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- Currently students are aware of the PIs at other institutions and
the PIs' research, but rarely do they have a chance to know outside graduate
students and what studies those students are doing (except for at the annual
meeting). This information would benefit everyone, especially knowing who is
studying similar topics or using similar methods or equipment. Student
interaction among students focusing on different disciplines (esp.) and
different sites is lower than could be desired.
- A solution (already in the works) is a listing for all
the graduate students, their email addresses, and their research interests, to
be generated from the WWW personnel database of all people who fill out or
update a listing for themselves and check off that they are a graduate student.
In addition to a database list, these names and email addresses will all be
collected into a mailing list so that a person wishing to notify all graduate
students can send one email to this address (hopefully both through WWW and
regular email) and have it reflected to all those on the list.
- Similarly, having subject related mailing lists (like everyone
working with water level recorders and hobos) is also desired. Make these
lists interactive so that students can add or delete their name from these
lists as they need to.
- Trying to have regular VCR student meetings again was proposed.
Though mainly for UVA students, it might be possible to a chat session over the
internet to involve students at other institutions. Rett knows of a free
biology-related chat site that we might use for this. Weekly is too often, as
we found last year when interest dropped off, but a set monthly day and time
might work better.
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- Although each REU works with a PI advisor and sometimes one of the
advisor's graduate students, there still seems to be a lot of confusion at the
shore, especially at the beginning of the summer field season. Since some PIs
are harder than others to contact concerning questions from the students about
logistical problems, more REU contact with their PIs or a grad student seems
needed.
- Need better defined REU projects going into it (in
general). The REUs need to have familiarized themselves with their research
topic so that they have a pretty clear idea of at least the kinds of things
they'll want to look at and some of the methods they'll likely use. This is
particularly important since the library at the shore is virtually nonexistent.
REUs that had a well defined project going into the start of the summer
generally seemed to have gotten more out of the experience and were better able
handle obstacles and problems as the problems came up.
- Consider having a grad student work with each REU in addition to
an advising PI responsible for the REU. REUs that worked closely with one of
their PI's grad students often seemed to do better than those that didn't.
This is because the grad student is one more person in addition to the PI that
the students can ask for advice for scientific questions and problems, as well
as to go to for advice on general questions about how things are done on the
shore and around the lab, including how household and social-type problems were
dealt with in previous years.
- By similar reasoning, having a grad student who'll be around the
lab in the summer a lot, have that student act as a sort of official liaison
for the REUs might be a good idea. (Finding a student who'll want to do this
might not be so easy though.)
- Congeal REUs' knowledge before they leave the shore. Although
each REU is suppose to report on what they found out from their projects, this
often isn't done until later that fall back at the individual universities,
often as part of a follow-up independent study. The students at the meeting
thought that the REUs should be required to make short presentations to the
whole group at the shore at the end of the summer. Even if their results are
somewhat preliminary, and they plan on continuing the analyses over the fall,
forcing them to pull together what they've done so far would help cement their
understanding of what they've been finding out. The presentations would also
help the other REUs understanding of the various research going on, and improve
their sense of community.
- Continue having biweekly REU meetings with differing PIs at the
shore over the summer. Also, having one weekend meeting spent in
Charlottesville, for touring related lab facilities, computer technology, and
general time off from the shore to "recharge the batteries", so to speak.
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- In addition to presentations at (or not at) the
January all scientist meeting, having two or three days scheduled during the
summer for graduate students to present their ongoing research would bring the
graduate students closer together. This would also help to keep the REU
focused over the summer. These two or three sessions should include
presentations from different disciplines, or else probably only people
interested in the session's one or two topics would show up.
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- Just make everyone aware again of which areas
around the lab they CAN and CANNOT store equipment and supplies. And where
different pieces of common equipment (ex. the hobo calibration tube) are being
kept. All the students using these areas then need to take steps to keep the
areas clean and ordered.
- A picnic table with benches on the screen porch at the shore is
desired, instead of only the old van seat. Currently no table at which one can
eat a meal outside is available. (personal note: please don't throw out the
van seat; it makes a semi-decent place to sleep in the summer when there are no
beds left in the inn.)