Honors College E-Newsletter #1, Spring 2008

Welcome back for the Spring 2008 semester! We are happy and excited to start the second half of this academic year with you. Dr. Jacqueline Morgan has now joined the Honors College as the Director of the University Honors Program and Director of the University Fellows Experience. Her skills, talents, and energy will bring noticeable changes and innovations for the benefit of all Honors students. Her office is located in 291 Nott Hall. Welcome, Dr. Morgan!

We are also pleased to announce that Ms. Jami Gates is a new member of the Honors College staff overseeing our recruitment efforts directed towards the nation's brightest high school students. Her office is in 270 Nott Hall. Finally, Ms. Gina Miller has returned from Spain to take up her position as Coordinator of the University Fellows Experience and as an instructor in the International Honors Program. Her office is in 274 Nott Hall.

Below are several new announcements, followed by a repeat of last week's email in case you missed out on those announcements.

BLACKBURN INSTITUTE EXTENDS NOMINATIONS TO JAN. 15
UHP and IHP Course Locations
Randall Outstanding Undergraduate Research Program Nominations
Apply to be an Alabama Action Student Leader
First HPSA Meeting
Still Accepting Applications for Alternative Spring Break trips!
Outstanding Freshman Award
Consider Joining the International Student Association
INSTITUTE ON PHILANTHROPY AND VOLUNTARY SERVICE
Plan ahead for LUNAFEST!
International Opportunities Attached
Student Internships In Climate Change

BLACKBURN INSTITUTE EXTENDS NOMINATIONS TO JAN. 15 – Due to a number of requests, the Blackburn Institute has extended its nomination deadline for new members. The final deadline is Jan. 15. The Institute is looking for students who not only have established themselves as leaders on campus or in the classroom, but also for those who are committed to working towards a better future for Alabama as well as the nation. Nominations should be for students who will be on campus during the 2008-09 academic year. The Institute accepts students during all stages of their academic career. Approximately 25 students will be chosen for lifetime membership as Blackburn fellows. For more information or a nomination form, contact Amy Ratliff at 348-3277.

UHP and IHP Course Locations
Attached is a copy of the Spring '08 classroom schedule for your convenience and information. Please take a few minutes to compare your schedules with the classroom information on this list. Some last
minute changes have been made. Also, some classes had to be listed as TBA because the meeting rooms were not actually classrooms and could not be entered into the system as such. For example, if you are registered for UH 120-005, the meeting room is our computer lab, 176 Nott Hall. If you are registered for UH 300-006, UH 300-022, UH 300-024, please check this list to see where your classes will be meeting.

Randall Outstanding Undergraduate Research Program Nominations
Since 1997, the Randall Outstanding Undergraduate Research Program has recognized the best research and creative activity conducted by undergraduates at The University of Alabama. Winners of the Burnum Outstanding Faculty Research Award select the recipients each year. The recipients and their nominators are recognized at a luncheon in their honor during UA's Honors Week. The updated nomination form is attached. Any questions may be directed to Jane Batson in the Computer-Based Honors Program office (348-5029/jbatson@bama.ua.edu). Please complete the "Call for Nomination" form and return it to Jane Batson (jbatson@bama.ua.edu) by noon on Thursday, January 31, 2008.

Apply to be an Alabama Action Student Leader
Alabama Action student leader applications are due January 31. The application form is attached.

First HPSA Meeting
The first HPSA meeting of the spring semester is Thursday, January 17, at 7:00 PM in the Riverside Community Center. Anyone who is interested in membership should contact HPSA president Molly McPherson at memcpherson@bama.ua.edu; current members should join the HPSA group on Facebook for updates and planned activities. C'mon and join HPSA!

Still Accepting Applications for Alternative Spring Break trips!
Apply Now for Alternative Spring Break :: Nationally (Denver, Colorado), and Internationally (Xela, Guatemala). While in Denver, Colorado, 10 students will be involved in activities that deal with the environment and homelessness. The trip is being coordinated by Joshua Burford, the Coordinator of Freshman Community Outreach can be reached at burfo003@sa.ua.edu. In Xela, Guatemala, 10 students will engage in activities that deal with community development, education, agriculture, and women's issues. Excursions include boat trips around Lago Atitlan and visits to Antigua during Holy Week. Kendall Smith, Coordinator for Alternative Spring Break will lead this group's experience and can be contacted at kendallita@gmail.com. Applications are available in the Community Service Center Ferguson Center Room 231. For more information, call the CSC at 205 348-2865.

