THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA

SIGMA GAMMA EPSILON - DEPARTMENT OF GEOSCIENCE NEWSLETTER #21

February 26, 2008

 

DEPARTMENTAL SEMINAR:   On Friday, February 29, at 4 PM in room 125 TH, Ray Anderson, Iowa Geological Survey and Geoscience Adjunct Professor, will present “New Developments in Understanding the Pre-Cambrian Geologic History of Iowa.”  Coffee and cookies in room 135 TH at 3:30 PM.   PHH

 

Quaternary brown bag:  Mike Perry, Office of the State Archaeologist, will talk about an Initial geoarchaeological survey of Lower Keg  Creek Valley, Mills County, Iowa at this week’s Quaternary brown bag.  Wednesday, 1:30-2:30 PM,  231 TH.  Everyone is welcome.  EAB

 

PRESIDENT MASON and Dean Maxson will be touring the department this afternoon.  Please welcome them warmly as you meet them in the hallways today.  gg

 

WILLIAM C. MCCLELLAND:  Please welcome Bill McClelland into the department this summer.   He has accepted our offer and will be joining our faculty.  CTF

 

AAPG MEETING: AAPG is beginning to plan the end of the year department banquet, also known as the Upper Holocene Boundary Commission.  I will be holding a short meeting Wednesday, Feb. 27, to pick a design for the t-shirts.  ANYONE with artistic talent--please only those WITH talent :) -- or creative ideas is encouraged to bring your own design to the meeting.  All those who attend will vote on the presented designs.  The meeting will be held at 5:30 in room 36.  If you can't make the meeting but still want to submit a design, you are more than welcome to come by my office, 15 C, at any point before then to drop it off OR place it in my mailbox in the main office.  All are welcome to come to the meeting and vote, if you are really that interested.  BG

 

GEOLOGY BOOKS AVAILABLE:  There are boxes of Geology books available for anyone interested in them.  These books can be found on first floor in the elevator hallway under the glass display case.  Please take any books that interest you.  Books that are not picked up by 5 pm, Friday, Feb. 29, will be recycled.  gg

 

AAPG/SEG SPRING BREAK STUDENT EXPO: MARCH 13 – 15, 2008 is an annual job fair to bring together students and energy-related companies for formal interviews in a lively, energetic, and hospitable atmosphere. It’s three days of exploring and networking...... complete with a poster contest, optional short courses, field trips, and a regional SEG Student Challenge Bowl. Not to mention, GREAT FOOD! Two sets of cash prizes will be given to reward the top three "Geology" posters and the top three "Geophysics" posters. The three levels of prizes are as follows: - 1st Place, $500.00 - 2nd Place, $250.00 - 3rd Place, $100.00.  Submission deadline for resumes and abstracts is March 1st, 2008.  Further info is available at http://geology.ou.edu/expo/expo2008.php.  CTF

 

Geological Society of America North-Central Section Meeting, April 24-25, 2008, Evansville, Indiana:

·         Registration Information - Online registration is now open! And while you are thinking about it, why not invite your friends and colleagues to join you? You may register at:

http://www.geosociety.org/sectdiv/Northc/08mtg/registration.htm.  The early registration deadline is Monday, 24 March 2008, and the cancellation deadline is Monday, 31 March 2008. Please note: ALL SPEAKERS MUST REGISTER FOR THE MEETING. All field trip and workshop participants must also register; please note that special registration fees apply for people attending only those events.

·         Student Travel Grants – DEADLINE: Student Travel Grant Applications are due by Monday, 17 March 2008. Visit the web site for more information: http://www.geosociety.org/sectdiv/Northc/08mtg/students.htm.

·         Hotels - Make your hotel reservation in one of the GSA hotels before they fill up. The GSA discounted hotel rates will expire Friday, 21 March 2008, http://www.geosociety.org/sectdiv/Northc/08mtg/lodging.htm.

·         Undergraduate Research Grants:  The North-Central Section of GSA also invites applications for its Undergraduate Research Grants Program. These grants are for student members of the Geological Society of America who attend colleges and universities in the North-Central Section.  An application form can be downloaded from the North-Central Section website at: http://ncgsa.unl.edu/StudentGrants.htm. Applications must be downloaded, completed, and sent in by snail-mail, postmarked by 24 March 2008. 

·         Student’s Corner

o   The Roy J. Shlemon Mentor Programs in Applied Geoscience, Thurs.–Fri., 24–25 April, 11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. This program is designed to acquaint advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students with careers in applied geosciences. The Mentor's goal is to provide real-world information and insight, based on his or her own career, to which students may not be exposed through their academic experiences. We have different mentors lined up for each day so plan to come both days!

o   The John Mann Mentors in Applied Hydrogeology Program, Thurs., 24 April, 5–6:30 p.m.  This program provides a forum for undergraduate and graduate students interested in hydrogeology or hydrology as a career to participate in informal conversation with professionals currently practicing in these fields. These programs are relaxed, small-scale, focused events.   gg

 

IMPORTANT MAY GRADUATION DEADLINES:

February 29     Registrar                      Application for Degree

March 14         Graduate College         Plan of Study for May Master’s recipients

March 14         Graduate College         Final Examination Requests for all May graduates 

                                                            (Reminder - requests for a doctoral final exam must be filed at

least three weeks prior to the exam date or March 14, whichever comes first)

April 3             Graduate College         First deposit of finished thesis

April 30           Graduate College         Last day GC accepts Report of Final Exam

May 7              Graduate College         Final deposit of thesis

May 17                                                            Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony

May 17                                                            Graduate Commencement Ceremony  gg

 

