FEATURE OF THE MONTH
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH
Florida State University's origin as the Florida State College for Women established a community of learning and advancement for young women in higher education. FSU continues this tradition today.
A HISTORY HEADLINE
Our beloved Florida State University, prior to being the co-ed college it is today, was a university specifically for women . Here are some highlights throughout the institution's rich history as a Women's College!

1858 : The West Florida Seminary absorbs the Leon Female Academy in order to provide women with fair access to academic and financial support. As a result, the Female Department of the West Florida Seminary is established, providing the female students with instruction in the buildings of the former academy. Under the Florida State Constitution and the City Council of Tallahassee, the Female Department received the same benefits and financial support guaranteed to the Male Department.

1905 : Classes for the new Florida Female College begin in September of 1905. FFC changed its name to Florida State College for Women in 1909. Students and faculty pushed for the name change since they felt the title was demeaning and demonstrated poor English. They commonly called the institution “Florida Women’s College” for several years, making the name change a mere formality.
1910 : On March 8, 1910, the Florida State College for Women laid the cornerstone for the Administration Building, known today as Westcott Hall. The ceremony, which was reported on the front cover of the Tallahassee newspaper, The Weekly True Democrat , was attended by a large crowd, including Florida Governor Albert Gilchrist. 

1915 : On January 23, 1915, the Florida State College for Women published the first issue of its weekly newspaper called the Florida Flambeau . The name Flambeau, which means “torch” in French, was chosen by student Lucille Freeman, circulation manager of the newspaper. Ms. Freeman’s choice was explained in the January 30, 1915 issue:
“Florida,” of course, quite naturally: but “Flambeau,” by what right? Look at the great seal of our Alma Mater: on it you see three primal ideals enumerated, for which our College stands, and for each ideal stands its symbol the classical torch, which our Dear Mother hands on to succeeding generations. And let us hope that each shining emblem symbolizes a greater light that “never was on land or sea.”
 
The Florida Flambeau remained a campus publication for fifty-seven years until funding cutbacks in 1972 forced the newspaper to become an independent publication off-campus. The newspaper continued to operate independently until 1998. That same year, the newspaper was purchased by FSView , another Florida State University student newspaper, established in 1992. Today, the official independent student newspaper is called FSView & Florida Flambeau .   
1947 : The Florida College for Women became Florida State University!

1963: Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker (pictured) and Carmena Greene Bostic made history as the first two Black women to enroll at Florida State University.

1970 : Doby Flowers was the first Black woman to be voted Homecoming Queen, and she featured on the Integration Statue in the center of campus.

Timeline adapted from "On this day in Florida history" by the Florida History Network website, "Florida State University celebrates 50 years of integration" via diverseducation.com, and "Bostic and DuPont" via Florida State Integration .
EVENTS AND DEADLINES
Apply to be a part of the 2020-2021 Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP)

Deadline to apply for UROP: Friday, May 1, 2020
(Transfer student deadline: Wednesday, July 1, 2020)

*This program is for first- and second-year & transfer FSU students. Learn more about UROP

Program Components:
  • Conduct research 5 -10 hours per week assisting a faculty member, graduate student, or campus or community partner
  • Meet bi-weekly with a UROP Leader and fellow UROP students; receive personalized guidance about research and campus resources
  • Present at the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium

Information sessions about UROP and the application process will be in HSF room 3008:
  • Monday, April 13th, 2:00 - 3:00 pm
  • Thursday, April 23rd, 1:00 - 2:00 pm
Save the Date for FSU'S 2020 Great Give
Tuesday-Wednesday, March 24-25

FSU’s Great Give is a 36-hour online giving campaign in support of academic programs, scholarships and student activities at Florida State University. Florida State supporters can make gifts from 9 a.m. on Tuesday, March 24 until the campaign ends at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25. All FSU’s Great Give featured projects will be highlighted on FSU’s crowdfunding site, sparkFSU. We will be featuring four HSF projects allowing you to support everything from Honors to experiential learning.

To learn more about our CRE and HSF fundraising projects, go to the Great Give website!
You're invited to the 2020 Undergraduate Research Symposium!

