Student Engagement Opportunities with Approaching Deadlines

2012 Research Alliance in Math and Science
June-August 2012 – Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Application Deadline – January 31, 2012

The Research Alliance in Math and Science (RAMS) Program is based on the belief that national laboratories and universities, working hand in hand, offer the best opportunity to make a positive impact on the quality of a diverse workforce. The Research Alliance in Math and Science program is designed to provide collaborative research experiences among faculty and students at colleges or universities and DOE national laboratory researchers. These experiences will improve the U.S. competitive research edge while encouraging and promoting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) research throughout the academic year. Students majoring in computer science, the computational sciences (computational biology, computational chemistry, computational materials sciences, and so forth), engineering technologies, and mathematics are placed primarily in the Computing and Computational Sciences Directorate during the internship period. For more information and submission guidelines, please visit http://computing.ornl.gov/internships/rams/.

UC Berkeley to host Summer 2012 Research Program
Application Deadline – January 31, 2012

UC Berkeley is hosting a summer research program, SUPERB-Information Technology for Sustainability, an NSF-funded summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates site in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences.  Students will have the chance to do computing research with faculty and graduate students to solve important environmental problems. SUPERB-ITS participants receive a $4,500 stipend, room and board on campus in the International House, and up to $600 for travel expenses.  The SUPERB-ITS website can be found athttp://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Programs/ugrad/superb/superb.html To apply online, please visit http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Programs/ugrad/superb/superbapp/application.shtml

Rice University Leadership Alliance Summer Research Early Identification Program (SR-EIP)
Application Deadline – February 1, 2012

The Leadership Alliance offers a summer research experience for undergraduates who would like to work eight to ten weeks under the guidance of a faculty or research mentor at a participating institution.  Research experiences are available in all academic disciplines. For more information, please visit http://www.theleadershipalliance.org/Programs/SummerResearch/ResearchExperiences/tabid/244/Default.aspx.

Undergraduate Research Scholarship Application Now Open
Application Deadline – February  6, 2012

The California Space Grant Consortium (CaSGC) is pleased to announce its 2011-2012 Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) for students in their junior or senior year. Up to twenty $1,500 scholarships will be awarded to California college and university students studying STEM topics. Interested students must be US citizens and must be attending a California Space Grant affiliates institution of higher learning. For a list of affiliates, please visit http://casgc.ucsd.edu/?page_id=27. For the full announcement and application instructions, please visit http://casgc.ucsd.edu/blog/wp-content/uploads/UROP-2011-2012-Announcement.pdf. To access the online application, please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/UROP_Application_2011-2012. For questions, feel free to contact Tehseen Lazzouni at tlazzouni@ucsd.edu.

ACM Queue Launches Online Programming Challenge
Competition Start Date – January 15, 2012
Competition End Date – February 12, 2012

ACM Queue Magazine is offering an online programming competition based on the 2011 International Collegiate Programming Competition (ICPC) Challenge problem. The Queue ICPC Challenge consists of a game called "Coercion" in which participants code "players" in C++, C#, Java, Python or JavaScript to compete with other programmers. Participants will have four weeks to develop their players, and can compete against preliminary players. The game is open to all ACM Queue readers. To enter the game, please register for a free ACM Web account at http://queue.acm.org/icpc/index.cfm?page=register.

Summer 2012 Paid Summer Research Internships for Underrepresented Students via CRA-W/CDC DREU
Application Deadline – February 15, 2012

The CRA-W/CDC Distributed Research Experiences for Undergraduates (DREU) Program matches promising undergraduates with a faculty mentor for a summer research experience at the faculty member's home institution. The objective of the DREU is to increase the number of women and students from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities and persons with disabilities, entering graduate studies in the fields of computer science and engineering Funding for the student consists of $6000 for the summer (10 weeks), plus relocation travel assistance when appropriate.   For more information, including application guidelines for students and faculty, please visit  http://parasol.tamu.edu/dreu/


NASA Opportunity for Female High School Juniors
Application Deadline – February 15, 2012

Dream.  Engineer. WISH.  Women In STEM High School Aerospace Scholars

Engineer your dream job!  Your adventure begins in 2012 with an online community and culminates with a summer experience at NASA Johnson Space Center in Summer 2012. Collaborate with girls from across the country and female NASA engineers and interns. Get ready to start your dream!   For specific project information, please visit http://wish.aerospacescholars.org.

