Monday, October 12, 2020

submitted by maherk@augsburg.edu

As we approach mid-semester, remember that in order for course totals to calculate correctly, it is very important to enter 0’s for work students have not completed. Moodle only aggregates “non-empty” grades. This means a blank in the gradebook will be ignored in the calculations–giving students an overly optimistic sense of their total. See the link below for instructions on how to quickly enter 0’s for graded items. If you would like help with your Moodle gradebook, the E-Learning team is ready to assist you. Please contact your LFC or Bonnie Tensen for help with this.

Adding Zeros in Gradebook

submitted by mayper@augsburg.edu

Dr. Mark Engebretson, Professor Emeritus of Physics, has received a five-year grant totaling $805,744 from the National Science Foundation to continue operation of the Magnetometer Array for Cusp and Cleft Studies (MACCS) as well as analyze and disseminate its data. This grant represents the 30th research study on which Dr. Engebretson has served as the Principal Investigator via National Science Foundation funding.

MACCS is an 8-station ground-based array that records and disseminates important magnetic field measurements for scientific analyses. It is the only longitudinally-spaced cusp-latitude array in existence and will continue to provide critical data for studies of geospace phenomena including solar wind-magnetosphere and magnetosphere-ionosphere interactions, geomagnetic storms and substorms, and localized instabilities that produce large geomagnetically induced currents which can cause power grid blackouts on Earth.

Engebretson and his team (Dr. Laura Simms, Dr. Slava Pilipenko, and Dr. Erik Steinmetz) will continue to maintain the MACCS array and conduct detailed observational and theoretical studies using both ground-based and satellite data. The MACCS project has provided research experiences to over 50 students since its installation in 1992. The team’s most recent undergraduate co-author of a refereed paper, Lidiya Ahmed (’20), will begin graduate study in Physics at Harvard University after spending 2020/2021 doing research at work at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center near Washington, D.C.

The title of the new study is Collaborative Research: Ground-Based Studies of High-Latitude Magnetospheric and Ionospheric Dynamics Using the Magnetometer Array for Cusp and Cleft Studies (MACCS) and the NSF Award number is 2013648. The University of Michigan (PI Dr. Mark Moldwin) is a key partner on the MACCS 9 project, which will span 8/1/2020 – 7/31/2025.

Grants and Sponsored Programs

submitted by maherk@augsburg.edu

Wednesday, October 14 | Assessment/CTL Workshop | 2 pm – 3 pm, ZOOM

With changes to our course delivery methods, how do we know that our methods are resonating with students? Don’t wait until the end of the semester to find out what is working (and what can be improved). Join faculty colleagues for a workshop on mid-semester course evaluations co-sponsored by CTL and the Assessment Committee. We will present pre-prepared templates in multiple formats to fit your needs. We will also discuss what feedback faculty have heard so far, and how they have responded to student comments.

Join us on Wednesday, October 14th at 2pm for a live Zoom workshop. This event will be recorded and will be made available later on the CTL website.

Assessment/CTL Workshop ZOOM Information (can only be viewed with an Augsburg email address)

submitted by tengwalm@augsburg.edu

Each year URGO offers $1,325 research grants for undergraduates who wish to gain research experience with an Augsburg faculty member. These grants require 100 hours of research over the course of the academic year and are a great way to ease into research or to continue work on an existing project.

Grants are awarded on a rolling basis, so student-faculty research teams are encouraged to submit proposals in the fall. The URGO Advisory Committee meets bi-monthly and will begin reviewing proposals September 14th.

If you have any questions about undergraduate research opportunities, please contact Dixie Shafer at shafer@augsburg.edu or urgo@augsburg.edu.

URGO On-Campus Research

submitted by tengwalm@augsburg.edu

This is a pilot program supporting undergraduate research students through federal work-study funds. We are limiting the number of student researchers supported during the 20-21 academic year to 12 students and funding will be determined by a first-come, first-serve basis. Faculty from any discipline who need assistance with their research from a student are invited to participate in the pilot. An individual faculty member may propose only one student position who will work 5-20 hours per week and no more than their federal work-study allotment. During the 20-21 academic year, the research projects must follow Augsburg’s guidelines regarding Covid-19.

Please note that the student eligibility for federal work-study and the total number of hours must be confirmed by Human Resources after you complete this form. Open until all 12 positions are filled.

If the student will work 100 hours or less total, we recommend applying instead for the URGO Academic Year research grant.

Questions contact Human Resources at studentemployment@augsburg.edu

2020-2021 Federal Work-Study Student Researcher Request Form

submitted by tengwalm@augsburg.edu

The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is a fully-funded eight to ten week language and cultural immersion program abroad in which students receive eight credits of intensive language instruction in less-commonly taught languages, as well as structured cultural enrichment experiences designed to promote rapid language gains. CLS is part of a US State Department initiative to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering foreign languages critical to national security and economic prosperity. There are fifteen languages that applicants can select from. Alumni of the program also receive one year of non-competitive eligibility (NCE) status when applying for federal government jobs.
The CLS Program seeks participants with diverse interests, and from a wide range of fields of study and career paths. Competitive applicants will need to be able to illustrate a commitment to language learning, a very strong academic record and potential to succeed in a rigorous academic setting, and ability to adapt to an intensive program and challenging cultural environment. Applicants must be U.S. citizens.
Languages with no previous study required:
Azerbaijani
Bangla
Hindi
Indonesian
Persian
Punjabi
Swahili
Turkish
Urdu

Languages with one year prior study required:
Arabic
Korean
Portuguese
Russian

Languages with two years prior study required:
Chinese
Japanese

The URGO office provides advising and application support for CLS. Please contact urgo@augsburg.edu (reference CLS) to set up an appointment before October 23rd.

CLS Website

submitted by tengwalm@augsburg.edu

Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institutes is an intensive seven-week summer program that focuses on preparing students for careers as policy professionals, public administrators and other leadership roles in public service. Selected participants spend the summer at one of five participating universities (University of Minnesota, Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon, Princeton, or University of Michigan) where they take courses, learn from top leaders in the field and build their professional skills. Students must have junior or senior status and be planning to graduate between December 2021 and August 2022. To be competitive for this opportunity, students should have a 3.5 GPA or above. There is no cost to attend and participants receive a stipend. Contact URGO at urgo@augsburg.edu and reference your interest in PPIA before October 15th to set up a meeting to learn more.

PPIA Eligibility and Benefits