BE Undergraduate Newsletter
Announcements
Successful Slug Workshops - Bite-Sized Steps to Success
Learning Support Services offers 30-minute workshops to all UCSC students giving them the tools to be successful at UCSC. The topics in the workshop are science-backed best practices for effective, durable learning! What you're taught at the workshops, really works!
New Course this Spring! BME118/ 218: Mathematics of the Mind
Join David Haussler for a new course this Spring - Mathematics of the Mind!
Study Natural Language Processing at UCSC!
The UCSC Natural Language Processing (NLP) M.S. Program is unique. Taught intensively over 15-18 months and building on your background in computer science, our specialized program design combines theoretical learning with hands-on practice to ensure you have the right skill set to prepare you for a professional career in the fast-growing NLP field.
We are currently accepting applications for Fall 2023 admission consideration. Want to learn more about studying NLP at UCSC and get support with the application process? Join one of our upcoming information sessions starting on November 15th, 2022.
You can also meet with a current student or one of our faculty members to explore how the NLP Program at UCSC can help you advance your NLP expertise and achieve your professional goals.
[Columbia University] M.A. Statistics Virtual Information Sessions are Coming Up!
The event will feature an overview of the curriculum, admission requirements, student support and community, as well as our generous scholarship packages. During the virtual info session, students also have the opportunity to connect with the M.A. Statistics Program Director and student support team.
Click on one of the dates below to register:
- December 16, 2022 | 3:00 - 4:00 PM EST
- January 20, 2023 | 3:00 - 4:00 PM EST
- February 10, 2023 | 3:00 - 4:00 PM EST
- March 10, 2023 | 3:00 - 4:00 PM EST
LEED Green Associate (GA) Training - Webinar and Online self-Paced Options
Make your resume stand out with the premier sustainability designation called the LEED Green Associate! LEED is simply a sustainability scorecard for green buildings. As buildings can become LEED Certified, people can become LEED accredited! The best way to break into the sustainability space is to attain the LEED Green Associate. It also shows employers and clients you have certified knowledge in the field. Since the LEED GA exam doesn’t have a stellar pass rate, the value of the extra letters behind your name will carry even more weight.
Our engaging webinars have helped over 10K students and professionals learn the material cold AND clear the exam with a very high passing rate. The LEED Professional Designation has helped past participants attain internships and jobs and now is a great time to add this credential.
LEED Green Associate (GA) Training - Webinar and Online self-paced options:
I will be offering live webinars that can be streamed on any of the following dates:
The above options (1-7) are all identical.
Register for a live webinar or start today with our on-demand recorded workshop completed anytime at your own pace here - https://leadinggreen.com/
This course is instructed by a USGBC Faculty member and is the most effective way to pass. The USGBC charges a $100 (reduced for students) fee for the actual exam which can now be taken online from home. Save money by reserving your spot today and make a positive difference in your career!
Cost: $200 - Students can use the coupon code ‘green’ for $50 off (Discounted course price $150)
Save your seat by registering here for our live or self-paced options - https://leadinggreen.com/
Please contact the instructor Lorne directly with any questions at info@leadinggreen.com
Genomics Institute Winter Quarter Events
The Genomics Institute is hosting a series of workshops and presentations for the winter quarter:
- Pathways to Careers in Genomics w Tshaka - Feb. 1 at 3 p.m. in BioMed 300
- Overcoming Imposter Syndrome - Feb.10 at 1 p.m in E2- 475
- Evaluating Offers and Campus Visit - Feb.13 at 5 p.m in E2- 475
- IDP workshop - Feb. 22 at 5 p.m in E2- 399
- Plan B Workshop - Mar. 6 at 5 p.m in E2- 475
- SAVE THE DATE: DNA DAY! - April 21
MESA Day Volunteer Outreach
I am writing to ask for your help in making our annual event, MESA Day (March 4th), a success. MESA Day is a special event that spotlights 6th-12th graders who participate in challenging math, science, engineering, and technology competitions at the UCSC Baskin School of Engineering.
