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(Courtesy of Southern Miss' Department of Marketing and Public Relations)
Southern Miss Science Research Program Eases Graduate School Jitters
Faculty, Staff Members at Southern Miss Awarded More Than $525,000 through Incentive Pay Program
Southern Miss Summer Science Camp a Thrill for Mississippi Youngsters
SOUTHERN MISS SCIENCE RESEARCH PROGRAM EASES GRADUATE SCHOOL JITTERS
HATTIESBURG [July 15, 2005] -- Cool, calm and collected. That's how Howard University student Christopher Newman imagines he will be when he heads off for graduate school.
The mechanical engineering major's confidence is being seeded and nourished while attending The University of Southern Mississippi's Alliance for Graduate Education in Mississippi's (AGEM) summer research program.
Now in its fifth year, the program started May 31 and ends August 1.
Its eight participants hail from Howard University , The University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, The University of Mississippi , Mississippi State University , Alcorn State University and Mississippi Valley State University .
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the goal of the program is to arm minority students studying science, engineering, math and technology with valuable research experience to assist in their efforts of earning a doctoral degree.
Teaming up with participants, university faculty mentors also prep students on the graduate school admissions' process and provide written and oral communication workshops to boost GRE scores, leadership and interview skills, plus enhance life-saving skills.
Besides the opportunity to perform graduate-level research and exposure to personal and professional development opportunities, AGEM gives participants a $3,500 stipend, free meals and board, and unlimited access to the Payne Center and Cook Library.
Newman-the youngest in the program this year-said he's learning many things, including the notion that it is never too early to start looking for graduate schools to attend.
He said the knowledge he's gaining is invaluable as he hopes to one day work for a major engineering consultant firm.
"I am gaining experience in the laboratory, including the proper method of recording and analyzing data," said the freshman who is currently researching the phase separation of liquid crystals and pre-polymers.
"The most important thing I have learned is what's expected from students when doing research in a laboratory, but the one thing I will remember most from this program is the people - both participants and faculty. The faculty and staff have been some of the most understanding and caring people that one could ever meet."
Newman said a few of the participants are now considering the Southern Miss graduate program, thanks to their experiences this summer.
Some of those experiences included visits to Stennis Space Center , Marine Life Oceanarium, and Gulf Coast Research Lab. More fun is to come as the group is gearing up for an end-of-year banquet and field trip.
AGEM summer project director Andre' Heath said, "The program has been very successful in reaching its goals. The past participants have presented their research at local and national conferences as well as entered graduate school, physical therapy school, nursing school, or have jobs in their related fields."
There is no fee to join the program. However, participants are selected based on information received from their applications and letters of recommendation.
For more information about the program, please contact Andre' Heath at (601) 266-6593.
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FACULTY, STAFF MEMBERS AT SOUTHERN MISS AWARDED MORE THAN $525,000 THROUGH INCENTIVE PAY PROGRAM
HATTIESBURG [June 28, 2005] -- University of Southern Mississippi President Dr. Shelby Thames issued checks Tuesday to 45 faculty and staff members as part of an incentive program that rewards those who secure and manage contract and grant support.
In all, more than $525,000 was distributed through the incentive policy, called Model for Incentive Dollars for Augmenting Salaries (MIDAS). The fundamental goal of MIDAS, created lasted year, is to create an incentive base to grow and promote research activities and research enterprise for Southern Miss.
Dr. Cecil Burge, vice president for research and economic development at Southern Miss, said MIDAS provides a positive incentive to stimulate research activity that ultimately benefits the university community as a whole. Last year, 33 faculty and staff received more than $382,000 in the first year of the MIDAS program.
"When additional resources are secured through external sponsors, every faculty member, staff member, and student benefits," Burge said. "Incentive programs like MIDAS are vital in hiring and retaining outstanding faculty at Southern Miss."
Available during the fall and spring terms, MIDAS is open to full-time faculty and staff whose base salary is paid from the education and general (E&G) funds. The maximum research supplement is 30 percent of the regular academic salary, based on 100 percent released dollars.
To qualify for the supplement, the employee must recover at least 25 percent of his or her salary. Checks distributed to recipients Tuesday were gross amounts, unadjusted for federal and state taxes.
"This is a tremendous reward for faculty who work hard to bring in research dollars," said MIDAS recipient Dr. Agnes Hinton, professor of community health and co-director of the Center for Sustainable Health Outreach.
For more information about the MIDAS program, contact the vice president for research and economic development at (601) 266-5116.
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SOUTHERN MISS SUMMER SCIENCE CAMP A THRILL FOR MISSISSIPPI YOUNGSTERS
HATTIESBURG [June 16, 2005] -- Building a better mousetrap is hard enough. But building a better mousetrap car?
Casey Boss tried to do just that recently as part of The University of Southern Mississippi's Summer Science Camp 2005. With a determined look on her face, the 15- year-old from Gulfport sawed pieces of wood for a rodent-clamping hotrod that her team hopes can crush the competition at a race scheduled for Friday.
The showdown to see which group's car will travel the fastest and the farthest is one of the many hands-on activities planned for the 93 participants at the summer camp.
Led by faculty members of Southern Miss' College of Science and Technology, the group of Mississippi fourth- through 10 th -graders are getting a crash course in physics, biology, chemistry, forensics, polymer science, ecology, microbiology, math, geology and astronomy.
"It's been fun because we don't usually get to do this in regular school," said Boss, who attends Harrison Central.
"We have learned about recycling and what different types of plastic to burn and what to not burn because different fumes could be harmful to the environment. We also went to a pond and scooped up pond water then went to the microscope and put them on slides where we got a chance to see the different bacteria."
Boss has also learned how to make slime and nylon, collect and process water samples from area water supplies, and has gotten an opportunity to canoe during a field trip to Brooklyn 's Black Creek.
Registration costs to attend the camp included: a $150 fee for children entering grades four through six, $399 for those in grades seven through 10, and a nonrefundable fee of $25 per registration form. The cost for the older kids is higher because they get the perks of living on campus.
Some of the students are able to participate in the camp, which began on June 12 and ends June 24, thanks to scholarships provided by GEAR UP Mississippi .
The program, mostly funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, gives educational support services to school districts facing socioeconomic challenges, boost graduation rates and higher education enrollment rates.
"What they do (GEAR UP Mississippi ) is offer mini grants in the state for summer camps, which is part of their focus," said Aimee Lee, camp organizer and Southern Miss instructor for the department of biological sciences. "The whole purpose is to get these kids, who otherwise wouldn't have an opportunity, immersed in a college setting."
Lee said many science professors, instructors and graduate students were just as stoked about the camp as the kids were, many of them jumping at the chance to produce activities that would provide participants with an educational and memorable experience.
One of those eager to share her knowledge was Southern Miss biological sciences graduate student Sarah Wheeless. "I just wanted them to know that science pretty much involves everything that they do," said Wheeless.
Lee said she plans to make the camp an annual event. For more information on Summer Science Camp 2005, please contact Aimee Lee at (601) 266-4748.
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