Spring 2006
2006 - 2007 And the winner is... The new SURGe Officers have been announced. If you missed the meeting, the winners are available on the elections page. Also, our SURGe Fellowship page now features previous winners.
Tuesday, July 25th The SURGe website has changed servers. You can still reach us at www.utsurge.org, but if you have links or bookmarks to the previous server (uts.cc.utexas.edu), please take note of the new URLs (studentorgs.utexas.edu).
Thursday, July 27th Honor thy neighbor, and attend the upcoming summer Honors Colliquium. A reception will be held at the Performing Arts Center from 2 - 5 PM.
Thursday, June 29th Another Lab Tour! SURGe needs some friendly summer volunteers! We'll be providing another lab tour to middle school students, and hosting a hands-on experiment afterwards. Check out the UT Young Scientists Camp signup page to get involved.
Summer, 2006 Welcome to UT, fishies. SURGe will be active during each freshman orientation session. If you can volunteer an hour and a half this summer during any of the sessions, please see the freshman orientation signup page. Thanks SURGers!
Friday, May 5, 3 - 5 PM It's party time. SURGe will be holding this semester's Funday at the Union Underground. As usual, we'll have wonderful free food and bowling for attendees. This is our last event of the semester, so we hope you'll join us!
Friday, April 28 Our last meeting this semester will be led by Structural Geologist Dr. Marrett. He will be discussing his work with volcanic activity in the Central Andes of Argentina and Chile. Also during this meeting, winners from the SURGe elections will be announced, and positions will be handed over.
Friday, April 21 Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room. This week, Dr. Pestorius will tell us about the research at the Applied Research Laboratories of UT. ARL:UT studies such things as acoustics, electromagnetics, and information technology to strengthen national security.
Wednesday, April 26 Represent. The SURGe voting deadline has been extended to this Wednesday. Be sure to cast a ballot this week, and if you're feeling democratic, tell your friends! If you didn't get in the elections this year, you can always help out by joining a committee next year. Good luck candidates!
Friday, September 15 The Fall 2006 SURGe Jumpstart Research Fellowship is due 5 PM, September 15, 2006. Points are cleared and will contribute to the Fall 2006 Jumpstart Fellowship effective February 10, 2006. Contestants have until September 15, 2006 to collect points. The new minimum point limit for the Fall 2006 Jumpstart Fellowship is 12 points.
Monday, April 17 SURGe wants you! The deadline to submit intent to run in the SURGe elections has been extended to April 17th by 10:00 PM. A link to the elections has been placed on the left menu in the Members section. Becoming a SURGe officer is a great way to give back to SURGe, who you have grown to love and trust! Plus, elections are fun.
Thursday, April 13 Help keep SURGe free by buying a plant at the Plant Sale this Thursday, April 13th from 9 - 4 PM by West Mall. You can volunteer to help at the plant sale for 3 pts. Set-up starts at 8:30 AM by the PAI greenhouse. All other shifts are located by West Mall.
Friday, April 7 Hot Science/Cool Talks: The final ESI lecture of the semester features Dr. Lauren Meyers on "Fighting Deadly Diseases: Strategies for Prediction and Containment." We need volunteers for help with pre-lecture activities — face-painting and other disease-fighting hygiene fun — in WEL beginning at 5:45 PM. Please contact Van if you're interested in volunteering. You can view photos from our last ESI event in our photos section care of Danny.
Friday, April 7 The 2006 Undergraduate Research Forum needs volunteers to help with everything from setting up to the ending reception. Our normal Friday meeting will be replaced by this event, so please help out as much as you can! The forum website has more information.
Photos from Explore UT have been posted, thanks to Van.
Friday, March 31st, 2006, 12 - 4 PM At Workshop 4: Output Workshop, SURGe members and Special Projects staff will help students finalize their posters and oral presentations and print their posters. Lunch will be provided to those who register. This event will take place in PAI 4.28. Check the Undergraduate Research Forum site for more details.
Friday, March 24 Everybody loves MUFFINS. Especially Rashid Engineering Regent Chair Dr. Willson, who will be speaking about the new biosensor technology this week. MUFFINS are Mesoscale Unaddressed Functionalized Fragments Indexed by Niche Shape. What's best about these MUFFINS is that they self-assemble! Come find out more at this week's meeting.
Photos from SURF have been posted, care of Van.
Friday, March 3 "Crack Babies" are a misnomer. Mothers who produce "crack babies" have been found to use more than just crack or cocaine during pregnancy. Our March 3rd general meeting will feature professor of pharmacology and toxicology Dr. Carlton Erickson. Dr. Erickson is director of the Addiction Science Research and Education Center, an organization devoted to educating others about the science of addiction, and doing so in a way that everyone can understand.
Friday, March 3, 5:45 PM What's Cooler than Cool? "Brave New Ocean," featuring Dr. Jeremy Jackson, is the second ESI lecture of the semester and takes place on Friday, March 3, after our general meeting. We'll be helping with pre-lecture activities — face-painting, trivia quizzes, games, and prizes — in WEL beginning at 5:45 PM. Please contact Van if you're interested in volunteering. This event counts towards active membership and the fellowship.
