Tau Beta Pi 2011 Indiana Laureate

The Bulletin of Tau Beta Pi is now available online. The September 2011 issue features details of the Association’s 106th annual Convention t in Indianapolis, IN. Special news includes profiles of four new district directors, membership recruitment ideas, and highlights of the 2011 TBP award winners.

"Rosary T. Abot has been named a 2011 Tau Beta Pi Laureate for her diverse achievements.
Rosary  graduated in May 2011, with a dual major in chemical engineering and philosophy from the University of Notre Dame. She has a broad range of interests as a volunteer in her community as well as her own academic career. She spent the 2008-09 school year at the University of Cambridge, where she participated as a coxswain on two college rowing teams.
She has also been a successful teacher and mentor. Rosary was a substitute teacher for 4th and 5th graders in San Francisco, a mentor to exchange students at Notre Dame, and a teacher’s aide for eight weeks. Most recently, she spent the summer traveling in Mongolia, on a grant from Cambridge, teaching English.
On campus, she served as captain of the Mock Trial Association and led the team to awards at regional and invitational events. In May, Rosary was named a Lilly graduate fellow and received a stipend for three years of graduate study as well as summer conferences and mentoring." (Tau Beta Pi Press Release, July2011)

Congratulations Rosary!

Open Access Week Presentation

Celebrate Open Access Week – Join the Hesburgh Libraries in celebrating Open Access Week by attending a series of short presentations on publishing issues in higher education on Thursday, October 27, 2011, from 3:30pm to 5pm, in  Hesburgh Library Room 222.  Presenters will include Kasturi Haldar (Julius Nieuwland Professor of Biological Sciences and Founding Director of the Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases), Peter Cholak (Professor of Mathematics, College of Science), and Anthony Holter (Assistant Professional Specialist in the Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program, Institute for Educational Initiatives).  No registration is required.

http://openaccessweek.org/events/presentations-on-publishing-issues-in-higher-education?xg_source=shorten_twitter

Knovel

Knovel is a web-based application integrating technical information with analytical and search tools to drive innovation and engineering! Knovel provides trusted technical reference quickly and efficiently. According to Knovel, Engineers who use Knovel save an average of four hours per week. Try out Knovel today!

The Knovel University Challenge continues till December 1st! Answer 3 questions correctly and enter to win an iPad, cash, or other great prizes!  

http://www.knoveluniversitychallenge.com/

Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) Service through Teaching program

The Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) Service through Teaching program is beginning its eighteenth year of placing graduates of Notre Dame and other universities as teachers in under-resourced Catholic schools across America. To serve these needy schools, ACE has created a two-year program in which participants earn a Master in Education degree as they serve as full-time teachers. With its fully accredited M.Ed. and multiple levels of professional and personal support, ACE truly prepares its participants to meet the challenges they will encounter in their classrooms. After their two-year service commitment, ACE graduates contribute to diverse disciplines and varied professions, including public policy, teaching, law, and doctoral studies in fields from education to physics.

Beginning in 1994 with just 40 teachers, ACE currently places over 175 teachers in 30 communities throughout the United States. Much of this incredible growth has resulted directly from your willingness to inform your students about ACE. This year we ask for your continued assistance. We are happy to attend a class during this semester to present on ACE for 5 to 10 minutes and answer any questions that your students may have. Please fill in the linked form if you are interested and we would be happy to coordinate a classroom visit. (The form may be found here: https://spreadsheets.google.com/a/nd.edu/viewform?formkey=dE53THdsOXlGNGZRQms1Um95Tzdvbnc6MQ.) If you have any questions about our program, please feel welcome to stop in our office in our new home, Carole Sandner Hall, located just north of the Basilica, or call 574-631-7052.

Free Journal Articles and Resources from AIP

The American Institute of Physics congratulates this year's Nobel Laureates in Physics “for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae.” Sharing half the prize is Saul Perlmutter from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and University of California, Berkeley. Sharing the other half jointly are Brian P. Schmidt from the Australian National University, and Adam G. Riess from Johns Hopkins University and Space Telescope Science Institute.

AIP is pleased to make available free of charge a selection of research papers these Nobel Laureates have published in our journals, Conference Proceedings, and Physics Today magazine. To view any of these materials go to http://journals.aip.org/Nobel2011.html.

First Year Engineering Tips

Here are some tips for first year engineering students adapted from the article "Surviving Engineering School" from Richard M. Felder, North Carolina State University, Chem. Engineering Education, 37(1), 30–31 (2003).

1. Go to Class
Attendance is important, but so is participation. Pay attention in class and ask questions when you don't understand something. Chances are someone else has the same question.

2. Use Office Hours
Visiting Professors and T.A.'s during office hours allows you to ask questions and get clarification on assignments.Could you give an example of how you would use that formula?" "Could you sketch what that (device, solution, plot) might look like?" "Where did that equation you just wrote come from? Never ask your instructor for help on a problem until you have made a serious effort to solve it by yourself.

3. Study with a group
Working with others helps you ask questions and figure things out. Studying together with peers can show you ways to solve problems. Outline problem solutions by yourself first and then work out the details in your group. Get group members—especially the weaker ones—to explain all completed problem solutions before ending a problem-solving session.

4. Do your Homework
Completing your homework on time help you prepare for exams. If you are having difficulty, seek out help from a tutor or T.A. Start early: waiting until two days before the final exam probably won’t cut it.

5. Use the Engineering Library (scan your ID to use the library 24 hrs.) http://engineering.library.nd.edu/

6. Math Library Tutors are available to help you with any type of math.
http://mathematics.library.nd.edu/about/tutors.shtml

7. Find a good study spot
There are lots of great places to study on campus, but branch libraries like Engineering, Math, and Chemistry Physics are favorites for being quiet places. The lower level of Hesburgh is also nice and quiet!

8. Make an exam schedule
Don't stress about tests! Make a calendar of exams and study for one at a time.

9. Ask questions
If you can't figure something out on your own, seek out an expert. Professors, grad students, librarians, or professional engineers can be a great resource for students.

10. Believe in yourself!

ACM Digital Library Institution Bibliometrics

The ACM Digital Library now provides institutional bibliometrics profiles. Check out the University of Notre Dame's Profile!

http://dl.acm.org.proxy.library.nd.edu/inst_page.cfm?id=1017072&CFID=42848082&CFTOKEN=22418365