February 14, 2012

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the delay in my weekly email to you!  Lots of good information for this week!  Don't forget that Monday, Feb. 20 is a holiday -- no classes and the building will be closed.

ASTR/HIST 313 Writing Credit:  For those of you still looking for some writing credit, Astr/Hist 313 this spring will be offered as writing credit.  A great and interesting way to finish the requirement!

PHYS 321/324 Prerequisite confusion: Last week I had several of you ask me about the Phys 321 and Phys 324 prerequisite listing.  I spoke with Physics and we are all in agreement that is it confusing.  I think the listings have now been updated in the course catalog.  Please read through them and feel free to ask if you still have questions.  Thanks to those that mentioned something since it was very easy to change!

Undergraduate Research Symposium: Every spring the symposium is held on campus to showcase undergraduate research.  This is a great opportunity for those working on projects to share your results.  Students will often present a poster but there are oral presentations as well.  I strongly encourage anyone working on research to consider participating.  Talk with your research adviser about submitting an abstract; the deadline is February 24.  http://www.washington.edu/research/urp/

Satisfactory/Non-Satisfactory Grading: Feb. 19 is the last day to change your grading option from standard to Satisfactory/Non-Satisfactory (S/NS).  An "S" grade means that you earned at least a 2.0 in the course.  Courses that you elect to have graded as S/NS will only count towards the 180 credits needed for graduation.  Questions?  Read the policy here: http://www.washington.edu/students/gencat/front/Grading_Sys.html#NONGRADE  or come talk with me about it.

Space Grant Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP):
The Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium is happy to announce that the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) application is now open. SURP is a 9 week summer undergraduate research opportunity at the University of Washington for students majoring in the STEM fields.

University of Washington research labs and/or faculty who are recruiting STEM undergraduate students or that have a specific student that they would like to co-fund with SURP may apply for the program by activating the 'Faculty Request' hyperlink located on the webpage listed below. Space Grant - SURP supports summer undergraduate research only.

The application due date is April 13, 2012 and the 9 week summer research student stipend is $4,000 for full-time or $2,000 for part-time work .

You may find SURP details and the Catalyst WebQ application at the following link: http://www.waspacegrant.org/u-gradsum.html

Colloquium: Join us on Thursday this week for colloquium with Dr. Lynne Jones (UW) as she shares with us the status of LSST.  The talk starts at 4pm in PAA A102.  Show up at 3:45pm for coffee, tea and cookies!

Astro Undergrad website: Has lots of great information for you on careers, graduate school and more!  https://catalyst.uw.edu/workspace/sterrs/23482/

Page O'Announcements: And interesting info session on March 8 from the University College of London about pursuing graduate studies in the UK-- might be worth checking out!   http://pageoannouncements.blogspot.com/

Have a great week!

Best,
Sarah

February 6, 2012

Hi everyone,

What great weather we've been having!  Hard to be indoors!  Lots of announcements and important information in this week's email so read on!  Last week's undergrad meeting notes can be found here: http://astroemails.blogspot.com/

Undergraduate Research Symposium: Every spring the symposium is held on campus to showcase undergraduate research.  This is a great opportunity for those working on projects to share your results.  Students will often present a poster but there are oral presentations as well.  I strongly encourage anyone working on research to consider participating.  Talk with your research adviser about submitting an abstract; the deadline is February 24.  http://www.washington.edu/research/urp/

Integrated Sciences needs your help:

Dear science student,

A group of faculty at the University of Washington has been developing a new Integrated Sciences undergraduate degree, designed in part to meet the needs of students interested in secondary school science teaching, museum education, science writing, science policy, or professional careers with a science or technology orientation.

We would like to learn whether such a program would have interested you if it were available when you chose your major, and so we are writing to ask you to participate in a short survey, which you can find at

       https://catalyst.uw.edu/webq/survey/rsi/154594

The survey consists of 8 questions.  It may take as little as two to three minutes to complete, or perhaps as long as five or six, depending on whether you provide an answer to the open-ended question at the end. We welcome your response either way.  We very much value any advice you can give us and hope you are able to complete this survey.

Sincerely,

Ron Irving
Director, Integrated Sciences Program
Professor of Mathematics
University of Washington


Space Grant Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP):
The Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium is happy to announce that the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) application is now open. SURP is a 9 week summer undergraduate research opportunity at the University of Washington for students majoring in the STEM fields.

University of Washington research labs and/or faculty who are recruiting STEM undergraduate students or that have a specific student that they would like to co-fund with SURP may apply for the program by activating the 'Faculty Request' hyperlink located on the webpage listed below. Space Grant - SURP supports summer undergraduate research only.