California State Summer School for Math and Science (COSMOS)
July 8-August 4, 2012 – La Jolla, California
Application Deadline – March 1, 2012

This exciting program is designed specifically for talented and motivated high school students. The California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science [COSMOS] is a 4-week residential summer program open to entering ninth through exiting twelfth-grade high school students with demonstrated interest and achievement in math and science. This intensive experience is intended to encourage the brightest and most promising young minds to continue their interest in these fields. Located on four University of California campuses (Davis, Irvine, San Diego and Santa Cruz), COSMOS provides students with an unparalleled opportunity to work side-by-side with outstanding university faculty and researchers, covering topics extending beyond the typical high school curriculum. For more information and to apply, please visit http://www.jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/cosmos/.

I3 Undergraduate Research Opportunity
Application Deadline Extension - March 2, 2012

The i3 admissions committee has extended its application deadline to early March 2012. The iSchool Inclusion Institute (i3) is a leadership development program that prepares undergraduate students from underrepresented populations for graduate study in the information sciences.*/ i3 is held at the University of Pittsburgh in June of each year. Students admitted to the program are immersed in special-topics workshops, professional development seminars, and network-building opportunities. Students receive practical guidance from faculty, career counselors, and various industry professionals. i3 serves as a fantastic opportunity to learn about graduate school, explore other fields of study, and develop your career-path. Students are still encouraged to submit their applications sooner rather than later, as the admissions committee will be prioritizing early applications. If you are interested in a summer internship and gaining research experience, please consider submitting an application. For more information, including application guidelines, please visit http://www.ischool-inclusion.org/about-i3/what-is-i3.html.

2012 Yahoo! Key Scientific Challenges Program-
Application Deadline - March 9, 2012

INVENT THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNET

What are the big problems Yahoo! is working on? What are the major challenges facing our industry today? What will the next generation of the Internet look like and how will we get there? Yahoo! Labs scientists are asked these questions every day. The questions and answers have created some big opportunities for PhD students around the globe. This is your chance to get an inside look at and help tackle-the big challenges that Yahoo! and the entire Internet industry is facing today. As part of the Key Scientific Challenges Program, you will gain access to Yahoo!'s world-class scientists, some of the richest and largest data repositories in the world, and have the potential to make a huge impact on the future of the Internet while driving your research forward. To be eligible, you must be currently enrolled in a PhD program at any accredited institution.  For more information, challenge areas and application guidelines, please visit http://labs.yahoo.com/ksc.

CCT REU: Interdisciplinary Research Experience in Computational Sciences 
May 29-July 28, 2012 – Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Application deadline - March 30, 2012

The Center for Computation & Technology (CCT) hosts a nine week Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program where students work collaboratively on a wide variety of computational science projects.   Each student receives a stipend of $4,500, free housing in university dormitories, and up to $500 in travel expenses to and from Louisiana. Students at least a 2.75 GPA, considering a career in research and/or graduate school in your major, and being a US citizen or permanent resident. REU students will learn how to use some of the nation's largest supercomputers, may participate in the setup and management of large-scale simulations, and may take on an important role in the analysis and visualization of the simulation results. 

For more information and to apply, please visit http://reu.cct.lsu.edu/.

Salk Institute High School Scholars Program
June 25-August 10, 2012 – La Jolla, California
Application Deadline – March 31, 2012

Students from throughout the San Diego area gather at the institute every summer to participate in hands-on laboratory experiences under the mentorship of a Salk scientist. Founded more than 30 years ago, the program helps fulfill Dr. Jonas Salk’s vision of providing opportunities for local high school students to experience life in a scientific laboratory, and explore the possibility of a career in science. Through the eight-week program, students are involved with a full-time research project as well as enrichment activities. Students learn how to formulate and test hypotheses, prepare experiments and draw conclusions from those experiments. They also learn to maintain laboratory notebooks and take part in regular lab meetings and group discussions. At the end of the program, students present their research projects to their mentors, lab members and families. For more information on this program, contact Dona Mapston, Science Education Specialist with Salk's Education Outreach Program at 858 453-4100 ext. 1954 or mapston@salk.edu.

Federal Cyber Service: Scholarship for Service (SFS)
Proposal Deadline – April 17, 2012

Student Conferences and Things to Know

Program Aims to Help Girls, Minorities Succeed in Math and Science

Excerpt from the Baltimore Sun 

Maryland educators are receiving training in how to interact with girls and minorities to boost their performance in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). "We're really focusing on the little messages, the implicit messages that add up over time," says Tara Ebersole, STEM liaison for the Community College of Baltimore County. The training will help educators better understand the impact of calling more often on boys than girls or lowering expectations of minority students, for example. "It all comes down to the perception of inclusion, or the belief that you are capable of being successful," notes Claudia Morrell of the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity Education Foundation. The Educators' Equity STEM Academy will target high school teachers and community college teachers. The program is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. To read further, please visit http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-01-09/news/bs-md-co-stem-academy-20120109_1_training-program-high-school-teachers-professors

