BE Undergraduate Newsletter
Announcements
New Course this Spring! BME118/ 218: Mathematics of the Mind
Join David Haussler for a new course this Spring - Mathematics of the Mind!
Cybersecurity Workshops From Slug Security!
Are you a hacker at heart? Do you dream of cracking codes, breaking firewalls, and exposing secrets? Have you ever been curious about how the internet stays safe? Tinkered around a site, trying to find exploits? Well, then Slug Security, UC Santa Cruz's Cybersecurity Club, maybe for you!
Would you like to learn how to hack into servers, create malware, and avoid detection like a true hacker? Do you want to use a Pringles can to make directional antennas and scan for vulnerable networks? Do you want to compete in national competitions and compete against other hackers to see who is the best?
Then join us! We are a student-led cybersecurity club dedicated to fostering a community of hackers who work to improve security.
We host workshops and actively compete in CTF and national competitions such as the NSA Codebreaker Challenge.
We meet every Monday from 1-2 PM at Baskin Engineering 2 Room 506.
Visit our site (https://slugsec.ucsc.edu) for more information. If you have any questions, please visit our FAQ page or email us at slugsec@ucsc.edu.
Readers Needed for BME 118/218: Math of Mind
Reader with coding experience wanted for BME 118/218: Math of Mind. This is a paid role with minimal time obligations (4-6h/wk, more if desired). Pay rates as follows: undergrads readers $18.40/hr; MS & beyond readers $19.28/hr.
Interested applicants can find out more information here: https://rta.soe.ucsc.edu/.
Contact Matt Elliott for more information (melliot1@ucsc.edu)
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
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/
Securing Open Source Software Hackathon
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
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.
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.
CodePath - Summer Courses Available
CodePath.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization reprogramming higher education to create the most diverse generation of software engineers, CTOs, and founders.
In 2022, CodePath partnered with 68 colleges and universities across the country. Within those partnerships, we enrolled 6,900 students in our courses; 70% of them identified as Black, Latino/a, Indigenous, first-generation, and/or low-income. We achieved all this through our no-cost Silicon Valley-backed courses for CS students.
This summer, we are offering courses in:
- Intro to Software Engineering – Introduces software engineering and computer science concepts to students with little to no programming experience. Primarily taught in Python programming language and focuses on beginner topics from conditional, loops, big O notation, dictionaries, strings, and arrays.
- Technical Interview Prep — Ace the technical interview, students will gain a preview of real-world software topics and be prepared to solve challenging algorithmic problems in whiteboard and coding interviews. Geared towards juniors and seniors - ends with a virtual career fair.
Digital NEST: Career Development Conference - Updates to Share!
Thank you to those who have already shared our free virtual conference with all of your slug students and colleagues. We have two very exciting updates to share with you!
We're so happy to welcome Jeremy Almond as our opening keynote speaker for NEST Flight 2023. Jeremy is the co-founder and CEO of Paystand, a Fin-tech company based in Scotts Valley, CA. Jeremy was raised in Stockton, CA and was the first to graduate college and attend graduate school from his family. Students can join us at NEST Flight 2023 to hear his inspiring story and connect with him. His company is growing & hiring!
We will also be offering the first 70 attendees to register a swag bag that we will mail out post-conference. This does apply to folks who have already registered! Make sure to share out with students today so they can secure a seat and a swag bag!
Attaching our conference recruitment flyer below for you. Students can register here: https://www.accelevents.com/e/
A Guide to Finding a Tech Career with Numbers
I am a part of our team at TechGuide, where we write helpful resources about Analytics, Computer Science, Design, Engineering, and Fintech. I am reaching out to share a guide that we published, titled, A Career with Numbers: A Complete Guide.
While many skills are becoming increasingly antiquated, number-based professions are becoming ever more crucial. Furthermore, there is a diverse range of applications that this field is involved from the strictly scientific realm to Business, Sociology, Farming, and even Sports. In our modern data-driven world, a Career in Numbers is an excellent choice for both young prospective college students and working professionals, wishing to shake up their careers.
Our guide tackles important topics such as the ff.:
- How to Prepare for a Number-Based Career
- Tech Degrees
- Internships
- Training Programs
- Special Scholarships; and
- Number-based Career Paths
Our guide is available free on our site at https://techguide.org/
Seeking Latine Participants for Focus Group Study
Readers and Tutors Needed for STAT7
Readers and Tutors Needed for STAT7
Hello, we are looking for readers and tutors for STAT7 (Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences). This is a paid role with minimal time obligations (4-6h/wk, more if desired). Pay rates as follows: undergrad readers $18.40/hr; MS and beyond readers $19.28/hr; tutors $19.28/hr.
Interested applicants can find more information here: https://rta.soe.ucsc.edu/
Contact the instructor, Professor Sangwon Hyun (sangwonh@ucsc.edu) with any questions.
US EPA Region 6 Welcomes You to a Multi-University Food/Environment Presentation on 4/25
Validating Communities Survey
Dear Slugs,
A.Lili Castillo, a first year Ph.D. student in the Engineering Education Systems and Design program at Arizona State University, is working to better understand undergraduate engineering students’ experiences with engineering student organizations. If you identify as Latino/a/x, please consider filling out her online survey using the following link:
tinyurl.com/
Students who complete the survey will be entered in a drawing to win 1 of 10 $10 Amazon gift cards.
The online survey will take you about 5-10 minutes to complete.
Thank you for considering participating in this study and feel free to reach out to A.Lili Castillo (alcast11@asu.edu) if you have any further questions.
