Virginia Tech® home

OUR Weekly: September 23

2024

Upcoming Events and Deadlines

Details on events and deadlines can be found in subsequent sections of this newsletter.

  • September 24, 2024 - Hume Seminar Series: National Security Research at Oak Ridge Laboratory
  • September 27, 2024 - Cybersecurity Institute Virtual Career Fair
  • September 27, 2024 - Global Change Center Research Grant Application Deadline
  • September 30, 2024 - Roger and Debbie West Student Grant Application Deadline
  • September 30, 2024 - Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference for Undergraduate Scholarship Early Bird Registration Deadline
  • October 7, 2024 - Graduate and Professional School Fair
  • October 30, 2024 - First-Year Fralin Undergraduate Research Fellowship Application Deadline
  • November 8, 2024 - Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Sciences (ICTAS) Undergraduate Research Fellowship Deadline

Opportunities for Starting Research

1. First Year Fralin Undergraduate Research Fellowship (FY-FURF)

The First-Year Fralin Undergraduate Research Fellowship (FY-FURF) Program will provide first-year students—who are new to research—with authentic research experiences in their chosen discipline, under the direct mentorship of a faculty member. Students from all majors are encouraged to apply.

2. Soybean Research Lab Seeking Student Researchers

The Virginia Tech Soybean Breeding research lab in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences is searching for a few undergraduate researchers interested in gaining hands-on experience in fieldwork, lab work (molecular biology), and other research activities within the plant breeding area. The position will be 8+ hours a week for either for wage ($10-12.00/hour) or for credit. The research projects cover a wide range of areas, all involving plant breeding in soybeans.

For more information, please email Matheus Granja.

3. National Nuclear Security Administration Minority Serving Institutions Internship Program

The National Nuclear Security Administration Minority Serving Institutions Internship Program (NNSA-MSIIP) offers full-time summer internships, with opportunities to continue during the academic year.

Undergraduate and graduate students from accredited Minority Serving Institutions receive:

  • Stipends starting at $750/week
  • Allowances to offset the cost of:
    • Commuting: $50/week
    • Housing: Varies based on location
    • Travel to and from the hosting site: $1,000
    • Virtual Participation: $150/week

Opportunities are available not only in STEM but also in communication, management, business, policy, law, and other disciplines that support the NNSA Mission. Applications can be found on the NNSA-MSIPP application webpage. The application deadline is October 27, 2024 at 11:59 p.m.

4. Office of Undergraduate Research Office Hours

The OUR Ambassadors are holding drop-in office hours every Wednesday from 10:00-11:00 a.m. at 2107 Gilbert Place, and on Thursdays from 6:00-7:00 p.m. in the Space Rabbit Café (below Newman Library). Our ambassadors can help you find research programs, identify faculty doing research that fits your interests, and answer any questions you may have.

Opportunities for Students Participating in Research

1. Roger and Debbie West Student Grant Call for Proposals

The Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT) will award five $1,000 student grants for the 2024-25 academic year.

ICAT invites applicants for projects that leverage the combined strengths of science, engineering, art, and design to tackle real-world challenges. These funds can be used to pursue a range of transdisciplinary activities that are creativity-fueled and human-centric. Teams must be comprised of students from at least two different schools/departments, and one team member must represent arts and/or design.

Information on how to apply can be found on the ICAT Roger and Debbie West Student Grant Call for Proposals webpage. The deadline for application is September 30, 2024.

2. Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS) Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program

The ICTAS Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program supports early career undergraduates involved in mentored research at Virginia Tech. Each spring, one student will be selected to receive the $1,250 award, payable as a fellowship or used to cover other approved expenditures (such as project supplies, research-related travel, use of specialized research services, etc) over the course of one semester or a summer.

Applications are due November 8, 2024. More information on eligibility criteria and how to apply can be found on the ICTAS Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program Webpage.

3. Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference for Undergraduate Scholarship

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference for Undergraduate Scholarship (MARCUS) is a presentation venue for undergraduate scholarship in all disciplines.

