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April is National Poetry Month!
In this newsletter, CRE is commemorating National Poetry Month! We delve into how best to support creative research and how important representation is in all forms of research. This newsletter features spotlights (both for our students and Joy Harjo, US Poet Laureate), our recent 2021 Undergraduate Research Symposium (URS), and more CRE updates!
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The Academy of American Poets |
Launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, National Poetry Month reminds the public that poets have an integral role to play in our culture and that poetry matters. Over the years, it has become the largest literary celebration in the world, with tens of millions of readers, students, K–12 teachers, librarians, booksellers, literary events curators, publishers, families, and, of course, poets, marking poetry's important place in our lives. In 2021, the Academy of American Poets looks forward to celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of this annual celebration! |
Joy Harjo Appointed to Third Term as U.S. Poet Laureate
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden has announced the appointment of U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo to a third term, making Harjo the second laureate to receive this extension since terms for the position were established in 1943.
Harjo’s third term, to begin in September 2021, will offer her an opportunity to complete projects and programs whose timelines continue to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, including her signature project being launched today in celebration of Native American Heritage Month.
“Throughout the pandemic, Joy Harjo has shown how poetry can help steady us and nurture us. I am thankful she is willing to continue this work on behalf of the country,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. “A third term will give Joy the opportunity to develop and extend her signature project.”
For her third term, Harjo will focus on her signature project, “Living Nations, Living Words,” just launched at loc.gov/programs/poetry-and-literature/poet-laureate/poet-laureate-projects/living-nations-living-words/. This digital project features an interactive ArcGIS Story Map, developed with the Library’s Geography and Map Division, which maps 47 contemporary Native American poets across the country — including Joy Harjo, Louise Erdrich, Natalie Diaz, Ray Young Bear, Craig Santos Perez, Sherwin Bitsui and Layli Long Soldier.
The map connects to a new online audio collection developed by Harjo and housed in the Library’s American Folklife Center, which features the participating poets reading and discussing an original poem. Each chose their poems based on the theme of place and displacement, and with four focal points in mind: visibility, persistence, resistance and acknowledgment.
“This has been a challenging year for the country, for our earth. Poetry has provided doorways for joy, grief and understanding in the midst of turmoil and pandemic,” Harjo said. “I welcome the opportunity of a third term to activate my project and visit communities to share Native poetry. The story of America begins with Native presence, thoughts and words. Poetry is made of word threads that weave and connect us.”
During her laureateship, which began June 19, 2019, Harjo opened her term as the nation’s first Native American poet laureate with a poetry reading and concert in the Library’s Coolidge Auditorium accompanied by a three-piece band. Her first-term closing event was canceled after the pandemic forced the closure of the Library’s public buildings, and she started her second term on Sept. 1.
Harjo has adapted to the virtual world by participating in programs such as the 2020 Library of Congress National Book Festival — in a video recorded especially for the event and by appearing in the festival’s accompanying broadcast special on PBS — as well as in “The Poetry of Home,” a virtual series developed with The Washington Post.
About Joy Harjo:
Joy Harjo was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on May 9, 1951, and is the author of nine books of poetry, including her most recent collection, “An American Sunrise” (W.W. Norton), as well as “Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings”; “The Woman Who Fell From the Sky,” which received the Oklahoma Book Arts Award; and “In Mad Love and War” (Wesleyan University Press, 1990), which received an American Book Award and the Delmore Schwartz Memorial Award. Harjo has also written a memoir, “Crazy Brave,” which won the 2013 PEN Center USA literary prize for creative nonfiction, as well as a children’s book, “The Good Luck Cat,” and a young adult book, “For a Girl Becoming.”
Harjo has also recently released her co-edited anthology, “When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry” (Norton).
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HOW IS CRE CELEBRATING NATIONAL POETRY MONTH? |
POETRY HONORS IN THE MAJOR THESIS SPOTLIGHT:
JESSICA HOLE
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Meet Jessica Hole, our student spotlight for our newsletter this month! Jessica is a Creative Writing major from Wellington, FL. Jessica writes, "I’m a member of the Army ROTC program at FSU and will be commissioning as an aviator at the end of the month. After graduation I will be attending flight school and plan to continue to write throughout my Army career."
In talking about their project, Jessica writes: "My HITM Thesis is a creative project in poetry for which I wrote eighteen poems with the common theme of self and worldly reflection and perspective. This project gave me a better understanding of the craft side of poetry and how to work on form and page appearance. It also gave me the opportunity to explore topics to write about, as well as combining multiple tones into a single piece. This project was also a wonderful lesson in connecting in very different poems into one overall topic and tone."
