Save the Date: December 5

Things are still in the planning stages, but a group of Wartburg Scholars students who went on the May Term to Costa Rica last year is planning a presentation on their learning and experiences.  If you are already enrolled in this course, or still on the fence, come learn what goes on from some students who will really let you know.

Partners in the Parks

Now that Dr. Birgen is back from the National Conference, the next few blog posts will be items of interest to students.  The first is:

Partners in the Park

This is a collaboration between the National Park Service and the National Collegiate Honors Council, of which Wartburg is a member.  Students travel to a National Park for a week and study the location using the techniques of City as Text.  The costs are quite reasonable and the education is priceless.  This year there is a new opportunity to participate the day after Christmas in Florida in the Everglades.

Proposed Projects for 2014
1. Black Canyon of the Gunnison, CO (Aug 2-9)
2. Buffalo National River, AR (May 12-18)
3. Everglades Nat. Park, FL (Dec 26-Jan 1 2013)
4. Glacier National Park, MT (Aug 11-16)
5. GC-Parashant Nat, Mon, AZ (May 26-31)
6. Olympic National Park, WA (Aug 5-11) 
7. Sequoia National Park, CA (Aug 5-10)
8. Shenandoah Nat. Park, VA (May 18-23) 

An Opportunity for an International Honors Semester

Bonjour Honors Educators!

On behalf of the thousand-plus villagers who hail from the heart of France's Loire Valley in a town called Pontlevoy, the University of West Florida and its partner institutions would like to invite your top students to The Abbey Experience this September, 2014. www.theabbeyprogram.org

For more than a thousand years, monks and searchers and--more recently--America college students with high potential have come to the village of Pontlevoy to settle into the town's ancient abbey, where they live and learn with a deeply reflective engagement with their setting, academics and each other.  Now it can be your students' turn to do the same, by experiencing The Abbey next fall. (As this student's blog post reveals, the village and program become a home very quickly for our group: http://theabbeyprogram.org/2013/03/abbey-student-voices-courtneys-very-busy-week-les-jours-sont-les-fetes/)

The Abbey Experience is an intense academic semester abroad, during which all students will take at least 15 credit hours in the core of the Liberal Arts, while they also meet Europe and its citizens one village at a time. To learn more about our curriculum, click here: http://theabbeyprogram.org/home/academics/ Our teaching focusses on History, Art History, Comparative Literature and the French language.  Although the Abbey Experience is pleased to accept French majors, our average student  has no experience with French prior to our program.  As this student blog reveals, part of The Abbey is always about lingusitic risks and fears being managed well: http://theabbeyprogram.org/2013/03/abbey-student-voices-my-first-host-family-sunday-dinner/

Of course The Abbey Experience is not for every student.  It's for students from sophomore standing on who want to find an inner fearlessness and solder that together with how it feels to travel Europe and learn in active and dramatic ways every day. Our program size is limited to 50 students each fall, who will have 5-6 faculty as their mentors. This ratio allows us to do what can't be done at any home university: we hop trains for class or meet in a family's living room over tea. Or we bike to the organic winery down the road and hear how 7 generations of work and family have bottled the same product since before the time of Napoleon. Or we search for the perfect Parisian cafe to duck into and hide from the rain in, while our discussions of the "Lost Generation" are so lively that nobody can remember what regular "school" feels like. Students who've had The Abbey Experience mark it as the best learning time of their lives, as this digital short clearly reveals: http://vimeo.com/50303792

Students on The Abbey Experience have over three months to call Europe their classroom.  Travel is critical to how our classes ask students to open up to a deeper learning.  Whether at a 16th century chateau or standing on Omaha Beach, the academics of The Abbey Experience seek to combine what students learn with how and where that learning takes place.  Is class today going to Rome's Sistine Chapel or to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam?  Or at Sachsenhausen concentration camp, just outside of Berlin, or somewhere in a storied literary pub in Dublin's infamous Temple Bar neighborhood?  Every student has weeks of classes set in the incomparable Loire Valley, 6 nights in storied Paris and three nights along the canals of Amsterdam.  Beyond those required classrooms, our academics will break away to go where they must go, while your students learn to travel and ask hard questions all along the journey. To learn more about how travel and learning weave together on The Abbey Experience, click here: http://theabbeyprogram.org/home/paris-travel/

Semester programs are often a dream for students that gets killed by budgetary considerations.  That's why The Abbey Experience is priced to correspond so closely with what students tend to spend in any given semester at home.  At $9899, The Abbey Experience fee covers everything a student will spend in a semester away, except for a plane ticket, the meals not covered by the program, books and any independent travel a student elects to do.  Our best estimate for what a student will spend "all in" on The Abbey Experience is about $12,900.  Financial aid can and does help most every Abbey student make the experience possible. To learn more about affording The Abbey Experience, take a look at our FAQ here:http://theabbeyprogram.org/home/faq/abbey-finances/ 

Students who want The Abbey Experience have national scholarships to apply for AND they have scholarships associated with The Abbey to seek.  Students in good academic standing at the University of West Florida, for example, will have scholarship support available to help them fund their journey.  While students hailing from any US university can compete for similar help through the Henry Douglas Mackaman Scholars Program, which will be awarding 20 scholarships for 2014 in the amount of $1000 to qualified students.

