University of Oklahoma juniors T.J. Moen and Ben West have been selected to serve two-year internships with the New Venture Professional Development Program funded through the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology. The pair will manage seven portfolio companies in the Oklahoma Life Science Fund. William Paiva, fund manager, said that both have worked at OU's Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth, a program that enables students to work directly with the commercialization of university-based technologies. A graduate of Moore Public Schools, West is an entrepreneurship and finance major. Moen of Weatherford is studying industrial engineering and economics. 

     

Oklahoma City Community College received a two-year, $49,408 grant from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST).  The funding supports OCCC's Internships for Biotechnology Program Students project.  Sixteen internships will place students at local biotechnology development companies and agencies, including the Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Hyalose, Cytovance Biologics, DNA Solutions, Immuno-Mycologics, Crescendo Bioscience, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Analystical Research Laboratories and the Dean A. McGee Eye Institute.
Dr. Fabiola Janiak-Spens, Professor of Biotechnology, is the Project Director and is pictured here in the back, right of the photo, along with program interns.  The program began in February, 2010.

      Oklahoma State University Spears School of Business, one of a handful of business schools that offers sports management curriculum, has introduced a research and development unit named the Sports Management Institute.
  
      The institute is aimed at supporting students, research, internships, guest speakers and the sports management program. Director Bryan Finch reported more than 100 OSU students who have chosen sports management as a field of interest. It's very popular and growing each year. The institute will support research projects and reports in sports management, including student and faculty participation, publication, and presentation of projects at regional and national sports and business conferences. The institute also plans to host visiting scholars and professionals in the sports business industry and offer students networking opportunities. The institute also should boost the sports management program's profile. A program on sports industry business strategies and career options in a slow economy was recently presented; it included presenters from the National Football League and National Basketball Association.
  
      Students in OSU's sports management program have successfully landed internships with major-league franchises and other sports-related ventures. Graduates of the program have landed jobs with NBA and NHL franchises. The presence of the Oklahoma City Thunder also has opened doors for students. The sports management program also assisted the Thunder when it arrived in the area with several OU student interns working with them.

        This short monograph, Undergraduate Research at Community Colleges, edited by Nancy Hensel of the Council on Undergraduate Research and Brent Cejda of the National Council of Instructional Administrators, might very well change the nature of teaching at Community Colleges. Many community colleges make undergraduate research a curricular enhancement or a "value added" part of the curriculum. In effect, they approach undergraduate research as a teaching methodology. Community college research programs may appear as components of community service, service learning programs, projects or assignments of courses. Some explained that they feared that the term "research" might scare some students away from participating. Others provided skills necessary to conduct research, such as developing a hypothesis, conducting a literature review, identifying appropriate statistical tests, and do not have the students actually complete a research project. The monograph includes examples of incorporating research into the curriculum, utilizing research activities in place of textbook laboratories or assignments, conducting applied research, and conducting basic research.
   
        CUR (Council on Undergraduate Research) and NCIA (National Council of Instructional Administrators) intend to continue efforts to facilitate and expand participation in undergraduate research ad community college. Challenges include how to count mentoring student researchers in faculty teaching loads, finding funding to provide adequate facilities and equipment for research, and helping traditional faculty teachers to convert their methodology to embrace research as a teaching tool.

        Articles are provided by community college faculty and administrators from Illinois, Nebraska, Massachusetts, Washington, and Oklahoma, by Dr. Penny Coggins, Vice President for Grants Development and Applied Research at Redlands Community College.

        For those who are interested in facilitating and enhancing research at the community college level, this monograph is a must. It is available for free on the website of CUR, at http://www.cur.org/publications.html or by making a request from abelton@cur.org.

         The Keck Geology Consortium in Pennsylvania has undergraduate research opportunities for approximately 51 undergraduate students in a wide variety of geological/environmental science sub-disciplines and locations, with 15 positions available for non-Keck Member school students. The program is funded by NSF-REU, and additional funds from Exxon-Mobile will support underrepresented students. Information is available at: http://keckgeology.org/.

        The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation's 2010 Sir Alexander Fleming Scholar Program supports high school seniors and college freshmen, sophomores and juniors for summer research in Oklahoma City. The summer program, which started in 1956, allows selected students to enhance their research skills by working alongside world-class scientists for eight weeks in OMRF's state-of-the-art laboratories. The program is funded by an endowment, and has supported over 500 students in research. Information can be found at www.omrf.org/fleming.

        The Morris K. Udall Foundation provides a 10-week summer internship in Washington, D.C., for Native American students who wish to learn more about the federal government and issues affecting Indian Country. Interns work in congressional and agency offices where they have opportunities to research legislative issues important to tribal communities, network with key public officials and tribal advocacy groups, experience an insider's view of the federal government, and enhance their understanding of nation-building and tribal self-governance. Complete information is available on the Web site at http://www.udall.gov/OurPrograms/NACInternship/NACInternship.aspx.

        The Washington Internships for Native Students (WINS) offers Native American students the opportunity to build leadership skills while living, studying, and interning in Washington, DC. WINS offers qualified students full scholarships funded by American University and sponsoring organizations.  Students gain professional work experience through interning at a federal agency or private firm, take courses focusing on Native American public policy concerns, and enjoy engaging in social and cultural extra-curricular activities.  information on WINS can be found on their web site at http://www1.american.edu/wins/.

         Eight undergraduate math and science students will conduct research at UNC-Greenboro, a program funded by NSF-REU. The goals are to 1) provide interdisciplinary undergraduate research experiences (URE) for students and 2) to advance the research programs of faculty mentors.The interaction of diverse faculty members and students will lead to innovative mathematical solutions for scientific investigations and a rigorous sense of realism in the mathematical models. See http://www.uncg.edu/our/idquantreu.html for full information.

        Seven college students from across the state were named Brad Henry International Scholars, and they will spend the spring semester studying abroad. The students are Echo Adcock of Southeastern Oklahoma State University; Lindsey Chronister of East Central University; Taylor Hildenbrand and Zachary Hurley of the University of Central Oklahoma; Andrea Jones of the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma; Brian Lunk of Rogers State University; and Andrea Morgan of Langston University. The students will participate in an international study and internship program at Swansea University in Wales, United Kingdom.  This experience may involve research projects for the University of Swansea. It certainly will engage the students in thoughtful comparative international analysis.

2010 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH CONFERENCE
for FACULTY, STAFF AND ADMINISTRATORS 
March 26, 2010 - Presbyterian Health Foundation Conference Center

         Faculty members, staff, and administrators will gather together on March 26 at the PHFCC in Oklahoma City to share information and research about programs of research with undergraduate students at the 2010 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH CONFERENCE. Dr. Alan Savitzky, NSF REU Program Director of Biology will provide the luncheon keynote speech. A panel of students, a panel of faculty members from all tiers of higher education, and a panel of administrators from all tiers of higher education will provide their experiences with the undergraduate student research programs on their campuses. There will also be 11 concurrent sessions on many different disciplines of undergraduate research on Oklahoma higher education.
        To register, send your name and contact information along with method of payment of $35 (check, cash at door, or PO) to lmason@osrhe.edu. See http://www.okhighered.org/grant-opps/whats-happening.shtml for more information. The registration fee is $35 until March 15 when it changes to $50. Continental breakfast, break refreshments, lunch and conference materials are included in the registration fee. Go to http://www.phfcc.com/directions.htm for directions to Presbyterian Health Foundation Conference Center.