START Program secures Scholars' futures

Thursday October 10, 2013

Charmaine Wilson-Jones, Public Leadership alumna

College Park, Md.-Global terrorism and security issues may not always be at the forefront of the average college student's mind. For Charmaine Wilson-Jones and Ashley Brown, however, these terms encompass their daily lives.

The two junior government and politics majors were recently awarded internships at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), a program that engages students in terrorism research and gives them the tools needed to participate in the national security field.

Brown, a Global Public Health alumna, and Wilson-Jones, a Public Leadership alumna, are on the research team for the Global Terrorism Database.

"We read articles about terrorist attacks that happen around the world and categorize aspects about the attack for the database," Brown said.

Wilson-Jones works to input information into the database, which is accessed more than 50,000 times per year.

"This is the kind of internship where what I do matters," Wilson-Jones said.

Ashley Brown, Global Public Health alumna

START, based at the University of Maryland, provides students from all over the country with opportunities similar to those of Brown and Wilson-Jones and pushes students to be successful in homeland security jobs.

Over winter break, Wilson-Jones and Brown will study abroad in Australia as part of START's international travel experience.

Along with internships and study abroad trips, START also provides career enrichment opportunities for its interns, including Excel skill advancing workshops and research roundtables, Brown said.

"I hope that I become fully equipped with the tools I need to enter the homeland security industry," said Wilson-Jones. "They give us more than enough support to be able to do so."

Source: Umd

Read More

International graduate students

The University of Virginia School of Nursing welcomes applications from international students for its graduate degree programs. International applicants need to submit the regular admissions application plus these additional requirements.

1. English language testing.
Applicants who completed a post-secondary University degree in a non-Anglophone country (outside of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc) must submit TOEFL or IELTS scores. These scores must be recent (no more than 24 months old). Have the scores sent directly to the University of Virginia (R-5820). Information on these tests can be found at www.toefl.org or www.ielts.org. The University has minimum standards on the TOEFL and IELTS that must be met by international students.

2. Academic credentials evaluation
All international transcripts need to be evaluated by a credentials evaluation service. This will provide a report about the education system of the host country, and 'translate' the grading system to the 4.0 American-style GPA. There are several companies that provide this credentials evaluation, and the University of Virginia cannot recommend one over another. Note that it could take 1 month or more to receive an official credentials evaluation, so you should plan ahead. Some companies that provide this service are:

Educational Credentials Evaluators ( www.ece.org)
International Academic Credential Evaluators ( www.iacei.net)
Josef Silny and Associates ( www.jsilny.com)
World Education Services ( www.wes.org)

3. Nursing Credential and License
Applicants must have a RN license from a US state at the time you submit your admissions application. If offered admissions to a graduate program, you must obtain a RN license in Virginia before you can enroll in any classes. If you do not currently have a RN license in the US, consult with the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools ( www.cgfns.org) and the Virginia Board of Nursing ( http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/nursing/) for the steps needed to obtain a Virginia RN license. To transfer your RN license from overseas to the US, you may need to have your license and prior nursing education evaluated by the Commission for Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools ( www.cgfns.org), submit scores from English language testing examinations, and pass the NCLEX-RN examination. If you received your nursing education overseas, this review and testing process could take 1-2 years in total.

4. Visa and Financial Statements
Applicants who receive offers of admissions will be sent additional information on visa applications and financial guarantee statements. You may need to present proof that you have the financial resources to pay for your tuition and living expenses for the full academic degree.

5. Admissions Deadlines
The posted admissions deadlines for the various programs are fixed. International applicants must submit all materials for consideration well before the deadline date to be considered. It is strongly recommended that international applicants have all materials submitted (including English language testing and credentials evaluation) 2 months before the regular application deadlines.

6. Summer English for Academic Purposes course
All international graduate students accepted for the Fall semester must enroll in the summer English for Academic Purposes course administered by the Center for American English Language and Culture. This course covers academic English content as well as material about the University, libraries and city of Charlottesville. Students are reponsible for the fees for this program.

7. Interviews
The admissions committees reserve the right to interview any applicant to the graduate nursing programs at UVa. For most international applicants, this would be a telephone interview. You would be contacted by the Office of Admissions and Student Services if an interview is requested.