Your students will always find reasons to stay home next fall.  We know from governmental research that over half of our graduating seniors who are college bound will swear up and down that study abroad is in their college future.  We also know that out of about 14 million college students in the USA last year, only 300,000 made good on their study-abroad promise.  The Abbey Experience is a special reason for your students to say yes to a study-abroad semester. And when your students have said yes, they will likely echo the kind of courage that is evident in this student's blog post from her term away:http://theabbeyprogram.org/2013/03/abbey-student-voices-dinner-with-my-host-family-mardi-gras-night/

Why should your top students apply for The Abbey Experience? Because our academics will help them regardless of their majors.  Because our textured and dynamic learning model will give them a primer in self reliance and intellectual ferocity. And because our portable learning plans will become not just a semester itinerary of discovery and promise but a lifelong mantra about how to travel and learn with gusto, hope and reflection.  Please review our attached brochure below, which is in Pdf format, to learn more reasons why The Abbey Experience is going to be right for your top students.

As Director of The Abbey Experience and The Abbey Experience Academic consortium, I will be available next week in New Orleans at the NCHC conference, together with Dr. Greg Lanier of the Honors Program at UWF, who is also past president of the NCHC.  Find us all over the conference on Friday afternoon 8 November or Saturday morning 9 November, or look for us to be discussing The Abbey Experience with interested Honors Deans and Directors on Fridayevening about 8:00 pm in the bar of the Napoleon House.  Click here for the link to The Abbey Experience Honors Fete Event to let us know that you can come! https://www.facebook.com/events/541484482593651/

Or to arrange a coffee, a cold pint or any other reason to chat next week in New Orleans about study abroad and how your students can access the benefits of The Abbey Experience, please text my cell at 651-341-1806 or shoot me an email at dougmackaman@gmail.com

The Experience begins this September, but the journey never ends.

Best,

Doug Mackaman

Dr. Douglas P. Mackaman

Professor of History

--

Mariah Birgen
Professor of Mathematics
Wartburg Scholars Director

Office Phone: (319) 352-8565
Office: SC 358

Office Hours: Mon 2:30, Tues 2:00, Thur 2:00, Fri 2:30 PM Central time
Scholars Facebook: www.facebook.com/Wartburg.Scholars

Scholars Blog:  http://wartburgscholarsprogram.blogspot.com/

Scholars WebSite: https://sites.google.com/site/wartburgscholarsprogram/

Mid-Trip Report

We have lost no one and have had no emergency room trips!

Posters on the Hill 2014--Call for Abstracts

Subject: Posters on the Hill 2014--Call for Abstracts

Posters on the Hill 2014--Call for Abstracts
Submission Period: September 2-November 4, 2013

As the undergraduate research community works to ensure that those in the U.S. Congress have a clear understanding of the research and education programs they fund, nothing more effectively demonstrates the value of undergraduate research than a student participant's words, work, and stories.  Undergraduate research must be among those programs that members of Congress understand if it is to continue to be supported.

In the spring of 2014, the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) will host its 18th Annual Posters on the Hill.  There will be an evening poster session and reception where students will have the opportunity to speak directly to member of Congress and demonstrate how they have been impacted by these programs.

Event Date: TBD.  The exact dates for Posters on the Hill will be set once the Congressional calendar for spring 2014 is finalized.

Submission Process

Students: The Council on Undergraduate Research invites you to submit an abstract for the 18^th Annual Posters on the Hill. Your research should represent one of CUR's Divisions (Arts and Humanities, Biology, Chemistry, Geosciences, Health Sciences, Mathematics/Computer Science, Physics/Astronomy, Psychology, and Social Sciences). Abstract submissions should describe your research, scholarship, or creative activity and discuss its significance to society (i.e. what larger issues or problems were you trying address or understand?; how does your work relate to current policy issues?).

Advisors: You will receive an email confirmation when your student submits an application.  This email will include directions on how to upload an electronic letter of recommendation.  Please note that the letter must be submitted no later than the deadline of November 4, 2013 and must be on institution letterhead.  Without a letter of recommendation, an application will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed.  Only one letter of recommendation should be sent, and the signature on the letter must match the name of the advisor listed in the application. Multiple advisors may sign the single letter.

