RESESS kicks off! Some photos from our first week...

Thu, 26 May 2011 10:36:00 -0700

It's been a fantastic week with the arrival of the interns. We're excited to have everyone here to kick off the summer. Even though it's been raining quite a bit, we've managed to get outside and have some fun. The photos below are both the RESESS and SOARS programs. The two groups came together for a Leadership Training course in Chatauqua Park and a day of exploring Boulder's hidden gems.

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RESESS Internship Update

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 10:14:00 -0700

Presenting Their Science
Our 2010 RESESS interns presented a record 10 posters at several conferences last fall, including AGU, GSA, SACNAS, and NABGG. Read their abstracts in our booklet, Earth, Wind, Sea, and Sky.

One intern, Theresa Carranza-Fulmer, was lucky enough to have breakfast with USGS Director, Marcia McNutt, at the AGU conference which was very inspiring. A heartfelt thank you to Dr. McNutt for making the time and sharing her experiences.

On the Road to Grad School
We are happy to report that five of the RESESS interns from 2010 have been accepted to graduate school at:

University of Michigan - Dept. of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Science (the intern received a Graduate Fellowship)
University of Texas of the Permian Basin - Dept. of Geology (2 interns)
University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez - Dept. of Geology
University of Oklahoma - ConocoPhillips School of Geology and Geophysics

"I just heard back from OU and they have offered me a Research Assistantship to work with Dr. Keranen. I have accepted the offer. This was my first choice so I'm really happy. Thanks to you and RESESS for all your help and for making this possible." - Gabriel Mattei, March 24, 2011.

This just in! Emanuelle Feliciano (RESESS, 2007 & 2008) just got word that he has been awarded an NSF Fellowship for graduate school. He is studying at the University of Miami with Shimon Wdowinski. Congratulations, Emanuelle!

Our Recruitment Strategy

We took a systematic approach and posted solicitations on 40 scientific, minority, and student websites and listervs, and broadened outreach activities with help from our partners at IRIS and UC Santa Cruz.;

100 RESESS applications were received from 60 different educational institutions.
11 high-quality, excited interns were selected & 3 returning interns are participating this summer.

"I am beyond excited for this whole program! Thank you so much for this opportunity. I can't wait to receive more information on everything." - Jenna Lente, Feb. 28, 2011.

Sharing Applications to Improve Diversity

In February, we invited the NSF Earth Science REU programs and GeoCorps America to share our applications - minus our top candidates - in the spirit of increasing diversity in the geosciences.

Four programs took us up on the offer, and we are happy to announce that three of our minority applicants have received internships through this process!

"Your help and offer of sharing applications has prompted us to the same thing next year. We plan on asking them if we can share their applications with other programs. Thanks for the great idea and hopefully it will continue to grow." - Daniel Preston, U. Florida REU, April 7, 2011.

We Have Made New Partnerships

Shell Oil and RESESS have been working together to create a joint internship partnership. We are happy to announce that Luis Montalvo (RESESS, 2011) is the first RESESS-Shell Oil Intern in this program and will be working in Houston this summer.

SCEC's Internship program SURE and RESESS have formed a partnership! This summer, two RESESS interns will go on the SURE Field Trip and spend July measuring and analyzing GPS data on the San Andreas Fault with mentor Sally McGill at UCSB.

Other partnerships and projects we anticipate having this summer include:

Penn State U. - What do GPS measurements tell us about how volcano in Iceland is deforming?
NOAA Paleoclimatology Group - How do climate proxies compare to instrumental records for the past century?
National Park Service - How many human lives would be at risk in a level 1, 2, or 3 volcanic eruption at Mt. Rainier?
USGS - How does runoff and soil erosion vary in different burn areas near Boulder, CO?
CU Boulder - Has radiation from Japan reached Colorado as indicated by cesium-137 levels in soils? What is the distribution of algal mats in rivers of the Dry Valleys of Antarctica as indicated by LIDAR? What do isotopes tell us about how trees use subsurface water?

Help us add to this list!

Our Summer Program is Shaping Up
This year we are adding a June weekend field trip with our partner, SOARS, an atmospheric internship program. It will be packed with field science and provide a bonding opportunity within and between the intern groups.

Along with doing original research this summer, interns will also receive training in using a Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS), and in professional writing, and will be presenting their science through oral prsentations, posters, and videos.

We get great feedback from our interns, like this:

"Around this time last year, I had no research experience, and I wasn't even sure about grad school. After one RESESS internship, I am getting more interviews than some grad students, I have presented at conferences, and I'm going to grad school next year. I am really happy how things are turning out." - Olamide Dada, March 8, 2011

We are excited to meet this summer's interns before very long!

Best,
Val

Val Sloan, Ph.D.
Program Director,
RESESS Internship
sloan@unavco.org
303-517-3838

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RESESS Blog

RESESS kicks off! Some photos from our first week...

RESESS Internship Update