Author Archives: Gary Morris

About Gary Morris

Dean of the School of Natural Sciences at St. Edward's University.

2018 Lucian Symposium and Poster Session

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Dear colleagues and students,

A reminder to students that if you did research ANYWHERE this past summer and would like to present a poster on that work as part of the student poster session following this year’s Lucian Symposium (Friday, 28 September), here are the deadlines:

Students who would like to present a poster will need to submit their abstract and title by 5 pm, Monday, 10 September. To submit your abstract, visit https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/LUCIAN2018. If you do not yet have an account on this website (i.e., you did not submit a Lucian poster last year), click the “Registration” tab or “Create Account” link.  Once registered, you will receive an activation link and can then access the “2018 Lucian Symposium” conference.  To enter your research information, from the home page click the “Create new submission” link.  Note: if the conference is not visible from your home page when you log in, click the “All Conferences” tab then enter “2018 Lucian Symposium” in the filter search field and click the title once it is visible.

Submit your poster print request in PPT or PDF format as soon as you are able but absolutely no later than 12 noon on Wednesday, 12 September. Submit your requests to NSCI Poster Print Request.

Each student may have one poster printed by the School of Natural Sciences each academic year.  Additional poster printing should be paid for by research grant accounts as appropriate.  Students should use the poster they print for all appropriate conference presentations during the 2018 – 2019 academic year.  The poster template can be accessed through Box:  NSCI Poster Template.

NOTE:  posters submitted after 12 noon on Wednesday, 12 September will not be printed by the School of Natural Sciences.  I recommend that if you need to print your poster after that date, please look for poster printing services at local area businesses (e.g., FedEx print).

We are asking students to hang their posters by 3:00 pm on Thursday, 27 September.  That afternoon, the School of Natural Sciences Advisory Board will meet.  Members of the board often enjoy reading through student posters.  They will have time to do so after their meeting concludes around 4:30 pm that afternoon.

We ask students to take their posters down by 5 pm on Friday, 28 September.

We ask students to plan to be at their posters for some portion of the time period 1:00-3:00pm on Friday, 28 September.  It is not necessary to stand at your poster for the entire period of time, but do commit to spending some portion of that period of time at your poster if at all possible.

Each year I have been at St. Edward’s as Dean of Natural Sciences, this event has been a big success, and recognized as such by our prestigious Lucian Symposium guests.  We have a great opportunity to share what our students have been doing in the area of research and the successes you all are having in advancing the frontiers of science.

Remember, it is not essential that the research occurred at St. Edward’s— any REU or other university research program at which you did research this summer is eligible for a printing of one poster.

Finally – if you were a recipient of a Brother Romard research grant this past summer, the expectation is that you will print out and present a poster at this event.

If you have any questions, please contact NSCIdean@stedwards.edu.

Looking forward to another great student research poster session.
GM

 

Scholarships for Student Attendance at the AIAA Space Conference, 17 – 19 September 2018

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I am happy to announce the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Space Diversity Scholarship, in support of student attendance at the AIAA Space Conference, September 17-19 in Orlando, FL. This program encourages students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds to apply.

Applications are welcome from students in all disciplines with an interest in space (including, but not limited to, STEM fields, communications, law, industrial design, journalism, political science, etc.).

Scholarships will cover hotel, registration, and transportation to the conference. Students will be selected based on a 300-word essay demonstrating their interest in space, diversity of participants, and geographic guidelines provided by certain sponsors. Due to cost constraints, this program will only fund transportation originating in the United States, including U.S. territories. Proof of current enrollment in a degree-granting institution will be required upon acceptance of the award.

The deadline for this application is 7/3/18.  Please contact Alex D’Imperio at with any questions.

 

Capital Factory – Round 2

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Hi, all,

Due to a couple of survey glitches, I’ve re-posted a revised version of the survey as related to the 3 available seats at Capital Factory:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NSCI_2018_CapitalFactory

Please click on the link and fill out the survey above if you’re interested — even if you’ve already done so once.  We’ll take applications through May 15.

Thanks!
GM

Opportunities at Capital Factory for NSCI Students in 2018

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Thanks to the generous support of a donor, the School of Natural Sciences is happy to announce the availability of three student co-working seats at the Capital Factory in downtown Austin.  The tech hub and start-up incubator has been an Austin landmark for years, and offers wireless internet, access to entrepreneurs and business mentors, and numerous seminars and presentations.  We are delighted to offer three students the chance to spend time at Capital Factory to pursue a project of their own design.

