M A R C H 2 0 , 2 0 1 2T H E D A I L Y T A R G U M S UMMER S ESSION 3

Study abroad offers twonew summer locations

BY ANASTASIA MILLICKERAND GIANCARLO CHAUX

STAFF WRITERS

While some students taketheir summer courses at theUniversity and across the coun-try at community colleges, oth-ers are taking their summercourses abroad.

This summer, students willhave the opportunity to study intwo new locations in Brazil andArgentina, in addition to morethan 20 other study abroad pro-grams being offered during thesummer, said AmandaGoodman, University Outreachand Recruitment Coordinatorfor Study Abroad.

In Brazil, students will beable to take courses in Englishand Portuguese in the Rio deJaneiro Intensive Language andCulture program offered by theCouncil on InternationalEducational Exchange, accord-ing to the program’s description.

Another new program thatwill be offered is a language edu-cation program in Argentina,designed for students interestedin teaching, Goodman said.

According to the studyabroad website, there are 21 dif-ferent programs offered in 16different countries.

The only program that ranin the past but will not be run-ning this summer is the RussiaLanguage program — it will berunning in 2013, Goodman saidin an email.

The University StudyAbroad Office of fers more than100 programs in 38 countries,either for a semester, a year orover the summer, said CarrieWojenski, the regional coordi-nator for the Study AbroadOffice, in a past article.

“We can help them goabroad if they want to,” she saidin the article. “They just needto apply.”

For these programs, all stu-dents can apply, including first-year students, Goodman said.There is no GPA requirementfor most as long as the studentis in good standing, she said.

Some programs last 10 daysand some run for two months,depending on the program andthe location, she said. Summerapplications for study abroad aredue April 1.

The University’s Study Abroad program will offer 21 programsin 16 different countries for the summer semester.

GRAPHIC BY ENRICO CABREDO / ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

The price of an abroadexperience depends on thedestination and might includehousing and meals, but thereare some programs that arecheaper than staying at theUniversity, said MarkLibatique, a School of Arts andSciences senior. Libatiquecompleted a study abroad pro-gram in Paris during thespring 2011 semester — anexperience he said helped himbecome a more open-mindedperson by introducing him to asocially diverse environment.

“[Studying abroad] takesme out of my comfort zone andgives me oppor tunities tointeract with people from allwalks of life,” Libatique said.“Doing it in a dif ferent lan-guage, in a country you are ini-tially a stranger to, is a veryrewarding experience.”

While the experience can bebeneficial for those who partici-pate, Libatique said students areoften discouraged by the costsassociated with the trips.

“Cost is always an issue as astudent,” he said. “Sometimes itwas tough hanging out with stu-dents with more money to spendthan me.”

Students who go abroad canalso apply for scholarships tohelp them pay for the costs of theprogram, Goodman said.

The Gilman Scholarship, forexample, offers 2,300 grants forup to $5,000 for American citi-zens, according to the Instituteof International Education web-site. The University’s StudyAbroad Scholarships rangefrom $2,500 to $5,000, accord-ing to the University’s StudyAbroad website.

There are also numerousscholarships for DouglassResidential College studentsinterested in many programs,Goodman said.

Despite the monetary issues,Libatique still recommendsgoing abroad as it provided himwith a new outlook on his ownlife back in the U.S.

“Traveling somewhere andliving somewhere is dif ferent.You are thousands of milesfrom home, which is boththrilling and scar y … Theworld will be smaller when youcome back, and so much moreinviting,” he said.

M A R C H 2 0 , 2 0 1 2T H E D A I L Y T A R G U M S UMMER S ESSION 5

U. programs provideresearch opportunities

BY YASHMIN PATELUNIVERSITY EDITOR

Rather than spending time onthe beach or going away on vaca-tion, some students will be partic-ipating in various undergraduateresearch opportunities availablethrough the University.

THE ARESTY RESEARCHCENTER

Various students will be pairedup with a faculty member thissummer to conduct a researchstudy in fields such as psycholo-gy, biology, physics, environmen-tal science and genetics.

The University’s ArestyResearch Center will be provid-ing a summer program that willallow rising sophomores togain research experience out-side the classroom, saidPatricia Buckendahl, a partici-pating faculty mentor in theAresty Research Center.

“They can learn a lot moreby doing things that meansomething where the outcomesaren’t always predictable …research doesn’t guarantee theresults, so that’s basically whatthe programoffers in terms ofscience opportu-nities,” she said.

Research proj-ects will var yfrom mentor tomentor and willbe conductedthrough the vari-ous Universityc a m p u s e s ,Buckendahl said.Buckendahl willlead one of theprojects thatinvolves testingmice, in which students will beable to research the cells in mice.

“They’re going to take themouse and they’re going to takethe tissues out and they’regoing to disperse them andthey’re going to put them on aculture plate and let them growand maintain them and testthem,” she said.

Buckendahl said the study willtest to find out how the cells reactto protein.

“If you stimulate the cell withcertain chemicals does it make itmore or less of the protein andhow does it communicate withother cells,” she said.

The research study will befunded by the Aresty family andwill last 10 weeks from June toAugust, Buckendahl said.

PROJECT LEARNProject Learn will be having

a 10-week program that willtrain students on researchmethods and data analysis andprepare them for graduateschool, said Jane Miller, direc-tor of Project Learn.

“We take 10 students — theyare taught coursework on statis-tics, research methods, researchwriting, and each of them arematched individually with a facul-ty mentor and they work with

students on the mentor’s proj-ect,” she said.

