Happy Friday! For all of those reading The Week in UR for the first time, welcome! The mailing list for this weekly newsletter has been expanded considerably, with the goal of including anyone and everyone who might be remotely interested in undergraduate research (UR) at TSC. This weekly email blast is now going out to faculty UR mentors, UR Program leadership, TSC staff and administrators, external partners, and maybe a few nice folks I just met in the checkout line down to the Costco. Most important, the mailing list now includes current and former UR student participants. And I won’t say this is a desperate attempt to gin up support for UR wherever we can find it, but if the shoe fits, and all that…
As the titular head of most things UR at TSC, I started this weekly newsletter on the sage advice of colleagues who, as the UR Program was beginning to grow, identified a need to place programmatic announcements in one central location. Thus, The Week in UR was born. As an origin story, it’s a bit of a snoozer, but there you have it. Since then, I’ve posted program updates and announcements here on a semi-weekly basis, during fall and spring semester, at least, including upcoming events, deadlines, acknowledgements, and so on and so forth. So without further ado…
One of the most exciting developments in UR this semester, IMHO, is the launch of a student organization dedicated to all things UR. This new group met for the very first time on Friday, September 12 and, most exciting of all, some 20 people actually showed up! I was as surprised as anyone about this. This new group is modeled on other similar groups at colleges throughout the country, and it will, among other things, probably, plan research workshops, engage in peer review of research presentations, and many sundry other kinds of stuff. And there will be field trips! At least a few. And how fun is that. If you’re curious about this new student group, the next meeting will be today, Friday, September 26, from 2:30 to 3:30, in room MLH 151. All are welcome! For good measure here’s a campus map with the location circled:
Another exciting update to share is that we’re making swift progress toward publication of our very first issue of the TSC Undergraduate Research Journal (or TSC URJ). Most exciting of all is that we received a very healthy-looking pile of submissions by our first deadline. The TSC URJ editorial board is now following the process to which nearly every peer-reviewed journal adheres. All submissions are now undergoing a blind review process. The deadline for reviewers to complete their work is next Thursday, October 2 (As if our very kind peer reviewers needed the reminder! And seriously, thank you all so much for your service). Once all the reviews are in, they will be sent to all submitters and, in many cases, submitters will be asked to revise and resubmit their work. For submitters, this can be a little daunting but, as anyone who has been through this process will likely agree, it provides critical feedback that does make us better researchers and better writers. It’s an enormously valuable experience, and I’m so glad that TSC students have the opportunity to engage in it.
One final announcement: I just received word of a great opportunity for TSC students to present their research at an upcoming conference on FSU’s campus. The event is called the FSU Transfer Research & Leadership Summit, and it will be held October 20. This event is sponsored by FSU’s Office of Transfer Student Services, and it’s meant to showcase the outstanding work of students who have recently transferred to FSU, many of whom, of course, transfer in from TSC. This year, the FSU Office of Transfer Services has generously offered to include 5 current TSC students as presenters! This is a great opportunity for TSC students who have already completed a research project to present their work to an audience of expert researchers at FSU. Those interested can apply at the following link:
https://airtable.com/appZOvCVJ26r5Gcq2/pagwvrvV079w9tLr7/form
So there you have it. That’s The Week in UR. Regrettably, it can be a bit long-winded, but that’s because there’s just so dang much going on in UR. (And thank you for persevering to the end!). Be on the lookout for another installment in the next week or two. Until then, I wish you all a pleasant weekend, and much intestinal fortitude as we all soldier through this mid-term season of fall semester.
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