–The following post is written by UHP alums and Presidential Administrative Fellows Adam, Allison, Austin, and Jess.–
Hey, UHP! GW’s Presidential Administrative Fellowship is currently looking for qualified applicants. We’re looking for candidates who have a 3.25 GPA or above (…that’s all of you) and an interest in attending a GW graduate program and giving back to the University for the next two years!
In case you didn’t know, there are currently fourUHP alums who are Fellows (we attached a photo to prove it). Because we know you’re smart and have already seen the dates and deadlines, we wanted to give you a bit more information about what the experience of being a PAF means to each of us.
We all really enjoy our experiences as PAFs, and would love to see moreUHPers apply to be PAFs this year! If you’re interested, we would highly encourage you to attend one of the following info sessions, or get in touch with us personally: Wednesday, October 2nd from 6:00 to 7:00 pm – Marvin Center 407 Friday, October 11th from 5:00 to 6:00 pm – Marvin Center 403
Keep on reading to hear about what it’s like to be a PAF straight from the Fellows’ mouths! Left to right: Allison, Jess, Austin, and Adam Austin:
Hello UHPers! My name is Austin Frizzell and I graduated from the Honors Program in 2013 with a degree in Human Services. I am currently a Masters of Public Health candidate in the School of Public Health and Health Services. I am also placed in the Office of the Dean in the School of Public Health. The opportunity to earn a graduate degree is an essential part of the PAF experience and so far I have found that my UHP education has been very helpful, though sometimes in unexpected ways.
I am only a little more than a month into my MPH program, but I am already using my human genetics knowledge from Scientific Reasoning and Discovery in my class on the biological basis of public health. My Self and Society course on gender and sexuality is also proving useful in designing health interventions in Social and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health. And even though no professor has asked me to analyze Chuang Tzu or Nietzsche (yet), my Origins course on happiness still provides a more complex understanding of human desires and needs that are essential to health. Although it was sometimes difficult to see the uses of a broad liberal arts education like the one you receive in the Honors Program, it has certainly helped prepare me for graduate school.
Jess:
For those of you who I haven’t had the opportunity to meet yet, my name is Jessica Fern, and I am a 2012 graduate of the University Honors Program. I am currently a second-year Presidential Administrative Fellow pursuing a Master’s of Public Policy, focused on child health policy, placed in the university’s Office of Government and Community Relations.
Just as the small, tight-knit community and intellectual curiosity of UHP drew me to GW for my undergraduate education, the Presidential Administrative Fellowship convinced me to stay at my alma mater to earn a graduate degree. While our alumni are actively engaged and spread across the country, fostering a strong professional community, the five other PAFs in my cohort have been my support system, study group, and close friends. The PAFamily (we’re cheesy – deal with it!) has truly shaped my graduate experience and allowed me to give back to the university in a meaningful way.
Allison:
I’m Allison Rohde and just like Jessica, I am a 2012 graduate of the University Honors Program. When I first came to GW I was so excited to be in DC that I barely spent any time on campus. I interned on the Hill, and at non-profits downtown and on U-Street. Even on weekends I often found myself in other parts of the city visiting museums and going to Caps/Nats games (depending on the season, of course). While I loved being a Colonial, I had no idea about any of GW’s internal workings or campus initiatives.
Now as a second-year Presidential Fellow, that has all changed thanks to my placement in the Provost’s Office working with Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Planning Forrest Maltzman. In my placement I have worked on projects including departmental budgeting, implementing portions of the Strategic Plan, and the Columbian College Dean’s search. As a Master’s of Public Policy Candidate specializing in education policy, these projects are especially meaningful to me. I have been able to see how a university is run from the inside and have gained tangible skills that I can take with me once I graduate from GW. An entry level job anywhere else in the education industry would never afford me the opportunity to work on such instrumental projects. My preceptor (PAF lingo for boss) really cares about my professional interests and makes sure to give me valuable tasks and experiences that will help me with my long-term career goals. I am proud of the work GW is doing and feel incredibly lucky to have a hand in many of the university’s initiatives.
Adam:
… and I’m Adam Bethke, and I am a 2013 graduate of the University Honors Program. I am currently a first-year Presidential Administrative Fellow pursuing a Master’s of Public Administration, concentrating on program evaluation and analysis, placed in the university’s Division of Student Affairs.
Some of the most amazing opportunities that you have as a Presidential Administrative Fellow come from the program’s commitment to the fellows’ professional development. For example, PAF has an Academic and Professional Development Fund similar to the SURE award for Honors Students. This fund helps PAFs pursue academically and professionally enriching opportunities. For example, I’m currently in the process of applying to go to the American Evaluation Association’s annual conference in October to attend sessions on assessment and evaluation in higher education.
Additionally, Sara Melita, a member of the PAF Advising Team, is always helping us frame our experiences as professional development opportunities. These experiences compliment a competency-based professional development curriculum. With Sara’s guidance, we each cover a professional competency as part of the discussions during our weekly meetings. The intention and accountability that comes from working on enhancing your professional competencies with a cohort make it a lot of fun to strengthen your skill sets.
And no matter what you end up doing, good luck with your Senior year!
Adam, Allison, Austin, and Jess
Like this, but with fewer “KAPOWS” and more detailed descriptions of methodology.
You could be doing important work on topics ranging from political interest groups to advanced biology. Be a research hero’s sidekick by partnering with a professor as a research assistant! The deadline to apply to be a research assistant in spring 2014 is Friday, October 4th, 2013.
