THEME FOR THIS MONTH

GET TO KNOW TEAM CRE!
Now more than ever, it's important to make connections and learn from each other. This month, for the first time, we'll be featuring a video of Team CRE sharing their research experiences, stories, and more! This newsletter also includes upcoming events and opportunities, student spotlights, and application deadlines.
MEET TEAM CRE!
For this month's feature article, Team CRE is trying something a little different. We decided that August would be a perfect time to utilize our current virtual work setting to engage with students in our programs and the FSU student body. We did this by recording an interview that encompasses Team CRE's undergraduate research journeys, which you can watch down below.

The purpose of this conversation is to show you some tangible research experiences from our office and to provide a way to get to know us as an office better. We see this coming at a great time as the summer is coming to a close and the academic year is getting closer. We hope that these conversations inspire you to start your research journey—both at FSU and no matter where you are reading this newsletter or watching our video. Although the conversation/interview is a bit long--roughly an hour and fifteen minutes--we wanted to share our experiences with undergraduate research and the intersections of those experiences, as our staff has completed research in all areas of academic research: Social Sciences, Humanities and Creative Arts, and STEM.

In addition to this video conversation, Team CRE has also included some photos from their undergraduate research experiences, which you can see below the video. We wanted to use this space as a visual representation of the research we have done throughout our careers--and as a fun way to share and reminisce on the work we've done thus far. Most of the photos center on a theme of exploration, and we see research in the exact same way: as sustained exploration not only into a specific subject matter but into the self as well. In addition, as with the video conversation, we hope seeing these photos shows you what research can look like across disciplines--and how much fun research can be!

We know that this a time of uncertainty and turbulence, that this period of time has the potential to define segments of your academic and professional career. As the academic year is about to begin, we hope that this conversation serves as a reminder of how meandering career journeys can be, that everything will be okay, and that we are here to support you and help you in any way we can.

Please reach out to us at cre@fsu.edu if you have any questions or would like to connect with someone on our team. We hope you enjoy this conversation!
In addition to our conversation, we also wanted to include photos of our team conducting and doing research during their undergraduate careers!





Here's Latika Young, CRE Director, who pursued a Bachelor's in Dance and Environmental Studies from Swarthmore College. This is from Latika's early forays into choreography in her undergraduate career, circa 1999!






Here is Alicia Batailles, Senior Associate Director at CRE, conducting field research in Jupiter, FL by collecting goliath grouper samples!





Here is Dave Montez, Associate Director at CRE, with a group of Middle Eastern Studies students with Prof. Zeina Schlenoff. Dave studied abroad in Egypt and completed some research work during his time there.





Here's Warren Oliver, Associate Director at CRE, in Morocco! Warren was studying in Morocco, which ultimately led him to pursue his undergraduate honors thesis.






Here's David Advent, Program Assistant at CRE, presenting his first research poster on streetcar/tram systems in three separate cities at the 2016 Undergraduate Research Symposium! David participated in CRE's Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) during his first year at FSU.
UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES
IDS 1107: Using Your Gap Year To Make The Most Of Your Undergraduate Experience

FSU's Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement (CRE) now offers an Engage-100 course for new students who completed a Gap Year last year: "Using your Gap Year to Make the Most of Your Undergraduate Experience (IDS 1107)"! If you are coming to FSU during Fall 2020 and took a Gap Year beforehand, this is the class for you. The goal of this class is to reflect on your Gap Year Experience and explore how to best pursue your interests during your undergraduate career! Learn more about this class using the attached flyer and by emailing our Associate Director Warren Oliver at boliver@fsu.edu.
Check Out This New Class Being Offered by FSU's Innovation Hub!

This Fall, the Innovation Hub is bringing one of the most popular college classes in the country to FSU. ENT 1611, Designing Your Life with Innovation (wed 5:15), is a one-credit-hour class that leverages the most powerful design tools to explore your potential, prototype lifestyles, and build confidence in your path. This course is approved as an Engage-100 course and is a great way to build connections on campus and begin to take control of your decision-making to create a more fulfilling life. The instructor, Dr. Issy Masduki, is Stanford University-trained in Designing Your Life teaching.

