Getting students Launching Students Getting professors to change

1. First, a few words about operating an IGERT Getting students Launching Students Getting professors to change Devising solutions to idiotic regulations Writing nastygrams and (less often) love letters to administration Managing 13 accounts (Florence does) Hosting visitors & learning from them Chancellor’s Taskforce on Administrative Efficiency A larger role in university and state econ. development affairs Working with other universities on APTEC Supervising the Creation of Interdisciplinary Technology Apps. Stepping aside…gracefully if possible

2. Outline (Outsquiggle?) Research Solutions Courses Impressions Optimism General Problems Dooley’s part My part Time during talk

3. Publications

4. No good way to summarize. The following grants & submitted are based on IGERT preliminary results. Future Research Prospectus

5. Funded, rejected or pending Karsten Thompson Modeling of bacterial transport through microfiltration membranes, Millipore Corp., $63,380.10, (funded) Modeling of polymer transport in fractures, Schlumberger Corp., $36,000, (pending) Thomas Moore Role and Regulation of Membrane Lipid Biosynthesis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, NSF (pending) Grover Waldrop The Catalytic Mechanism of GDP-Mannose 4,6 Dehydratase, NIH The Catalytic Mechanism of Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase, NSF Randy Hall Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Natural and Synthetic Beta-Sheet Polypeptides”, NCSA, 2004-2005, 10,000 SU of computer time Dooley/Knopf "Catalytic hydrogenation using an actively forced microreactor" NSF-GOALI , 2005 . Hammer/McCarley/Russo/Gilman “Inhibition of b-strand aggregation with b-strand mimics” NIH, $2,907,190, reject & repeat.

6. Enough about Research--let’s get to the tantalizing problems.

7. T is for Troubles—Almost all IGERT’s • Teams are HARD in academia. Try to learn from pros in industry. • Students can fool you; some are just in it for money. • Faculty can fool you; some are just in it for money. • Some in either camp may only appear to be in it for the money, but actually have deeper problems and may yet contribute much. An IGERT PI should be a good judge of character. • IGERT’s can be perceived as an elite, protected group by students with just as much talent but not IGERT-eligible. Only solution: IGERT students must excel. • Two-year funding limit. • Faculty motivation. • Assistant professor problem: can they afford interdisciplinary activity? • Change tens or hundreds of years of academic tradition in a five-year time span?

8. LSU IGERTThe #1 complaint from students may be that we’re horribly disorganized.

9. Problem NSF itself is experimenting with IGERT They change the rules It’s their football, so… Solution Adaptation…sometimes painful Constant thinking/tweaking Talk to other IGERT’s Write a new one with a better plan

10. Problem Faculty Incentives, especially to complete the apprenticeship phase. Senior faculty lead a life of interruptions—hard to focus on even a two-week, side-by-side experience, despite good intentions. Solutions Get away! -- National & international lab trips. Easy for physical research, possible for synthetic/bio Minigrants & global supplements can be written to require faculty presence Farm the student out on internships The USM solution!

11. Problem IGERT A burden to the home department. It moves a lot faster, does unusual things (like today). Solution Use the available resources better. Get hands on and use the tuition. Staff resources for research should flow to departments that need them. Why does a Chemistry department get a FTE for travel, for example?

12. Problem Mechanical engineers in graduate chemistry class? Really? Solution Mix the material. Students work in teams, chosen carefully for mix of talents. Be tolerant.

13. Enough depressing problems and putative-if-probable solutions. Maybe core courses will shine a few rays of sunny optimism.

14. Red tape, but same at any university Core Courses Chem 4010, Macromolecular Systems I Chem 4011, Macromolecular Systems II Chem 7010, Macromolecular Systems III Chem 7011, Macromolecular Systems IV Speaking of Macromolecules Science & Technology in Service to the Community

15. How it sometimes seems students want us to teach them. Leuven, Belgium

16. Macro Studies Courses Teach Real-world Skills: Here’s one from “The Web Workbook” Reduce that Huge MALDI data set In a previous problem set, many of you found that the downloaded MALDI data set was huge. That's because mass spectroscopists are always interested in Dalton-level resolution. For most polymer problems, we could be happy with taking every tenth data point, corresponding to 10-Dalton resolution. Write a program (QuickBasic, Excel Macro, whatever works for you) to reduce the file to every tenth data point.

