From our Editor, David Advent:

You might have noticed we didn't have a June newsletter. Fear not; we wanted to combine our June and July newsletters to better showcase the amazing work that our students are completing throughout this summer!

We start with updates from each of our programs, highlighting several students and the work they are currently completing in their blogs. Some students talk about developing feelings of belonging and solidarity in their community; some talk about structural inequalities present in current research projects; and some even talk about florescent frog ecology! Our students are conducting amazing work across a variety of disciplines.

Then, we mention some of our upcoming office deadlines, event dates, and more. This includes the UROP Research Project Proposals, which are due August 21, and our upcoming event, the President's Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence on Thursday, October 3 starting at 5:30pm. Save the date!

Thanks for reading--as always, if you have any questions or would like to know more, please email us at cre@fsu.edu. Go forth, and research!
STUDENT BLOG UPDATES
One of our Global Scholars, Ivy Johnson is currently working for a food pantry and has noticed in her work the intersectional nature of structural inequalities. In that, she writes: "this experience has allowed me to forge connections and gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by families in need within my local area. I have discovered that single-parent households with multiple children and those with disabled children encounter significant difficulties in meeting their family’s requirements. The additional care and attention that children and disabled individuals require make it challenging for single parents to juggle employment and fulfill their family’s financial needs."

Thanks for sharing and reflecting, Ivy. And, as Ivy indicates, this experience has caused her to change her perspective on her Capstone project, which will now shift to discussing socioeconomic status and its impact on vaccination rates.
IDEA Grant Recipient Janeen Green has a few updates for us on her project that is looking to develop new senses of justice for Yemeni women. As Janeen writes, "This summer, I will collect narratives from various Yemeni women activists in Dearborn, Michigan and, via Zoom, from Yemen, to perform a thematic analysis to understand the range of standpoints that inspire their activism. Approaching human rights discourses from the perspectives of Yemeni women will show how they create new senses of justice in and through Islam, a focus lacking in the literature of social sciences and humanities."

Thanks for sharing, Janeen! This is incredible work, and we're looking forward to seeing where your research takes you!
The FSU iGEM team is currently well on their way in working on their project. They are currently implementing designs in the lab to treat their disease of interest: trimethylaminuria (TMAU or "Fish Odor Syndrome").

In their update, the teams writes, "to give back, we are taking plasmids, or circular pieces of DNA, that contain these promoters and determining their expression by quantifying how intensely they fluoresce. The greater the plasmid glows, the greater its expression. Say a team designs a tomato variety with cold resistance from a deep-sea flounder gene to combat food insecurity. They will want a promoter that strongly expresses the cold resistance gene to ensure the tomatoes do not die in a cold snap. By quantifying the expression of these promoters, the Build Team can help other iGEM teams choose promoters strategically.  During the Summer of 2023, the Build Team is creating protocols for measuring the concentration of trimethylamine in the small intestinal fluid. Trimethylamine, or TMA, is the compound responsible for malodor. If the concentration of TMA drops from our treatment, people will exhibit less symptoms. By determining its concentration before and after ingestion of our pill, we can determine the treatment’s efficacy. The treatment will be in a pill form and is absorbed in the small intestine."

Thanks for sharing about your work this summer, iGEM Team!
Tech Fellow Amoy Robinson is currently working with North Florida Innovation Labs on creating a new internship program for future interns at the Innovation Labs! As Amoy writes, "My time at the North Florida Innovation Labs has been nothing short of amazing. The days are filled with meetings and tasks that align perfectly with my career goals. The executive director Bill Lickson has been a great resource for when I need more guidance or just want to ensure I’m on the right path. My first day I met the Mayor of Tallahassee, John Dailey, while on a hard hat tour of the future Innovation Lab building. It was a great experience being able to capture such a great first day which built the momentum of my time here."

Great work, Amoy! And it's so awesome you met Tallahassee Mayor, John Dailey!
Remember, you can read all of our students' updates on our Summer 2023 blogs website. These blogs showcase the amazing work each of our students will be completing throughout the summer. Use the links below to read about our students and their plans for the summer!

IDEA Grant blogs

Tech Fellows blogs

Global Scholars blogs

iGEM blogs
VIRTUAL RESEARCH ADVISING WORKSHOP
Are you interested in getting involved in undergraduate research but don't know where to begin? Attend our Virtual Advising Workshop on Tuesday, August 8th at 1:30pm! At this workshop, CRE staff will go over how to get started with undergraduate research, how to contact research mentors, what research looks like in every discipline, and more.

Register here to attend the workshop!
UROP RESEARCH MENTOR PROJECT PORTAL
UROP RESEARCH MENTOR PROJECT PORTAL NOW OPEN!
THE UROP PROJECT PORTAL IS OPEN!
 THE UROP PROJECT DEADLINE IS AUGUST 21, 2023.

The Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) is an initiative by the Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement to engage high-achieving undergraduates in the academic culture of research and offer help to Research Mentors. 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 Research Mentors (Faculty, Postdocs, Graduate Students, and Campus Partners)  
  3. Students present their Research Mentors’ projects and their contribution to it at the annual undergraduate research symposium

UROP Research Mentors will work with student research assistants for an academic year. UROP is currently recruiting Research Mentors to submit projects for which they would like undergraduate research assistants. 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.

Attend a Virtual UROP Research Mentor Info Session

These sessions will provide an opportunity to learn more about becoming a UROP Research Mentor; we discuss the Research Mentor Handbook, best practices on working with UROP students, and more. Click on the dates below to register for the zoom meetings:


You can also watch a recording of one our UROP Research Mentor Info Sessions here.
SAVE THE DATE FOR THE PRESIDENT'S SHOWCASE
We're excited to announce our 2023 President's Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence! This event, a collaboration between the Office of the President and the Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement (CRE), is the culmination of the IDEA Grant and Tech Fellows programs, and at the President’s Showcase, students share their research and creative projects through poster and oral presentations. This year’s Showcase will take place on Thursday, October 3, 2023 at 5:30pm in the FSU Student Union.

The IDEA Grants are a reflection of the University's commitment to developing students as scholars and innovators and are a testament to the stimulating education undergraduates receive at Florida State. These students' projects share in the University's mission of nurturing independent thinkers, who are learning to create solutions that enrich both our campus and our larger communities. Their hard work does not end at this event, as many of the awardees will continue their intellectual pursuits through honors theses, independent study projects, graduate research, and entrepreneurial and creative work. 
CRE DROP-IN ADVISING
We now have Summer drop-in advising! See below for our updated schedule!
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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.