Engineers - study abroad mentor

Kasey Knoell, a Chemical Engineering and Environmental Science major, studied abroad this past spring in Australia and says:

J. P. O'Connell is in the Chemical Engineering Dept. and he is the study abroad advisor for engineers. He helped make going to Australia possible for me so if anyone wants to go abroad as an engineer go talk to him!

All you aspiring E-school globetrotters, no worries, study abroad is NOT just for all those arts-and-craftsy CLAS kids...

Talk to Prof. O'Connell or talk to Kasey about her experience in Australia!

Medical Services through Madison House

For those of you interested in Pre-Med or just medical volunteering opportunities, Corey says that this is a great opportunity for volunteering as well as being something that looks good for Med School applications:

"The Medical Services Program is an opportunity for volunteers to combine invaluable community service with their educational experience, through human contact and support. Volunteers assist staff, patients, and families at medical facilities in Charlottesville: U.Va. Health System, Charlottesville Free Clinic and Martha Jefferson Hospital"

Sign-ups are at the beginning of each school year, and it entails a three hour a week commitment

Here is the website!

http://scs.student.virginia.edu/~madison/students/programs/medicalservices/index.html

Contact Corey for more info on how she likes it! She also said it really helps you form connections and get your foot in the door for getting involved around grounds within the medical community.

Peer Advising for Study Abroad

For our adventurous study abroad sisters, become a study abroad peer adviser!

Molly says:

For peer advising they send you an email after you study abroad with the application to become a peer advisor. Applications are due at the beginning of the year and they have interviews before school starts.

Basically you have office hours during the week and you go around to dorms and provide information on why and how to study abroad!

Here is the website:

http://www.studyabroad.virginia.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Abroad.ViewLink&Parent_ID=F6C86E2E-DF7C-B779-A4305DE35F52D247&Link_ID=FADFE119-A483-B3D8-7D7E7EC60703A8C6&pID=3&lID=14

Challah for Hunger

Shalom!

Our amazing Kate Belza STARTED this organization's UVA chapter this year, and I can tell you from personal tasting experience that this Challah is uh-may-zing! Here is a blurb about the organization:

"Challah for Hunger is a new organization at UVA that bakes challah (a type of delicious Jewish sweet bread) and sells it to the UVA community for charity (half our proceeds go to Darfur/Sudan relief and the other half go to local Charlottesville charities). We make four flavors right now: plain, chocolate chip, cinnamon sugar, and sundried tomato and basil. The plain loaves are $3 and the flavored loaves are $4.

Baking occurs on Wednesday nights and selling occurs every Thursday from 10am-2pm on the lawn. We are always looking for people to help bake and sell. Once people become committed volunteers, we ask them to take on more leadership roles. For example, shift leaders, finance, marketing, advocacy, volunteer coordinator, etc."

Belza has encouraged anyone to come help with this cause (aka you do not HAVE to be Jewish to come help out with this awesome organization)

Here is the website for more info:
http://www.challahforhunger.org/chapters/virginia

Get involved via the website or talk to Kate Belza!

Interested in Neuroscience or Pre-med research?

Our very own Kelly Voltz is a third-year Neuroscience major who is pre-med. She provides some great advice about how to get in contact with a professor/get involved in research at the University for pre-medders or neuroscience majors. Here is her advice! For more information, contact alphaphi.blog@gmail.com or get in contact with kelly!

So the best ways to get involved in research is to go on the chemistry, biology, psychology or undergraduate neuroscience websites. They have a list of all the labs here. I would suggest looking them over (yes, it takes awhile) and try and find atleast 10 labs that spark your interest. (Note: Do some research on the PI that is in charge of that lab. For example, PIs that have papers published in Nature or Science are very successful and are good candidates.) If you are an intended Neuroscience major you will have to pick a lab where the PI is part of the Neuroscience program, so you should look on the uva undergrad neuroscience website.

After you've found what labs you're interested in, email the PIs. Besides telling them you're interested in a lab, you want to tell them any previous lab experience you've had. Mostly this goes for if you've worked in a research lab before (i.e. I have been trained in perfusion and immunohistochemistry. I have also had exposure to a confocal microscope.) If you haven't been able to get your foot in the door, then tell the what labs you've taken as classes (chem, bio, orgo, etc.) and tell them that you're interested in their research. Put in the time to skim one of thier papers or check out their lab website so you can be specific in your email.

Most PIs won't respond, that's just how they are and don't have time. But several will and you can go in and meet with them. During the meeting the PI will tell you all about the lab and introduce you to others who work there. Try and get a feel for what the PI is like and how well supported his lab is. The more people working there (PhDs and grad students) the better. Also you want to get a good vibe from your PI, will they support your research? Will they be helpful in lab or give you a PhD to be your liaison? If you don't like the PI, don't join the lab. Some PIs are brilliant but really awkward/ are too into what they're doing to care about the undergrads and you want support in your lab.

Thanks Kelly!
Have more questions? Ok overacheivers, keep sending them!

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