ASSISTANTSHIP/FELLOWSHIP/GRANTS/SCHOLARSHIP/EMPLOYMENT/OPPORTUNITIES/

SYMPOSIUMS:

·         Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG) has several scholarships available:

o   Chrysalis Scholarship – Awards to cover thesis-completion expenses for women graduate students whose studies have been interrupted for at least a year.  Application deadline is March 31, 2008.

o   Geologist-in-the-Park – Stipends for women graduate students or professionals.  Application deadline is April 1, 2008. 

o   Minority Scholarship – Awards for undergraduate women who are African-American, Hispanic, or Native American.  Application deadline is May 15, 2008.

o   Winifred Goldring Award – This award includes 1-year memberships in both AWG and the Paleontological Society for a female student pursuing a career in paleontology.  Applications are due Oct. 1.

o   Brunton Award – A Brunton pocket transit is awarded to a female student who demonstrates excellence in geologic mapping that will lead to publication.  Applications are due October 31.

For details about the above programs, visit their website at www.awg.org.

·         GSA 33rd International Geological Congress Travel Grant – Travel grants are available for students attending the 33rd International Geological Congress, Oslo, Norway, August 6-14, 2008.  Applicants must be a resident or citizen of the United States, must have a birth date after August 31, 1968, and must have proof of abstract submission to the meeting.  Applications are on the web at www.geosociety.org/grants/travel.htm.  In addition to the online form and proof of abstract submission, all applicants must provide two letters of reference from current or recent supervisors.  Applications and supplemental materials must be received by March 1, 2008.

·         American Business Women’s Association Scholarship – The Grant Wood Chapter will be awarding several scholarships for 2008-09.  Requirements: 1) Open to all sexes, races and creeds; 2) Applicant’s permanent address must be Johnson County, IA; and 3) Applicant must be a full-time student during 2008-09.  Please see Georgie for more detailed information.  Applications must be received by March 3, 2008.

·         USDA Forest Service Student Career Experience Program (SCEP), Northern Region (Montana, Northern Idaho, North Dakota), is designed to integrate classroom study with paid work experience, with the objective of preparing the student for responsible placement into the Forest Service’s permanent workforce.  For more information, please see Georgie in the main office.  Application deadline is March 3, 2008.

·         Interdisciplinary Studies in Tsunami Impacts & Mitigation (ISTIM) at Notre Dame – Undergraduate research experience.  Mission – to use the principles of science and engineering to aid in the mitigation of and recovery following natural hazards, such as tsunamis, with a focus on ethical and humanitarian issues.  Application deadline is March 7, 2008.  Visit http://istim.ce.nd.edu for more information.

·         The Nature Conservancy Anna Beal Summer Intern Scholarships – to perform intensive land management activities for 11 weeks (May 19 – Aug 1) on preserves managed by The Nature Conservancy.  A detailed job description and application materials are posted at nature.org/iowa.  To apply, submit a cover letter, application and reference letter before March 7, 2008.

·         Graduate College Summer Fellowships for Doctoral Students – Students who have completed their comps by the end of the spring 2008 semester are eligible to apply.  Fellowships winners will receive a $3K stipend, tuition up to 2 s.h. and standard graduate student fees.  Awards are based on student’s plans, student’s progress, grades and a letter of recommendation from the student’s dissertation advisor.  Application deadline is March 7, 2008.  Please see Georgie for an application form.

·         2008-2009 AGI Minority Geoscience Scholarships (African American, Hispanic/Latino or Native American students).  Application materials are available online for the 2008-2009 AGI Minority Geoscience Scholarships.  Recipients of AGI Geoscience Student Scholarships are provided with mentors, scholarship support and an award for professional development expenses, such as field camp tuition, professional society memberships, and/or travel and registration to a professional meeting of one of AGI's member societies.  If you are enrolled in an earth science education or geoscience degree program and would like to apply for a scholarship for the 2008-2009 school year, please review the qualifications and procedures outlined at http://www.agiweb.org/mpp.  All application materials must be received by March 14, 2008. Please direct questions and inquiries to mpp@agiweb.org. 

·         SUNY – Stony Brook Summer Undergraduate Research – Study the Earth’s interior through Independent Research with the Mineral Physics Institute.  Ten weeks (June 2 – Aug. 8, 2008) at Stony Brook University working on project in high-pressure research or Earth Sciences; design experiments, collect and interpret results; and present findings to other scientists.  Eligibility: Undergraduate majoring in any of the physical sciences or mathematics; 60 academic credits completed; interest in research career in Earth Science; and US citizens or permanent residents.  To apply go to www.mpi.stonybrook.edu/summerscholars.  Print and complete the application form, include a personal statement, official transcript and two letters of recommendation.  Mail to: MPI REU Summer Program, Mineral Physics Institute, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-2100.   Selections begin 3/17/08.

·         The Norman H.  Foster  Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually by the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists Foundation to encourage and support creative research in applied petroleum geology by a graduate student.  Two scholarships ($2,500 each) will be offered.  The applicant should have declared a principal research area in the Rocky Mountain Region related to petroleum geology.  Application forms are available in the main office.  Applications must be received by March 31, 2008.

·         Ben Meadows Natural Resource Scholarships - 2008 is the third year Ben Meadows will award two Natural Resource Scholarships to eligible college juniors or seniors. If you are a college Junior or Senior enrolled in a natural resource program you may be eligible for one of two scholarships from Ben Meadows. The scholarships, one for academic achievement and one based on leadership, are each worth $2,500. Applications for the 2008 awards will be accepted March 30 - June 30. More information and an application form can be found online at: www.benmeadows.com/scholarships.

New items each week will begin in bold print.  For additional information regarding the above announcements, please see Georgie in the main office.  gg