Jessica also wrote some about her approach to creative forms of research and why she got started with her poetry project: "I've always really enjoyed writing both fiction and poetry, but I chose to write my thesis in poetry because of my wonderful thesis director, Barbara Hamby. She inspired me to see poetry in a less traditional way, and encouraged me to write the way I like. When I first started writing poetry for my coursework, I was under the impression that it had to be serious to be seen as legitimate. Barbara showed me that poetry is different for everyone, and introduced me to the writings of my greatest literary inspiration, Frank O'Hara. I try to write in the way I think and in turn like my writing to appear as speech-like as possible. Two of my poems "I Hope the Sun Thinks I'm Cool Too" and "Dude, What About the Penguins?" are great examples of that. What Makes O'Hara's work special to me is that he manages to make the reader feel as if they know him. I want my readers to feel like they're having a conversation with me, or like I'm telling them a story. I want to make my poetry both accessible and enjoyable to anyone, not just people who like to analyze literature. I write about pop culture, observations, or just tell stories about different times in my life. I write about the mundane things I experience in life and pair them with the extraordinary ways I like to think about them."
Thanks, Jessica! Great job on your thesis!
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2021 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM (URS) |
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On April 1, 2021, we hosted our annual URS! This was our second time hosting the event virtually but the first time we hosted the event via Whova!
The event was a success: with over 1000 people as registered participants and roughly 500 presenters, there was a huge audience, and we were thrilled with how many student projects we had. Parents, research mentors, and friends/peers all joined to listen to students present their projects from disciplines ranging from ethnomusicology to biomedical sciences to international affairs to religion to literature.
We used Whova to simulate and mimic a live conference as much as possible. Using the new artifact center, our students uploaded their posters and live Zoom links to the center to collate all the posters in one central place. Conference participants were able to view the posters while being in the Zoom rooms, where they were able to interact with presenters while viewing a PDF of the poster at the same time. See above for a picture of what the artifact/poster hall looked like.
To enhance participation in the URS, we also hosted Campus Partner Info Sessions, where campus partners--including Garnet and Gold Scholar Society, FSU Libraries, the Academic Center for Excellence (ACE), and more--got to interact with the undergraduate research community in an unique setting. Some of our campus partners had over 80 participants in their session and reported that the sessions were a great way to forge new connections.
We want to extend our sincerest gratitude for our student presenters and their research mentors for engaging and presenting at the symposium. We're so proud of all the hard work that you all have accomplished.
Congratulations to our student presenters and their research mentors!
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CREATIVE WRITING RESEARCH ADVISING |
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CRE provides general research advising to help you get started on your research journey at FSU and to connect you with relevant campus partners. One our staff members who coordinates Drop-in advising, David Advent, conducted humanities-based research (specifically in English) during his time at FSU and is more than happy to help fellow Humanities and Creative Arts researchers start their journey at FSU!
With that, our Summer 2021 Drop-In Advising Hours will officially open in May! Times and links to register will be updated at the link at the bottom. Once you click on the link, there will be instructions on how to register. We look forward to helping you find your passion in research!
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CUR UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH WEEK |
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On November 16, 2010, the U.S. House of Representatives declared the week of April 11, 2011, as "Undergraduate Research Week." Since that time, CUR has designated a week in April each year as "Undergraduate Research Week." This is a national celebration in which CUR showcases what other campuses are doing to celebrate UR, congratulate students on their research, and thank those faculty and mentors who have helped guide the way for UR.
How can you get involved for #URW2021?
- CUR encourages everyone to take to social media and make sure to share a thank you to a mentor or faculty member who has supported your UR endeavors, celebrate your institution, personal, or student successes in UR, or tell us a story about how UR has impacted you. Please tag us at @CURinAction and use our hashtag #URW2021. You can see examples of how many others highlighted their celebrations and shared recognition by searching #VirtualURW2020 on Twitter.
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Submit your institution's celebration, event, or how they are celebrating undergraduate research during URW.
- For the month of April, CUR has put together plenty of events to get involved with the community.
- Register for ones that interest you below:
[Registration is free and open to CUR members]
Register to join colleagues for an informal discussion on summer research programs in the age of COVID.
[Registration is free and open to CUR members]
Dive into the last portion of our reading selection, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.
