Field Museum Undergraduate Research Opportunities Summer 2010

The Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois is pleased to announce its 2010 Research Experiences for Undergraduate (REU) internship grants.

Application deadline: February 1st, 2010

2010 Program Dates

Start of 2010 REU Program: Monday, June 7, 2010 Phylogenetic workshop series (weekly), and introductory lectures: June 9- July 28, 2010 (evening class, participation mandatory)

End of 2010 REU Program: Friday, August 13, 2010 2010 REU research symposium: Saturday, August 14 (participation mandatory)

Stipend and allowances: REU student participants receive a salary of $4,500 for the 10- week program, and additionally $2,500 subsistence and $500 travel allowance.

Program Director: Petra Sierwald, Associate Curator - Zoology, Insects Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S Lake Shore Drive Chicago, IL 60605, USA
E-mail: psierwald@fieldmuseum.org
Phone: (312) 665-7744; Fax: (312) 665-7754

Go to http://www.fieldmuseum.org/research_collections/scholarships/reu.html for details.

Welcome Richard Hvale!

Richard Hvale, a veteran advisor of University Division (and a really nice person), has agreed to advise preveterinary students who are currently attending IU along with his other advising responsibilities in the Health Professions and Prelaw Center.

I, Natalia Schau, am no longer advising prevet students, so please refer your prevet questions to him at rhvale@indiana.edu. Also, please feel free to call 812.855.1873 to find out about his availability for a scheduled appointment.

The best of luck to all of you and to Richard!

Assist PALS with event planning!

Hello PALS Volunteers, Parents, and Friends:
The 9th Annual PALS Fun Show is on Saturday October 24th. The PALS Fun Show is an annual event that we put on every year for the PALS riders. PALS riders look forward to this event all year long. For many of the PALS riders this event is the highlight of their PALS experience!!!! You can view pictures from the 2008 PALS Fun Show at http://www.palstherapy.org/08show/.
We need a great group of volunteers to help make this event a success for the PALS riders! Volunteers on the "Fun Show Committee" will help in these areas: securing sponsors, public relations, flyer/mailer design, putting up flyers, finding additional volunteers from IU and the community, securing/coordinating judges, parking, signage, food and more!
We will have monthly meetings prior to the event and these meetings usually in the evening but can be scheduled whenever is convenient for the majority of the committee members.
We need you to help make this event a success for the PALS riders!!!
Please let me know if you are interested in assisting with the planning this event or if you have any questions.
Thanks for everything you do for PALS!
Fern

Fern Bonchek - Executive Director
PALS, Inc.
PO Box 1033
Bloomington, IN 47402
812-336-2798 office/fax
812-824-3000 barn
812-325-5102 cell
http://www.palstherapy.org/

PALS Volunteer Training on June 6

People & Animal Learning Services, Inc. (PALS) is offering a new volunteer training on Saturday June 6th from 1- 4 pm for anyone interested in becoming involved in PALS or therapeutic riding. Volunteers help children/adults with disabilities learn how to ride horses. Responsibilities include leading horses & side-walking riders during riding lessons. Volunteers also help groom, saddle, train, care for horses and help with barn chores. No horse experience necessary! A commitment of 3-4 hours per week is requested. Contact Fern Bonchek: 812-336-2798, pals@indiana.edu to RSVP for the training and to request a volunteer packet. View www.palstherapy.org for more information.

"In riding a horse we borrow freedom." ~Helen Thomson

Application tips

Applying to professional programs is a time-consuming and sometimes challenging process. I've outlined a few suggestions below that will help to make your application process go more smoothly. I strongly encourage you to not wait to apply until the October 2 deadline, especially if you have more free time during the summer than during the academic year.

I suggest you begin to assemble the parts required for the programs you are interested in applying to before the application becomes available. This includes:

1) researching the programs you’d like to apply to (http://www.aavmc.org/ -> Applying to Veterinary Schools -> College Specific requirements) and contacting representatives about any other questions you might have about the unique opportunities and financial assistance their programs offer;

2) reviewing for and taking the Graduate Record Exam, http://www.ets.org/ (work on your vocabulary by reading books and/or articles that require you to pick up a dictionary and look up the definition!);

3) reading through all of the available information on VMCAS about the current cycle requirements, including “Applicant Responsibility” section, “Helpful Hints” and FAQ’s;

4) asking the required recommenders about whether or not they are willing to write letters of recommendation for you; and,

5) begin writing your essay or personal statement (if needed for the programs you’re applying to).

The Graduate Record Exam is available at the Bloomington Evaluation Services and Testing (BEST) in Franklin Hall 014. The testing center is available for testing Monday-Saturday, 8am-10pm. Call 812-856-0684 to schedule a testing appointment. Check the GRE website at http://www.ets.org/ for a sample test.

2010 VMCAS available in early June

The 2010 Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS) application will launch on June 3, 2009 (http://www.aavmc.org/vmcas/vmcas.htm). Applicants will not be able to create a VMCAS account or register recommenders until the launch date. The deadline for the 2010 application is October 2, 2009 at 12:00 noon Eastern Daylight Time.

It's a New Day for Prevet Students at IU Bloomington!

As the Prevet Club advisor of the Health Professions and Prelaw Center the past six years, I've noticed that IUB prevet students are VERY busy people and have little time to participate in Prevet Club meetings. My solution is to create this blog to connect prevet students to each other, to the services our office provides and to other resources available.

Please let me know about additional resources that you come across either by adding a post or emailing me at nschau@indiana.edu.

Long live the four-legged, the scaled, the finned and the feathered creatures of the Earth!

Natalia*