Outstanding Freshman Award
Omicron Delta Kappa honor society awards the Outstanding Freshman Award each year. This year, freshman can apply online at www.honorsocieties.ua.edu All freshman in the Honors Collegeare encouraged to consideer applying. The deadline to apply is Friday, February 1, 2008.

Consider joining the International Student Association
The ISA is a fun social organization for students of all nationalities, including Americans! Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday January 16th, at 6pm, in the Ferguson center, 300 Mortar Board room. Everyone is welcome! The ISA will also have a table during Get on Board day which is also next Wednesday, so you can stop by, sign in and learn more about the organization. Another way to get involved is to go to our website (www.isa.ua.edu) and join our mailing list.

INSTITUTE ON PHILANTHROPY AND VOLUNTARY SERVICE
Sponsored by The Fund for American Studies in partnership with Georgetown University, the Institutes combine nonprofit internships, courses for academic credit, career development activities, and service projects. A substantial amount of scholarship funding is available and over half of all students accepted to the program receive a scholarship. Students are encouraged to apply by the priority deadline of January 25, 2008 as acceptance, internship placement and scholarship decisions are made on a rolling basis. Scholarships are awarded based on academic excellence, leadership ability and financial need.This summer's dates are June 7 - August 2, 2008. www.dcinternships.org/ipvs **ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR PRIORITY DEADLINE OF JANUARY 25, 2008**

Plan ahead for Lunafest!
The Women's Resource Center, Women Involved in Learning and Leading, the Women's Studies Department, and The Globe Restaurant are co-sponsoring a national film festival, called LUNAFEST, which features films that are created by women about women. The event takes place on March 13th at the Bama Theater. A reception catered by The Globe and a silent auction will begin at 6 PM. The films begin at 7 PM. The proceeds from this even benefit the Breast Cancer Fund and The Women's Resource Center. Student tickets are $10, Faculty/Staff $15, and regular admission is $20.

International Opportunities Attached
Please read the attached overseas study, internship, and scholarship opportunities. Both last week's opportunities (opportunities2008) and this week's (opportunitiesA) are attached! Contact UA's study abroad advisors in the Capstone International Center before registering for any overseas program or internship.

<>STUDENT INTERNSHIPS IN CLIMATE CHANGE
Concerned about climate change? Wondering when world oil production will peak and what renewable energies are ready to step in? Want to improve the communication of sound science and policy on these topics to a global audience? Here's your chance. We are looking for motivated individuals to become student Encyclopedia Interns on a major climate change initiative underway at the Encyclopedia of Earth (http://www.eoearth.org/), a new electronic reference about the Earth, its natural environments, andtheir interaction with society. The Encyclopedia is a free, fully searchable collection of articles written by scholars, professionals, educators, and experts who collaborate and review each other’s work. The articles are written in non-technical language and will be useful to students, educators, scholars, professionals, as well as to the general public. The goal of this project is to build the Web's largest and most authoritative resource on climate change. Encyclopedia Interns will help harvest public domain content, copyedit articles, and otherwise assist authors and topic editors in producing and publishing articles. Encyclopedia Interns will learn the basics of Mediawiki software, the collaborative content platform that underlies Wikipedia, and work with researchers, educators, professionals, and other experts on climate change and related topics The time commitment is flexible and you can work at home, your school's Food Court, Starbucks, or wherever you can grab an Internet connection. You can see the current group of "e-scribe" Interns here: ttp://www.eoearth.org/article/E-scribes. Here's your chance to make a difference and gain unique professional experience. Interested? Contact Maggie Surface at eoe@eoearth.org.
________________
Last week's email:
The International Honors Program and the Capstone International Center will sponsor an information session on UA's interim and summer overseas programs for 2008. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 23 from 4:00-5:00 in 205 Gorgas Library. Ms. Channell and participating UA faculty will be there to describe our programs and answer questions you may have. Our programs this year are in: Austria, Brazil, China, Ireland, Ecuador, France, Ghana, India, Italy, Korea, London, Oxford, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey. You may read the description of the programs by clicking on each link at http://international.ua.edu/overseas-study/index.htm . This meeting will be open to all UA students, but Honors College students are particularly welcome.

Another piece of exciting news: The Critical Languages Center is happy to announce that Farsi (Persian, also spoken in Afghanistan) is officially being offered at UA! You may reigster for FRS 101 on Banner. An alternative for those of you who are strategically-minded is the study of Urdu (spoken in Pakistan). More students are needed to register for this critical language as well. Contact the CLC director, Mr. Arizumi, for complete information at karizumi@as.ua.edu .

