Also, don't miss your chance to see some big names speak on campus.
Dear Students,
I write to inform you of CNS101, an exciting new initiative in the College of Natural Sciences and a new opportunity for you to work in a paid leadership/mentorship position to help all new students successfully transition into the college. This initiative began with lots of conversations from you the student body about your experience coming to college, and ways that the college could better assist with the transition to UT and to the study of science/math in particular.
CNS101 will start with the next freshman class (and soon transfers as well). CNS101 will group the entering class in to cohorts of 20 students, a small learning community to support every single freshman. Every 20 student cohort will be students with similar academic or professional interests. It will be led by a faculty or staff advisor and one paid peer mentor (upperclassman) with the same major. Each section runs the entire year, not just one semester, and each section will do group advising over the whole year. We will have individual advising for freshmen that want more detailed conversation, but we envision longer, extended group conversations with an advisor will establish long-term relationships and trust with an adult leader in the college.
Staff and faculty throughout the college have worked CNS 101 to this point but we now turn to YOU, our greatest resource, for feedback. The Natural Sciences Council will host a special Town Hall on April 7 at 5pm in WEL 2.224 to discuss the new proposal. I will be there, as will Dean Linda Hicke, Assistant Dean Mike Raney who oversees advising, Sarah Simmons, Assistant Dean for Research and International Study, Lesley Riley, Director of the Health Professions Office, and Assistant Dean Susan Harkins who oversees the TIP program. Together, we will take your questions and provide more information on CNS101. Also, there you can find out how you can apply to serve as a mentor to one of our CNS101 sections.
I look forward to your thoughts and I look forward to seeing you at the Town Hall on April 7
-- Dr. Kopp
PS: Remember there are three big lectures coming up.
- "Managing with a Heart," John Paul Dejoria, Tuesday, 3/25, 5:15pm in WEL 2.224. http://www.cns.utexas.edu/dejoria Mr. DeJoria will also present the prize to the winners of this year's CNS Think Big Competition.
- "A Doctor's Touch," Abraham Verghese, MD, Tuesday, 4/1, 7:00pm AT&T Center Ballroom. See his TED talk here: http://www.ted.com/talks/abraham_verghese_a_doctor_s_touch. The Co-Op will have copies of his books for sale, and Dr. Verghese will sign copies.
- The Scientist Behind "Breaking Bad," Professor Donna Nelson, Wednesday, 4/16, 5:00pm WEL 2.224. UT CNS alumna Donna Nelson has worked as the chief science consultant for the television show Breaking Bad. http://cns.utexas.edu/news/q-a-with-donna-nelson.
PPS: Thursday the tower was lit brightly in the proud color of burnt orange, an expression of Longhorn pride for our teachers at the university. President Powers and Provost Fenves recognized 8 faculty with the Presidents' Associates Teaching Excellence Awards, and among the winners were Dr. Cynthia LaBrake, senior lecturer in the Department of Chemistry who worked to revamp introductory chemistry, Dr. Leanne Field, Distinguished Senior Lecturer in Biological Sciences who worked toward the creation of the Public Health, Medical Lab Science, and Health Information Technology programs, and Dr. Andy Ellington, Professor in Molecular Biosciences, one of the innovative contributors to the creation of the Freshman Research Initiative. Along with the winners from College of Liberal Arts and College of Social Work, these faculty were recognized for their work to advance the educational mission of UT.
PPPS: Each week I try to let you know about events, scholarship opportunities, and important deadlines. A complete listing of this week's important deadlines is here at this link.
P^4S: For those of you that made it this far, two math jokes:
- There was a statistician that drowned crossing a river... It was 3 feet deep on average.
- Write the expression for the volume of a thick crust pizza with height "a" and radius "z".
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