Month: November 2013

• Announcing the 2014 Roper Awards for Research Experience (RARE)

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The Roper Award for Research Experience (RARE) supports undergraduate research apprenticeships that make use of the archives of the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research. We are pleased to announce the two student/faculty RARE teams who have received awards for Spring 2014 and thank the Roper Center for its generous support of these student awards.

Project Title: Public Perception and Judicial Legitimacy
Student Apprentice and Major: Molly Rockett, Political Science
Faculty Mentor and Department: Virginia Hettinger, Political Science

Ms. Rockett and Professor Hettinger will be using the DRI National Poll on the Civil Justice System to explore public perceptions of the judicial decision-making process and poll respondents’ assessments of firsthand experiences (as litigants, jurors, or witnesses) with the legal system.

Project Title: The Right to Bear Arms: The Role of Federalism in Gun Control Policy
Student Apprentice and Major: Brian Tiedt, Political Science & Economics
Faculty Mentor and Department: Paul Herrnson, Political Science

Mr. Tiedt and Professor Herrnson will use the metadata available on iPOLL and a variety of data sets to consider the evolution of public opinion on gun control, subgroup variation in opinion, and public perceptions of the role of the federal government in regulating firearms.

 
Press Release from the Roper Center

• Congratulations, 2014 SHARE Award Recipients!

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SHARE awards support undergraduate research apprenticeships in the social sciences, humanities, and arts. Following the most competitive application cycle to date, we are pleased to announce the 20 awardees for the Spring 2014 semester. Congratulations!

Project Title: Deferred Examination
Student Apprentice and Major: Patrick Adams, Economics
Faculty Mentor and Department: Talia Bar, Economics

Project Title: Evaluation of Gifted Education Using State Accountability Systems
Student Apprentice and Major: Daniel Arndt, Education
Faculty Mentor and Department: Jonathan Plucker, Educational Leadership

Project Title: Implementing and Evaluating K-3 Literacy Support in CT Schools
Student Apprentice and Major: Rachael Cerutti, Elementary Education
Faculty Mentor and Department: Michael Coyne, Educational Psychology

Project Title: Exploring Prunus Domestication in the Southern Caucasus
Student Apprentice and Major: Joyce Fountain, Anthropology
Faculty Mentor and Department: Alexia Smith, Anthropology

Project Title: Assessing Legal Protections Against Rape in the 50 U.S. States
Student Apprentice and Major: Celia Guillard, International Relations
Faculty Mentor and Department: David Richards, Political Science

Project Title: The New Husky Study: Stress, Coping and Health Behavior Change in First-Year Students
Student Apprentice and Major: Megan Iacocca, Psychology
Faculty Mentor and Department: Crystal Park, Psychology

Project Title: Damini: Illuminating the Flaws in India’s Legal System and Rape Laws
Student Apprentice and Major: Tina Lapsia, Political Science
Faculty Mentor and Department: Betty Hanson, Political Science

Project Title: Congressional Responsiveness During the ‘New Gilded Age’
Student Apprentice and Major: Phillip Menard, Political Science
Faculty Mentor and Department: Thomas Hayes, Political Science

Project Title: Gifted Students Achievement Patterns Beyond High School
Student Apprentice and Major: Jennifer Moore, Secondary Education
Faculty Mentor and Department: Del Siegle, Educational Psychology

Project Title: Discourse in Linguistically Diverse Mathematics Classrooms
Student Apprentice and Major: Bailey Muchin, Special Education
Faculty Mentor and Department: Mary Truxaw, Curriculum and Instruction

Project Title: Neural Mechanisms for Behavioral Differences on Visual Integration in Schizophrenia
Student Apprentice and Major: Fariya Naz, Psychology
Faculty Mentor and Department: Chi-Ming Chen, Psychology

Project Title: Observations on the Genderization of Security: A University (UConn/Avery Point) Community Perspective
Student Apprentice and Major: Kaitlin Pealer, Anthropology
Faculty Mentor and Department: Richard Cole, Political Science

Project Title: Beyond Nation States
Student Apprentice and Major: Marissa Piccolo, Political Science
Faculty Mentor and Department: Prakash Kashwan, Political Science

Project Title: Understanding of Social Relationships in Children with a History of Autism Who Have Achieved Optimal Outcomes
Student Apprentice and Major: Kaitlyn Porter, Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences
Faculty Mentor and Department: Deborah Fein, Psychology

Project Title: Counting Strategies in Deaf Homesigners in Nicaragua: Can Fingers Help?
Student Apprentice and Major: Devika Prasad, Psychology
Faculty Project Title: Marie Coppola, Psychology

Project Title: Neonatal Nurses’ Perceptions of Mother-Infant Skin-to-Skin Contact in NICUs: A National Survey
Student Apprentice and Major: Kelsey Richardson, Nursing
Faculty Project Title: Xiaomei Cong, Nursing

Project Title: Examining Questioning in Reading Classrooms
Student Apprentice and Major: Melissa Scarbrough, Secondary Education/French
Faculty Project Title: Catherine Little, Educational Psychology