On MESA Day, students have the opportunity to meet STEM career professionals, take part in college presentations, and showcase projects they have designed and built. This is a fantastic opportunity for these students to learn more about the possibilities available to them in the STEM field, especially for those students who may not have as many resources.
As a volunteer, you will play a crucial role in helping these students succeed. Your time and effort will go a long way in helping these students to see the potential that lies within them.
To sign up to volunteer, please visit this link: https://docs.google.com/
Thank you for considering this opportunity to give back to our community and help these students achieve their full potential.
CNC Machines Manufacturing Scholarship
Scholarship Name: CNC Machines Manufacturing Scholarship
Amount: $2,500
Description: This award is available for students pursuing a certification, certificate, associates, or bachelors in manufacturing or a related area of study
Closes: Sept, 29th 2022
Winner Announced: Oct 30th, 2023
Application Link: https://cncmachines.com/
Spring Opportunities in the Tech4Good Lab
The Tech4Good Lab has several positions open next quarter for undergraduate students from all majors. We are looking for people who are extremely responsible, love learning, and have a strong drive to apply technology for social good. For next quarter, we have positions doing the following types of work:
-
User research: interviewing and analyzing interviews to understand user needs and context,
-
UI/UX design: designing and iterating on web interfaces in Figma,
-
Web development: coding an app using an Angular/NgRx/Firebase stack,
-
AI & economics: modeling economic systems using multiagent reinforcement learning,
-
NLP and ML: topic modeling and ML to clusters text responses or predict annotations,
You would be contributing to a variety of projects in the lab related to designing systems to better support the future of education, work, and community engagement. Some of the platforms we are working on include:
-
An app aimed at scaling apprenticeship learning, which supports people in learning through micro-roles while supporting non-profits as they learn,
-
An app aimed at microlearning through small groups to create learning environments supporting curiosity, creativity, and relationships,
-
An app containing short activities for team/group community building, and also creating "small group networks" that can facilitate interesting collective goals,
-
An app aimed at supporting chat-based career mentorship between industry professionals and groups of students,
Joining requires a commitment of 10-15 hours/week for the quarter for 2-5 credits of independent study. If you are interested, fill out the Tech4Good Lab Interest Form. Teams will mostly be determined based on applications submitted by the end of Week 7 on 2/24, but you should feel free to continue submitting afterwards if you missed the deadline (and if full, we’ll consider you for the following quarter).
P.S. Follow our Facebook or Instagram to hear about future student opportunities in Tech4Good!
Securing Open Source Software Hackathon
Upcoming CSE Seminars
Maxar Technologies Presents: Careers in Aerospace
Student Opportunity in Computer Science and Ophthalmology
My name is Gurpal Virdi, and I am an ophthalmology resident from Palo Alto.
I have been working on several projects that involve computer science and ophthalmology, specifically on projects involving web design and iOS programming (SwiftUI).
These projects aim to create real-world applications that can be used in the field of ophthalmology, and I am looking for students who have an interest and skill set in these areas. I wanted to reach out to see if any of your CS students may be interested in research/internship with me on these projects. This could be a great opportunity for them to gain hands-on experience in the application of computer science to the medical field.
Please let me know if you have any students who might be interested in this opportunity.
Thanks,
Gurpal Virdi, MD
Founder @ EyeLabs AI
PGY-1 Ophthalmology Resident | University of Missouri
Deans' and Chancellor's Awards Applications are NOW OPEN!
The Deans and Chancellor of UC Santa Cruz wish to recognize excellence in research and creativity among undergraduate students as evidenced through projects and theses performed in the normal pattern of academic activity at UCSC. Click here to see a listing of current and previous winning projects.
The online application for the 2023 Deans' and Chancellor's Undergraduate Awards is NOW OPEN!
Please read the application guidelines below and contact a faculty mentor to confirm they are willing to submit a letter of recommendation on your behalf.
