Welcome to the SURGe info meeting!

1. Welcome to the SURGe info meeting!

2. Welcome to SURGe • We are ambassadors who promote undergraduate research here at UT • We provide you with the connections to help you get started in the research world • We foster long-lasting relationships with your peers and faculty to help each other with research and academic progress • We aim to build an active community of undergraduate researchers on campus

3. What to Expect • Absolutely NO DUES! • Faculty speakers on their research • Cool lab tours • Fun community service events • Helpful workshops • Success in college • Free food!!

4. SURGe Officers • President – Alyssa Koeter • Vice President of Outreach – Danielle Hoyer • Vice President of Events – Albert Lee • Secretary – Leah Rushin • Treasurer – Amanda Wallace • Faculty Liaison – TipparatUmrod • Webmaster – Briana Gray • Fundraising Committee Co-Chairs – Marshall Rucker and Sara McNally • Public Relations Co-Chairs – Greg Knauf and Francis Shue

5. Amanda Wallace • Major: Biology • Year: Junior • Position: Treasurer • Duties: Apply for funding, keep track of SURGe budget, order food for meetings • Research Experience: None • SURGe Past: I’ve been with SURGe since my freshman year, and last year I was PR Co-chair alongside our glorious VP of Outreach, Danielle. • About Me: I like football and reading and crocheting and dogs and tea and baking and long, poorly punctuated run-on sentences.

6. Danielle Hoyer • Major: Public Health • Year:Junior • Officer Position:Vice President of Outreach • Officer Duties:I am in charge of coordinating all committee events with particular emphasis on all community service and outreach events. I also work with the President and other VP to plan and coordinate SURGe events. • SURGe Past: I joined SURGe my freshman year after learning about it at freshman orientation. It was a great way to meet new people while also learning about topics I love. I actively volunteered at many events like Longhorn Halloween and the ESI talks. Its great to have all ages become interested in science! I also can be found at the greenhouse every Friday for the plant sales, its a great place to relax and fundraise at the same time! • Research Experience: I was a part of the Aptamer stream in the FRI program under Dr. Ellington. I worked in this lab and pursued an independent project through the fall of my sophomore year. I am currently not working in a research lab, but am looking forward to applying to Public health internships before grad school. • About Me: I am pretty nerdy/geeky when it comes to science. I have a bunch of nerdy science shirts that I love to wear and I am a dedicated Big Bang Theory fan. In my free time I (still) enjoy playing Pokemon on my Gameboy Color. I am an animal lover and I have two wonderful Golden Retrievers back home in San Antonio. My music tastes vary widely from week to week, you are just as likely to hear me listening to top 40 as classical, country, or alternative types. If I’m not studying you can probably find me curled up with a good book and my iPod.

7. Leah Rushin • Major: Neurobiology • Year: Junior • Position: Secretary • Duties: I send out emails for upcoming meetings/events, maintain the member point system, and reply to people’s emails. • Research Experience: None… yet! • SURGe Past: I’ve been a member of SURGe since fall of 2012! • About Me: I enjoy learning about the brain and how neural connections correlate to everyday   actions. I have a huge interest in music and play many instruments! In the future I plan to study musical and addiction recovery therapy. I also study the German language and Germanic culture. I put my all into my passions and I am very excited to be a part of SURGe!

8. Alyssa Koeter • Major: Public Health • Year: 3rd Year • Position: President • Duties: I serve as the main representative and figurehead of SURGe, working for the best interest of the organization and its members. I construct the framework of which all our activities are centered around, and make the organization run smoothly along with the help of the officers and our dedicated members. • Research Experience: I was part of the Freshman Research Initiative and Aptamer stream during the spring of 2012. • SURGe Past: I have been part of SURGe for the past two years and have been very involved in it. I was treasurer during the spring of 2013, and I’ve been a committee member of FRC and PRC in the past. • About Me: I love football, UT, reading sci-fi books, and pandas. In addition to being a member of SURGe, I am part of Texas APO (we run the really big Texas flag at football games!) and Army ROTC.