[Registration is free and open to CUR members]
Register to join colleagues for an informal discussion on student marketing and advocacy.
[Registration has closed]
Listen in to over 3,500 undergraduate researchers as they present their learnings from all disciplines.
[Registration is free, closes on April 5, 2021]
Join Lisa Bosman (Purdue University) and Amy Deveau (University of New England) for a CUR members-only conversation on the feature-length documentary, Picture a Scientist. This film chronicles the groundswell of researchers who are writing a new chapter for women scientists.
Tell us how your school is celebrating URW by submitting your events or tagging us on social media - #URW2021.
[Registration is free and open to CUR members]
Partake in our celebration honoring our 2020 AURA recipients.
[Registration is required only for student researchers, event is open to the public]
Find out how you can support these 60 prestigious Posters on the Hill researchers and celebrate their achievements.
[Registration is free and open to CUR members]
Register today to join in on an informal community discussion that focuses on undergraduate student cohorts and other relationships in this virtual and hybrid world.
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APPLY FOR THE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM (UROP) |
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Join a community of hundreds of first and second-year student researchers and UROP alumni, including discipline-specific, transfer, and student-veteran cohorts through UROP:
- Explore academic and career interests through faculty and graduate student mentorship, all while learning to think in creative and innovative ways
- Choose from hundreds of projects representing all areas of study, including fine arts, humanities, sciences, medicine, engineering, business, and social sciences, including the freedom to engage research outside of your proposed, or declared, field of study
- Join an established researcher or team, with the ability to collect and analyze data, co-author, present findings at conferences, and make other important contributions
- Gain hands-on knowledge and application of research principles, a competitive and tangible asset for graduate and professional school applications, and an attractive skillset for future employers.
Program Components:
- Conduct research 5 -10 hours per week assisting a faculty member, graduate student, or startup company;
- Meet bi-weekly with a UROP Leader and fellow UROP students;
- receive personalized guidance about research and campus resources
- Present at the 22nd annual Undergraduate Research Symposium
Deadline to apply: Saturday, May 1, 2021 (Thursday, July 1, 2021 for transfer students)
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UROP RESEARCH MENTOR PORTAL OPEN |
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When you are ready to upload a research or creative project to request research assistants, make sure to submit your project by August 16th, 2021 to the database using SurveyMonkeyApply: https://fsu-cre2.smapply.us/
Facilitated by the Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement (CRE), UROP is a nationally recognized, yearlong program in which 400 high-achieving underclassmen, transfer, and veteran students serve as research assistants to faculty, post-docs, graduate students, and campus partners.
Faculty, post-docs, graduate students, and campus partners who have submitted research projects to the portal will be contacted by UROP students the first few weeks of fall semester to schedule interviews. After finding a good match, research mentors and UROP students sign a contract outlining the expected duties and hours for the assistantship, which runs through spring semester. In addition, all UROP students enroll in a yearlong research colloquium and present a poster of their contribution to the research mentor’s project at the annual FSU Undergraduate Research Symposium.
The eager and talented students who have applied for UROP will be excited to start working as research assistants—but we still need more research proposals from all of you! Your participation will enable more students to participate in undergraduate research, while continuing to build our nationally recognized undergraduate research portfolio at FSU.
Benefits for research mentors submitting a UROP project include:
- Undergraduate research assistance
- Materials grants and recognition: faculty can receive a materials grant of up to $1,000 ($500/student, up to two students) and be eligible for a $2,000 Undergraduate Research Mentor Award
- Post-docs can receive materials grants of up to $500 ($500/student, up to two students) , while Graduate students can receive materials grants of up to $250
- Graduate students/Post-docs can be eligible for a $500 Undergraduate Research Mentor Award, while acquiring mentoring experience through a structured program
Please remember, by posting a project to the portal, there is no obligation to accept a UROP student if you do not find a good match. Feel free to contact CRE Associate Director, Alicia Batailles, with any questions you might have at alicia.batailles@fsu.edu.
Since the COVID-19 crisis may affect our ability to have in-person research opportunities for students, students can start by working on background research and continue with in-person research once it is appropriate conduct in-person research again.
Thank you for supporting undergraduate research at FSU!
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UROP RESEARCH MENTOR INFO SESSIONS |
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The CRE is hosting virtual info sessions for faculty, postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and campus partners to learn more about becoming a Research Mentor as part of the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP)!
