Author: Deborah Mole

This week on Informania, O’Hara Shipe, Undergraduate Research and Recruiting Coordinator for the University Honors College, talks about Honors College courses and requirements, and the numerous undergraduate research awards available to UAA students!

The Honors College includes a series of seminar college courses, some which qualify for General Education Requirements (GER).  Can anyone be part of the Honors College?  You do need at least a 3.0 grade point average (gpa), and there is an application process that students go through to become part of the Honors College.  Are you eligible and interested?  Their website address is http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/honorscollege/, or you can stop by to see O’Hara in Rasmuson Hall (RH), Room 115, or call 786-1086 for more information.

Undergraduate Research Awards

Do you have a great idea for a project, product, scientific exploration?  You may be eligible to receive an Undergraduate Research Award.  This award can help students take an idea and move it toward a reality.  There are two deadlines for awards in the Spring Semester 2014, one is February 28, and the other is April 24.  O’Hara encourages students to find a faculty mentor to help guide the process to success.  She is also available to answer questions.  O’Hara can be reached at 786-1086, or in the Honors College office, Rasmuson Hall, Room 115.

Unsure about what undergraduate research means?  You may explore the variety of student undergraduate research projects completed by UAA students during the 2013 Spring and Fall semesters at the Undergraduate Research and Discovery Symposium, April 17 and 18, 2014.  For more information, go to http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/honorscollege/ours/Symposium/index.cfm

O’Hara, herself, has experienced success conducting undergraduate research while a student (and hockey player) at Brown University, so when she shares her insight it is from firsthand experience!  O’Hara has been through the challenging and useful process of creating the proposal, which includes a summary of your idea, and a budget.  Support is here for you, UAA students!

Remember, if you can imagine it, you can become it!  All the best, Deb

Songs played on Informania Monday, February 3, 2014, include:

Information, by Dredg, and Soul to  Squeeze by Red Hot Chili Peppers.

This week on Informania, Deb the Librarian interviews Sonya Stein, Director of Student Financial Assistance at the University of Alaska Anchorage.  Interested in the prospect of financial assistance?  Go to http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/financialaid/ to explore your options!  Simply filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and the scholarship application through UAOnline tosses your name in the hat for financial assistance.  Tips to improve your odds of receiving financial aid follow:

1)  Get your application in early!  If you get your application for federal assistance in early, you will also be eligible for the Federal (SEOG)  Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant.  You have until June 30, 2014 to submit FAFSA applications for 2013-2014, but if you submit your application for 2014-2015 financial aid this month, you may be well within the time frame of consideration for the SEOG.  According to http://studentaid.ed.gov/fafsa#when-fafsa, FAFSA applications for the 2014-15 academic year can be submitted between January 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015.  For the Alaska Education Grant and Alaska Performance Scholarship for 2014-2015, the deadline is June 30, 2014.  (https://fafsa.ed.gov/deadlines.htm#)

February 15, 2014 is the deadline for UAA scholarship application for the next academic year (2014-2015), however, some scholarships accept applications all year round, so be sure to apply!  Student Financial Assistance is hosting a series of workshops to answer questions, and aid in developing quality applications.  See workshop dates at http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/scholarships/

2)  Make sure that scholarship essays are well-written,  and grammatically correct!  If there are grammatical errors (misspellings, incorrect punctuation) in your essay, they may count as points against you.

3)  Include your unique skills, and experiences in your essay.  Also, when appropriate, reflect on how you will apply what you learn to give back to the community.  You are a unique person with skills and experiences that may match up with a scholarship.  Let the reviewers know about internships, talents, skills, and experiences that demonstrate your strengths.

4)  Have someone review your essay before you submit it.  You can meet with someone from Student Financial Assistance, or you can make an appointment at the Writing Lab in the Learning Resources Center to have a tutor review your essay.  This may help catch those grammatical errors, or identify questions that reviews may have.

5)  Check your email!  After you submit your applications, Student Financial Assistance may send you notifications about scholarships, or have questions for you.  If you don’t check your UAA email account, have items forwarded to the email account you do check, or list a preferred email address, so that you get those notifications!

There are workshops available and scheduled support for students who have questions, and need assistance completing these applications.  The schedule for February’s FAFSA Frenzy workshops at the University Center can be found at http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/financialaid/index.cfm.  You can also call Student Financial Assistance at 786-1840 for more information, or stop by the University Center to speak with someone.

Are you unsure how to manage finances, and are finding yourself in a financial quandary?  Within the Student Financial Assistance department, UAA has a new Financial Literacy expert, who is developing workshops and support for students.  Stay tuned for more information on a future Informania radio show!

Until then, remember, if you can imagine it, you can become it!

Wishing you a successful semester!    Deb the Librarian

The UAA Military & Veteran Community Resources website is a great place to start!  The website address is http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/veterans/ .

Veteran Financial Assistance can be found at http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/financialaid/Veterans/index.cfm

Plus, there is a page of Local Resources for UAA Student Veterans and Active Duty Military Students.   This website url is http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/financialaid/Veterans/veterans_local_resources.cfm

Also, I want to let you know that there is a database of more than 330 military journals and magazines in the Military & Government Collection.  Students can access this from the Consortium Library’s website, by going to www.consortiumlibrary.org, selecting Databases, and typing the word military to search for the database.  Select the Military & Government Collection.  To access articles, students can log on with UAA or APU user name and password.  Alaskans who are not UAA or APU students can also access this database by searching for “sled Alaska,” on the Internet, and going into the Digital Pipeline to find the Military & Government Collection.  Questions?  Ask a Librarian         (786-1848)!

I’m sending out a big thank you to those of you who have served, and are serving in the military!  Our thanks, thoughts, and support are with you. ~ Best wishes from Deb the Librarian!

Monday, October 28, from 9am-10am, Sandra Pence, Associate Professor and Program Director of UAA Dental Hygiene Program talks with Deb the Librarian about the Dental Hygiene Program.  Discover the history and future plans of the program.  Learn about the Dental Hygiene Clinic!

Thanks for listening!  Remember, if you can imagine it, you can become it!