Newsletter

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• New Initiatives to Engage Members

• Signature course development

• 2005 Retreat and IAP Expo

• Research Experiences for Undergraduates

• Transitioning into Industry

• Gemma D'Ambruso Graduates

• RCR lecture series

• Re-organization provides focus

• Travel Grant Experiences

• Grad Student Luncheon

• Baby Makes Three

• Resume Bank for Students and PostDocs

• New Travel Grant Program

• Recent Publications

Center Launches Several New Initiatives to Engage Members

Each year at the annual STC Directors’ Meeting, representatives from all 11 peer STCs share stories of success and failure. One observation that clearly emerges is that things get better with time and experience.

We have begun to implement a major reorganization (see Reorganization article on page 3) and we are planning our annual retreat at Georgia Tech for February, where we will welcome many new members and openly discuss our technical and organizational plans. Additionally, we are launching programs and services (described throughout this newsletter) to engage our membership as much as possible. We look forward to engaging you via this newly re-purposed newsletter, our website, and in person during upcoming ethics discussions, research meetings and at our retreat in Atlanta.

MDITR Signature Course Under Development

The Education Team has been working with faculty members from our Center’s three main institutions to develop a MDITR Signature Course. As the work of MDITR is interdisciplinary, the Signature Course will provide opportunity for Center students (and potential Center students) to gain knowledge of the breadth and scope of MDITR research. The intent of the Signature Course is to combine interdisciplinary content and highlight interconnections in a manner that expresses the uniqueness of the Center, creating a course not available in traditional discipline-specific graduate coursework.

Ultimately the course will be available online as a set of stand-alone modules that can be combined in multiple formats creating unique teaching and learning experiences. In the short-term, prototype versions of modules will be complete by May 2005 and a version of the course will be ready to pilot in fall of 2005. For both the prototype and pilot course, input from faculty and graduate students will be essential in evaluating the content and presentation of materials.

2005 Retreat and IAP Expo Scheduled

Our second Annual MDITR Retreat is scheduled for February 9-10 at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Activities will include: research thrust discussions and planning, talks and poster sessions by graduate students and postdocs, lab tour, and a group dinner.

STC funded investigators are urged to attend and bring at least one student or postdoc. Limited travel support is available for graduate students, postdocs, and active, non-funded STC members.
Many participants will be asked to stay one more day, February 11, to meet with our Industrial Affiliates from Ford, Kodak, Fujitsu, Battelle, Boeing, and Lockheed-Martin. This a great opportunity for students and postdocs to network.
Stay tuned for more details as we approach February.