Colonial Academic Alliance Undergraduate Research Journal

The Colonial Academic Alliance Undergraduate Research Journal is now accepting submissions of individual and collaborative research work in all disciplines.

The journal adds to the body of knowledge in all fields and showcases the outstanding scholarship of undergraduates at our member institutions. It provides a forum for students to publicly share their research, offering opportunities for presenting their work to potential graduate programs and employers.

Please note the following requirements:

• The work must be completed while the author is enrolled as an undergraduate student at one of the Alliance institutions (including George Mason University).
• Faculty-mentored research papers and theses from all disciplines will be considered.
• Submitters to the journal must own the copyright to the work being submitted.
• To submit please go to http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/caaurj/ and click on “Submit Article.”

Website (and last year's journal): http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/caaurj/

Deadline: June 1, 2011

Engineering Undergraduates Win!

An excellent example of undergraduate research within the curriculum at Mason!

From Mason's University News:

Students Win National Engineering Design Competitions

Two student groups from Mason’s Systems Engineering Senior Design course in the Volgenau School of Engineering recently won first-place awards in two different national research competitions.

At the IEEE Systems and Information Engineering Design Symposium (SEIDS’11), held at the University of Virginia on April 29, students Jerrit Askvig, Leah Bode, Nathan Cushing and Colin Mullery won first place in the Systems Applications Track for “Turbidity Reduction for the West and Rhode Rivers.”

The second team of students won its award at the General Donald R. Keith Memorial Cadet Capstone Conference at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.

Students Mike Dupuy, Cody Jenkins and Dan Wesely won Conference Best Poster Award for “Airline Fleet Maintenance: Trade-off Analysis of Alternate Aircraft Maintenance Approaches.”

Click for the complete story, and links to their projects.

NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates call for proposals

The National Science Foundation (NSF)' s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation. REU projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects specifically designed for the REU program. This solicitation features two mechanisms for support of student research: (1) REU Sites are based on independent proposals to initiate and conduct projects that engage a number of students in research. REU Sites may be based in a single discipline or academic department, or on interdisciplinary or multi-department research opportunities with a coherent intellectual theme. Proposals with an international dimension are welcome. A partnership with the Department of Defense supports REU Sites in DoD-relevant research areas. (2) REU Supplements may be requested for ongoing NSF-funded research projects or may be included as a component of proposals for new or renewal NSF grants or cooperative agreements.

By submitting an REU application, you will be supporting the Students as Scholars initiative, improving undergraduate education at Mason, and advancing your research agenda. In addition to your Research Office, Dr. Bethany Usher in CTE (soon to be OSCAR) is willing to help in preparing these applications.

Website: www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5517

Deadline: Annually, the fourth Wednesday in August (August 24, 2011)

National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) 2012 announced

National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) is an opportunity for more than 3,000 undergraduate students to present their research, scholarly or creative projects. The annual conference gives undergraduate scholars in all fields and from all types of institutions of higher learning a forum to share the results of their work through posters, presentations, performances and works of art. NCUR 2012 will be held March 29-31, 2012, at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. Submission information will be available September 30, 2011.

Website: weber.edu/ncur2012

Become a Council on Undergraduate Research member for free!

As a part of the Students as Scholars initiative, we are pleased to announce that George Mason University has become an enhanced institutional member of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR). This membership includes unlimited memberships for any interested faculty, staff or students. By signing up as a member, you can access CUR online resources, get email delivery of news and the CUR Quarterly journal, and get discounted registration to CUR conferences and events (see details below).

Registration information

Each CUR Member is assigned a unique login username and password. If you previously had login information, it will remain the same. To have a reminder sent to you, or to generate new login information, please visit: CUR Password Reminder.

For new members, please visit CUR New Member Page. After you enter your name and title, please be sure to select George Mason University from the drop down. It should alert you to the fact that your membership is covered, and then will prompt you to continue to add your contact information. Once your membership is processed, you will receive a confirmation email and will be able to register for members only online access by visiting the CUR Password Page http://cur.networkats.com/members_online/members/password.asp to have a copy of your login information sent.

Benefits of membership

• CUR Quarterly Subscription: You will receive an electronic subscription to the CUR Quarterly, our highly regarded journal that focuses on topics related to undergraduate research. Each Quarterly issue includes a focus topic; recent topics have included Assessing Outcomes and Undergraduate Research in the Arts and Humanities. Should you wish to receive a paper copy of the CUR Quarterly, subscriptions are available at a reduced rate of $30.00.
• Newsletter Subscriptions: You will automatically start receiving the monthly CUR E-News, our electronic newsletter addressing current undergraduate research issues. The newsletter, generated from our National Office, includes topics such as government and policy news from Washington as well as updates on upcoming programs and meetings. Additionally, you may subscribe to other newsletters such as: This Week in Washington or Deadlines and Upcoming Events. To sign up, please visit the Members Only website and review your membership profile.
• CUR Members Only Website: This website contains information on topics such as funding resources and undergraduate research celebration days at institutions across the country. There is also a special section on Advocacy, which is prepared by Washington Partners, LLC, a firm that CUR has secured to provide research, guidance, support and counsel as CUR seeks to increase its national profile, activities and efficacy.
• CUR Conferences and Events: Membership in CUR gives you discounts on meeting registrations and publications. CUR holds a general meeting every other year (the next national meeting will be in summer 2012) that is aimed at faculty and administrators who support undergraduate research, as well as workshops throughout the year. On a personal note, I attended the general meeting in June of 2010, and it was an amazing experience.

We are excited to offer you this opportunity!

Gender Research Conference

The Gender Research Conference returns for its fourth year! Hosted by Women and Gender Studies, the annual event provides a forum for undergraduate and graduate students to present their research and to participate in a scholarly dialogue on gender.

Mason's Gender Research Conference began as the culminating feature of the Gender Research Project. Following a two-semester course designed to teach undergraduate and graduate students about the fundamental tools of social research, the Gender Research Conference serves as a forum for these students to present their research to the Mason community. The presentations are diverse and seem very interesting!

For a complete schedule, please see the website.

When: Monday, May 9, 2011

Where: Research 1, Room 163 (Fairfax Campus)

Website: wmst.gmu.edu/events/993

Undergraduate Research Symposium, College of Science

Today is the College of Science's Undergraduate Research Symposium, from 10am until 2 pm in Dewberry Hall (Johnson Center, Fairfax Campus). We are pleased that Myu Rubaharan, student representative to the QEP Planning Committee, will be the featured speaker at 12:45. Please come by, see the work by the students, have lunch, and see Myu speak. The schedule is below.

10 am - 1:30 pm Poster displays

11:30 am Lunch available

12:00 pm Opening remarks

12:10 pm Address from the Dean

12:20 pm Address from the Associate Dean of Research

12:30 pm Address from the Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs

12:45 - 1:15 pm Undergraduate Research Presentation - Myurajan Rubaharan

1:20 pm Closing remarks

1:45 pm Poster take-down

Website: mason.gmu.edu/~rcouch/COSURC.html