Come learn more about becoming an Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) Research Mentor! At this session, you will hear about the benefits of working with a UROP research assistant as well as associated funding and awards, including perspectives from previous UROP Research Mentors and UROP students in the program. UROP Research Mentors who are currently working on a project and need help with their research can have student research assistants on their projects for an academic year at no cost as part of UROP.
Information sessions will be from 3-4 pm on the following dates:
Info sessions will be held on Zoom and will be recorded for later access if you cannot attend.
If you have any questions about UROP or submitting a project proposal, please contact Alicia Batailles, CRE Senior Associate Director and UROP Coordinator, at alicia.batailles@fsu.edu.
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THE FSU-iGEM TEAM IS RECRUITING FOR TWO NEW TEAM MEMBERS |
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The FSU-iGEM synthetic biology research competition team is recruiting two new team members to serve a Software and Visual Arts leads. We need your help to research and innovate in this year’s problem area, food insecurity and malnutrition. These positions are open to all majors and prior knowledge of synthetic biology is not required. The Software lead will head the team’s development of a wiki or website from scratch that documents all of the work of the team over the life of this year’s project. You can find past team websites here and here. Our Visual Arts lead will use their graphic design skills to help us develop imagery and video content to not only document the team’s work but help educate the public on synthetic biology and our community’s difficulty with malnutrition. To learn more about the FSU-iGEM team visit our website, https://med.fsu.edu/igem/home. If you are interested in pursuing one of these positions, please email Dave Montez at dmontez@fsu.edu.
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FGLSAMP AND NOURISHING CREATIVITY SPOTLIGHT: JACOB GARCIA |
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For this month's newsletter, were are highlighting our Florida Georgie Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (FGLSAMP) member, Jacob Garcia! He is double majoring in Digital Media Production and IT. Jacob is a bilingual and first-generation student. He enjoys storytelling through different artistic forms of expression, from recording a full-length album to theatrical performances. He grounds himself in production, cinematography, and documentary filmmaking. He even has over 2 years of live television broadcasting. Jacob writes “I classify myself as a multi-media artist and technologist driven by the pursuit of knowledge and emerging technologies.” |
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Jacob’s research is a creative project that takes on a documentary format. His research focuses on colorism within the Latinx community through the lens of family, media presentation, and history. He has presented his research at the 2021 Florida Undergraduate Research Conference and will soon defend his research in the Honor’s in the Major program. In addition, Jacob presented his project at the 2021 Virtual Undergraduate Research Symposium (URS) during the Nourishing Creativity Hour, an annual event designed to showcase the importance and visibility of creative forms of research throughout the FSU undergraduate research community.
Jacob writes, “I've been given necessary support needed to succeed and feel that I have the opportunity to succeed. Currently, partnering with FGAMP has been great because I've been able to see fellow minorities succeed in my community”.
We are so grateful and proud to have you as an FGLSAMP member, Jacob! We can’t wait to see what next for you!
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APRIL 2021 STUDENT STAR PROFILE: GIOVANNA GARCIA |
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Knowing she would double major in international affairs and political science, Giovanna Garcia felt that Florida State University was the best school to provide ample opportunities in her areas of study.
“Visiting FSU, it was immediately apparent that there was a sense of family and pride here,” she said. “All the conversations I had with other students emphasized that FSU is a place to cultivate your interests, which is important to me.”
Garcia ultimately chose to attend FSU when she received the Presidential Scholars Award. This premier undergraduate merit scholarship provides four years of support and is open to high school seniors who are admitted into the FSU Honors Program.
“I knew that if I wanted to attend a university outside of my hometown of Miami, I would need to earn substantial scholarships,” she said. “Being chosen as a Presidential Scholar not only made attending FSU possible, but the enrichment funding also allowed me to pursue other opportunities like study abroad that I did not think would be an option.”
Coming from a family of Cuban refugees, Garcia has always felt a passion for helping those in need.
“I have had family members who were arbitrarily held political prisoners or put in labor camps,” she said. “I had other family members who were denied education and had minimal access to the necessities of life. International migration only compounded this trauma.”
“Visiting historic sites of genocide and ethnic cleansing is a deeply saddening and sobering experience,” she said. “More than anything though, these experiences reinforced the importance of being an unapologetic advocate of human rights and the terrible consequences that come when individuals, parties and governments turn a blind eye and thus become complicit in these violations.”
Awesome job, Giovanna! Congratulations on your hard work and your spotlight as an FSU Student Star!
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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.
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FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA |
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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!
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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. |
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