Amy Summerville will be taking over as the new departmental honors coordinator starting with the class of 2020. Interested but non-declared students should contact Amy, although currently-declared honors students are still being supervised by Heather Claypool. Please join me in thanking Amy for taking this on and to Heather for her years of excellent service in this role!
Monthly Archives: September 2018
Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) competition
From Anne Schauer, for those that might be interested in seeking major funding for research equipment:
The National Science Foundation’s Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) assists in the acquisition or development of major research instrumentation. Miami University may submit up to three MRI proposals (up to two that request between $100,000 and $1 million and one that requests between $1 million and $4 million) on which we are either the lead or a partner institution. To facilitate the selection of our submissions to NSF, we have set a deadline of Monday, October 15, 2018, to receive preliminary MRI proposals for internal review. You are required to provide a preliminary proposal (3-5 pages) regardless of whether you were selected as an institutional submission in previous years.
If you are interested please see me for details.
Cross cultural grad mentoring
Valerie Robinson in the Graduate School is once again running a program on cross-cultural mentoring for graduate students, and is seeking faculty mentors and grad student participants:
In Fall 2015, the Graduate School introduced a program in Cross Cultural Mentoring. We partnered interested faculty with diverse doctoral students with all but dissertation status. It was a successful initiative by a number of measures and we want to extend it this year to include more graduate students. We hope you consider participating.
We seek doctoral level faculty and staff who will engage the student not as an advisor, but as a role model, counselor, and experienced future colleague, providing support for the research process and preparing for life after the dissertation.
We seek diverse doctoral students in at least their second year who are interested in a mutually beneficial mentoring relationship with a faculty or staff member.
Please contact Valerie directly if you are interested in participating in this worthwhile initiative.
Contribute to Miami research on class discussion
Ann Frymier (MJF) is conducting a research project on discussion as a teaching tool and is hoping that some of you who use discussion in your classes might be willing to participate. She asks:
Do you use discussion as a teaching tool? If yes, please consider participating in a research study seeking to understand the characteristics of effective classroom discussion. Participants who complete the study will receive a personalized assessment of their discussion facilitation skills by Dr. Maryellen Weimer, the editor ofThe Teaching Professor newsletter and the Teaching Professor Blog on Faculty Focus.
To be eligible to participate in this study, you must: be a full time instructor/professor at Miami University; teach a class of 15-45 students where you use discussion as a teaching tool; be willing to be video recorded facilitating a discussion; and work with the researchers to obtain informed consent from your students (only students’ voices will be recorded).
If you are interested in participating in this research, please contact Ann directly.
Astronaut visit Oct. 3
Once again, it’s time for the annual visit of a NASA astronaut to present the Astronaut Scholarship to two exceptional Miami students. From Zeb Baker, National Fellowships Committee:
A veteran of three Space Shuttle missions and the first African American to command a space flight, Fred Gregory will share his experiences as an astronaut and a leader at NASA. Join us for a FREE PUBLIC TALK about Gregory’s time with NASA, followed by a presentation of the Astronaut Scholarships to students Bob Krueger and Nathan Rayens. His talk will be held Wednesday, October 3, 7:30 – 8:30 in Hall Auditorium.
Stats + Stories
Many of you might be interested in a podcast series produced by John Bailer (STA) he calls “Stats + Stories” that is intended to convey interesting stories containing statistical information to a general audience. A recent episode featured Gerd Gigerenzer, with whom I worked many years ago as a graduate student, who talks about understanding and communicating risk. Other episodes involve better Bayesian reasoning, data analytics in sports, climate change, and other interesting topics with many high profile guests (as well as several colleagues).
Congrats to Allen for his new NIH grant!
Join me in congratulating Allen McConnell, who recently learned of NIH funding to support work with colleagues at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital on a project “Human-animal interaction to promote recovery following pediatric brain injury.” Excellent news, Allen!
Diversity & Inclusion events next week
They’re baaaaaack… thanks again to Lauren Forrest for collating D&I events this semester:
Rosh Hashanah Services
When: Sunday 9/9 6-7pm, 7-8pm
Where: 11 E. Walnut St, Oxford, OH
Description: “Hillel offers High Holiday meals and services for Rosh Hashanah. Join Hillel: Association of Jewish Students and Staff for free dinner that is open to all.”
Diversity and Inclusion Networking Event
When: Tuesday 9/11 6-7pm
Where: Shriver JDOL-A
Description: This event “is designed to help students prepare for the networking event before the fall career fair. During this event, we partner with an employer who provides insight to what to expect during a networking event from a company’s/recruiter’s perspective.”
Japanese Culture and Language Club Meeting
When: Wednesday 8/12 6-7pm
Where: 127 Upham Hall
Description: The Japanese Culture and Language Club will host its first meeting of the year, where officers will be introduced and upcoming club events and plans will be explained to members.
The Good Fight: One Family’s Courage, Sacrifice, and Hope in the Face of the Alzheimer’s Pandemic
When: Friday 9/14 12-1pm
Where: Heritage Room, Shriver Center
Description: Ms. Niki Kapsambelis will give a talk about her new book, which “chronicles the challenges faced by the DeMoe family members, who have an inherited genetic mutation that causes early Alzheimer’s disease in 100% of cases.
Shabbat
When: Friday 9/14 6-8pm
Where: 11 E. Walnut St, Oxford, OH
Description: Hillel: Association of Jewish Students and Staff will host its weekly Shabbat.
MPA 2019 submissions now accepted
The Midwestern Psychological Association (MPA) submission portal is now open for the meeting to be held in Chicago on April 11-13, 2019. You should visit the website for more information, including keynote speakers such as Barbara Andersen, Ethan Cross, Nelson Cowan, and Wendy Wood. As many of you know this is an excellent conference for undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty alike, and is typically well represented by Miami students, faculty, and alumni.
Help guide the NSF future funding priorities
The National Science Foundation (NSF) announces the launch of the NSF 2026 Idea Machine, a prize competition to help set the U.S. agenda for fundamental research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and STEM education. Participants can earn cash prizes and receive public recognition by suggesting the pressing research questions that need to be answered in the coming decade, the next set of “Big Ideas” for future investment by NSF. It’s an opportunity for researchers, the public and other interested stakeholders to contribute to NSF’s mission to support basic research and enable new discoveries that drive the U.S. economy, enhance national security and advance knowledge to sustain the country’s global leadership in science and engineering.
Entries will be accepted through October 26, 2018. For more information, including entry instructions, eligibility, rules, and judging criteria, please visit the NSF 2026 Idea Machine website.