9. Albert Lee • Major: Undeclared • Year: 2nd year • Position: Vice President of Events • Duties: I am responsible for organizing our monthly lab tours and university-wide research promotion events such as ROADS to Research in the Fall and SURF in the Spring. Let me know if you guys have any ideas on how we can improve what we’ve done in the past. Of course our aim is to provide substance, but it’s always better if we can make it fun for you guys. • Research Experience: I currently research antibiotics under Dr. Gregory Palmer and Dr. Marvin Whiteley. My previous experience includes research on the relationship between mitochondrial dysfunction and cancer, which I did under Dr. YidongBai at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. • SURGe Past: I’ve been in SURGe for a year now, so this is my first officer position. I generally help out with FRC but I’ll sometimes lend a hand elsewhere. • About Me: I’m a dryly sarcastic nerd. I’m a nerd because I was raised by an oversized team of overweight bureaucrats. And due to the oversight of those overweight bureaucrats, I was bitten by an over-radiated pigeon. That should have killed me, but instead it somehow gave me venomous sarcasm glands. That’s where the dry sarcasm comes from. I use this power of sarcasm as a comic artist for the Daily Texan. When I’m not trying to look busy doing science or comics, I spite overweight bureaucrats by wasting my productivity on video games, the internet, piano music and sleeping. And if I’m not doing any of the above then I’m probably socializing (gasp! Nerds socialize?!) with anyone who isn’t an overweight bureaucrat.

10. TipparatUmrod • Major: Medical Laboratory Science • Year:Sophomore • Position: Faculty Liaison • Duties: Basically, my job is to look for a speaker, who usually is a professor or a researcher at UT. I invite them to come and be a part of SURGe meeting. SURGe has speakers come at least once a month. It is important to have researchers in varies fields to come and to talk about their experience. SURGe is a place to explore the science research world. • Research Experience: Currently, I’m working in Dr. Jones’ lab, which focuses on neurobiology of learning and memory and neural plasticity after stroke. • SURGe Past: I have been a SURGe member since my first semester in college (Fall 2012), and have been helping SURGe in many events, like Longhorn Halloween, UT Explore, and Forty Acre Fest. I am also a part of Web Development Committee, which updating and maintaining the SURGe website. I attend almost all of the SURGe meetings, socials, and events. • About Me: Most people just called me “Tipp,” a short version of my name. I come from Thailand but don’t worry I’m getting better at speaking English. I love eating, cooking, reading, and sleeping. Despite the fact that I love horror/thriller movies, I still cannot watch them alone. My favorites are The Eye (Original version), The Shutter, Phobia, and The Sixth Sense. Other than surfing the web, I watch anime, especially Case Closed (aka Detective Conan) that is now airing its 695th episode. For music, I like rock/indie/pop. Michael Buble, Jason Mraz, Vampire weekend, Tegan and Sara are among my favorites.

11. Briana Gray • Major: Computer Science with BDP in Digital Arts and Media • Year: Junior • Position: Webmaster • Duties: I update the website and run the WebDev Committee. • Research Experience: None yet • SURGe Past: I joined my sophomore year and have been here ever since. • About Me: I love video games, romantic comedies, and all kids of music. Recently, I have had an obsession with Zedd and BBC’s Sherlock. And of course, I like SURGe too : )

12. Marshall Rucker • Major: Human Biology w/ specialization in Pathogenesis and Immunity • Year: Junior • Position: Fundraising Committee Co-chair • Duties: I am in charge of raising money for SURGe to maintain the no-dues nature of SURGe and provide funds for our endeavors by having weekly plant sales and selling t-shirts at the meetings. • Research Experience: Currently working in the Jones Lab as an undergraduate research assistant. • SURGe Past: I have been involved with SURGe and the Fundraising committee since my freshman year. • About Me: I love to read, eat, sleep, play video games, and relax when I have time off. Also, I like to cook and spend time with family.

13. Sara McNally • Major: Biology Pre-Veterinary • Year: 3rd Year • Position: Fundraising Committee Co-Chair • Duties: To raise money for SURGe by having weekly plant sales, selling t-shirts at weekly meetings, and by whatever other avenues available. Additionally we are in charge of caring for the greenhouse and its plants to ensure SURGe will have a means to raise funds in the future. We organize • Research Experience: I have worked under Dr. Theresa Jones since Spring 2012 studying neural plasticity and the neurobiology of learning and memory after brain damage. Using model organisms we study animal behavior to better understand the neural mechanisms of behavioral compensation for brain damage and attempt to focus on motor rehabilitation. • SURGe Past: I signed up for the SURGe mailing list during my freshman orientation, showed up the first Friday meeting, and I’ve been here ever since! I was the most active member my freshman year, attending every weekly meeting and FRC meeting, and the next year I was one of the fundraising committee chairs! I’ve loved the role and I look forward to continuing! • About Me: I’m pretty weird. Well, no, I’m actually really weird. I like rainbows and Pokémon and running. I’m an actual five year old and I like to play in the dirt and sweat and eat my weight in crummy Chinese buffets. There’s little I don’t like actually! I like every color, every genre of music, every type of food, the list goes on. I have a pet dog and a bunny, as well as a younger brother and sister, and I’ve been working at a vet clinic for about three years now! Come talk to me!