Project Title: Preparation of Engraved Editions of Late Piano Works by American Modernist Composer Dane Rudhyar
Student Apprentice and Major: Jonathan Schmieding, Music -Composition and Performance
Faculty Project Title: Ronald Squibbs, Music

Project Title: Gap Detection and Frequency Discrimination Abilities in Individuals High in Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptomatology
Student Apprentice and Major: Emily Thompson, Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences
Faculty Project Title: Inge-Marie Eigsti, Psychology

Project Title: Social Challenges for Correctional Nurses Delivering Healthcare
Student Apprentice and Major: Alyssa Zabin, Psychology
Faculty Project Title: Denise Panosky, Nursing

• Upcoming Application Deadlines for Summer Research Experiences

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Early December marks the time when you should be thinking about….Summer!  Many research programs have their application deadlines in January and February. If you wait until Spring Break to start looking, you will miss some of the most exciting opportunities.

Many summer programs use the acronym “REU” or Research Opportunity for Undergraduates.   REUs typically offer a summer stipend of $4000 to $5000, as well as housing for the summer! Other Summer positions can have a variety of different names–Fellowships, Internships, and Co-ops.  Don’t worry about what it’s called–just get the experience!

Department of Homeland Security – STEM Summer Internship Program
Deadline: January 6, 2014; http://www.orau.gov/dhseducation/internships/

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security sponsors a 10-week summer internship program for students majoring in homeland security related science, technology, engineering and mathematics (HS-STEM) disciplines. The program provides students with quality research experiences at federal research facilities located across the country and allows students the opportunity to establish connections with DHS professionals. Undergraduate students receive a $5,000 stipend plus travel expenses for a 10-week research experience.

Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI)
Deadline: 5:00pm, January 10, 2014; http://science.energy.gov/wdts/suli/

The Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program encourages undergraduate students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers by providing research experiences at the Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories. Selected students participate as interns at one of 15 participating DOE laboratories.

Summer ORISE Fellowship Opportunities at the CDC
Deadline: January 17, 2014; http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/dls/orise.html

Appointments through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Fellowship Program. This is a paid research opportunity for biology and chemistry majors.

Amgen Scholars Program 
Deadline: February 3, 2014; http://www.amgenscholars.com/

The Amgen Scholars Program provides undergraduates with faculty-mentored summer research opportunities in science and engineering fields at 10 host universities in the United States.

Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies – Summer REU Program
Deadline: February 5, 2014; http://www.caryinstitute.org/students/reu-program

Cary Institute’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program provides the opportunity for 8-12 students each summer to conduct quality research in ecology. Selected students receive a $6000 stipend, a $600 food allowance and housing in an Institute dormitory.

Biomedical Engineering Summer Internship Program (BESIP)
Deadline: February 9, 2014; http://www.nibib.nih.gov/training-careers/undergraduate-graduate/biomedical-engineering-summer-internship-program-besip

The NIBIB sponsored Biomedical Engineering Summer Internship (BESIP) is for undergraduate biomedical engineering students who have completed their junior year of college. The internship will allow students to participate in cutting edge biomedical research projects under the mentorship of world-class scientists in NIH laboratories in Bethesda, MD. Stipend of approximately $6600 for 10 weeks. Applications open on Dec. 1, 2013.

Additional information on off-campus research opportunities is available here.

• Announcing New Research Internship Program at UConn Health Center

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The Office of Undergraduate Research is pleased to announce a new research internship program for UConn undergraduates – the Translational Research Internship Program. This summer research internship is designed to provide undergraduate students with greater insight into the physician-scientist career path (combined M.D./Ph.D). Students will conduct research under the direction of a faculty member at UCHC while gaining a better understanding of the clinical side of medicine by shadowing a physician/surgeon. The program will allow students to see firsthand the interplay of biomedical research and clinical medicine: how clinical medicine influences and inspires basic research and how basic research translates into therapies used in the clinic.

For information on eligibility, funding, and the online application, visit the Translational Research Internship webpage.

• Presentation Opportunities: 2 Undergraduate Research Conferences With Upcoming Deadlines

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UConn undergraduate researchers are encouraged to apply to present their work at upcoming conferences focused on undergraduate research across the disciplines. These conferences offer rich opportunities to meet and network with researchers from other campuses, to learn about cutting-edge research, and to hone your presentation skills.

National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) 2014
April 3-5, 2014 at the University of Kentucky

NCUR welcomes presenters from all universities and all academic fields of inquiry. This conference includes oral presentation sessions, poster sessions, performing arts sessions, and visual arts sessions. Plenary speakers at the 2014 conference include T. Pearse Lyons, Kris W. Kimel, Nikky Finney, and Ernest Bailey. The deadline to submit abstracts is 11:59 pm ET on December 6, 2013.

National Collegiate Research Conference (NCRC) 2014
January 22-25, 2014 at Harvard University

This year, the 3rd annual NCRC will feature keynote addresses from Stephen Wolfram, Laurie Santos, and Robert Gallo. Student participants will also have the opportunity to earn prizes up to $500 from a prize pool of $5,000 by presenting a poster or being a plenary presenter. The application deadline has been extended to this Sunday, November 10th.