  • Date: Saturday, November 2, 2024
  • Location: Randolf College, Lynchburg Virginia
  • Deadline: Early Bird Registration is due Monday, September 30, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.
  • Website: Randolph College

4. Global Change Center Undergraduate Research Grants

The Global Change Center at Virginia Tech, with support from the Fralin Life Sciences Institute, is proud to sponsor undergraduate students and their research projects that align with our mission for advancing collaborative, interdisciplinary approaches to address critical global changes impacting the environment and society.

  • Award requests can range from $250–$1,000.
  • Application Deadline is Friday, September 27, 2024.

For more information and to apply, visit the Global Change Center Undergraduate Research Grant webpage.

Calls for Research Subjects

1. Research Subjects Wanted for Brainwave Study

Researchers Penn State and Virginia Tech are looking for volunteers from Southwest Virginia and Eastern Tennessee to participate in a brainwave study. You will listen to words or sentences in English while you wear a cap of electrodes filled with a water-soluble gel so that we can record your naturally-occurring neural activity. You will also complete other cognitive tasks and surveys.

Place: 212 Shanks Hall, Virginia Tech
Duration: One session, approximately 2.5 hours in length, scheduled at your  convenience
Reward: $15/hour in half-hour increments

Requirements:

  • You've spent most of your life in Southwest Virginia or Eastern Tennessee
  • You grew up only speaking English and no other languages
  • You have not reached high proficiency in a language other than English
  • You are 18-35 years
  • You are right-handed
  • You have no history of hearing difficulties or neurological disorders
  • You have normal or corrected-to-normal vision

If you’re eligible and interested in participating, contact Adriana.

Other Opportunities

1. Graduate and Professional School Fair

The annual Graduate and Professional School Fair at Virginia Tech will take place this year on October 7, 2024 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Commonwealth Ballroom at the Squires Student Center. This event will bring together VT students and recruiters from a diverse range of schools, covering areas such as business, STEM, social sciences/humanities, medicine/health, and law.

Pre-register for the event using the Graduate and Professional School Fair pre-registration form and enter our raffles for a chance to win exciting prizes at the event!

2. Cybersecurity Institute Internship and Job Fair

The 8th annual National Cybersecurity Virtual Career Fair, sponsored by NCYTE and the CAE Community is right around the corner on September 27, 2024! Join students and alumni from over 450 institutions across the nation, designated as centers of academic excellence in cybersecurity, with employers seeking top cyber talent! Registration for the event can be found on the Cybersecurity Institute Virtual Career Fair webpage.

3. NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program

The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the quality, vitality, and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. The five-year fellowship provides three years of financial support inclusive of an annual stipend of $37,000. More information can be found on the Graduate Research Fellowship Program webpage.

4. Hume Seminar Series: National Security Research at Oak Ridge Laboratory

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is the largest "open science" laboratory within the US Department of Energy (DOE) system. In this talk, Virginia Tech alumni Corey Cooke and Seth Hitefield will give an overview of national security work at ORNL, discuss ways for students to get involved in ORNL research, and describe how their career paths ended up at ORNL in the first place.

The seminar will be from 6:00-7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 24, 2024. More information on how to register can be found on the Hume Seminar Series webpage.

5. Hokie for a Day Student Volunteers

CENI invites Virginia Tech faculty, students, and student organizations to participate in a Hokie for a Day Expo on a Wednesday this fall. The CENI team will take care of the logistics for the kids - technology, tables, chairs, buses, food, youth protection, chaperone communications, and image permissions - so you can focus on the Virginia Tech work you will share. For more information, visit the Hokie for a Day Application webpage.

Hokie for a Day offers fifth grade students a unique opportunity to experience college life. The visit includes a discussion of college majors, a conversation about how to get to college, an expo with hands-on academic experiences from Virginia Tech faculty and students (that's you!), lunch at an on-campus dining hall, and a chat with a student athlete.