All 2023 applications must be completed and submitted online by Sunday, April 2, 2023. All graduating Dean's and Chancellor's winners will be recognized by having their names listed in the commencement program during UC Santa Cruz's graduation ceremonies.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DEANS' UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS
Dean's Awards are granted to fifty of the most excellent undergraduate research theses or projects (ten from each academic division) completed at UCSC during the academic year. Each Dean's award project will receive $100 for outstanding achievement in their division. Winners of the Dean's awards will be announced by the end of April 2023.
CHANCELLOR'S UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS
Fifteen Chancellor’s Awards are granted to the most outstanding top three theses or projects from each division's Deans' Awardees. Each Chancellor's Award project will recieve an additional $500. Winners of the Chancellor's awards will be announced by the beginning of May 2023.
STECK AWARD
The Steck Award will recognize the most outstanding research project chosen from the fifteen Chancellor’s Awardees. This student (or team) will receive (or share) an award of $2,000 and the winner's mentor will receive an award of $1,000. In addition, the winning research project will be bound and copies given to the student(s), the research supervisor, the UC Santa Cruz Library, and the Steck Family whose generous contributions have made this award possible.
The Steck Award winner will be posted on the winners page of this site by the end of Student Achievement Week - early June 2023.
Winners of the Deans', Chancellor's and Steck awards will be honored during Undergraduate Student Achievement Week. The names of the 2022 winners are posted here and they were acknowledged at the 2022 UCSC College Commencement ceremonies.
Read here about the 2021 Steck Award winner, Olivia Ross, whose project involved studying the possibility of detecting primordial black holes using pulsars. "Ross has never chosen the easier path. If anything, she always picks the steepest and most slippery slope" - Dan White (from UCSC NewsCenter).
APPLICATION GUIDELINES/POLICIES
- All research project submissions must include at least one letter of recommendation by a faculty mentor/sponsor. Once the student submits their application, a separate email to the listed letter writer will be sent automatically containing the link for them to upload the letter of recommendation.
- All undergraduate students applicants must contact their mentor/sponsor before submitting their application in order to confirm that a letter of support will be possible.
- All applications must include a Description/Abstract of their research project.
- All applications must include either an attachment of a completed thesis or completed project or performance (by URL). Research projects must be finished when the application is submitted. Projects that are still in progress, or are planned to be completed after the application deadline, should be submitted in the following application cycle. Submitted applications that are incomplete, or do not have a project attachment or link, or are projects that are not yet completed, will be rejected.
- The applicant should choose the one faculty mentor/sponsor of their project who is most familiar with the project and who will be able to provide the strongest letter of recommendation. Only one letter of recommendation is required. Mentors should be UCSC faculty/lecturers/post-docs/researchers etc that have a CruzID.
- For group projects, only one student in the group (usually the lead in the project) completes an application. They then must list the other students as project students. Each project member must approve of the application that is submitted.
- When the faculty mentor/sponsor submits their letter of recommendation, they must also approve the submitted project. As soon as the student submits their application a separate email to the designated letter writer will be generated automatically containing the link to upload the letter of recommendation as a pdf. The deadline for letters and approvals is a few days after the student application deadline. It is strongly recommended that the letter writer complete their recommendation as soon as possible after being contacted by the student.
- Foreign language projects must be accompanied by appropriate translation.
- Technical papers must include an abstract in non-technical language.
- Projects completed in spring 2022 (and therefore not submitted in last year’s competition) are eligible for the 2023 awards competition, even if the student has already graduated.
- Previous award winners are only eligible to submit projects in the current application cycle if those projects are significantly different in scope or topic from the previously awarded project.
Apply Here
Application requires use of your CruzID Gold password
UCSC Global Seminar: Eco-Entrepreneurship in Costa Rica Summer 2023
We'd like to share an exciting opportunity to earn UC credit while studying abroad in Costa Rica this summer through the UCSC Global Seminar: Eco-Entrepreneurship in Costa Rica.
This program is facilitated through UC Santa Cruz Global Learning and open to all eligible undergraduate students from related majors. Read more about the program below!
