The Synapse

We have reached the midpoint of a busy fall semester and midterms are already here. Best of wishes to our students with studies and exams. This issue includes a few highlights and upcoming opportunities for NAS community members.

Share your news, photos, inspiring stories, and events for a future issue. Please send any feature suggestions to Jen Sullivan at jlsullivan4@loyola.edu.

Each year, the Natural and Applied Sciences academic division awards the Choudhury Sarkar-Dey medal to an outstanding graduating senior who has shown remarkable commitment to diversity and community service during their time at Loyola. We are proud to share with you the reflections submitted by the 2021 finalists, nominated by their faculty and departments, in a series of posts on the Art of STEM blog.

Meet Kenneth Marcelino, '21, a 2021 Choudhury Sarkar-Dey medal finalist, Physics alumna, and Ignatius Scholar serving others through peer mentorship.

We are excited to welcome Skylor Holland as the administrative assistant for the Computer Science and Engineering departments as well as the CPaMS Scholars and Pre-Health Programs. Skylor is originally from Annapolis, Maryland and has recently relocated to Baltimore (GO RAVENS!). She has an extensive six-year background succeeding in different fields of administration. Excited to join the Loyola University family, Skylor looks forward to the opportunity to continue supporting the administrative needs of the community. In her free time, she enjoys newborn photography and traveling with her two children.

Members of the Natural and Applied Sciences Steering Board met virtually on Wednesday, October 6 for a biannual meeting to hear updates from associate dean Bahram Roughani followed by presentations from faculty about potential new degree programs and presentations from several Hauber fellows reflecting on their summer research experiences.

The board is comprised of distinguished alumni and industrial partners who contribute expertise and guidance on divisional program development and opportunities aligning with Loyola's mission and values.

The CPaMS Scholars Program provides scholarships of up to $10,000 annually for academically talented students who demonstrate financial need to study computer science, physics, mathematics, statistics, or data science at Loyola University Maryland. The program continues to thrive in 2021 with 13 first-year students & 5 second-year students for a total of 52 students currently participating in the program.

The first-year cohort is evenly split between students intending math and students intending computer science as their majors. Half are ALANA, three are first-generation students, and four are women. CPaMS scholars are pictured below.

The Robotics club meets in the LND Library and is hard at work building their VEX U robots. Photos below. For updates, check them out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LoyolaHoundBots.

• A ‘Twindemic’ Of Flu & COVID-19 Can Be Dulled With Vaccines, Expert Says featuring Christopher Thompson, Ph.D., associate professor of biology and immunologist (WJZ)
• Increase in RSV cases poses threat to younger Americans featuring Christopher Thompson, Ph.D., associate professor of biology and immunologist (Fox45)

Pop-Up Classes

This semester's pop-up classes will take place virtually and in-person beginning November 1, and promise a wide variety of new skills and knowledge! If you have any questions, ideas for potential pop-up classes, or would like to teach a future class, contact Matthew Treskon at mtreskon@loyola.edu. Stay tuned for updates as the fall schedule is finalized with some additional offerings!

• Nov. 1 - Basics of Amazon Cloud (AWS) and Simple Artificial Intelligence Widgets
• Nov. 4 - Tinker with Adafruit Circuit Playground Express
• Nov. 8 - Introduction to Sew ART
• Nov. 10 - Recycled Paper Making
• Nov. 11 - History of Video Games
• Nov. 18 - Creating Digital Maps in ArcGIS
• Dec. 2 - ArcGIS StoryMaps

Visit www.loyola.edu/pop-up for complete details and registration links.

Career Center Opportunities

• For ALANA Students - The Career Services Sponsorship Program matches an ALANA Loyola student or a student who identifies as underrepresented with a Loyola alumni for a semester-long opportunity of enriching career guidance, professional development, and network building! ALL MAJORS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY. Visit Handshake for more information and/or attend our Career Services Sponsorship Program Lunch & Learn on October 19.
• For CS Students - Google presents: Building a Technical Career on Monday, October 18.

To register for these and other career-focused events and opportunities, visit Handshake.

The Bridge

Visit The Bridge for upcoming campus meetings and events.

Training & Development Sponsored by Human Resources

• 10/28, 11:00am-12:00pm., Creating a Resilient Mindset - Webinar Registration Link
• On-demand beginning 10/19, Monthly Online EAP Webinar: Embracing Diversity and Differences

Go to https://www.loyola.edu/department/hr/development/training for more information.

Did you or someone you know take part in an internship this summer? Tell the Career Center about your experience and get a chance to be featured on their social media accounts! Email the Rizzo Career Center's Social Media Creative Assistant, Julia Koller, @ jlkoller@loyola.edu for more information.

Academic Calendar

• 2021-2022 Academic Calendar

Coronavirus Resources

• Loyola Coronavirus Updates - General university information for all students, faculty, staff including the fall 2021 COVID operations plan, COVID-19 dashboard, FAQs, policies, and resources.

Student Support Resources

• Counseling Center
• Campus Ministry
• Office of Student Life
• Center for Community, Service, and Justice

Employee Support Resources

• Human Resources website
• Employee Assistance Program
• Financial Crisis Assistance Program
• Employee Return to Work on Campus Guidelines & Training