Eligible students will be majoring in the sciences, mathematics, computer science, or environmental science.  It is expected that students regularly spend time at the Capital Factory as part of their project, with more significant effort in the summer when classes on the main campus are not in session.  Project proposals may be for just the summer or may extend through the Fall semester as well.

A faculty member from NSCI will be present regularly to provide mentorship and guidance to students working on projects there.  Checking in with that faculty member is required for students working at Capital Factory as well.

For more information, please contact nscidean@stedwards.edu.

To apply, please fill out this survey.

Applications will be accepted through Friday, 11 May at 5 pm.

It is anticipated that projects at Capital Factory may begin as early as 15 May.

Scholarships through the Texas Space Grant

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SEU joined the Texas Space Grant Consortium last fall.  For the first time, therefore, our students are eligible to apply to their scholarship program:

http://www.tsgc.utexas.edu/grants/scholars_announcement.html

The deadline for applying is 27 April.

Good luck!

GM

Dean Chairs Session at 2018 National Air Quality Conference

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA), and the Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies (AAPCA) jointly sponsored this national conference on air quality in Austin, Texas, January 24 – 26, 2018.  The meeting brings together representatives from air quality management agencies, scientists, instrument companies, and other stakeholders to discuss the latest resources in air quality and plan for the future.

The conference was originally scheduled to take place September 11 – 13, 2017, but in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, it was rescheduled for this month.

Dr. Gary A. Morris, Dean of Natural Sciences at St. Edward’s, was invited to chair a session:  “Case Studies, Data Analysis, and Modeling Tools.”  His research group also presented a poster at the conference on “More than a Decade of Ozone Profile Measurements in Texas Using Weather Balloons.”

Pictured below are Dr. Morris (left) with two of his former students:  Daniel Alrick (center, now with the Air Quality Management District in San Francisco, a presenter in his session above) and Mark Spychala (right, currently a research assistant in Dr. Morris’ group at SEU).

Opportunities with ESTEEM at Notre Dame

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Many students (including 5 St. Edward’s U. grads since 2014) come into the University of Notre Dame’s ESTEEM Graduate Program in Entrepreneurship and Innovation feeling restless and boxed in by the career choices laid out in front of them, but full of energy to create a better world and make an impact. For this reason, ESTEEM emphasizes the action of entrepreneurship, not just the study of it. ESTEEM allows students with technical backgrounds to explore the world of business and entrepreneurship, learning how to combine their current skills with new ones to become leaders in their chosen fields. 

ESTEEM curriculum: 

  • 11 months 
  • includes design thinking, customer validation, financial modeling, BMC, data analysis, finance and prototyping
  • Master’s Thesis Capstone: go-to-market approach with ND-based research, industry-sponsored projects or Founder’s Idea

ESTEEM students:

  • 44 students in the class of 2018 from various STEM fields
  • 100% receive some level of scholarship award
  • Average scholarship of $20k

ESTEEM graduates:

  • are changing the world at companies such as Apple, Eli Lilly, McKinsey, Walt Disney and more
  • 83% are placed at graduation; 95% @ 90 days from grad
  • 1 in 4 alums are in startups; 36% as founders or co-founders

You may email Kyle Williams for more details or learn more about the program at esteem.nd.edu.

“Monarchs on the Hilltop” – Friday, Nov. 3 @ 5:15 pm in Fleck 207

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Business Plan Competition – Apply by 7 Nov.

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The Munday School of Business’ annual Business Plan Competition is accepting applications now through Tuesday, 7 November.  The competition is open to SEU students who are in Austin during the Spring 2018 Semester.  For more details:

https://www.stedwards.edu/business/business-plan-competition

And to apply:

https://stedwards.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5hV9XSMoCiJk44t

NSCI All-School Mass – Wed., 15 Nov. @ 5:15 pm in the Chapel

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Dear faculty, staff, students, and alumni,

We’ll hold our first annual All-School Mass in the Chapel at St. Edward’s on Wed., 15 November at 5:15 pm in celebration of the Feast of Albertus Magnus, patron saint of Natural Sciences.

Please spread the word and join us as a community of faith to celebrate the Eucharist with Fr. Peter.
GM