Program Dates: July 30 - September 1, 2023
Location: west coast of Costa Rica
Courses:
-
Crown 92: Social Entrepreneurship (fulfills PE-H GE) (5 units)
-
CRWN 94: Environmental Entrepreneurship Applications (fulfills PR-S GE) (5 units)
Application Deadline: March 1st
Pairing entrepreneurship with the beauty of Costa Rica, you’ll be immersed in the local entrepreneurial community, focusing on eco-tourism and conservation. Learn about the responsible interactions between human and natural communities, ensuring a long-term and sustainable future. We’ll travel to the capital city of San Jose, and along the western/Pacific coastline, visiting a volcano, hydroelectric dam, eco-hotels, beaches, jungles, and spice and cocoa plantations, in an immersive educational opportunity that goes beyond the typical tourist experience.
-
Want to learn more details (like where you are staying, or how much it costs)?
-
Please check out the program website.
-
-
Ready to apply?
-
Please follow these instructions. Apply soon to secure your spot, as we fill our programs first come first serve to eligible applicants. You can check how many spots are available here.
-
-
Do you have a question about the program or application?
Please reach out to Jenna Tantillo at globallearning@ucsc.edu who is the UCSC Global Learning Advisor for this program and is available over email or by appointment. To set up an appointment, you need to make a profile in the UCSC Global Learning Portal.
Reyna Grande Scholarship
Kresge College is able to offer a scholarship to one undergraduate student of any college affiliation as well as a Kresge student.
The scholarship is for creative projects—involving arts, writing, music or other creative media work—intended to advance the standing and visibility of Latinx and/or Chicanx communities. Here is the website: https://kresge.ucsc.edu/
ECE 183 Advanced Topics in Agriculture Technology Course Announcement
Undergraduates: ECE 183 Advanced Topics in Agriculture Technology has been approved as an elective for both concentrations of the Electrical Engineering BS, and as an elective for the Robotics Engineering BS. Please contact Dr. Josephson for more information and a permission code if you are interested.
Statistics 4+1 Contiguous Pathway
The Statistics 4 +1 contiguous pathway allows highly qualified undergraduate students to get a leg up in graduate school and job applications and gain a deeper understanding of statistics and data science tools by jointly completing an undergraduate major and an M.S. degree in Statistical Science.
The pathway is open to students from a wide variety of majors, including computer science, technology management, economics, mathematics, and physics. Students must declare their interest in pursuing this contiguous pathway no later than their ninth quarter of study at UCSC, and more typically at the end of the sixth or seventh quarter of enrollment. Learn more at https://grad.soe.ucsc.edu/contiguous_pathways#stat
Digital NEST: Free Career Development Conference Opportunity 5/3-5/5
We'd like to share a FREE career development conference called NEST Flight taking place May 3rd through May 5th from 4pm to 7pm. I've attached a flyer with more information and with the QR code for students to register!
If you have any questions or would like more information, please reach out to sandra@digitalnest.org.
ACE Application for Spring 2023 are Now Open!
The Academic Excellence (ACE) Program is a community of students dedicated to academic excellence who work together in problem solving sessions and peer mentoring sessions to engage in active learning and help each other master the concepts taught in class. Not only do ACE students pass their classes at higher rates, but they also tend to earn more A and B grades than non-ACE students. You may visit the ACE website to learn more about the ACE Program.
This Spring, ACE will be supporting a variety of STEM courses, listed on the ACE Session Schedule page. Check out the student testimonials video to see what students have to say about ACE!
To apply: visit the Online Application
Applications are due on Friday, March 17th at 6:00pm
Space is limited, so we recommend applying sooner rather than later!
Johns Hopkins University CTY Summer 2023 Jobs
Computer Science Teaching Assistants
The Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY) is seeking teaching assistants for our summer programs. CTY offers challenging academic programs for highly talented elementary, middle, and high school students from across the country and around the world. Positions are available at residential and day sites at colleges, universities, and schools on the East and West coasts.