Saturday, March 4 It's that time of year again, friends — time to pull out your dry ice, latex gloves, war paint, and helium tanks. No, it's no o-chem study party. Explore UT is on Saturday, March 4! This neat event is a university-wide open house where people come to get a peek at what happens on campus. Colleges, departments, special programs, and student organizations have booths and displays with activities for the wayfaring visitor traversing the 40 Acres. We have several opportunities for SURGe members to help volunteer. Check them out at the Explore UT volunteer signup! You can also look at how much fun we had last year!
Update: our booth will be located outside of WEL, on Speedway! Shift one volunteers: the first shift is now to meet at the Natural Sciences Welcome/Registration Table on Speedway, no later than 9:15 AM, but volunteers of later shifts can find us at our table location.
Friday, March 10, from 3 - 5 PM Need to be officially lab safe? UT's Office of Environmental Health and Safety will present their two-hour "Lab Safety Class." All participating students will receive lab safety certification, but must register to attend. Don't worry, registration is simple.
The calendar is filling up! Check out all the upcoming research-related events.
Friday, February 24, from 5 - 7 PM "Shake it like a Polaroid picture:" Our first social of the spring semester will be Friday, February 24, from 5 - 7 PM, in the Texas Union Lonestar Room. We'll have karaoke, the wonderful Dance Dance Revolution, free food and drinks, board games, and good times! Join us!
Friday, February 17 "Why present at the Undergraduate Research Forum?" We will be having our first Forum workshop on Friday, February 17 from 4 - 6 PM. Dr. Sarah Simmons of the Undergraduate Research Forum and other guests will speak to you about the importance of sharing and communicating research. Whether you are currently doing research or still looking for a lab, participation in the Forum definitely has its benefits!
The SURGe website is sporting a new look and a new logo. A few last changes are still in the works. We hope you enjoy the new style!
Friday, February 10 "One of the few places you can get alcohol on campus, and the only place you can get paid to drink it:" This Friday, our general meeting will feature Dr. Dan Neal from the Department of Psychology's SAHARA lab, one of the only simulated bars and lounges in the nation. Dr. Neal will be sharing his fascinating and relevant work on addictive behaviors and substance abuse in college students.
Photos from our joint meeting with WINS, featuring Dr. McDevitt and Papermaster have been posted. Check back soon for SURF photos.
- Come volunteer to help with exhibits at UT ESI Hot Science! Cool Talks presents "To Infinity and Beyond" by Dr. Michael Starbird. Volunteers are needed Thursday, February 2, starting at 5:45 pm, at Welch Hall (WEL) 2.224. Contact Van Hoang if you can help!
- SURGe's second meeting of the semester is SURF, The Science Undergraduate Research Fair. SURF is a SURGe annual fun-filled fair. It is an informal and fun way for you to get exposed to the world of research at UT through one-on-one interaction with the Organized Research Units, student researchers, scientists, and different campus resources groups. Additionally, there will be 2 hot-topic panels about Science Policy/National Security and Stem Cell research. If that isn't enough, we will be having a lab equipment "Price is Right" game with prizes! So come for the free food, free t-shirt (to the first 100 people to register at www.utsurge.org/SURF), games, prizes, fun, and most of all, research! SURF is being held Febuary 3rd, 2006 from 4:00-6:00 PM in the Texas Union Lonestar and Quadrangle room (3rd Floor). Members will receive five points for attending both hours, and two points for help with the setup. Contact Thuy for more details. The points of SURF can be counted toward eligibity on SURGe Jumpstart Fellowship due that day! No late entries will be accepted for the Jumpstart Fellowship, which is due at SURF. Special thanks to University Co-op for their financial support of SURF!
- Volunteer at an exciting tournament to help kids learn science! We need lots of event proctors and general volunteers! We will also certify your volunteer hours for other organizations. This middle school/high school regional Science Olympiad tournament will be held at UT on Sat, Feb 18, 2006. A volunteer informational meeting will be held this week! Come by PAI 3.02 on Wed, Feb 1 from 5 - 6 PM to learn more! Free pizza and drinks will be given to attendees! For more information on the program, check out The Science Olympiad website.
- Volunteer to be a JUDGE for Barton Creek Elementary Science Fair, Thursday Feb. 2, 2006. Contact: Lucinda Valenti, (512) 402-1268 for more information.
- Looking for volunteers to help with Natural Sciences Career Fair! Thursday Feb. 2, 8 AM - 3:30 PM. Contact with the hours you can work!
- The first meeting of Spring 2006 semester is a special two-point meeting. Friday Jan. 27, 2006 from 4-5 PM, in PAI 3.02, we will hold a joint meeting with WINS featuring Dr. John McDevitt & Steve Papermaster. McDevitt's lab developed the prototype of a simple method for counting CD4 lymphocytes in HIV patients that will help better manage the progression of the disease in improvished countries. The lab also works to develop microchip sensor systems, biosensors, and development of portable arrays for use in many biological systems with potential for widespread applications.