The application due date is April 13, 2012 and the 9 week summer research student stipend is $4,000 for full-time or $2,000 for part-time work .

You may find SURP details and the Catalyst WebQ application at the following link: http://www.waspacegrant.org/u-gradsum.html

Astro Undergrad website: Has lots of great information for you on careers, graduate school and more!  https://catalyst.uw.edu/workspace/sterrs/23482/

Page O'Announcements: Lots of announcements and campus events, including a Peace Corps information session.   http://pageoannouncements.blogspot.com/

Have a great week!

1/13/12 Meeting Notes

Hi everyone,

Here are the meeting minutes from Tuesday's undergraduate meeting just in case you were unable to attend:

Paula mentioned a NASA opportunity for those looking for a summer research internship.  See the ad at the bottom of the email.

Spring quarter class discussion: Several great classes are being offered in the spring, including ASTR 313 (a joint class with History being taught by Prof. Sullivan); ASTR 323 (same textbook as this year's ASTR 322), 480 (data analysis) and 497 (exoplanets; instructor is looking for students that have taken some courses in the ASTR 32X series). 

Summer quarter we are offering the 481 observing class.  Enrollment is limited to 12 seats due to how the project and observatory time is structured.  A suggestion was made to limit enrollment to seniors during first period registration.  Dr. Laws agreed about this after discussion and the change has been implemented for this summer.

2012-2013 Class Schedule:  The Astronomy class schedule for next year is available here: https://catalyst.uw.edu/workspace/sterrs/23482/  This is a tentative schedule with lots of questions and possible changes still.  If you have concerns let Sarah G. know.

Additional Resources for Students: This website is being updated for students and I encourage you to check it out.  https://catalyst.uw.edu/workspace/sterrs/23482/  There's some great information about graduate school for those applying or thinking about applying.

Graduate School/Physics GRE: Those interested in applying to graduate school next year will need to take the Physics GRE subject exam in October and/or November 2012.  In preparation for these exams, the Department is considering hosting a study group this summer.  If you are interested please let Sarah G. know.

Faculty Search: Your undergraduate representatives, Miles, Nancy and Brenda are working hard to make sure the undergrad opinion counts as we search for a new faculty member to join us.  The faculty search is focused on hiring someone with a background in theory.  As part of the candidate interviews they are giving colloquium talks and teaching a graduate-level course.  The reps are attending the course and providing feedback, but we encourage everyone to attend our Thursday colloquia to listen to their talks.

League of Astronomers: It's back!  After a several year hiatus, the astronomy club (aka League of Astronomers) is making a glorious come back.  Thanks to 5 of your peers the League will be an official club at UW.  Stay tuned for more information about events, possible League attire and more!

Thanks,
Sarah

January 23, 2012

Hi everyone!  Welcome back to classes after the unexpected break!  Mark your calendars for Tuesday, January 31 at 3pm in PAA A216 for our winter quarter undergrad astronomy meeting.  We'll talk about expected classes for the next year, applying to REUs and much more!  Hope to see you all there.

Undergraduate Research Symposium: Every spring the symposium is held on campus to showcase undergraduate research.  This is a great opportunity for those working on projects to share your results.  Students will often present a poster but there are oral presentations as well.  I strongly encourage anyone working on research to consider participating.  Talk with your research adviser about submitting an abstract; the deadline is February 24.  http://www.washington.edu/research/urp/

Spring Quarter Class Schedule: If you're a proactive planner like me, you'll be excited to know that the spring quarter class schedule will go live either this Friday or next Monday.  As usual, let me know asap if you see any major physics and astronomy class overlaps.  I meet with Physics before we submit the schedules for each quarter to avoid overlaps but sometimes schedules change, so let me know if you catch something.

Credit holds on accounts: Holds have been placed on student accounts for those of you that have too many credits.  Please let me know if you have a hold so we can fill out the correct paperwork before registration for spring happens. 

AAS posters: For those of you that presented a poster at the AAS meeting and don't know what to do with the poster, consider letting me post it on the hallway wall in the Department!  The posters along the wall are older and I would like to replace some of them if you don't mind having your poster up.  Swing by anytime to drop the poster off.

Colloquium: Join us this Thursday at 4pm in PAA A102 for a talk by Mark Krumholz (UC Santa Cruz) on "The Origin of IMF".  Don't forget about the coffee, tea and cookies served at 3:45pm in the foyer!