Questions? For questions about the submission process, please contact Mary Pat Twomey, Manager for Student Programs, at mptwomey@cur.org. For questions regarding the event, please contact MeLisa Zackery, Director of Conferences and Meeting Services, at mzackery@cur.org.

SUBMISSION FORM

INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR SUBMISSION

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Council on Undergraduate Research

734 15^th Street NW  Suite 550

Washington, DC 20005

p: 202.783.4810

f: 202.783.4811

www.cur.org

--
Mariah Birgen
Professor of Mathematics
Wartburg Scholars Director

Office Phone: (319) 352-8565
Office: SC 358
Scholars Facebook: www.facebook.com/Wartburg.Scholars

Scholars Blog:  http://wartburgscholarsprogram.blogspot.com/

Scholars WebSite: https://sites.google.com/site/wartburgscholarsprogram/

Spring 2014 Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

        

---  

The Office of Science /Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS)

The Office of Science /Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS), is pleased to announce that it is accepting applications to its 2014 Spring Term Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program, with all required application materials, including recommendations, due by 5:00 PM ET on October 1, 2013. The SULI program encourages undergraduate students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers by providing research experiences at Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories, where selected students participate as interns appointed at participating host labs. They perform research, under the guidance of laboratory staff scientists or engineers, on projects supporting the DOE mission.

Further information, including program eligibility, requirements, host lab participation, and access to the online application system are found at:

http://science.energy.gov/wdts/

http://science.energy.gov/wdts/suli/

with inquiries or questions made using:

http://science.energy.gov/wdts/suli/contact/

The SULI program is sponsored and managed by the DOE Office of Science's, Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) in collaboration with the DOE laboratories. The Department of Energy's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.

Late July

I know it has been quite some time since the last post, but I just returned from 3 weeks at the Park City Math Institute where I learned about the isoperimetric problem and also about General Relativity.  If neither of these make sense to you, just imagine me sitting in a classroom feeling just as lost as the majority of my students in my undergraduate math courses.  It certainly helps renew my sympathy for the students sitting in the back row hoping I don't notice them.

This year we have 29 new first year students from five different states, although none from below the Mason-Dixon line this year.  We have accepted one international student who will be joining us when the finances get worked out.  We have eight gentlemen, so the odds are good for some, but not for others.

This Fall, the first thing these students will do is write the syllabus for their Fall Term course with the theme of Social Justice.  As is typical for this course, students will first be asked to define Social Justice without checking the dictionary.  Although the Catholic Church has a long, specific, list of Social Justice topics, I thought we should focus on those issues which rise to the top of the concerns of college students.  Here are some resources:

• Top 5 Social Justice issues of Social Workers
• Catholic Themes of Social Teaching
• The Jesuits on Social Justice (okay, I know the current Pope believes the Jesuits are Catholic.)
• Lutheran Justice in Society (ELCA)

Keep Sharp Over the Summer

Sometimes, after a few weeks of working a minimum wage job, you start to miss college.  Here are some thinks you can do to keep yourself sharp over the summer:

1. Report things you did to earn Scholars Culture Points.  Okay, I know this isn't your favorite activity, but it will help you reflect on the things you did over the last year and is worth the time it takes.
2. Read some of the books that the first year Scholars are reading.  Personally, I really enjoyed reading the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and can't wait to start discussing the issues that the text raises.
3. Listen to National Public Radio or watch Public Television.  Because these information sources are not tied to advertising revenue, they can take the time to study one topic in depth.  You can even to this over the internet if you do not receive radio signals where you are living.
4. Join the Scholars Facebook Group and discuss the books or topics of the day with the new students.

Personally, I will be going to math camp for three weeks in July, so if you are wondering why Dr. Birgen is not getting back to you quickly, it is because I am having fun.

Feel free to add things in the comments section of the Blog.

Welcome Back - Do You Want Points With That?

Welcome back to all our Scholars from their May Term trips and travels.  May Term travel courses can earn 2 Scholars Culture Points for students who fill out a report on their trip.  Students can earn an additional 2 Culture Points for giving a presentations on what they learned at a public event.  Students who are interested in this option should contact the Academic Committee to schedule their presentation for Fall 2013.

More May Term Pictures

Remember that we have collected several May Term Blogs on our web site
https://sites.google.com/site/wartburgscholarsprogram/scholars-blog/may-term-blogs

Here are some of our students.  The first is from Japan/China and the rest are from Costa Rica

Spying on Scholars over May Term

It is fun to read the various blog posts from the May Term trips.  I especially like to catch Scholars in classes other than mine:

Sarah on Band Trip

Cleaning the Water Buffalo in Costa Rica

May Term Blogs

We have been collecting the Blogs from May Term trips that various Scholars are with.  You can find the list on our Scholars web page at
https://sites.google.com/site/wartburgscholarsprogram/scholars-blog/may-term-blogs

May Term Special Events

May Term on campus can be a lot of work and a lot of fun.  The Special Events committee has planned several events in the past and we would like your input on what you might be looking for this year.  In particular, if there is enough interest in camping, there is money in the budget for tents.

