The Weekly SPHere Dec. 8, 2008
The Weekly SPHere is a weekly electronic publication for students in the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. To submit items for the Weekly SPHere, please send an e-mail to sphnews@umn.edu.
Editor’s note: The Weekly SPHere will be on hiatus during winter break beginning Monday, Dec. 15. It will resume publication on Monday, Jan. 12.
>From the Dean
>SPHere Spotlight
>Student News
>School News
>SPH Events
>Other Events
From the Dean
It’s hard to believe that 14 weeks have passed since I welcomed you all to the 2008-09 academic year in this column. I hope this has been a successful and rewarding fall semester for you all. I’m sure it has been a busy one.
I invite you to toast the end of the semester with me at the All-School Winter Reception on Thursday, Dec. 11. The event will take place from 2:15 to 4:30 p.m. in the gallery overlooking the Mississippi river at the Weisman Art Museum.
This year’s celebration includes music, refreshments, and raffle prizes — plus the once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the SPH version of Hollywood Squares. (Being too young to remember this television game show will in no way hinder the fun of watching faculty, students, and staff duke it out for first prize.) You can RSVP to the reception at www.sph.umn.edu/aswr08/.
I look forward to welcoming you back to the second half of our academic year. Until then, may your holiday break be filled with warmth, relaxation, and joyful times with family and friends.
— John R. Finnegan, Jr., Ph.D.
SPHere Spotlight
The Office of Student Affairs is calling for students, faculty, and staff participation in decorating the Display of Diversity in Public Health. The glass display case will be a dynamic display designed to make the SPHere more meaningful to the SPH. Student Affairs is seeking items for display. If interested, please contact Dinah Dafeamekpor at dafea001@umn.edu or come to the Student Services Office (Mayo D305) with artifacts, personal memorabilia, artwork, etc. These items will be on loan until owners need or want them back. If your item is selected, you will receive a SPH logo USB drive. The unveiling of the Display of Diversity in Public Health is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 17. Please have your items to Dinah by Dec. 17.
Suggested Items include:
Pottery
Glass wear
Traditional cloth
Relevant Pictures to public health or multiculturalism
Coin collections, stamp collections, and
General items collected through public health experiences.
Beginning this semester, the SPH will collect student course evaluations electronically using an application called CoursEval. The system will send e-mail notifications to students to let them know when they can access and complete the course evaluations. Students who complete the course evaluations promptly will be able to access their final grades as soon as the faculty member issues a grade. All students will have access to their final grades two weeks after the last day of the semester regardless of whether they completed the course evaluation.
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Student News
A resource for advice and information on careers in business and industry is just a mouse click away. It’s a website called WetFeet and it includes articles, videos, and 100-plus page “insider guides” that are downloadable and printable. Normally, these guides retail for around $30, but are available to students free through the University. For questions or concerns about accessing WetFeet, contact Van Houlson, Business Librarian, at houls001@umn.edu or 4-1140.
• Access WetFeet
• Read instructions about using WetFeet or visit Career Services
The Consortium on Law and Values in Health, Environment and the Life Sciences has a funding opportunity for graduate and professional students. This funding initiative aims to encourage work on the broad societal implications of problems in health, environment, or the life sciences. The application deadline is March 23. Funding will provide support for the summer of 2009 or the 2009-10 academic year. Questions? Contact Audrey Boyle at Boyle032@umn.edu or 6-5624.
• Access the
Requests for Proposals
The U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps is seeking environmental health student applicants for its internship program, the Junior Commissioned Officer Student Training and Extern Program. M.P.H. and M.S.P.H. students who have completed the first year of their program by May 2009 are eligible to apply. Students are encouraged to submit their application by Wednesday, Dec. 31. Applications will be reviewed starting in January for summer 2009 positions. For questions contact Jennifer Freed at jen7@cdc.gov or 770-488-3650, or Shawn Lafferty at Shawn.lafferty@epamail.epa.gov or 919-541-5449.
• More information for other program majors
The Graduate and Professional Student Assembly is offering travel grants designated for professional students in MPH programs.
• Details, deadlines, and application forms
The Sallie Rosen Kaplan Fellowship for Women Scientists in Cancer Research at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) is now accepting applications for the 2009 award cycle. This postdoctoral fellowship is open to women in basic, clinical, epidemiological, or prevention science who are seeking to train in any of the NCI’s intramural research settings. Applicants must be female, must have completed their doctoral degree by the time they begin the fellowship, must be U.S. citizens or have U.S. permanent residency, and must have no more than five years postdoctoral research experience.
• Apply online by Friday, Dec 12
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is accepting applications for its Science and Technology fellowships. The application deadline is Monday, Dec. 15. The 35-year-old fellowship program has provided doctoral-level scientists and engineers with a unique opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills to national and international issues in the federal policy realm, while learning first-hand about establishing and implementing policy. Fellows select assignments in Congressional offices or federal agencies. The year-long opportunity begins Sept. 1 and ends Aug. 31. Stipends are up to $92,000 per year, depending on years of experience and previous salary.
• Requirements and application
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School News
The State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) has launched a new website, www.shadac.org. The new site includes enhanced functionality on research and resources related to issues of health insurance coverage, data collection methods, and state health policy remains. Visit the site and sign up for SHADAC’s mailing list to stay on top of these issues.
For those looking for a one-of-kind, unique and interesting gift with an international flair, the ISP Executive Healthcare Study is hosting a give-a-way from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday Dec. 16. The ISP office is located at 2221 University Ave. The give-a-way will be held in suite 116. Items will be given away on a first-come, first-serve basis. These objects are from all over the world.
The Amethyst Initiative Debate: Rethinking the Drinking Age. The Office for Student Affairs will host a free online seminar during which the pros and cons of changing the legal drinking age will be debated by John McCardell and higher education risk-management expert Brett Sokolow, among other panelists. Following the seminar there will be a 30-minute panel discussion. The discussion will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 12, in the Coffman Union.
• More about the seminar
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SPH Events
“Statistical Models for a Censored Quantitative Trait and Candidate Genes Association Mapping in Structured Populations with Multilevel Genetic Relatedness” is the topic of Meijuan Li’s Ph.D. presentation. It will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 8, in A434 Mayo. Refreshments will be served prior to the presentation. For more information call 5-5451.
For more events, go to the SPH Online Calendar
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Other Events
Dec. 9, 3 p.m.
Market-Based Reforms in Health Care: The Next Step featuring Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
Dec. 10, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
LifeScience Alley 7th annual Conference and Expo
Jan. 29 11:30 to 1 p.m.
2009 Deinard Memorial Lecture on Law & Medicine: "The Emergent Logic of Health Law"
For more events, go to the SPH Online Calendar
Subscribe to SPH calendar updates by e-mail
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The Weekly SPHere is sent by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, 420 Delaware Street, S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455.
Last modified on Sunday Dec 07, 2008