Page O'announcements: Lots of study abroad programs listed!  Don't forget the important links on the right side of the page that has astronomy-specific information. http://pageoannouncements.blogspot.com/

Have a great week!
Sarah

January 17, 2012

Hi everyone!  Hope you all got to enjoy the long weekend and some of the snow.  While it's hard to know what the next few days will bring us with the weather, make sure to check the official UW website to see if campus is open.  You can also sign up to get text alerts here: http://emergency.washington.edu/  When the campus suspends operations that means there's no classes and most offices are closed.

REU Applications: Applications for summer research experiences are approaching!  You can find a listing of summer opportunities here: https://catalyst.uw.edu/workspace/sterrs/23482/146967

Undergraduate Research Symposium: Every spring the symposium is held on campus to showcase undergraduate research.  This is a great opportunity for those working on projects to share your results.  Students will often present a poster but there are oral presentations as well.  I strongly encourage anyone working on research to consider participating.  Talk with your research adviser about submitting an abstract; the deadline is February 24.  http://www.washington.edu/research/urp/

Building Permits: Don't forget, if you're in the building after hours you need to have an orange building card with you at all times.  If you have building keys I have them pre-printed for you on my desk so swing by to pick yours up today.

Colloquium: We do have a colloquium scheduled for this week barring flight cancellations due to snow.  Natalie Batalha (San Jose State Univ) will give a talk on the latest "Kepler Results".  So join us on Thursday at 4pm in PAA A102 with coffee, tea and cookies served at 3:45pm.

Page O'announcements: Some study abroad opportunities as well as some great campus events are posted: http://pageoannouncements.blogspot.com/

Have a great week,
Sarah

January 9, 2012

Hi everyone,

Today is the last day to add classes to your schedule without the registration fee, so be sure to get the pink forms in if you are adding research credits.

Building Use Permits: Many of you have already come by to pick up your building permits but I still have a fair number.  Please stop by to get yours today if you have building keys and plan to be here after hours.

Photos for the undergrad board:  Want your picture on the undergrad board?  Send me a photo of yourself!

Computer Lab Reminder:  Just a quick reminder to please clean up after yourself in the computer lab as the area is not served by custodial staff.  Books being borrowed from the shelf need to be returned and please do not leave food/drinks out.

Colloquium: Starts next week!  More details next Monday.

Mary Gates Research Scholarship: $4,000

 

Application deadline: Friday, January 27, 5pm

 

Information Sessions (held in 171 Mary Gates Hall):

Monday, January 9, 2:30

Tuesday, January 10, 4:30

Wednesday, January 11, 1:30

 

Applications for both scholarships are online.  Also find more information and instructions on our website.

www.washington.edu/uaa/mge

Page O'Announcements: Updated with some great campus events, study abroad opportunities and more: http://pageoannouncements.blogspot.com/

Have a great week!

Thanks,

December 5, 2011

Hi everyone! Welcome to the last week of classes for autumn quarter!  

REU Applications: Looking for a summer research project? Check out an REU! These summer research programs are paid and often include a travel stipend. Check out the listing of Astronomy REUs; http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.cfm Applications often require at least one letter of recommendation and a set of transcripts so be sure to plan ahead if you're applying. Deadlines fall anywhere from mid-January through February.  

AAS Poster Prep: For those presenting research at the AAS (www.aas.org) meeting in January we are offering a few different resources to help you prepare. 1) Poster design: check out the Undergraduate Research Program's list of poster design tips to get you started (http://www.washington.edu/research/urp/symp/posterparticipants.html); 2) Browse through the undergrad research posters hanging on the walls of the 3rd floor (I think about 1/3 of these are from AAS meetings); 3) Check your poster with your research adviser and finalize all the details. Once you have the poster ready you need to think about what to say to those that stop by your poster so we're offering a poster talk prep session on January 4 @3:30pm in the reading room. Bring a format of your poster (digital on a thumb drive, printed, proof, whatever you have so we can see it) and come prepared to give us a short 1-2 min. talk of your research. Key points you should prepare for your talk are 1) what exactly did you do; and 2) why is what you did important?  

Colloquium: This Thursday at 4pm in PAA A102, we have former UW PhD student now faculty member at Haverford College, Prof. Beth Willman giving a talk on "Ultra-faint dwarfs, dark matter, and galaxy formation". Join us at 3:45pm in the foyer for coffee, tea and cookies.  

New look for the Page O'Announcements: Take a look at the new and improved POA! A new look and some revised important Astronomy links on the side: http://pageoannouncements.blogspot.com/ Have a great final week in classes!

Best, Sarah