Attached is a lengthy compiliation of international opportunities for students in all disciplines and/or language interests. I recommend that you read all the announcements. Information about a particular program may spark your interest in finding a similar program in your own area of interest. Remember that the announcements listed here are just the starting point: contact the study abroad advisors in the Capstone International Center before registering for any overseas program or internship.

The programs listed in the attachment include:

• Critical Need Foreign Languages Scholarships: Friday, January 25, 2008
• Undergraduate Research Internship Program in Germany
  “For the first year, there will be no program fee for students. 25 scholarships of € 1850 each are available to cover living expenses.” Deadline January 31, 2008.
• Business Courses in Czech Republic--UA Faculty-Led Program
  
• Internship Program In Warsaw, Poland
• CIEE’s New Study Center Programs (Spain, Argentina, Morocco, Czech)
• DiversityAbroad.com Scholarships
• Summer Program in Chiang Mai, Thailand
• AsiaLearn in China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore
• Tropical Marine Ecosystems at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji
• Creating New Music: Composition and Performance in Italy
• Germany: Research Internships in Science and Engineering
• AHA Programs in Italy, England, Greece, Germany and Argentina
• Program in Berlin for American Journalism Students
• 2008 Teach in Spain program
• Emerging India and China, and Nations and Identities
• Summer Institute on Alcohol, Drugs and Addiction in Amsterdam

Finally, send me word about your overseas plans for this spring, interim, and summer. I like to keep up with where all Honors students are going and what scholarship funding you may have won.

--
Dr. Fran Oneal
Director, International Honors Program
University of Alabama
Box 870169
Tuscaloosa, AL  35487

275 Nott Hall

Honors College E-Newsletter #13, Fall 2007

• This is your Honors College newsletter backlogged from the week of Thanksgiving Break. You'll receive another edition tomorrow, so be ready to enjoy a double-dose of opportunities this week!
• The first item featured is a highly competitive fellowship program that will pique the interest of the many Honors students who have expressed an interest in foreign service, diplomacy, and a State Department career. Sophomores and seniors, pay special attention! Freshmen and juniors, read about the program and prepare to compete next year!
• Mark your calendars now for the Honors College Open House, December 4, from 5:00-7:00 in Nott Hall.

• Pickering Fellowships for students interested the U.S. State Department
• The Earthquake Engineering Program
• Alabama Action Student Leader Applications
• Creative Writing Summer School
• LIVE. LEARN. INTERN. SUMMER INSTITUTES
• Environment, Society, and Culture of Ecuador

Pickering Fellowships for students interested the U.S. State Department
Is working for the U.S. State Department in International Affairs your dream career? The Thomas R. Pickering Undergraduate Fellowship Program seeks to recruit talented students in academic programs relevant to international affairs, political and economic analysis, administration, management, and science policy. The goal is to attract outstanding students from all ethnic, racial, and social backgrounds who have an interest in pursuing a Foreign Service career in the U.S. Department of State. Undergraduate and Graduate fellowships are available.

For undergraduates, the fellowship award includes tuition, room, board, and mandatory fees during the junior and senior years of college and during the first year of graduate study, with reimbursement for books and for travel (one round trip per academic year, up to a set maximum amount). Fellows must commit to pursuing a graduate degree in international studies at one of the graduate schools participating in the program. Participating graduate schools provide financial support in the second year of graduate study based on need. Fellows meet annually in Washington, D.C., for a program orientation. The time to apply is during your sophomore year of college. Twenty Pickering Fellows were chosen from around the country last year. Read all the details at http://www.woodrow.org/public-policy/undergraduate.php. Deadline: February 2008.

For graduates, the fellowship award includes tuition, room, board, and mandatory fees for the first year and second year of graduate study, with reimbursement for books and travel (one round trip per academic year, up to a set maximum amount). Graduate-level Fellows receive stipends during participation in one domestic summer internship between the first and second year of graduate school, and one summer overseas internship following the second year of graduate school, as well as other benefits. The time to apply is during your senior year of college. Twenty Pickering Fellows were chosen from around the country last year. Read all the details at http://www.woodrow.org/public-policy/graduate.php.

Freshmen and juniors who are interested in applying for these fellowships should study the requirements on the websites now, and seek advising from Dr. Sloan, Dr. Oneal, and/or your major advisor.

Sophomores and seniors who decide to apply, please inform both Dr. Gary Sloan (gsloan@bsc.as.ua.edu) and Dr. Fran Oneal (foneal@bama.ua.edu) of your intent.


The Earthquake Engineering program will provide participants with knowledge of earthquake engineering principles (physics, theory, engineering interpretation and design) and then take them to Istanbul where they will see these principles applied.

