Scholarship Spotlight: Microsoft Scholarships

Amount of the Scholarship: Depends on the scholarship

Deadline: February 1st

Criteria:

• Displayed interest in the software industry
• Commitment to leadership
• Financial need
• Full time student
• Satisfactory progress toward an undergraduate degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a related technical discipline such as electrical engineering, math, or physics�and that you demonstrate an interest in computer science.
• Maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average out of a possible 4.0
• Quality of application
  

Additional Information: https://careers.microsoft.com/careers/en/us/collegescholarship.aspx
http://www.microsoft.com/college/ss_overview.mspx/
http://www.microsoft.com/college/ss_reqs.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/college/ss_howtoapply.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/

Contact:
1 Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052
Phone: (425) 882-8080
Email: scholars@microsoft.com.

Find the Pattern, Ignore the Contraditions, Only Learn When Challenged

When experimental results appear that can't be explained, they're often discounted as being useless. The researchers might say that the experiment was designed badly, the equipment faulty, and so on.

It may indeed be the case the faults occurred, but it could also be the case when consistent information emerges, but these possibilities are rarely investigated when the data agrees with pre-existing assumptions, leading to possible biases in how data is interpreted.

. . . .

I was particularly interested to read that breakthroughs were most likely to come from group discussions:

"While the scientific process is typically seen as a lonely pursuit � researchers solve problems by themselves � Dunbar found that most new scientific ideas emerged from lab meetings, those weekly sessions in which people publicly present their data. Interestingly, the most important element of the lab meeting wasn�t the presentation � it was the debate that followed. Dunbar observed that the skeptical (and sometimes heated) questions asked during a group session frequently triggered breakthroughs, as the scientists were forced to reconsider data they�d previously ignored. The new theory was a product of spontaneous conversation, not solitude; a single bracing query was enough to turn scientists into temporary outsiders, able to look anew at their own work."

Although it turns out that discussion with people from a diverse range of people is most important - having a room full of people who share assumptions and expertise tends not to lead to creative scientific insights.

Let's face it, science is boring

This is why I bailed out of biology after completing the degree (okay, mostly). Fascinating to know. Stultifying to do.

It is now time to come clean. This glittering depiction of the quest for knowledge is... well, perhaps not an outright lie, but certainly a highly edited version of the truth. Science is not a whirlwind dance of excitement, illuminated by the brilliant strobe light of insight. It is a long, plodding journey through a dim maze of dead ends. It is painstaking data collection followed by repetitious calculation. It is revision, confusion, frustration, bureaucracy and bad coffee. In a word, science can be boring.

My own brief and undistinguished research career included its share of mind-numbing tasks, notably the months of data processing which revealed that a large and expensive orbiting gamma-ray telescope had fixed its eye on the exploding heart of a distant galaxy and seen... nothing. I tip my hat, though, to New Scientist's San Francisco bureau chief, who spent nearly three years watching mice sniff each other in a room dimly lit by a red bulb. "It achieved little," he confesses, "apart from making my clothes smell of mouse urine." And the office prize for research ennui has to go to the editor of NewScientist.com. "I once spent four weeks essentially turning one screw backwards and forwards," he says. "It was about that time that I decided I didn't want to be a working scientist."

However . . .

Boredom, it seems, is very much in the eye of the beholder. Scientists at the top of their game rarely become jaded, possibly because it is only the most tenacious individuals who ever succeed in research. Those with shorter attention spans - and you may pass your own judgement on the New Scientist staff mentioned earlier - are soon weeded out.

It's not all natural obsessiveness, though; there's an element of nurture too. Sulston points out that the most repetitious stuff happens only after years of working around a problem, trying to find a way in. By the time you are "strictly turning the handle", as he puts it, you may be the most skilled person at your chosen technique. Sulston ranked among the best in the world at keeping a close eye on slimy, grey microscopic worms, so using this skill became a pleasure.

Scholarship Spotlight: A. Patrick Charnon Memorial Scholarship

A. Patrick Charnon Memorial Scholarship

Amount of scholarship: $1,500 per year

Deadline: March 31

$1,500 scholarships awarded to full-time undergraduate students who have demonstrated their commitments to building communities. Each scholarship will be for $1,500 per academic year, prorated and awarded at the beginning of each academic term (for example, semester or quarter). Recipients may re-apply each year for up to four years, provided they continue to meet the requirements of the award.

Requirements
Recipients must be admitted or enrolled in a full-time undergraduate program of study in an accredited four-year college or university in the United States. They must maintain good academic standing and make progress toward a degree. The Charnon Scholarship Review Committee will decide whether applicants fulfill the requirements of the award. The selection committee looks for candidates who value tolerance, compassion and respect for all people in their communities, and who have demonstrated their commitments to these values by their actions.

Applications must be postmarked by March 31st for the academic year beginning in August or September. Recipients will be notified of their award in early August, and a profile of the recipient will be posted on The Center website.

In addition to the application form, you need to submit a 2-4 page essay (typed, double-spaced) explaining how community service experiences have shaped your life and how you will use your college educations to build communities in a manner consistent with Pat Charnon's values of compassion, tolerance, generosity and respect. An official transcript from your high school or college and three letters of reference are also required.

Additional Information:
http://www.cesresources.org/charnon.html#become
http://www.cesresources.org/apply.html
http://www.cesresources.org/Application.pdf

Contact:
A. Patrick Charnon Memorial Scholarship
The Center for Education Solutions
Box 208
San Francisco, California 94104-0208

Ritalin Cures Next Picasso

WORCESTER, MA�Area 7-year-old Douglas Castellano's unbridled energy and creativity are no longer a problem thanks to Ritalin, doctors for the child announced Monday. "After years of failed attempts to stop Douglas' uncontrollable bouts of self-expression, we have finally found success with Ritalin," Dr. Irwin Schraeger said. "For the first time in his life, Douglas can actually sit down and not think about lots of things at once." Castellano's parents reported that the cured child no longer tries to draw on everything in sight, calming down enough to show an interest in television.

