SEU Summer Research Opportunities

Greetings Natural Sciences and Math majors!
 
The School of Natural Sciences is pleased to announce the availability of summer 2017 undergraduate research positions for students doing collaborative research with St. Edward’s science and mathematics faculty. Any current St. Edward’s student with a declared major in the School of Natural Sciences is eligible to apply for a research position if you will be enrolled as an undergraduate at St. Edward’s for the fall semester of 2017.  

Two options will be offered, a one-week group research project targeted primarily to first year students that will be performed May 15-19 and a 6-9 week project targeted primarily to students who have completed more than one year of study at SEU beginning around May 22 (dates are variable depending on the supervisor).  The one-week option does not provide a stipend, but it does cover housing on campus during this period.

Students participating in the 6-9 week projects will be awarded stipends of  $1500 to $3150 (determined by class standing, research period length, and prior research experience) paid in equal increments twice monthly for full-time research done over six to nine weeks. The stipend payments will begin in mid-June, contingent upon satisfactory progress. In addition, a housing support stipend may also be paid dependent on your housing status.  This program is supported in part by the Welch Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the Jean McKemie Endowment, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and the Brother Romard Barthel/J.D. Lewis Summer Research Funds. 

Students opting for the one-week group research project format need not contact the instructor, but they should read the articles recommended by the selected research supervisor.  Students who completed more than one year of study at SEU and excelled in their classes and who have research interests that overlap or complement those of one of the participating supervisors are preferred for the 6-9 week projects.  A student should approach a potential faculty mentor with a specific research topic in mind, or may ask a potential faculty mentor to suggest possible research projects that would be appropriate. In either case, priority for the 6-9 weeks projects will be given to students who have conferred with a potential faculty mentor and formulated general project goals prior to submission of this application. Final awards are contingent on available funds and the merit of the applicant.
 
Application Submission Deadline: March 9  
Notification: Monday, April 3
 
Questions?  Please contact the Director of NSCI Undergraduate Research.
 
Link to Summer Research Student Application: https://stedwards.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_cLUAZ1rKpT2Vrut
For more information email me.
Richard L. Kopec, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, NSCI Faculty Development
Director, NSCI Undergraduate Research
Professor, Chemistry/Computer Science
St. Edward’s University
JBWS 386 
(512) 448-8464 (V)
(512) 448-8482 (FAX)

Rest in Peace Bro. Romard Barthel, SEU and NSCI Icon

It is with great sadness that I pass along the news that Bro. Romard Barthel (CSC ’47), of the Order of the Holy Cross, passed away on Wed., 7 December at the age of 92.  Bro. Romard taught physics and life at St. Edward’s University for generations of students.

I arrived at St. Edward’s as Dean of Natural Sciences in July 2014.  It did not take long for the stories of Bro. Romard to begin making their way to me.  I quickly began meeting some of the numerous alumni and current faculty members whose lives were forever changed by Bro. Romard’s kindness, dedication, attention, and inspirational model.

Bro. Romard significantly impacted the trajectory of the School of Natural Sciences and St. Edward’s University. In the history of an institution, there are but a precious few who truly earn the distinction of being recognized as a cultural icon, and they usually do so with the greatest modesty imaginable.  I can assure you that in the case of Bro. Romard, that recognition as an icon of the Natural Sciences at St. Edward’s University is richly deserved..

His legacy will live on in the lives of those he touched, both directly and indirectly. (You can find a nice example in the Winter 2015 issue of the St. Edward’s Magazine.)

Of significance to today’s students, who did not have the honor of meeting him in person or being directly inspired by him, the Bro. Romard Barthel Scholarship and Research Fund was established by alumni in his honor to support summer research opportunities and scholarships for today’s Natural Sciences students.  Through these students and the paths they forge on their own journeys in life, his impact will continue to be felt and honored.

Please remember Bro. Romard in your prayers.  May his model and inspiration live on in those of us who benefit today from his years of servant leadership and dedication to the place he cherished, St. Edward’s University.

Obituary.

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