Course Syllabus: https://buff.ly/2DPYONp

Instructor: Dr. Issy Masduki, issy@innovation.fsu.edu
UPCOMING EVENTS AND EVENT RECAPS
Garrett Johnson and Zach Segal Event Recap

Last week, the CRE, with its partners, hosted two wonderful alumni, Garret Johnson and Zach Segal, to talk about their journey from studying at FSU to working in Silicon Valley. In addition, Zach shared his thoughts on the future of the cryptocurrency market. It was a success thanks to all of our partners with some 80 students and alumni attending the event! You can watch a recording of the event via Youtube: https://buff.ly/2P2FTBf or on the Friends of HSF Events page: https://buff.ly/2Divmiw. Check out the practical recommendations and resources Zach suggests in his presentation. We would like to thank all of the event co-sponsors: Friends of the HSF House, Center for Academic and Retention and Enhancement, FSU Honors Program, Office of National Fellowships and Student-Athlete Academic Services.
How To Get Involved in Undergraduate Research

The CRE and the Student Council for Undergraduate Research and Creativity (SCURC) are hosting a “How To Get Involved in Undergraduate Research” informational event on August 11, 2020 at 12:30pm, and we encourage you to attend this event! At this event, you will learn more about how to get involved in undergraduate research at FSU. See the flyer for more information!
 
Please follow the Zoom link below to register for the event. We also encourage you to RSVP on our Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/284879359433625/.
 
If you have any questions, please email Program Assistant David Advent at madvent@fsu.edu
Virtual Q&A with Rima Nathan

The Friends of HSF Alumni Speaker Series will be hosting a virtual Q&A with Rima Nathan on August 12, 2020 at 2:00pm.
 
Topic: Getting more than a degree, participating in all FSU has to offer.
 
Please submit questions to Rima here: https://bit.ly/RimaQuestions

Rima is currently a Staff Attorney at the Florida Supreme Court. As an undergrad at FSU, Rima participated in the Flying High Circus, the Social Science Scholars Program, the Research Intensive Bachelor’s Certificate, the Center for Global Engagement, the World Affairs Program, the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, and many other opportunities that FSU has to offer. This engagement helped her with law school applications and also laid the groundwork for her continued participation in various activities throughout law school including involvement with Moot Court, Law Review, and the Public Interest Law Center.
Alumni Speaker Series Virtual Q&A featuring Olivia Rose '18 on September 2

Topic: Careers in STEM, navigating STEM as a female, and ways to maximize your undergraduate research.

To submit a question for Olivia, please do so here: https://bit.ly/OliviaQA

Student Moderator: Jessica Dixon

Olivia is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Neuroscience at the Washington University School of Medicine. During her freshman year at FSU, Olivia participated in UROP as her first introduction to research; five years later, she is a doctoral student in a neuroscience program currently ranked #9 globally. FSU's commitment to undergraduate research is the reason Olivia is where she is today, particularly due to the support and mentorship provided through UROP and the CRE. Olivia received her B.S. in Psychology from FSU in 2018, and currently conducts computational neuroscience research in the lab of Dr. Carlos Ponce at Washington University in St. Louis. Her research integrates classic electrophysiology with cutting-edge machine learning and computational modeling to understand how the primate cortex encodes and transforms visual information. Like in many STEM fields, computational neuroscience reflects stark gender, racial, and socioeconomic disparities; she's no stranger to being the only female audience member in a seminar. Consequently, Olivia is passionate about mentoring undergraduates, particularly those from underrepresented groups, who are interested in careers in STEM.
FACULTY
CORNER
UROP Research Mentor Project Proposal Application

Deadline to submit UROP project proposal: Monday, August 17, 2020

The Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) is an initiative by the Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement (CRE) to engage high-achieving undergraduates in the academic culture of research and to offer help to faculty members. Open to all departments, the program is three-fold:

  1. Students participate in a UROP colloquium class that introduces them to the practice of research, provides guest faculty speakers, and offers continuous support and training
  2. Students work as research assistants to faculty members, post-docs, or advanced graduate students
  3. Students present their Research Mentors’ projects and their contribution to those projects at the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium

As UROP Research Mentors, faculty members, post-docs, graduate students, and campus partners can be partnered with student research assistants for a year-long period at no cost. There is no obligation to take a UROP student if you submit a project; you select the UROP student with whom you would like to work at the beginning of fall semester.

