GC Journeys Newsletter
SEPTEMBER 2022
MURACE Supports 4 Summer Research Scholars
- Colin Adams (Dr. Brent Evans, mentor) -- "NFL QB Development—the role of competing QBs, rookie playing time, and team quality."
- Zoe Cain (Dr. Richard Adams, mentor) -- "Robust Phylogenetic Regression."
Alexandra Furney (Dr. Arnab Sengupta, mentor) -- "Modeling the Structure of the Regulatory Region for Translation of the HIF1A mRNA."
Matthew Meyer (Dr. Brooke Conaway, mentor -- "NFL Quarterback Salaries and the Salary Cap: Should You Blow It All on the Quarterback?"
The students were given the summer to work closely with their mentors on an extended research project. According to Adams, the opportunity was helpful both for his current classes, but also his future, "This research gave me experience in econometric methods which has helped me in my classes and to stand out as a graduate applicant."
Each year, MURACE funds Summer Research Scholars, who submit proposals which are evaluated by faculty. According to Cain, another Summer Scholar, "Even though I had no previous experience, MURACE Summer Research funding gave me a smooth transition into the world of research. My project helped me find my place at GC and really understand what I want from my time here!"
The Summer Scholars will present their findings at the MURACE Symposium on October 17th, 2022. The Summer Scholars 2023 Applications will open in Spring 2023.
Leadership Program Virtually Hosts Former Director of NATO Policy
On Wednesday, September 21st, Georgia College Leadership Programs hosted a virtual seminar with international security expert Leo Michel on "Security, NATO, and Defense."
Leo Michel is senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. He previously served as director for NATO Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, in the U.S. Department of Defense. Additional appointments in the Pentagon included service as director for non-nuclear arms control, deputy U.S. representative to the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Consultative Commission, and deputy director for verification policy.
Michel offered a sobering assessment of the crisis in Ukraine and continued Russian aggression in the region. “We’re looking at the possibility that we need to continue massive military support to Ukraine for an extended period of time,” he said.
"Leo Michel is one of the country's leading experts on international security and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and we are so pleased to welcome him to Georgia College” says Dr. Harold Mock, one of the event organizers. “In this time of renewed great-power competition, we were fortunate indeed to hear the insights of such an esteemed scholar-practitioner."
Before joining the Defense Department, Michel served in the Directorate for Intelligence in the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, as a legislative aide on national security for a Member of Congress, and as a reporter for French media. He served as an officer in the U.S. Navy from 1969 to 1972.
Michel holds as Master of Arts degree from the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University.
The non-partisan event was sponsored by Georgia College’s Leadership Programs, in collaboration with the CEPA Foundation, headquartered in France.
“At a liberal arts institution, we teach our students in the classic tradition of leadership for the public good,” says Mock. “That involves preparing students for thoughtful and engaged citizenship and active dialogue with thought-leaders in public life.”
The 2022 MURACE Symposium will be held on October 17th. The annual symposium, hosted by the Office of Mentored Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors, will return back in person in Peabody Auditorium on October 17th from 11-4pm.
The Symposium will start feature workshops and speakers for both faculty mentors and students interested in undergraduate research. The event will start with the “Mentor Mingle” networking hour for mentors and mentees to get to know each other (11am-noon). Followed by lunch, which will feature creative endeavors from two student ensembles. There will be concurrent panels for students and mentors, and will end with a keynote panel, "Undergraduate Mentoring, Retention, and Student Success."
Please register for the MURACE Symposium by 10/10 to reserve a seat and a lunch. To register, and view the full schedule, visit:https://tinyurl.com/muracesymposium.
First Year Experience Receives National Recognition
The award honors the growth in membership and activity for the chapter. According to their website, the Delta Silver Award is reserved for chapters who grow their membership by 50% or more.
GCSU wins Undergraduate Research Award from International Consortium
Georgia College was recently invited to join the Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) consortium. The Vertically Integrated Projects consortium is a group of over 40 universities operating in 13 countries across the globe. The consortium promotes and supports projects that sustain long-term research activities.
This summer, Georgia College joined the University of Georgia and Georgia Southern University in winning the Innovation in Partnership Building Award at the VIP Consortium’s 2022 Annual Meeting. Georgia College received the award for cultivating a group of multi-year, interdisciplinary research projects that bring people together to tackle societal challenges, explore innovative technology and develop new understanding and knowledge.
The award recognizes the environment of collaboration Georgia College researchers foster across multiple research projects. By recruiting talented student researchers from different colleges and departments, Georgia College researchers benefit from a variety of perspectives at project conception, a larger skill set when designing and facilitating research and a greater reach when communicating the results.
According to Dr. Hasitha Mahabaduge, the Director of Georgia College's VIP initiative, VIP consortium organizers at Georgia Tech recruited Georgia College to join after he and student Catherine Boyd made a presentation during the closing plenary at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research presentation for winning the 2020 Award for Undergraduate Research Accomplishments from the Council on Undergraduate Research.
Mahabaduge knew it was not just an invitation to share in the combined knowledge of the different member institutions, but a chance to elevate Georgia College’s ambitions as an institution that excels at undergraduate research.
“It's really an honor to help take Georgia College to the next level,” Mahabaduge said. “Once we set up a VIP Team, they add Georgia College’s name to that list of consortium members around the world, so I think it literally places our name on the map at an international level.”
Apply for Community based Engaged Learning Mini-Grants
The Office of the Provost & GC Journeys are teaming up to offer Community based Engaged Learning Mini-Grants. These mini-grants are up to $1,000 to help fund projects that engage students with real-world problems in real-world settings. Doing so provides them with experiences and activities that they will face when they leave our programs. The deadline is October 17th.
For more information, visit: https://www.gcsu.edu/ctl/community-based-engaged-learning-grants
Diversifying Undergraduate Research (Oct 7th)
The Women’s and Gender Studies Program and the Office of Mentored Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (MURACE) will co-sponsor a mentorship discussion led by Dr. Beth Sundstrom titled “Collaborate. Innovate. Advocate. The Women’s Health Research Team as a Model for Engaged Pedagogy in Undergraduate Research” on Friday, October 7th from 10-11am in Library 376. Coffee and tea will be provided.
Dr. Sundstrom is an Associate Professor of Communication and Public Health, Director of the Women’s Health Research Team, and Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities at the College of Charleston.
This event will kick-off a new interdisciplinary collaboration: “Diversifying Undergraduate Research: A Series on Professional Development and Student Success for Faculty Mentors.” Please email urace@gcsu.edu with any questions or to co-sponsor an upcoming event in the series.
Save the Date: Research Day (March 29th)
CONTACT US
Email: journeys@gcsu.edu
Website: https://www.gcsu.edu/gcjourneys
Location: Carl Vinson House