Students will be paired withfaculty members to researchvarious aspects of social sci-ences such as psychology,Miller said.

Miller said an example of aresearch study will involve astudent doing statistical analy-sis on data collected by a facul-ty member that addresses thequestion of how an individual’ssymptoms af fect his or herapplication to medication.

“We provide [students] withthe kinds of skills they need tocritically read literature andknow how to write a researchpaper so that when they get to graduate school they’ll be really well prepared,” Miller said.

The Robert Wood JohnsonFoundation provides funding thathelps the organization put stu-dents in University residencehalls over the summer, pay forclass credit and give a stipend tothe students.

CENTER FOR DISCRETEMATHEMATICS AND THEORETICALCOMPUTER SCIENCE FOUNDED AS

A NATIONALS C I E N C EF O U N D A T I O NSCIENCE ANDT E C H N O L O G YC E N T E R(DIMACS)

Some stu-dents will be par-ticipating in aresearch projectthroughout Juneand July with achance to spendtime in Prague.

One of theCenter for DiscreteMathematics and TheoreticalComputer Science Founded asa National Science FoundationScience and TechnologyCenter’s programs, ResearchExperiences forUndergraduates, will studyaspects of math and how itrelates to various other fields,said Rebecca Wright, directorof DIMACS.

Most of the projects includea core computational or mathematical component,Wright said.

“[Students] come in and meetwith their mentors and make surethe students understand howtheir project is supposed to go sothey get some background mate-rial,” she said.

Research studies will takeplace at the University, but aselect few students will get achance to continue their studyin Prague with a different groupof students.

“I think certainly for anyonethinking about going on to gradu-ate school, considering a careerin research, this is a really goodway to get a sense of whatresearch is about as a process.”

The National ScienceFoundation is one of the primaryorganizations that provides fund-ing for the program.

“They can learn a lot more by doing

things that meansomething where

the outcomes aren’talways predictable.”

PATRICIA BUCKENDAHLFaculty Mentor at the Aresty

Research Center

M A R C H 2 0 , 2 0 1 2T H E D A I L Y T A R G U M S UMMER S ESSION 7

Summer session offersunconventional courses

BY RICHARD CONTECORRESPONDENT

Students looking to studyduring the warmer months willbe able to choose betweencourses that appeal to a varietyof unique tastes, including ahands-on meteorology courseand a crime scene investigationforensics course.

Students who wish to get afirsthand experience of analyzingsevere weather can sign up for“Severe Weather ForecastingField Trip,” said Steven Decker,the course’s professor.

The class, offered by theUniversity MeteorologyUndergraduate Program, willtake 13 to 18 students on a 14-daytrip to the Great Plains, an areaNorth of Texas that is a primelocation for the type of fieldworkthe course is trying to achieve,Decker said.

“In the Great Plains states, thesummer is the time of year thatgives the class the best chance tofind severe weather,” saidDecker, an assistant professor inthe School of Environmental andBiological Sciences.

The field trip will consist ofgroups of two or three studentswho will form a forecast team,with each team taking charge ofchoosing a target area every day,Decker said.

Among the requirements forthe course is a minimum enroll-ment of 13 students, as well as anecessary obligation for at leastfive students to become certi-fied drivers through theUniversity defensive drivingcourse, Decker said. The driv-ing course will be required forthe safety of students.

“With the [defensive driving]course we are trying to minimizethe risk of car accidents [duringthe trip],” Decker said.“Hopefully it will reduce thechances of students getting intoan accident.”

The safety of the studentswill remain a top prioritythroughout the trip, and theparticipants will be asked toabide by the course instruc-

10 Last day for registration without late fee for Session I. Term bill due date for all students for Session I

9 Summer Session III classes begin.

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CALENDAR

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29 Summer Session I classes begin

6 Last day for registration without late fee for Session IITerm bill due date for all students for Session II

20 Last day for registration without late fee for Session IIITerm bill due date for all students for Session III

25 Summer Session II classes begin

tor’s necessary precautionarymeasures, Decker said.

“Students should bring theirhealth insurance card in case weneed it for an emergency,” hesaid. “They should also haveemergency contact informationas well.”

An extra course fee will alsobe administered to cover trans-portation costs, gas costs, lodg-ing and any equipment, he said.

While the course is an atten-tion-grabbing option for stu-dents, Decker said he wasresponsible for granting permis-sion to those who wish to partic-ipate, meaning his own studentsmay have a better chance of get-ting into the class.

“There will be a priority listfor students with the mostmeteorological background,”Decker said.

After those students, thecourse is open to the generalpublic.

Students interested in learn-ing about the forensic side ofcriminal justice may also be inter-ested in “Scientific Applicationsin Justice,” said MichaelEmanuel, a part-time lecturerwho will be handling the course.

“[This course] is an intro toforensic science, and I’ve beenteaching this course since 1985,”said Emanuel, a State MedicalExaminer’s Office retiree, viaemail correspondence.

The course is two parts, hesaid. The first part will deal withlecture material on the differentdisciplines in forensic sciences,while the second section willdeal with examples of how theinformation is applied in reallife scenarios.

“The 306 section includes dis-ciplines such as DNA, firearms,arson and explosives, terrorism,significance of glass evidence,investigative techniques,” hesaid. “[The second part willinclude] student presentations ofhigh-profile cases.”

Emanuel said on theUniversity’s official summer ses-sion website the class is practicalfor students planning to enter lawenforcement or law school.