION DEADLINE:  To facilitate the internal selection process, please submit all nomination materials to the Graduate School by 5:00 p.m., Monday, July 13, 2015 to the following e-mail address: Graduate.Scholarships@oregonstate.edu – subject line should read [Nominee Name_Program] – WAGS/Technology.

The Graduate School invites your program’s participation in a campus-based competition for selection of OSU’s nominee for the 2015-16 WAGS/UMI Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award.  Two nominations will be awarded. One nomination will be awarded from a STEM field and one nomination will be awarded in a Non-STEM field. Eligible programs are listed below.
This award recognizes distinguished scholarly achievement at the master’s level. Nominations will be accepted in any discipline in which the institution offers a master’s degree. A nominee must have earned the master’s degree within the period of July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015.
This prestigious regional competition is an important opportunity for OSU to showcase the scholarly excellence of our master’s students to institutions throughout the western region and to celebrate our success. We encourage you to take the time to prepare a nomination.
OSU ELIGIBLE PROGRAMS:  Any of the below disciplines in which a master’s degree is offered.

STEM: Biological Sciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Life Sciences and Engineering

Non-STEM: Humanities, Social Sciences, Education, and Business.

OSU AWARDS AND RECOGNITION:  The Graduate School will provide a cash award of $500 to the student selected as OSU’s nominee for the Western Association of Graduate Schools/UMI Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award.  In addition, the Graduate School will award $500 to the graduate department/program that submits the thesis selected as OSU’s nominee for the Western Association of Graduate Schools/UMI Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award.
PROCEDURES:  Each graduate program may submit only one nomination for consideration. Graduate programs must provide in one electronic PDF file items b, c, d as reflected in the attached WAGS/UMI guidelines. Please refer to the full announcement for complete details.
NOMINATION DEADLINE:  To facilitate the internal selection process, please submit all nomination materials to the Graduate School by 5:00 p.m., Monday, July 13, 2015 to the following e-mail address: Graduate.Scholarships@oregonstate.edu – subject line should read Name_Dept_WAGSThesis_NON STEM orName_Dept_WAGSThesis_STEM.

Is a Fulbright Fellowship in your future?

Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program: Opportunities by Discipline The Core Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program  offers teaching, research or combination teaching/research awards in over 125 countries for the 2016-2017 academic year.

Opportunities are available for college and university faculty and administrators as well as for professionals, artists, journalists, scientists, lawyers, independent scholars and many others.

There are nearly 600 awards offered in 46 disciplines in addition to many All Discipline awards that welcome teaching and/or research proposals in any area of study, including interdisciplinary projects.

To view the full range of awards by discipline, visit the Catalog of Awards.

To learn more about a few highlighted disciplines, click on the links below:

*        American Studies                                                                 http://www.cies.org/opportunities-american-studies

*        Business, Economics, and Entrepreneurship            http://www.cies.org/opportunities-business-administration-and-economics

*        Computer Science                                                                http://www.cies.org/opportunities-computer-science

*        Communications                                                                   http://www.cies.org/opportunities-communications

*        Education                                                                                 http://www.cies.org/opportunities-education

*        Environmental Science                                                      http://www.cies.org/opportunities-environmental-science

*        Law                                                                                             http://www.cies.org/opportunities-law

*        Medical Sciences and Public/Global Health             http://www.cies.org/opportunities-medical-sciences-and-publicglobal-health

*        Political Science                                                                    http://www.cies.org/opportunities-political-science

*        Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM)                               http://www.cies.org/opportunities-stem

*        Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)        http://www.cies.org/teaching-english-foreign-language

The application deadline for most awards is August 3, 2015.  For eligibility requirements and other program information, please visit our website or register with MyFulbright to receive program updates.

The Fulbright Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is the U.S. government’s flagship international exchange program and is supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world.

Name:  Staci Simonich

Area of Study / Position Title: Analytical Environmental Chemistry, Professor

Why chemistry? (What about it initially interested you?): My love of the outdoors and aptitude for chemistry.  Growing up near the Great Lakes and near papermills.

Research focus (in non-science terms) or basic job duties? Conduct research in analytical environmental chemistry that educates students and influences policy.

One thing you truly love about your job? My students and travel.

One interesting/strange factoid about yourself. I grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, have two children, and love to surf, paddle board, bike and horseback ride!

The Office of Academic Affairs has two temporary positions currently open: the Director of Undergraduate Academic Program Reviews (.50 FTE) and the Director of Assessment (.30 FTE).  As you may know, Stefani Dawn’s last day as the Director of Academic Programs, Assessment and Accreditation is June 30, 2015.  These two positions will take on many of the duties that Stefani is currently responsible for. These are expedited, internal searches and we ask for your assistance in getting this information to those interested in applying.  Position descriptions for each are attached.

To apply, go to http://oregonstate.edu/jobs/; posting numbers are:
·         Interim Director of Assessment – (0.3 FTE), 12-month, Posting #0014835.
·         Interim Director of Undergraduate Academic Program Reviews – (0.5 FTE), 12-month, Posting #0014833.
Please forward this information broadly.  The deadline for applications is June 12, 2015.

The Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.
Senior Scientist Mentor Program
 
Application Deadline: September 10, 2015
 
The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation supports emeritus faculty who maintain active research programs with undergraduates in the chemical sciences. The Senior Scientist Mentor Program provides an award of $20,000 over two years for undergraduate stipends and modest research support.
 
Complete program details and application information may be viewed at: http://dreyfus.org/awards/senior_scientist_mentor.shtml.
 
Thank you,
Debbie 
 
Debbie Delmore
Executive Assistant to Rich Holdren, Associate Vice President for Research
Research Office
Oregon State University
A312 Kerr Administration Building
Corvallis, OR  97331-2140
Phone: 541-737-8390
Fax: 541-737-9041
debbie.delmore@oregonstate.edu
http://research.oregonstate.edu/