17. School for the Mechanically Declined

18. What they get from us instead

19. James Rucker’s TurboCad Drawing

20. Integrative Training: Semester-long programming assignment for inter-group research

21. Integrative Training • Visitor’s seminar • Collaboration established • SAXS trip to Brazil • Analyze data for team exam • All in one month

22. Macro Studies I Enrollment 2004 2001

23. The old ACS Polymer Exam, used as Entrance Exam for Chemists “Pitiful, jus’ pitiful.”

24. Our New Macro Examafter one semester A monkey could guess 8 on this exam. They improved from Guess + 7 to Guess + 14

25. Macro Studies I Fall Semester 2004.Who did well? Chinese chemist American chemist American chemist American Chemical Engr. American Chemical Engr. American chemist American Biologist

26. A MS-I and MS-II “B Student” at USM’s INSPIRE 2003

27. Problem The meaty courses are still listed under Chemistry! What about that new rubric? What about the new Concentration? Excuse Waiting for LSU’s MS & E Ph.D. program. Plausible Solution • Do the concentration—not all that hard. • Create courses with the same number in different departments—e.g., ChE 4010 which could be a different name but, in fact, would be team taught with the MS series. This solves (or hides) the issue of who gets what credit for teaching, too.

28. Impressions

29. Recruiting: Three Initial Sources of Students 3. The occasional new and fabulous applicants from peer or better institutions—these will often leave you for Florida, UCLA, etc. 1. New arrivals to your department No summer intern program? Write an REU site proposal! 2. Summer interns who maybe are or maybe are not interested—no strings attached. 4. A lot of first-generation college students tend not to go so very far from home. You can get these, but …

30. Recruiting Graduate student recruiters with REU student at undergraduate fair Rent Booth at National Meetings Win National Football Championship All these help, but the most important thing is……

31. Feeder Schools: Better Sources of StudentsCourtesy of our Advisory Panel (copying the recruiting experts at USM) Info

32. Let them eat cake!Sugar-coating IGERT for REU’s and other summer interns.

33. Chemical engineer at Chemistry Department award ceremony

34. “Well, I never thought I’d see a professor weigh something out.” • Influenza minithesis, synthetic polymer thesis. • Quitting graduate school with MS! Mechanical Engineer and High School Science Fair Judge…in Chemistry 1. Scope on a Rope school demos….now going beyond that. 2. With a teammate, spent a 2 hours (that is four person-hours) at national lab trying to load tiny cell with a high-surface tension fluid. A “craftsperson” showed her how in 5 minutes.

35. This only looks silly.

36. Science & Technology in Service to the Community http://macro.lsu.edu/stsc STSC class. Teamwork meets its limits.

37. Minigrants work (sometimes)

38. Virtual Infrastructure is Better than None at All

39. Interdisciplinary Technology Example: Database-driven Student Tracker

40. To-die-for IT Example: Internet Scheduler

41. Web Seminar Sign-up With Negotiation & Adjustable Talk Length

42. The one that got away.

43. Current Trends in LSU IGERT • Enfranchisement: involve young faculty more deeply. • Dissemination begins at home: developing other LSU IGERT’s • Strategy IS execution. • Student-led IGERT. • Cohort teaching. • Interdisciplinary Technology • Computer tools (some progress) • LSU administrative infrastructure (well…) • Staff support (well…) • Economic development. • Planning renewal with sharper scientific focus (with someone else as PI, because dissemination begins at home).

44. IGERT Fellows—the next generation of IGERT PI’s—practice running the show…in consultation with “old” people. Leaders earn some special opportunities. No, not West Point. West Point is for Weenies.

