ORISE Undergraduate Scholarship Competition

Mean, Green Recycling Machines: Undergraduate Scholarship Competition

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) is hosting a research-based challenge for undergraduate students! The challenge is for students to develop a website on plastic recycling. Students will research their schools’ current process for recycling plastic and then design/create a strategy to make the process more efficient. Thorough submissions will include further research on the plastic recycling process, benefits of current recycling methods, and process improvement ideas. Your website could win you a $5,000 scholarship!

The deadline for this competition is Tuesday, November 30, 2021, and winners will be announced in late December.

Prizes:

·       1st place: $5,000 scholarship 

·       2nd place: $3,000 scholarship 

·       3rd place: $1,000 scholarship

For more information on the competition, please visit https://orise.orau.gov/resources/stem/scholarships.html. If you have any questions, you can contact STEMEd@orau.org. 

ALCF AI for Science Training Series

The Argonne Leadership Computing Facility is launching an AI training program aimed at undergraduate and graduate students interested in taking their AI skills to a new level. The Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF) AI for Science Training Series, which kicks off on October 28, 2021, is a weekly virtual program designed to teach attendees the fundamentals of using world-class supercomputers to advance the use of AI for science.

 

The intensive, hands-on series will leverage Argonne’s AI expertise and the ALCF’s supercomputing resources to provide a unique learning experience that will give participants a leg up in the burgeoning field of AI for Science. We will cover all aspects of using supercomputers for AI, from employing Jupyter notebooks, building data pipelines for deep learning, uncertainty quantification, reinforcement learning, geometric deep learning, and distributed training, to mention just a few of the topics to be explored with hands-on examples using experimental datasets.

 

Please share this opportunity with your students and anyone else who may be interested in joining us for the inaugural ALCF AI for Science Training Series. All sessions will be video recorded for students who are willing to enhance their training using ALCF supercomputers after each training session.

 

The registration deadline is Thursday, October 21, 2021. To register, visit: alcf.anl.gov/alcf-ai-science-training-series

 

Important note: It may take longer for foreign nationals to get an ALCF user account for the training series. Please register as soon as possible to provide sufficient lead time for ALCF account creation.  

Science Coalition's Fund It Forward Student Video Challenge

Social Media Guide

Fund It Forward Student Video Challenge Launch

 

The Science Coalition’s second-annual Fund It Forward Student Video Challenge launches today, September 7. Over the last two years, we have seen the benefit of TSC member universities using their social media channels and on-campus resources to generate entries into the challenge. To repeat and build on this success, we encourage member institutions to engage with us by regularly retweeting @scicoalition and posting content from your respective accounts using the provided social cards.

 

Recommended hashtags:

§  #FundItForward

§  #ThankstoScience

§  #FundScience

 

Sample tweets are available below:

 

§  IT’S BACK: @scicoalition’s #FundItForward Student Video Challenge opens today! Students, tell us why federal investment in science and research is important to you – you could win a cash prize. Get the details here: https://bit.ly/3jNZPrO #ThankstoScience #FundScience

 

§  NOW OPEN: The #FundItForward Student Video Challenge is back! Whether it’s climate change, space exploration, or a cure for cancer, federal funding for research uniquely impacts each of us. Submit your story to @scicoalition by Oct. 18. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3jNZPrO #ThankstoScience #FundScience

 

§  Attention students! 🗣 If you’re passionate about science, research, or our country’s #STEM future, check out @scicoalition’s #FundItForward Student Video Challenge. Submit a video and you could earn a cash prize. More info: https://bit.ly/3jNZPrO #ThankstoScience

 

§  .@[TAG UNIVERSITY]’s partnership with federal research agencies fuels innovation on campus and across the country. Now, it’s your turn to tell Congress why funding for science matters. Enter @scicoalition’s #FundItForward Student Video Challenge by Oct. 18: https://bit.ly/3jNZPrO

 

§  The #FundItForward Student Video Challenge is back! Earn cash prizes by helping @scicoalition spread the word about why science matters. Get all the details and check out previous winners here: https://bit.ly/3jNZPrO #ThankstoScience

