A look into 2013

Welcome back to Wyoming EPSCoR’s blog and Happy New Year! Last year was a great year for us and we are excited to begin another science-filled, event-packed and water oriented 2013.

Right now we are in the midst of work on both our Track I and Track II grants. Our Track I grant, WyCEHG, began at the end of last summer and while we are still in the process of equipment acquisition, the science is well underway. This spring we look forward to sharing some of this science with you!

This month marks the almost half-way point for our three year Track II grant, CI-WATER. This year we are looking forward to more water science and modeling, but also to workshops, outreach and conferences. Research on the grant has taken off the last few months and we’re thrilled to be sharing some of the findings at the Second Annual CI-WATER Symposium in May.

In addition to new events, our regular programs will continue. Here is a brief calendar for our year ahead. We hope you’ll be able to join us at our events and we’re happy to have you with us.

CI-WATER

            Toolbox pilot January 19

This is our outreach event of the year. Last fall, CI-WATER worked hard to put together water science toolboxes for K-12 schools. On January 19^th one of these toolboxes will be demonstrated in Salt Lake City, UT.

Second Annual CI-WATER Symposium May 29-30

Our first CI-WATER Symposium was in September 2012. It was a great time for collaboration and the sharing of information. During our second symposium we hope to continue in this vein but move our focus slightly to the topic of modeling, water and the future.

           

Teacher Workshop June 24-28

One of the goals of our CI-WATER grant is outreach and education. This summer CI-WATER is offering a workshop for Wyoming and Utah teachers about teaching water science. It will be held in Salt Lake City, UT. We will have more information about the workshop and registration soon! Look for it on the CI-WATER Facebook and website.

Toolboxes in Action July 9-11

CI-WATER toolboxes will be in use at the GEAR-UP camp this summer in Laramie, WY. GEAR-UP is a state program that helps pre-college students prepare for university. The program is open for 7^th-12^th graders. More information can be found at: http://www.uwyo.edu/gearup/

            Student Workshop July 22-26

In compliment to the teacher workshop, CI-WATER is offering an upper undergraduate and graduate student workshop. Details about this workshop are still being negotiated, but the premise will be water science and modeling. We will have more information in the coming month on Facebook and the CI-WATER website.

WyCEHG

            Equipment is coming in!

WyCEHG stands for the Wyoming Center for Environmental Hydrology and Geophysics. Along with research on water in Wyoming, the grant is creating a center full of equipment to be used at the University of Wyoming. The equipment is arriving and we are thrilled to start using it!

            Monthly brown bag lunch January-May

Starting at the end of January, the WyCEHG group will hold monthly brown bag luncheons and share their current research and projects. These luncheons are open to the public and we encourage you to come! We’ll post the time and place on our Facebook and Twitter the week of the luncheon.

Regular Happenings/Student Research

            WiMSE

The University of Wyoming Women’s Center will continue their Women in Math, Science and Engineering (WiMSE) speaker series beginning January 30^th. In collaboration, Wyoming EPSCoR will continue to write their Women in Science blog series with each WiMSE event.  We hope to see you there! More information about the Women’s Center and WiMSE can be found at: http://www.uwyo.edu/womenscenter/

           

            SACNAS/ASIES Lunch January 18

This fall, EPSCoR attended the SACNAS and AISES conferences with students from the University of Wyoming and from the Wind River Reservation. Next week, these students will share their experiences from the conferences and discuss the possibility of setting up a SACNAS/AISES chapter at UW. The lunch is scheduled for 12-1:30 in the Senate Chambers at the Wyoming Union January 18^th. Please RSVP to ccarlso9@uwyo.edu.

Proposal workshop February 5

Wyoming EPSCoR is offering a proposal writing workshop for undergraduate students. The goal of the workshop is to help students write proposals for research, including for EPSCoR’s Undergraduate Research Fellowships. We will provide more information in the coming weeks on Facebook and the Wyoming EPSCoR website.

Undergraduate Research Fellowships Applications March 8

Applications for EPSCoR’s Undergraduate Research Fellowships for the Summer 2013 are due March 8^th.  These paid fellowships are a great opportunity for students in the science fields to gain valuable research experience and work with faculty at UW. More information about the fellowships can be found at: http://www.uwyo.edu/epscor/fellowships-and-student-programs/undergraduate-research-fellowships/index.html. Applications for the Summer 2013 will be posted soon.

Undergraduate Research Day April 27

This year will be the 14^th annual Undergraduate Research Day. Undergraduate Research Day is a celebration and presentation of the amazing research conducted by UW undergraduates in science and social science fields. Students, including EPSCoR’s Research Fellows, give oral presentations of their work followed by a question-and-answer session. Last year we had almost 350 presentations and we are looking forward to another successful year. Registration opens in February. More information can be found at: http://www.uwyo.edu/epscor/events/undergraduate-research-day/index.html

           

SRAP June 9-July 19

The Student Research Apprenticeship Program is one of our oldest and most popular programs. Since 1985, high school students have been coming to UW to work on research with UW faculty and graduate students. Each student is paired with a mentor for the six week program and works on their own science research project which culminates in a presentation. Applications and information about the program can be found at: http://www.uwyo.edu/epscor/fellowships-and-student-programs/srap/index.html

Conferences of Interest

            EarthCube Domain End Use Workshop January 21-23

The National Science Foundation sponsors several workshops, include the EarthCubeDomain Workshops. Of possible interest is the EarthCube Domain Workshop: Engaging the Critical Zone community to bridge long tail science with big data in Newark, DE at the University of Delaware. The goal of the workshop is to look at the integration of data from across Earth-science disciplines and to set guidelines for such integration. Registration for virtual participants is still open and can be found at:  http://criticalzone.org/national/news/story/online-registration-now-open-for-critical-zone-earthcube-domain-workshop-ja/

Western Snow Conference April 15-18

This year is the 81^st annual Western Snow Conference. It will take place in Jackson Hole, WY and will feature panel discussions, presentations and a tour of the natural resource management facilities in the area. The deadline for the first call for paper abstract submissions is January 15^th. More information is available at: http://www.westernsnowconference.org/

            Climate Prediction Applications Science Workshop April 23-25

The 11^th annual Climate Prediction Applications Science Workshop (CPASW) will take place in Logan, UT this year. This workshop will provide a great opportunity for collaboration and knowledge sharing among researchers, developers and decision-makers of climate data and information. January 15^th is the submission date for abstracts. More information is available at: http://climate.usurf.usu.edu/CPASW/index.php

Have a great New Year! 

By Kali S. McCrackin