UROP Research Mentor Info Sessions

We are hosting one more UROP Research Mentor Info Session on August 12 at 3pm! This session will be conducted through Zoom and are an opportunity to learn more about becoming a UROP Research Mentor. As a Mentor, you can receive help on your current research projects and gain experience mentoring undergraduates. Use the attached graphic to follow a Zoom link that works best for your schedule; we look forward to seeing you at the info session!
TEAM CRE QUOTES
From Program Assistant, David Advent:

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended a lot of my personal and academic goals. I had planned a trip to Switzerland and was wanting some time to relax after I had graduated, but unfortunately, I could not continue with my trip. In addition, the pandemic has pushed back my plans for graduate school and for applying for a Fulbright. The pandemic is particularly troubling for me since I am immunocompromised; however, I am trying to remain calm and take care of myself as best as I can, which includes frequent rest breaks, exploring new hobbies, and perhaps having too much coffee.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Trystan Loustau
IDEA Grant Recipient, UROP Leader, UROP Student, SCURC Assistant Director, and Editor-in-Chief of the OWL

Trystan was recently featured as one of FSU's July 2020 Student Stars! She has been involved in many CRE programs during her time at FSU, including UROP, IDEA Grants, and SCURC! From her spotlight article:

"She has also worked on numerous undergraduate research projects in the field of psychology during her time with FSU. As a freshman, Loustau participated in FSU’s Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP), working as a research assistant in assistant professor Jessica Ribeiro’s lab studying suicidal behaviors using virtual reality technology.

Loustau presented her preliminary findings at the Undergraduate Research Symposium that spring and continued her work in the lab through a Directed Individual Study course for another semester the following semester. She presented the completed results in an original poster paper at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy in Atlanta in November 2019.
Loustau’s interest in the study of morality, which was first piqued in Moret’s HEP courses, was furthered in a “Moral Psychology” class she took, taught by assistant professor Paul Conway.
Conway is serving as the faculty advisor on an original research project that Loustau is undertaking this summer, sponsored by the Scott and Ina McNichols Undergraduate Research Award, a $4,000 FSU IDEA Grant.

Her project will investigate how people’s behavioral immune system may change the way they think about others in a moral sense. She is curious to see how these changes may be contributing to increased instances of prejudice and discrimination during the COVID-19 outbreak. Loustau plans to present this research at the President’s Showcase this fall, and she hopes to publish her study in a professional journal.

“I have fallen in love with research here at FSU,” Loustau said. “I know as long as I keep pursuing research that I’m interested in, I will end up in a place where I am meant to be.”
Last year, Loustau served as an associate editor for The Owl, FSU’s Undergraduate Research Journal, working with other members of the editorial board to provide undergraduate student researchers with the opportunity to experience the peer-review process and get published.
Next year, she will serve as the editor-in-chief of The Owl with the goal of increasing student engagement and helping students make the most of their submission experiences. In this position, she will also serve as assistant director of the Student Council for Undergraduate Research and Creativity, dedicated to supporting undergraduate research. She will also serve as a UROP Leader during the upcoming fall semester.

“I am excited to have the chance to help other students take advantage of the amazing resources and opportunities available for undergraduate research, both on-campus and beyond, Loustau said. “I will also have the opportunity to help equip them with practical skills for conducting research and securing those opportunities.”"

Congratulations, Trystan!
TORCHLIGHT CALL FOR RESEARCHERS
Molly Rimes, the Director of Research with Torchlight, is looking to put together a team of Research Fellows and Research Assistants. Torchlight is FSU's student run think tank, with the goal to hold SGA accountable. More information about Torchlight and who is eligible to apply is available at their website (https://www.torchlightcenter.org/join). Generally, Torchlight is looking for students with some research experience for the Fellows position, whereas the Assistant position can be anyone with an interest in research. If anyone is interested or has any questions, please contact Molly at mhr18@my.fsu.edu
HSF CLASS NOTES
Submit Your Successes to HSF "Class Notes"

In a time where we could use a positive story, we invite you to share yours through our Class Notes submission! If anyone has exciting or positive news to share, Friends of HSF and the CRE will share them with our students, readers, and community. 
IN HONOR OF DEAN KAREN LAUGHLIN
With Dean Laughlin's passing, the university has set up two memorial funds to honor Dean Laughlin. These memorials include the newly established Karen L. Laughlin Scholars and a Stained Glass in the Honors, Scholars, and Fellows House. Please consider contributing if you are able to do so. Use the link below to access the memorial site.
MEET WITH THE CRE!
CRE VIRTUAL ADVISING

Please set up a meeting through Campus Connect, use the instructions on the “Getting Started” page, and we will respond to you with a link to a Zoom appointment.
CRE Spotlights wants to feature your news!
We are constantly amazed by what our current students and alumni are working on, so share your success stories with us to be featured in our monthly newsletter and weekly social media posts. Fill out this form to share your news!
Engaging students in research, innovation, and scholarship is the hallmark of a great research university. Through this engagement, students become better thinkers, innovators, and problem solvers, cultivating a depth of understanding needed to make a positive difference in the world.