Thursday, April 9th, 2020 in the Oglesby Union Ballrooms

The Undergraduate Research Symposium is an annual showcase for undergraduate students from all majors to present their work to the wider community. Hundreds of student researchers, including those from the Garnet and Gold Scholar Society, Honors in the Major Program, and the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP), present their work as poster and creative presentations in the FSU Oglesby Union Ballrooms. Light refreshments and interactive activities provided.
SCURC General Interest Meeting

Monday, March 9, 2020 at 7 PM – 8 PM in HSF 3008

Are you interested in joining the SCURC Executive Board for the 2020-2021 academic year? Do you have prior research experience or intend to in the near future? If so, come attend our GIM to learn about which position would best suite you!

The meeting will take place in the Honors, Scholars, and Fellows Building in room 3008.
For more information go to the SCURC event page.
HONORS IN THE MAJOR
Honors in the Major Application Deadline

Deadline f or students applying to begin an Honors in the Major thesis in Summer 2020 or Fall 2020 is April 10, 2020

Students earn Honors in the Major by completing a research thesis or creative project in your major area of study under the guidance of a faculty committee. You will work with this committee to select a topic, develop a prospectus, complete a written document based on your research or creative project, and defend your thesis orally before your committee. This process normally takes two to three semesters, during which you will register for six to nine hours of 4000-level thesis credit. Once you have completed and successfully defended your project, you will graduate "with honors" in your major, a distinction that is announced during commencement and designated on your official transcript (not your diploma).

For students in HITM who are defending their thesis this semester, they must submit completion paperwork by the last day of classes,  April 24, 2020 .

For more information about Honors In The Major, see the introductory video here on their website .
FRIENDS
OF HSF
ProfessioNOLE Mentorship Program

The FSU Career Center sponsored ProfessioNole Mentors program offers students the chance to reach out to professionals throughout the community, country, and world and learn more about their field’s industry demands, career expectations, job outlook, and employment opportunities. Both alumni and friends of the University participate in ProfessioNole Mentors, making themselves available for student inquiries.

Students are encouraged to sign up through the ProfessioNOLE platform if they are interested in successful mentorship.
Alumni Speaker Series Follow-Up

Thank you FSU Student Alumni Association for partnering to feature alumna Ashley Vinson ’13 for a Speaker Series in HSF!

Ashley shared how to use your degree in unconventional ways. She spoke about how her education helped navigate her through a career with the Special Forces!
CONFERENCE SEASON
Florida Undergraduate Research Conference 2020

The 2020 Florida Undergraduate Research Conference (FURC) was a great success! Hosted by Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida, on February 21st to 22nd, 2020, FURC is one of the largest multi-disciplinary research conferences in the country. Students attending FURC had the opportunity to showcase their own research and connect with student researchers and faculty at other Florida institutions as well as graduate school recruiters.
"Traveling with a group was a fun experience! From hilarious bus ride conversations to flooding a Sweet Tomatoes with FSU pride, there were a lot of great memories made along the way. It really helped to create a feeling of solidarity among us and eased both my nerves and other presenters' nerves about the conference. One of my favorite memories was the stop on the way back from the conference to eat dinner, where we were able to really reflect about the experience."

—Kariza Hossain on her FURC experience
"Presenting my research was the most nerve-wracking part of the trip to me, but all-in-all, I became a better student researcher because of FURC. I was selected to not only complete a poster presentation, but also an oral presentation. This was all really exciting, but I couldn't help but feel anxious. I could not be more thankful to the CRE [staff] and the FSU students for being so supportive.

My FSU team made it a point to show up for my oral presentation, and it genuinely did help calm my nerves. Trying to explain research that you have been working on for months to people who have never even heard of it can be quite complicated, but I learned essential skills from being faced with this challenge."

—Imani Lewis on what it was like to present at FURC
Inaugural Undergraduate Research Posters at the Capitol

On February 10th, 2020 the inaugural Florida Undergraduate Research Posters at the Capitol was hosted by the Florida Undergraduate Research Association (FURA) throughout the Florida State Capitol. Selected students from colleges and universities across the state of Florida shared their research with lawmakers, aides, and citizens!
See the story written by FSU News about the students who presented on behalf of FSU (clockwise from left) Hannah Pascoe, Elias Larralde, Natasha De La Cruz, and Sabrina Mato
DFA at FSU Design Sprint
Design Sprint theme: How to address the e-waste problem

This year’s  Critical Thinking Symposium  theme was  Digital Citizenship, which references responsible approaches and uses of technology and, in this case, its disposal . As part of the overall campus-wide Critical Thinking Symposium, CRE Associate Director Dave Montez facilitated a design sprint with students to explore solutions to re-mediate existing e-waste problems at FSU and how to prevent generating e-waste in the future.