Source: Virginia

Read More

Denise Spangler

Focus on Faculty

Denise Spangler, the Bebe Aderhold Professor in Early Childhood Education and head of the department of mathematics and science education, strives to create a classroom environment that is challenging yet nurturing.

Where did you earn degrees and what are your current responsibilities at UGA?

I have a bachelor's degree in elementary education and a master's degree in mathematics from Illinois State University. My doctoral degree is from the University of Georgia in mathematics education. I am currently a professor of mathematics education and head of the department of mathematics and science education in the College of Education.

When did you come to UGA and what brought you here?

I came to UGA in 1991 to go to graduate school because my master's thesis adviser had gotten her doctorate here and told me this was the best place in the country to study mathematics education. I feel incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to experience UGA from both sides of the desk.

What are your favorite courses and why?

My favorite courses to teach are mathematics methods courses for early childhood education majors. It is so important that children receive good mathematics instruction in the elementary grades, and I love working with future teachers to try to make that happen. So often my students have had negative experiences with mathematics in their past schooling, but by learning why certain things work the way they do in math (such as why you invert and multiply to divide fractions) and understanding how to help children learn these ideas in a meaningful way, many of my students have a complete change of attitude about mathematics. They often start their teacher education program scared of teaching math but leave the program excited about it.

What interests you about your field?

Mathematics plays a gatekeeper role in so many ways in our society, and I am intrigued by the various ways we can change that and help people see themselves as more competent mathematically. There are many ways to do that, such as curriculum development and out-of-school activities, but the approach I take is to help future teachers see themselves and their students as mathematically capable. Because I work with future elementary school teachers, I am interested in stopping the problem before it starts.

What are some highlights of your career at UGA?

The biggest highlight of my career is just being here. The fact that I get to count my former professors as my colleagues and friends is a great honor.

How does your research or scholarship inspire your teaching, and vice versa?

Because I conduct research on the very thing I teach, my teaching and research are inextricably intertwined and inspire each other. I am constantly challenged to use what I learn from my research to improve my teaching and to take an inquisitive approach to my teaching to better understand my students.

What do you hope students gain from their classroom experience with you?

I strive to create a classroom environment that is at the same time challenging and nurturing because I want students to learn to articulate what they think about a topic (whether it is research, assessment, teaching, national standards or some other topic of study), why they think this, what others (peers and scholars) think about the same topic and why, and the similarities and points of departure between their views and the views of others. In other words, I want students to have informed ideas to take with them and to know how to continue to refine those ideas and how to evaluate new ideas.

Describe your ideal student.

The ideal student has genuine intellectual curiosity, which means she/he is open-minded and reflective, willing to listen to and seriously consider other points of view, willing to share his/her point of view, and open to reshaping his/her views when warranted. I cannot possibly teach future teachers everything they will need in order to teach math in pre-K through fifth grade, so it is essential that they be genuinely curious so that they will continue to learn throughout their careers and so that they will willingly delve into students' thinking.

Favorite place to be/thing to do on campus is...

I love to walk the D.W. Brooks Mall. When I first came to UGA it was a street. Now that it is a green space, it is a beautiful place to walk (with a stop at the Creamery) and enjoy the campus.

Beyond the UGA campus, I like to...

Exercise, read and travel.

Community/civic involvement includes....

I am currently serving my third term on the Clarke County School District Board of Education. I have learned so much about what it takes to run a school district and have met so many wonderful people along the way.

Favorite book/movie (and why)?

My favorite book of recent years is "Memoirs of an Unexpected Life," the autobiography of Queen Noor of Jordan. She was born Lisa Halaby in the U.S., was in the first class of women admitted to Princeton, where she studied architecture, and then worked abroad in Australia and Iran. She left Iran when the shah was deposed and on her way back to New York to go to graduate school, passed through Jordan, met King Hussein and eventually married him. The story of how a strong, independent American woman became a queen in an Islamic country and how she used her talents to advance the plight of women there, while adhering to Islamic customs, is fascinating to me, particularly in these times when there is so much international attention focused on the Middle East.

Proudest moment at UGA?

My proudest moments at UGA are hooding doctoral students at graduation and when I hear from former students. Our students are doing many great things in the world of education around the globe, which gives me confidence and hope for the future.

Source: Uga

Read More