We are currently seeking individuals with expertise in a number of computer science-related subjects, including:
- Introduction to Robotics
- Introduction to Programming
- Fundamentals of Computer Science
- Data Structures and Algorithms
A full list of courses can be found at On-Campus Summer Programs Courses | Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) (jhu.edu)
Why teach for CTY?
- share your passion for computer science with highly motivated and talented students
- be a part of an intellectual community
- develop your teaching skills in a supportive, collegial environment
- work alongside dedicated educators from around the world
- limited class size, plus an instructor and assistant for each class, ensures a low student-teacher ratio
- competitive salary plus room and board at our residential sites
2023 Program Core Dates
- Session 1: June 22-July 15
- Session 2: July 15- August 5
*Santa Cruz runs one week later than the dates above
Desired Qualifications
·Teaching assistant candidates are generally graduate or undergraduate students with experience tutoring or as a TA.
Other positions such as Resident Assistant, Health Assistant, Instructor, and Residential Program Assistant are available.
Apply: Fill out an online application at JHU Jobs
Questions? Contact us at ctysummer@jhu.edu.
IBM Accelerate Program Opportunity: Accepting Applications Now
IBM is excited to announce that applications have now opened for our summer Talent Identification Program, IBM Accelerate. Below is everything you need to know about this fantastic learning opportunity:
About the Program
IBM Accelerate is an early career readiness summer program dedicated to undergraduates of all backgrounds with a focus on networking with peers from across the U.S and IBM employees, coaching from industry experts, learning the fundamentals of working in the technology industry, and personal career development. While all undergraduate students are eligible for program participation, our curriculum is developed specifically for current university sophomores. Because this is a learning-experience program, this is an unpaid opportunity developed to supplement coursework and other summer activities.
Applicants will be able to rank their top preferences in their application from the following career tracks: Client Engineering & Technical Sales, Consulting, Design, Hardware Developer, Marketing and Communications, and Software Developer.
IBM Accelerate runs June 5th through July 31, 2023 and is led by subject matter experts at IBM. All sessions will be delivered three-hours a week, virtually, in the evening. Check out our 2022 Accelerate Program recap video for a glimpse into what this summer experience is all about!
To be considered, APPLY HERE!
The deadline to apply is March 5th. We are reviewing applications on a rolling basis and space is limited, so be sure to apply today to receive priority review! We look forward to seeing your application.
Women Got Game - Gaming & ESports Summit
Women Got Game: WGG
Date:
- Gamers Developers Conference – San Francisco, CA (Friday, March 24, 2023)
- Women’s Final Four – Dallas, TX (Thursday, March 30, 2023)
- Morris Brown College – Atlanta, GA (Saturday, April 15, 2023)
Start Time:
- Summit: 1PM – 5PM EST
- Tournament: 6PM – 9PM EST
Theme: “Unlimited Opportunity”
A summit consisting of conversations, connections, and competitions; introducing Women of color high school college students to diverse female corporate partners & entrepreneurs in the gaming/esports industry. WGG is the first-ever property of its kind, where successful Women of color corporate executives and entrepreneurs educate, mentor & pay it forward to Women of color college & high school students interested in the gaming & esports industry. The summits will take place during Women’s History Month.
Explore Faculty Research in Computing / Design in a 1-Credit Course
Want to explore new ideas in computing / design research, meet motivated peers, or have interesting things to talk about in interviews? Join CMPM 15, a 1-credit course that introduces research areas that UCSC faculty are actively engaged in, many of whom are looking to involve undergraduate students, and some of which accept most students who have taken CMPM 15. Topics this quarter include brain-inspired neural networks, sustainable sensor networks, explainable AI, accessible technology, 3D modeling, autonomous vehicles, design research, and educational technologies. All students are welcome! (first years, all majors, grad students, etc.).
For more information, take a look at the Spring 23 faculty themes and follow @tech4good.ucsc on Instagram. We will accept all students off of the waitlist up until the first day of class.