Check out this video to see how the Design Sprint operates and how it furthers complex conversations on digital citizenship. Event co-sponsors included  FSU Libraries ,  Sustainable Campus  and  SIE @FSU .
FSU STUDENT STARS
Cara Steinberg
UROP leader, UROP student

As a sophomore, a friend encouraged her to apply for the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) and she was accepted. As a UROP student, Steinberg selected a research project in the Special Education Department at FSU’s College of Education and worked under Assistant Professor of Special Education Jenny Root.

“Dr. Jenny Root really took me under her wing and is a big mentor that I’ve had here at FSU,” Steinberg said. “I really appreciated how she treated me the same way she treated everyone on her team. I was very much in the loop with their projects and knew what was going on at a higher level than just a research assistant.”
Sebastian Mejía
UROP student, IDEA Grant recipient

Mejía focused his research of Latin American & Caribbean studies by assisting doctoral student Jordan Holsinger through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) in his study, “Non-Governmental Organizations & Political Certainty: NGO Obstruction in Nicaragua.”

With funding from the IDEA Grant and the Social Science Scholars program, Mejía returned to Brazil the following summer to do archival research for his study, “Decolonizing Land & Re-indigenizing Body: The Recuperation of Indigenous Identity in Brazil.” His thesis interrogates why communities in Brazil are resisting their social and political whitening, demanding land repatriation, and how this process occurs either in concert of or in conflict with long recognized Indigenous communities. Mejía presented his research at the 2019 President's Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence and at the 2020 Florida Undergraduate Research Conference.
STUDENT
SPOTLIGHT
Emma Masters
UROP Leader Mentor, UROP Leader, UROP student

Emma Masters is currently a UROP Leader Mentor, preparing the next class of UROP leaders to involve students in research across campus. She majors in Environmental Science and Spanish and is employed at FSU's Sustainable Campus office where she is very eager to leave her mark "on sustainability at FSU by promoting gardening, plant based foods, and preventing food waste."

"I currently do research focused on ecology, specifically male guppy color patterns and mate selection preferences. I hope to share as many resources as possible with my UROP students for them to reach their dreams. I want to inspire them to do anything they dream of and give them the right connections to do so."
ALUMNI
SPOTLIGHT
Elizabeth Smith
Global Scholar 2018

I had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of FSU’s Global Scholars in 2018. As an English educator intern in India from June to August, there were many opportunities to engage young children in a small village in West Bengal. We completed a children’s book that was a handwritten, colored, alphabet book that highlights the accessibility of love no matter where you are on earth.

In the summer of 2019, I traveled to Ghana with FSU’s Global Peace Exchange. As a Microfinance intern, there were various opportunities to serve the rural community of Akufful Krodua. The microfinance project started in 2014 with the intentions of reducing poverty and empowering women. Patriots Ghana, the NGO I interned with, served as a financial institution that gives loans at a fair interest, flexible term schedule, and basic business training. I had the opportunity to conduct trainings and educational talks to the women and youth. We primarily engaged the youth by attending upper primary and JHS schools in Akufful Krodua to teach the students the importance of saving money, building financial literacy, and enforcing discipline.
 
My involvement in CRE helped me focus on my true aspirations and actively pursue my dreams. I aspire to become a professor, and I’ve always found that it is important to take advantage of all the resources and opportunities that arise through life’s journey.
MEET WITH THE CRE!
CRE DROP-IN HOURS
SPRING 2020

January 6 — May 1

Monday, 10 - 12
Wednesday, 1-3
Morgan Hamilton, mjhamilton@fsu.edu

Tuesday, 1 - 3
David Advent, madvent@fsu.edu

Thursday, 10 - 12
Alex Oldham, aoldham@fsu.edu

Contact us
cre@fsu.edu
Make an appointment: Getting Started
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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.