Have a Problem, Kid? Here, Take This Anti-Psychotic

New federally financed drug research reveals a stark disparity: children covered by Medicaid are given powerful antipsychotic medicines at a rate four times higher than children whose parents have private insurance. And the Medicaid children are more likely to receive the drugs for less severe conditions than their middle-class counterparts, the data shows.

Those findings, by a team from Rutgers and Columbia, are almost certain to add fuel to a long-running debate. Do too many children from poor families receive powerful psychiatric drugs not because they actually need them � but because it is deemed the most efficient and cost-effective way to control problems that may be handled much differently for middle-class children?

Scholarship Spotlight

Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics

The Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest is an annual competition designed to challenge college students to analyze the urgent ethical issues confronting them in today's complex world. Students are encouraged to write thought-provoking personal essays that raise questions, single out issues and are rational arguments for ethical action.

Amount of the Scholarship:
First Prize - $ 5,000
Second Prize - $ 2,500
Third Prize - $ 1,500
Two Honorable Mentions - $ 500 each

Deadline: January 8, 2010

Requirements:
Students are eligible to enter the 2010 contest if:1)They are registered undergraduate full-time juniors or seniors at accredited four-year colleges or universities in the United States during the fall 2009 semester, or 2)They fulfill the guideline requirements and are studying abroad during the 2009-2010 school year, as long as they are registered as full-time juniors or seniors at their home schools in the U.S., or 3)They are international or non-citizen students who fill the guideline requirements and are attending schools in the U.S.

Essay:
The Foundation receives many inquiries regarding what students may write about in their essays. The topics provided by the Foundation each year are merely suggested topics - students may feel free to write about any topic as long as it pertains to ethics.

Faculty Sponsor:
Students entering the contest are required to have a Faculty Sponsor review their essay and sign the Entry Form. Faculty members should only endorse thought-provoking, well-written essays that fall within the contest guidelines. Any interested professor at the student's school may act as a Faculty Sponsor.

Additional Information:
http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org/prizeinethics.aspx
http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org/information.aspx

Contact:
The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity
555 Madison Avenue
20th Floor
New York, NY 10022
Fax: 212-490-6006
Tel: 212-490-7788

Creating Your Brand Statement: Putting it all together

In previous posts about the importance of a personal brand, we concentrated on how to create a personal brand using web tools such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Now it�s time to create your own personal brand statement. A brand statement will help your cover letter or resume stand out from thousands of others! In the next several blog postings, I will share information with you taken from leading personal branding expert and career advancement coach, Robert Allen Paul, and his �Company Of One� presentation at Buena Vista University. I would recommend his valuable message to every student. (Part I: Your Brand Part II: Core Competencies Part III: Brand Attributes Part IV: Brand Identity Part V: Brand Promise
Part VI: Brand Vision Part VII: Brand Loyalty + Brand Equity Part VIII: Brand Statement); Part IX: Putting It All Together:

Putting it all together�
If you want to create a cover letter that actually compels prospective employers to open and review your resume, you can apply the principles you�ve learned, incorporate the brand components you�ve developed, and try something like this:

Dear Mr. Roberts:

You don�t know me. We�ve never met. But your niece, Jenny Jenson, thinks we should. As a junior at Acme University, I�ve begun exploring career opportunities and requesting informational interviews. Jenny really respects your experience, so I�m reaching out to request your guidance.

Over the past twenty years, I�ve developed a talent for concise, critical thinking. I�m inquisitive, strategic and self-motivated, so I believe I can offer the right company an opportunity to maximize project results with a minimum of supervision.

My objective is to eventually earn a role as the chief marketing analyst for a category-leading packaged goods company. Jenny and I think that sounds a lot like Central Foods, so I�m wondering: Am I on the right track?

If you could spare thirty minutes anytime on March 9 or 10, I would sincerely appreciate it. Unless I hear from you beforehand, I�ll call during the week of February 27 to discover your interest.

Thank you for your consideration.

In case you haven�t realized it yet, Robert Allen Paul�s �Company Of One� is not just another �you can be whoever you want to be and succeed� program. It�s a �you can be exactly who you are and succeed� program. It doesn�t take a genius. It doesn�t take a marketing degree. All it takes is a clear understanding of who you really are, what you really do, how you do it differently from everyone else, and the benefits of that difference to your customers.

You are already unique. You are already a power to be reckoned with.

You are a Company Of One.

Robert Allen Paul has graciously shared his contact information with me to post in this blog. If you would like more information, or sample letters, send an email (linked below), and mention my name, Denise Beebe. You can also purchase his book, or the e-version of his book that contains a workbook through his website, linked above.

Robert Allan Paul
PresidentCOO, Inc
8242 Turtle Creek Boulevard
Minneapolis, MN 55375
612.636.4554
Robert@CoOfOne.com

In Job Hunt, College Degree Can�t Close Racial Gap

Black joblessness has long far outstripped that of whites. And strikingly, the disparity for the first 10 months of this year, as the recession has dragged on, has been even more pronounced for those with college degrees, compared with those without. Education, it seems, does not level the playing field � in fact, it appears to have made it more uneven.

College-educated black men, especially, have struggled relative to their white counterparts in this downturn, according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate for black male college graduates 25 and older in 2009 has been nearly twice that of white male college graduates � 8.4 percent compared with 4.4 percent.