Why would you want to be a research assistant? You get an opportunity to do advanced scholarly work, partnering with a research faculty member here at GWU. Pick a topic that’s interesting to you (or go out on a limb and try exploring something completely new!) Some research assistantships can even be completed for academic credit.
Did you know that Honors students have the exclusive opportunity to win up to $500 for their research? It’s true! Apply to the UHP/Sigelman Undergraduate Research Enhancement Award (SURE) and we might just cut you a check.
We know “Undergraduate Research Enhancement” doesn’t sound that exciting (well, to most people at least, but you areUHPers), but what you can actually do with that money is amazing. Some of last year’s winners used the funds to create anearly warning device to detect seizures, fund focus groups to learn how television affects political beliefs, and to question the foundations of Hollywood.
The possibilities are endless, but the deadline to apply for funds in the 2014 is Friday, September 27th, 2013.
Who: All UHP Students What: Research of any kind, in any subject. For a course or for fun, it’s up to you! When: Spring, Summer, and/or Fall of 2014 How Much: Up to $500 in research funds per individual winner. Why: Settle unanswered questions from class; test your interest in a field; set yourself apart in job and grad applications; get the money you need to do the research you want!
Students can apply for grants in support of their research up to the amount of $500 for such needs as (but not limited to) equipment or supplies, travel costs to libraries or conferences, or image rights. Funds are available to support research activities conducted during the spring, summer, and/or fall semesters of 2012, and applications are due September, 27, 2014. To Apply:Complete this online form. **PLEASE NOTE** You must have a faculty member submit a statement of support. Send them the link included in the confirmation page of the online form.
Got more questions? Leave a comment or contact Catherine Chandler at cbrady@gwu.edu for more information
A research assistantship is a great way to make a subject really come alive!
Faculty look for the best and brightest at GWU to be research assistants on projects from political interest groups to advanced biology. Are you the student they’ve been looking for? The deadline to apply to be a research assistant in spring 2014 is Friday, October 4th, 2013. Why would you want to be a research assistant? You get an opportunity to do advanced scholarly work, partnering with a research faculty member here at GWU. Pick a topic that’s interesting to you (or go out on a limb and try exploring something completely new!) Some research assistantships can even be completed for academic credit.
Did you know that Honors students have the exclusive opportunity to win up to $500 for their research? It’s true! Apply to the UHP/Sigelman Undergraduate Research Enhancement Award (SURE) and we might just cut you a check.
We know “Undergraduate Research Enhancement” doesn’t sound that exciting (well, to most people at least, but you are UHPers), but what you can actually do with that money is amazing. Some of last year’s winners used the funds to create an early warning device to detect seizures, fund focus groups to learn how television affects political beliefs, and to question the foundations of Hollywood.
The possibilities are endless, but the deadline to apply for funds in the 2014 is Friday, September 27th, 2013.
Who: All UHP Students What: Research of any kind, in any subject. For a course or for fun, it’s up to you! When: Spring, Summer, and/or Fall of 2014 How Much: Up to $500 in research funds per individual winner. Why: Settle unanswered questions from class; test your interest in a field; set yourself apart in job and grad applications; get the money you need to do the research you want!
Students can apply for grants in support of their research up to the amount of $500 for such needs as (but not limited to) equipment or supplies, travel costs to libraries or conferences, or image rights. Funds are available to support research activities conducted during the spring, summer, and/or fall semesters of 2012, and applications are due September, 27, 2014. To Apply:Complete this online form. **PLEASE NOTE** You must have a faculty member submit a statement of support. Send them the link included in the confirmation page of the online form.
Got more questions? Leave a comment or contact Catherine Chandler at cbrady@gwu.edu for more information.
Win a $2500 stipend to research diversity at GWU through the University Archives Diversity Research Fellowships for the 2013-2014 academic year!
Specify your own area of research interest, which may include (but is not limited to) themes such as the history of women, African Americans, Latino/a students, religious life, veterans, disability and LGBT individuals on campus throughout GW’s history.
Sounds cool, right? Read the full description and find out how to apply.
You’ve only got until September 2nd, 2013 to apply, so act now!
From the right: Pavan Jagannathan (BME ’14), Saumita Rajeevan (BME ’14), & Yash Jain (BME ’14) The following post is written by UHP student and SURE Award winner Pavan Jagannathan.
The money from the SURE Award will be used to help build my capstone design project. What my group and I are attempting to build is a device that can identify seizures before they happen. This “Seizure Detection Device” is a collection of systems responsible for interpreting a tonic-clonic EEG seizure signal, reporting it to the user, and calling first responders at the discretion of the user. The system utilizes an electrode “helmet” that transmits the EEG signals via Bluetooth®™ to an Android™ smartphone. The application on the Android™ analyzes, compares the signals to tonic -clonic seizure signals, and relays the appropriate response to the user on the graphical interface of the application. Continue reading “The Seizure Detection Device [SURE Stories]”
Kara Dunford, performing research. This post is written by UHP student and SURE Award winner Kara Dunford.
Television viewers across the country need little more than a remote to explore life inside our nation’s political arena, as writers for series such as The West Wing, Veep, and most recently, House of Cards present their own imagined political realities via scripted programming. Continue reading “Television, Pizza, and Political Beliefs [SURE Stories]”
Did you know that Honors students have the exclusive opportunity to win up to $500 for their research? It’s true! Apply to the UHP/Sigelman Undergraduate Research Enhancement Award (SURE) and we might just cut you a check.
Win a $2500 stipend to research diversity at GWU through the University Archives Diversity Research Fellowships for the 2013-2014 academic year!
