Opportunities and events

Cortland LSAMP relies on a planned series of workshops, seminars, community-building exercises and one-on-one research experiences with faculty to help first-year and transfer students thrive in the sciences.

Fall 2022 events

Monday, Oct. 24
7 to 8 p.m.
Bowers Hall, Room 1129

Seminar

Glaucia Del-Rio, Ph.D.                 

Rose Postdoctoral Fellow at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

“Women studying birds in the Amazon rainforest – the first ornithological expedition lead and undertaken exclusively by women, the Emily Snethlage Expedition”

More information

Are you interested in conducting paid biological research over the summer?

https://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/list_result.jsp?unitid=5047

 Perhaps you want to be involved in a research project at Boston University on gene expression, or do coastal ecosystem research at Florida Atlantic University, or maybe investigate neurobiology in Irvine California. There are NSF-REUs (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) all over the country that involve a very wide range of topics.

https://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/list_result.jsp?unitid=5047&d-8001259-p=3

 Learn how, why, and when to apply for a paid REU summer research experience by attending a virtual information session hosted by Ithaca College as part of the CNYLA (LSAMP program).  ALL ARE WELCOME, you don’t have to be in LSAMP to attend! STEM faculty,  REU program director(s), and past REU participants will be available to share their insights and answer your questions.

 The session will be Nov 10 @ 5 pm via Zoom. You can find out more information as well as the session link by going here.

https://www.ithaca.edu/central-new-york-lsamp-alliance/alliance-wide-events

General descriptions of key programs are listed below.

Summer bridge program

First-year students will first participate in a series of online summer workshops hosted by The Learning Center. The workshops will help students build fundamental skills, such as study habits and time management, while introducing them to each other and campus life at SUNY Cortland. The students also will enroll in a quantitative and technical skills building STEM-specific workshop to help them be successful in their first year STEM coursework.

Academic and peer mentors

Students will meet with their academic advisor and peer mentors before classes begin to better acclimate them to campus and help them feel invested in the community. Early in the fall semester, students will meet their academic advisors again and meet one-on-one with the STEM faculty member who is teaching their fall STEM course.

Throughout the academic year, students from across the alliance will be grouped together virtually by major to participate in regular meetings, share their findings and support one another academically. The alliance will implement ongoing professional development for faculty mentors to increase research mentors’ skills in supervision/coaching, relationship development, and creating equity and inclusive environments.

Internships and research experiences

Prior to the start of their first semester, students will spend two nights at SUNY Cortland’s William H. Parks Family Center for Environment and Outdoor Education at Raquette Lake, doing biology and chemistry research on lake acidification in the Adirondacks. When students return to campus, they will participate in a half-day workshop on writing in the sciences and complete a one-hour lab to help prepare them for the start of classes.

The spring semester will consist of a quarter course seminar that will differ slightly for first-year students and transfer students. First-year students will research a career of interest and interview a professional in that field. They will then present their findings to other students in the program. Transfer students will do 20 hours of STEM-related community service around Cortland. Student can choose their hands-on outlet, and possibilities include working with Lime Hollow Nature Center, the Cortland County Health Department, Guthrie Cortland Medical Center or local schools.

The program will culminate with an eight-week summer research experience modeled after the SUNY Cortland Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship Program. The university will host up to eight students each summer. They each will work individually with a faculty member and receive a stipend and campus housing at no cost. 

Symposium

All of the colleges and universities in the Central New York alliance will come together for a symposium at the end of each summer where students present research. The alliance also plans to create a network of internships and opportunities through alumni and faculty connections that may support students after they have passed through the program.

Social events

Participants will attend at least two seminars featuring visiting scholars from underrepresented backgrounds who will speak on their career path and their research. Students also will be encouraged to participate in regular social events and community-building activities with others in the program.