Kayaking

We have rented kayaks from Crawdaddy and kayaked from Cedar Bend to downtown Waverly.  This is not white-water kayaking, but more like a quiet river float.  There are some islands and inlets to explore on the way.

Camping

We could camp in Cedar Bend or many other county campgrounds in the area.  For those of you who think sleeping on the ground is crazy, you could leave at bed time.

BBQ

This is a very simple activity because food service can provide a BBQ for us if we give them a week's warning.  Everything is provided except transportation.

Out of Contact

The Scholars Director is heading away from Iowa for some family time and will be unaccessible from April 23, 2013 through April 27, 2013.  Please try not to have any emergencies during this time.

Back from UMHC

We had a great, educational time at the UMHC Conference in Duluth.  Travel was a bit exciting,  but it was worth the long drive and led to discussion of Boreal Forest on the way home.

Three Scholars and two Birgens

Three Scholars and two Birgens

The view outside my hotel window Friday AM.

The view outside my window 24 hours later.

Part of a presentation by students from Mt. Mercy on their Awakening the Dreamer experience.

Recommended PodCast

Before finals I suggested a web site for my Pre-Med students to download podcasts to listen to while they are traveling over Tour Week and May Term.  Of course, I posted during a very busy time in their lives, so here it is again:

Dr. Dawn Motyka is a medical doctor where I grew up and every Saturday morning she has a radio show on the local public radio station.  She then posts the show on the web site (you can use iTunes to subscribe too).  She talks about recent medical research, alternative medicine, and people call in with questions.  Sometimes when she is going to be out of town, she has full-shows with guests about specific topics.  You can access all her shows on the archive.  I have learned a lot about medicine over the years I have been listening to the show and I find the discussion to be well thought out and researched.  She is also good at making the distinction between research and her own thoughts.  You are welcome to listen to one hour for a Scholars Culture Point although I warn you that most students who do this continue to go back and listen to more.

So, if you have a long flight, bus ride, or car ride coming up I encourage you to load a few on your favorite MP3 player, especially if you are interested in medicine or medical research.

NCHC National Conference in New Orleans this November

The National Collegiate Honors Council Conference is November 6-10, 2013 in New Orleans.  Since no students have submitted a proposal to give a talk, there is money to take one or two students to this conference.  First choice is given to students who have attended a regional honors conference.  Please contact Dr. Birgen if you are interested.

Partners in the Parks proposed projects for 2013

Partners in the Parks: Outdoor Experiential Education for Students Partners in the Parks is an NCHC outdoor experiential learning program co-sponsored by Southern Utah University and Cedar Breaks National Monument. In 2013 we will be hosting a variety of academic adventures at national parks across the country. These week-long projects include seminars led by university faculty and park rangers as well as exciting recreational opportunities to broaden participants' understanding of the overall value of national parks to our country and its citizens. PITP programs are open to honors faculty and students from all majors and disciplines. If you are interested, send inquiries to honors@suu.edu. Proposed projects for 2013 Grand Canyon-Parashant, AZ (May 27-Jun 1) Great Basin National Park, NV (July 27-Aug 2) Black Canyon of the Gunnison, CO (Aug 4-10) Sequoia National Park, CA (Aug 5-10) Olympic National Park, WA (Aug 5-11) Everglades National Park, FL (Dec 26-Jan 1) More information and online registration can be found on our web site: http://www.partnersintheparks.org What students have said… "I loved being in the backcountry and seeing snow in the desert." Zion National Park "I loved meeting new people and sharing our thoughts and ideas. " Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument "The seminars by rangers and faculty were all well done. The parks are a wonderful and difficult responsibility." Black Canyon of the Gunnison National park Financial Assistance is available for Partners in the Parks. The NCHC Student Stipend award provides $300 towards participation in a 2013 Partners in the Parks project. This funding is provided to help financially challenged students participate in the academic adventures hosted through Partners in the Parks. We encourage honors administrators to promote the stipend awards and encourage qualified candidates to apply. Two stipends will be provided for each of the remaining projects in the 2013 schedule. The online application and more information are available at the PITP website: http://www.partnersintheparks.org.

New Pictures

Check out the video memories of the SCH 110 course this Winter Break.

https://sites.google.com/site/wartburgscholarsprogram/classroom-pictures