45. Student-led IGERT – Agenda for a First Tuesday Monthly Meeting IGERT Meeting – 1/4/05 (Tuesday Monthly Meeting); 12:00 noon in 28 LSB AGENDA Lunch – Pizza (I think?) Update Email Addresses and phone numbers Committee Updates New Committee Leaders Social Committee Logo – to be approved by IGERT members or other suggestions Upcoming Social Events Career Development Resumes – need to be finalized and posted on website (ASAP) Suggestions from Career Services Online Information for internships/post docs/etc. Opportunities for Practice Interviews Computer Who has access to the current IGERT website? Website Layout Setting up of Individual accounts New members/pictures need to be added to website Update member information on website (phone number, status, etc) Community Service Rhonda – Girl Scout Event Info Colleen – Update on Christmas Gift to needy family Other Community Service Ideas?? Update on Minigrant for Macro Lab Dr. Russo’s Announcements IGERT Retreat (Internal Panel Review) – 1/13/04 – 1/14/04 Concerns/Questions from IGERT Members

46. IGERT Monthly Meeting January 4, 2005 • Minutes taken by Kristy Brumfield 12:00pm-1:30 pm • Allison started the meeting by making sure that everyone signed the check-in sheet. • Established New Committee Members • Social Committee- Derek • Website Committee- Nadia • Community Service- Rhonda • Career Planning and Development- Colleen • Presentation of gifts to Dr. Russo and Dr. Florence • Committee Updates • Social • Logo Design • Possible Canoe trip • Outside Campus Meeting at a restaurant • Vote carried out for logo design- Derek’s design gained the majority vote- It will become the next Igert design • Career Planning and Development • Gather an on-line list for jobs, post-docs, and internships- this list will then be given to the website committee to form links for the website • Completion of resumes is needed ASAP- send all resumes to Matt by Wednesday • Visit to career services to gain information about mock interviews • Possible suggestion: Ask an individual in industry or professor to give mock interviews to prepare students for future jobs in industry or academia • Possible grant writing workshops through NSF or NIH • Website Committee • Mark and Nadia are working on finding a person to build the server • Gave information about the Student-Lead IGERT website: personal webpage, student legacy link, mission statement of each committee and its members roles • Community Service • Girl scout project will take place on Jan. 29 at the Girl Scout Council from 9am-12pm (Directions will be sent) • 40 girls will be participating • Possible lab coats for the girls • Bags, Jars for crystals, paper, and Logo must be purchased (eg. Hobby Lobby) • All other ideas for community service will be accepted • Collen brought the toys and over $150 dollars worth of items to a needy family for Christmas. Family was adopted through the Catholic Community Service organization. Thanks to all who participated. • Mini-grant items for the Macro lab have arrived and can be used for set-up for community service on a weekend • Barbara Decuir at LSU lab school can be contacted for possible community service opportunities with high school students. • Dr. Russo’s Announcements • January Meeting with Evaluators • CV’s/resumes must be completed ASAP • ii. Fly-by presentations will be integrated with a virtual tour • of the campus in a powerpoint presentation • iii. Please add mini-grants, number of publications, presentations at meetings, and community service • projects to the individual’s Fly-by slide • iv.Need volunteers to pick up evaluators at airport (Dr. Florence has the list) • Dr. Mathias of Southern Mississippi IGERT will give a brief presentation about the • China trip- approx. 5 CMC Igertians are interested in attending • vi.Turn in Mini- thesis, Apprenticeships, Milestones, and Landmarks by the end of this week • vii. If you need a poster made go to CEBA on the 3rd floor in proximity to the Hurricane Center ( $8 ) Meeting minutes.

47. CONCLUSION “We’ve still got a couple of years to go before we’re ready for the moon.” But it’s a beautiful moon.

48. Turn loose! “If this is true, he is indeed the greatest of men.” King George, on hearing that Washington had voluntarily stepped down from his position as Commander in Chief at the end of the War of Independence. George III

49. Next batter! Dooley NOT blowing something up in the Rheocord for a change.

50. Fin!