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News

From the College of Natural Sciences

Hey, look over there — it’s a distraction

Dear Students, Just when you are getting down to some serious studying, your phone sends an alert. Actually, your phone is sending you an alert every three seconds as another Snap arrives, your photo was liked on Instagram, or some other notification is pushed to you. Not only are we constantly bombarded electronically, but there are distracti...

Off the couch

Dear Students, This is a big week on campus: We have the CNS Technology and Science Career Fair tomorrow, Sept. 20, from 1-6pm in the Erwin Center, where there will be over 200 employers. Wednesday night we have super-star alum of the College, David Reitze, giving a public lecture on Gravitational Waves. It is 7:30-8:30pm in Hogg Aud...

Family Matters

Dear Students, September 24th will be Family Day. This is a chance for families to come to UT and see what campus life is like for students. Many families come every year, but often the weekend is dominated by the families of freshmen. They are keen to see their children and learn about their students' new home away from home. I remember ...

This Week’s Message

Dear Students, We are now heading into the second full week of classes. And it is Labor Day. So you have a whole day off to relax, enjoy Austin, study and think about graduation. What?!! For all the freshmen you should become accustomed to the series of questions you will get from family and friends. They progress from, "Where are you going to...

Welcome Back… and Looking Ahead

Dear Students, My name is David Vanden Bout and, as many of you know, I am the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education in the College of Natural Sciences. Each Monday, you'll get an email like this one with a note from me (that's this part here), a Pic of the Week, news about events and things to know this week (scroll down for that), and s...

Stay Connected

Dear Students, There are only a few finals left, and at this point most of you are finished! For you graduating seniors, the end is here. What starts here changes the world. While the research and scholarship produced at UT will impact the world, by far the greatest influence the University has is through the students it graduates. What s...

Finals Week

​Dear Students, Classes are done. All that is left in the semester is finals. If you find yourself thinking, "I'll start studying right after re-watching season 5 of Game of Thrones," think again. I know it has been a long year, but don't drop your good study habits here right at the finish line. What should you do? Press on. You can...

Last Week of Class

Dear Students, Here it is: the last week of class. For many of you, this is the end of your first year at UT. For others, these are the last few classes of your college career. Even at the end of the semester, for most of you, large portions of your grades are yet to be determined. Exams, papers, projects and reports remain. And then there are...

Our Forty Acres

Dear Students, The University of Texas is an amazing place that transforms lives every day. One of the things that makes it great is the amazing network of people who support our institution. The University relies on tuition, of course, and public dollars, too, but it also needs the generous donations of individuals around the state, the natio...

Research 2.0

​Dear Students, More talk about research? Yes! It is Research Week on Campus. We kicked things off last week with the amazing Undergraduate Research Forum with nearly 200 posters from CNS undergraduates. This week there are a whole host of additional events across campus. Some of you are saying "research is not for me." That's all right as wel...

Research

Dear Students, The University of Texas is what is sometimes called an "R1" University. This means that it is classified as having the highest research activity level. What does this mean for CNS students? UT has amazing opportunities to participate in research. Many students have already undertaken research projects through the Freshman Resear...

Registration, Deadlines & Summertime

Dear Students, Summer is here! Well, not quite. But if you haven't thought about summer yet, you should start today. Especially if you are trying to figure out what courses might be right for you. Registration is coming up (April 18-29). Did you know that fall and summer registration happen at the same time? That means fall and summer advising...

Spring

Dear Students, Spring is here! And, thankfully, the weather is back to spring (I was worried summer had already arrived). Everyone should be back into the groove of studying and working towards a strong finish to the semester. Keeping that in mind, I want to encourage everyone to capitalize on living in Austin. There were just a few bazillion ...

Spring Break (almost)

Dear Students, Oh my! There is that feeling in the air. Spring break is almost here. As a result I have two messages for you this week. First, it is not Spring Break yet! Keep studying. Knock out those mid-term exams. Finish those lab reports. Crank out more research data. You have to wait until the end of the week to take off. It's only ...

Leap Day

​Dear Students, Feeling a little off this week? Perhaps it is because today is Leap Day (2/29). And while it comes around every four years, it somehow feels like a rare occasion. So, perhaps that has thrown you off this week. Or perhaps it is the fact that we are now well into the semester and the weight of assignments, labs, reading...