The program will be offered during the spring semester, with an international field trip to Istanbul from March 7-16, 2008. The $3000 program fee includes:

• Tuition for the three-credit online spring semester course offered by Purdue University
• Roundtrip international airfare between Chicago and Istanbul
• Hotel accommodations, all breakfasts and lunches, transportation and cultural activities while in Istanbul
• Visa fee
• Medical insurance during the international portion.

Applicants should be students majoring in civil engineering, architectural engineering, geology, seismology or related studies with at least sophomore standing. U.S. citizenship is not required for the program. Application Deadline: Friday November 30.


Alabama Action Student Leader Application
Please use the attached application form if you would like to apply to be a student leader of Alabama Action for the summer of 2008.


Creative Writing Summer School
The University of Manchester's new Creative Writing Summer School is now open. Run by the Centre for New Writing, this academically rigorous, four-week summer school offers a unique opportunity to study British/Irish literature and creative writing at one of the UK's most popular universities.

Features include:

• A gala event featuring world-famous novelist Martin Amis
• Guided trips to literary sites in Dublin, Stratford-upon-Avon, the Lake District and the Yorkshire Moors
• Regular readings and Q&A sessions with visiting novelists and poets
• Creative writing workshops led by published writers
• Lectures and seminars on a range of British and Irish literature
• The chance to explore Manchester - England's second city renowned for its night life and music scene
• Accommodation and meals in centrally located University buildings

The following courses will be offered:

• Creative Writing - a workshop-based course in which students will have the opportunity to write, read and discuss short stories and poetry.
• Literature and Place - students will explore the varied roles and meanings of place in the work of writers such as Wordsworth, the Brontës, Yeats, Joyce and Ted Hughes, through a mixture of lectures, seminars and field trips.

The summer school is open to undergraduates entering their Junior or Senior year, who have a GPA of 3.0 and above and an interest in literature and/or creative writing. It will take place 30 June - 24 July 2008; to find out more please visit www.manchester.ac.uk/arts/newwriting/events/summerschool/.


LIVE. LEARN. INTERN. SUMMER INSTITUTES
June 7 – August 2, 2008
Georgetown University Ÿ Washington, DC
www.dcinternships.org

**NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR EARLY DEADLINE OF NOVEMBER 30, 2007**
Sponsored by The Fund for American Studies in partnership with Georgetown University, the Institutes combine substantive internships, courses for academic credit, career development activities, site briefings and lectures led by prominent policy experts. Students will be accepted in a rolling basis until the Final Deadline of February 25, 2008. Students applying by the Early Deadline of November 30, 2007 are given preference in admissions and scholarship decisions and will receive a 5% discount on their tuition balance.

• Internships – Competitive placements with top sites in D.C.
• Classes – Up to 9 transferable credits from Georgetown University· Housing – Furnished on-campus apartments in the heart of D.C.
• Guest Lectures – With Washington’s top policy and industry experts
• Site Briefings – At the White House Complex, State Department, U.S. House of Representatives, and Federal Reserve
• Leadership & Professional Development – Leadership, mentoring and career building activities
• Networking – Interaction with hundreds of other student leaders from around of the world
• Scholarships – Over half of all students receive full or partial funding based on merit and financial need

Four eight-week programs are offered in the following subject areas:

• Politics, Public Policy and International Affairs
• Journalism and Communications
• Corporate Business and Government Affairs
• Nonprofit and Community Service

For more information and an online application, please visit our website www.dcinternships.org


Environment, Society, and Culture of Ecuador
Study Abroad Summer 2008
Application review begins December 7, 2007
The Galapagos Islands Await YOU!

Eastern Illinois University is pleased to invite students, teachers, friends and adult family to enjoy the geography, earth science, culture and history of Ecuador July 22 to August 10, 2008. This sixth summer field studies in Ecuador earns 4 undergraduate or graduate credits. Meet local people and explore tropical ecological zones in the Andes Mountains, fertile mountain valleys, Amazon rainforest, and enchanted Galapagos Islands. Out of state students welcome and pay in state tuition rate. Registration includes 3 plane tickets (Chicago-Ecuador RT, Quito-jungle RT, Quito-Galapagos RT), Galapagos Islands first class cruise, land transportation, good lodging, most meals, tips and course materials. Contact experienced Faculty Director, Dr. Betty E. Smith besmith@eiu.edu or call office (217) 581-6340. Also http://www.eiu.edu/~geoscience/smith.html EIU website with details for Ecuador 2008 trip http://www.eiu.edu/~edabroad/programs/facultyled/smith.php