 

§  The power of a great story can change the world – those stories in turn can increase federal investment in #fundamentalresearch. Students, tell Congress to #FundScience and enter the #FundItForward Student Video Challenge: https://bit.ly/3jNZPrO

  

BEST PRACTICES FOR ADVERTISING THE SCIENCE COALITION’S 

STUDENT VIDEO CHALLENGE ON YOUR CAMPUS

 

The Science Coalition’s Fund It Forward Student Video Challenge is back! The challenge will be open for submissions from September 7 to October 18, 2021. Previous winners received very favorable attention from their members of Congress, providing an impactful touchpoint for universities and policymakers with the message to support federal funding for research. 

 

Below are tips and best practices to get the word out around your campus. With students back in class and in their labs, now is the perfect time to advertise! 

 

In previous years, the most effective outreach was direct and personal. Asking department heads, student groups, and faculty to share the opportunity with their students, or reaching students directly, got the best return of submissions. Please reach out to the relevant people on your campus now so we receive a robust list of submissions in October. 

 

If you need any additional materials or assistance, please reach out to sciencecoalition@forbes-tate.com.

 

Social Media Amplification – See the social toolkit from FTP for graphics and suggested posts

§  Regularly post Student Video Challenge-related content on your accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) and ask campus accounts to share on their platforms

§  Tag (@name) undergraduate and graduate student government and interest group accounts to encourage them to share 

§  Use hashtags #FundItForward, #ThankstoScience, and #FundScience

§  Example tweet: 

o   The #FundItForward Student Video Challenge is back! Earn cash prizes by helping @scicoalition spread the word about why science should matter to Congress! Open now until Oct. 18. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3hoGA47 #ThankstoScience

 

Campus Listservs Including Student Groups – Ask organizers and leaders to share the video challenge information on their listserv, including:

§  Undergraduate student council

§  Graduate student council

§  Science policy or advocacy interest groups

§  Science communication or journalism interest groups

§  Visual or performing arts interest groups

 

Direct Outreach

§  Student Services staff – Ask to be included in their newsletters to students

§  Department Heads and department student liaisons

§  VP for Research communications lead

§  Undergraduate Research Program heads (REU or other programs)

 

 

Below is a template email to guide your outreach: 

 

Hello [Addressee],

 

I thought this might be an interesting opportunity for [ORGANIZATION NAME], particularly because of your focus on [RELEVANT INTEREST AREA]. Please feel free to share widely and let me know if you have any questions. 

 

Thanks,

[Your name]

 

###

 

Did you know [INSERT UNIVERSITY] is a member of The Science Coalition? Together with research universities across the country, we’re working to spread the word to Congress about why science matters—and we need your help! 

 

The Science Coalition recently launched its third-annual Fund It Forward Student Video Challenge, which is a great opportunity for students and researchers on campus to get involved in science advocacy and earn cash prizes! The challenge is open now until October 18. The power of a great story can change the world, and now more than ever, it’s important we share the value of science to advocate for increased federal funding for research. 

 

Cash prizes from $500 to $1,000 will be awarded to the top three graduate and undergraduate student winners, with an additional opportunity for finalists to earn more through the People’s Choice Award. You don’t have to be a scientist to enter—if you’re passionate about science, we want to hear from you. It’s time to fund it forward.

 

Enter today! More details can be found on the website, and questions can be directed to tsc@sciencecoalition.org.

 

 

Suggested description: The Science Coalition’s (TSC) Fund It Forward Student Video Challenge is an opportunity for students at TSC universities to tell Congress why investment in scientific research matters. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3hvGS8E 

Clean up campus fliers

 

[BIOS or ENVS Research Credits/Volunteer Opportunity] Restoration Meta-Analysis

Regina Mae Francia, a PhD student of Dr. Holly Jones, is currently looking for volunteers to help with her meta-analysis which dives into the restoration literature. It would be very helpful if you could spread the word and share this volunteer opportunity where students can receive research credits.