14. Greg Knauf • Major: Microbiology • Year: Junior • Position: Public Relations Committee Co-chair • Duties: My job, along with my compatriot Francis Shue, is to spread the word about SURGe and to make sure that there is no Natural Science major on this campus who has not been handed a flyer that was hand-crafted by the Public Relations committee. We also like to make sure that everyone knows where to buy plants on Fridays, an end often achieved with copious amounts of chalk and quarter flyers. • Research Experience: I am currently conducting research on nosocomial pathogens, specifically Acinetobacterbaumannii’s resistance to biocides and antibiotics. • SURGe Past: This is my second year in SURGe, and my first year as an officer. • About Me: Things I enjoy science, sports, video games, board games, Dr. Who, Psych, and outdoor activities.

15. Francis Shue • Major: Cell and Molecular Biology • Year: Junior • Position: Public Relations Committee Co-Chair • Duties: My job is to work with Greg Knauf to design, print, distribute, and post flyers all around campus! Yay flyers! • Research Experience: I am currently part of the Drew Lab. I used to work under Dr. Swan, but I’m now just a research assistant. I do studies on neurogenesis and development. I’m looking forward to not being laid off since the post doc I work under left her position. • SURGe Past: I joined my freshman year, but I never really showed up. I started getting more involved last year and… BAM! PR! Huzzah! • About Me: If you were to describe me as one word… Quirky. I’m an published author, novelist, researcher, scientist, voice actor, musician, cosplayer, gamer, nerd, and otaku. If you want to talk to me about anime, manga, D&D, etc. WE CAN BE BEST FRIENDS. I welcome oddity with open arms, just come talk to me! Also I’m an INTJ personality if anyone likes that.

16. Fundraising Committee • We raise money to provide funding for our organization and to keep SURGe dues free • Plant sales • T-shirt sales • Profit shares • Weekly Meetings • Painter Greenhouse • Mondays 5-6pm

17. Plant Sales • In PAI greenhouse most Fridays from 10am-4pm • West Mall sales the first Friday of every month from 10am-3:30pm

18. SURGe Camping!

19. Public Relations Committee • We are the face of SURGe and work to spread awareness for undergraduate research across the community • Design and distribute flyers • Coordinate fun activities for volunteer events • Reach out to undergraduates and other student organizations • Update students on SURGe activities • Weekly Meetings • Wednesdays 5-6pm • Location TBA

20. Volunteer Events Longhorn Halloween 2012!

21. Webdev Committee • We work to promote the image of SURGe through the most popular media form: the internet • Update the SURGe website • Learn how to use Wordpress • Weekly Meetings • 5-6pm every other Monday starting next week • UTC 3.120

22. Active Member Point System • Check our website to keep track of your points • Rewards • Active Membership = 10 points/semester • Camping priority • Level 1 = 15 points • $4 plant coupon • Level 2 = 30 points • Free t-shirt • Level 3 = 60 points • Can apply for fellowship • Lab coat = 60 points + lab position • Make sure to sign in/swipe in at each meeting to get points!

23. Member Points System • General Meetings – 1 point • Social Events – 1 point • Lab Tours – 1 point • Committee Meetings – 1 point/committee • Fundraising – 1 point/hr • Volunteer Events – 1 point/hr

24. Spotlight on Research • Experimental Compound Reverses Down Syndrome-Like Learning Deficits in Mice • Most people with Down syndrome have a cerebellum that’s about 60% of the normal size • Compound triggers growth and development • Injected into mice on the day of birth • Next stage: research why the treatment works, make safe for human trials • Learn more at sciencedaily.com

25. Upcoming Events • Next Week’s Meeting • Dr. Michael Rose will speak about solar fuels: the study of using sunlight to generate chemical fuels • Football ushering next weekend

26. Upcoming Events • Whiteley Lab Tour • Molecular Genetics and Microbiology • Bacterial physiology • Time: 3-4pm (meet at 2:45pm) • Location: meet outside of the BIO building • Sign up: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5Y59XGQ • Learn More: http://www.icmb.utexas.edu/cmb/directory/details.asp?id=2858

27. After the Meeting • We will be selling t-shirts up front • Come talk to the officers; we would love to get to know all of you! • Pizza and drinks!!