Geek' Perception of Computer Science Putting Off Girls, Expert Warns

Excerpt from The Guardian

University of Southampton professor Dame Wendy Hall warns that girls still think of computer science as a subject for geeks and that this has proved to be a very difficult cultural obstacle to overcome. Hall says that instead of showing students how computers work, secondary school classes teach students how to use computers to produce documents, which has discouraged girls from choosing computer science as a career field. In 2004, women made up about 19 percent of all students pursuing undergraduate computer science degrees in the United Kingdom, but that number fell to 16 percent in 2009, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency. "Women and girls use technology as much if not more than boys and men do and it's important that women are part of creating the future of this industry," Hall says. Although the scientific community has made several attempts to encourage girls to take up science, there are fewer initiatives that focus solely on computer science, according to UKRC, an organization that works to address the under-representation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. To read further, please visit http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/jan/10/fewer-girls-taking-computer-science?newsfeed=true.

ACM-W Scholarships for Attendance at Research Conferences

ACM-W, with funding from Wipro Technologies, provides support for women undergraduate and graduate students in Computer Science and related programs who wish to attend research conferences. Exposure to the CS research world can be an important factor in encouraging a student to continue on to the next level (Undergraduate to Graduate, Masters to Ph.D., Ph.D. to an industry or academic position). The student does not have to present a paper at the conference she attends. As of 2011, twenty ACM-W/Wipro scholarships will be funded annually: ten scholarships of up to $600 will be awarded for intra-continental conference travel, and ten scholarships of up to $1200 will be awarded for intercontinental conference travel. For more information, please visit http://women.acm.org/participate/scholarship/.

Third Annual Dare 2B Digital Conference for Middle and High School Girls
February 12, 2012 – San Jose, Californi9a

This conference, taking place at the eBay campus in San Jose, offers hands-on learning experience for girls, ages 13-16, in middle and high school, plus their parents and mentors. Inspirational keynote sessions, workshops, demonstrations and discussion panels with computing experts are presented by Invent Your Future Enterprises in partnership with eBay, Oracle, Brocade Communications, Cisco, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Mozilla, SAP Labs, Symantec, Cadence, NetApp, Techbridge, the Computer Science Teachers Association and the National Center for Women & Information Technology. For more information on speakers, the plan for the day and to register, please visit http://www.dare2bdigitalconference.com/.

Shodor Offers Spring Saturday Exploration Workshops for Students in Grades 6-8

Shodor is offering six Saturday workshops during the spring that will explore a variety of areas in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM). These workshops combine hands-on activities with computer and network explorations, enabling students to discover the role of computers and communications technologies in modern science. Offered in partnership with North Carolina Central University, these workshops will allow students to participate in CybAdventures. CybAdventures is a morning of hands-on experiments or computational activities that are both entertaining and informative. Topics range from chemistry to geospatial sciences. For more information and to register, please visit http://www.shodor.org/succeed/workshops/current/.

2^nd Annual USA Science and Engineering Festival
April 28-29, 2012 – Washington, DC

Building on the success of the inaugural Science Festival in 2010, the 2nd USA Science & Engineering Festival will inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers with school programs and nationwide contests throughout the 2011/2012 school year and this event is the finale expo. The Science Festival is the nation’s largest celebration of all things science and engineering and features over 2,000 hands-on activities and over 150 performances. There will be exciting new programs including a Book Fair, Featured Science & Engineering Authors and a Career Pavilion that includes a College Fair, a Job Fair and a Meet the Scientist/Engineer Networking area.. For more information, please visit http://www.usasciencefestival.org/?utm_source=Everyone&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=December+14th+2011+Newsletter.

CCC Launches Undergraduates Summer Research Listing Site


The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) is offering a new website for listing undergraduate summer research positions. Researchers will be able to post their summer research opportunities on the listing site for free. The site will enable students to find summer research programs, and will enable the CCC to promote a pipeline of young talent for careers in computing research. The CCC's relatively new Computer Science Research Opportunities & Graduate School (CSGS) site will offer a link to the listings. The CSGS site provides information on summer research opportunities, a Q&A on "why do research," and links to summer programs from the U.S. National Science Foundation, Research Experiences for Undergraduates, the CRA Committee on the Status of Women in Computing Research, and Canadian Collaborative Research Experiences for Undergraduates, among others. To read further, please visit http://www.cccblog.org/2012/01/06/ccc-launches-undergraduate-summer-research-listing-site/.