The questions of academic integrity in college become the practice grounds for a life-long set of questions about how we will conduct ourselves.
See the end of this message for news about:
- CNS Town Hall on Monday
- The new Bachelor of Science and Arts proposal
- Summer Classes
- Faculty/Staff Appreciation Banquet (April 22)
- Scholarships (due April 15)
Dear Students,
I didn't give a lot of thought to big terms such as "academic integrity" when I started college. Never wanting the temptation of cheating, I knew myself well enough to always sit in the front of a lecture hall during a test. It wasn't until a take-home test in an upper division course that I really thought about what academic integrity meant. Sure, I could hunt in the library, but the guidelines for the test were to use only the textbook as an aide. I wanted to turn in a paper about which I could be proud. Today, you all live in a much more complex world with the resources of the internet and aides such as Mathematica.
The questions of academic integrity in college become the practice grounds for a life-long set of questions about how we will conduct ourselves. Will we be truthful about our errors even when it is embarrassing for us? Will our decisions balance that which is good for others with that which is to our own benefit? If we publish a result we later find to be incorrect, will we publish a retraction and cite the errors of our earlier experiment? Albert Einstein once said "Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters."
Scientists consider themselves the dispassionate seekers of truth. Such objective goals often run counter to human nature and requires years to cultivate in future scientists. In the same way, we must view our own integrity of decisions as a process that is learned and cultivated. Madelein L'Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time, said “We can't take any credit for our talents. It's how we use them that counts.”
With best wishes for the coming week,
Sacha Kopp
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education
College of Natural Sciences
CNS Town Hall April 8: Natural Sciences Council invites you to the next CNS Town Hall Monday (tomorrow) at 5pm in the SAC Legislative Assembly Room (SAC 2.302). I will be there, as will CNS Dean Linda Hicke, Assistant Dean Sarah Simmons, Career Services Director Dr. Ruth Franks, Health Professions Office Director Lesley Riley. Are you getting in to the classes you need? Has the college been responsive in providing degrees of use to students? Is career planning available to you? As students in the college, you have a voice and also a role in constructively forming solutions to the college's emerging needs. We look forward to your participation.
Bachelor of Science and Arts: Many of you attended the March 25 Town Hall about the new interdisciplinary degree proposed for CNS. We will keep you updated as this proposal makes its way through the university approval process. For those that missed the Town Hall, a video is available here.
Summer classes: Each summer in school, I stayed on campus to do research, got to cook more often, and would take a class. It was such a pleasure to have just one class at a time to worry about, so I felt I got to dive in and think, not race in between homework assignments. The best part was going to class every day meant I actually got to know my professors and classmates a lot better. CNS is offering a number of classes this summer (including one by yours truly); see the complete listings.
Faculty and Staff Appreciation Banquet: Hosted by the Natural Sciences Council on 4/22/13 5-7pm in SAC Ballroom. Invite a professor, teaching assistant, or advisor that has greatly influenced you. This banquet is free and is a way for you to get to know staff members within this college. The deadline to RSVP to this is Friday, April 12th. RSVPs and questions to NSC.sf.chair@gmail.com. Facebook event page HERE to view more details about the event.
Scholarships: The College of Natural Sciences provides scholarships recognizing student excellence at all levels (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior). The application is here: https://www.utexas.edu/cns/scholap. The deadline is April 15, 2013. Contact Adrianne Chacon at adrianne.chacon@cns.utexas.edu with questions.
Star Party: The Astronomy Students' Association hosts telescope viewing atop RLM every Wednesday night. Details here: http://outreach.as.utexas.edu/public/parties.html. It's one of those things you should not leave UT without doing.
Division of Statistics + Scientific Computation: Maymester Courses will be May 20 - May 23, 2013. The courses run four days in the mornings or afternoons, at a discounted fee of $175 per course for UT students. For more information or to register for a course, visit their website. Registration closes May 3.
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