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Once you’re in college, C’s are good enough, right? Wrong!

By now college applications are but a distant memory. You worked hard in high school, made it through the grueling application process, and earned a place in this Fall’s class of incoming college freshmen. Whew!

Tempting as it may be to kick back, freshman year is not the time to slack off on academics. In a few short years the application process will begin all over again, this time for employers or graduate schools. And your college grade point average will matter—a lot.

Sure, C’s may earn degrees. But scoring average—or worse, below average—grades during your freshmen year is bad news. At best, it means you’ll spend the next three years of your college career trying to make up for a lame start. At worst, you may be forced to switch your major or reconsider the career you’ve always dreamed of. Simply put, an apathetic attitude wastes time and money. It can also lead to academic probation or even failure.

And make no mistake: Even the brightest, most ambitious students usually have to study hard to get good grades in college. Just ask Esther Zeledon, of Miami, Florida. Zeledon was an academic star in high school, tackling ten AP courses and graduating 6th in a class of 4,500 students.

But when she arrived at Swarthmore University, it was a different story. “I got about one paper a week in English and one every other week in history, as well as 800 pages a week to read,” she says. As an environmental science major, Zeledon also had chemistry lab for five hours each week, hours of homework—and a lot of sleep to catch up on! Although she studied religiously, Zeledon says, “It was very difficult to get an A. I didn’t see that letter all year.”

Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t earn top grades if you work hard. So think of freshman year as an opportunity to hit the ground running. Ace those intro classes, join study groups, get extra help when you need it, and study, study study! You’ll be glad you did.

Article courtesy of www.careersandcolleges.com

Posted by Sarah Ennenga on August 31, 2007 at 5:55 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Junior year. You probably have the college jitters. In the coming year, colleges will be deciding about you, and you will be deciding about them. So what’s the most important thing you can do right now?

If you’re considering majoring in science or engineering, the answer may surprise you: dream.

Why? According to Mike Steidel, director of admission at Carnegie Mellon University, science and engineering students have far more career choices than they did 15 years ago. If you love computers, don’t automatically assume you need to major in computer science. Computers can be the focus of your education in science, engineering, the fine arts, or architecture. And just because you major in science or engineering, don’t assume your career options are limited to these fields: More and more companies value the computer and problem-solving skills of science and engineering majors. “An engineering degree will get you in the door almost anywhere,” says Kathleen Kramer, Director of Engineering Programs at the University of San Diego. “Acceptance rates for medical school, law school, and business school are excellent for students in engineering and the physical sciences. These fields prepare you to do well in just about everything.”

Even if you have a strong interest in a particular field, don’t plan on specializing right away in college. Companies are looking for students who can cross boundaries. More and more frequently, graduates who start out in one career end up in another later in life. So as you consider your choice of college, think broadly about your life and your interests.

Five steps toward the college that’s right for you. As you explore colleges, don’t focus on trying to find the “best school.” Instead, find the school that is best for you. Here’s how:

Step 1: Make yourself a good candidate.
College admissions officers offer the following advice:

In school: Take the strongest math and science programs you can. If your school offers AP classes, take them. If your school offerings are limited, just be sure you take advantage of what is offered. The most important thing is to challenge yourself. And while you’re at it, don’t neglect those English courses. Science and engineering students today are not likely to spend their lives hidden away in a lab. Being able to write well, speak well, and relate to other people are strengths college admissions staff look for in prospective science and engineering students.

Out of school: One of the best ways to explore science and engineering careers is to attend a summer program for high school students, and many colleges, museums, camps, and other organizations offer them. Some are day programs, some are residential, and some are on a college campus. They may last from one to six weeks.

Many of these programs offer some financial aid. If you or your parents are hesitant because of the cost, consider the idea as an investment: attending a summer science or engineering program is likely to give you some long-term ideas about your future—and a strong plus on your college application.

Another route is a summer job or internship (paid or unpaid) that gives you experience in your field of interest. For summer opportunities, check out these resources:

• Directory of Science Training Programs, www.sciserv.org/stp, where you can search for pre-college programs by state and by whether they offer financial aid.
  
• National Society of Black Engineers, www.nsbe.org. After “National Websites,” click “Pre-College,” then under “PCI Resources” click “Pre-College Engineering Programs and Resources.”

Step 2: Consider what kind of school you want.
Large vs. small: Smaller schools usually offer smaller classes, more personal attention from professors, and more opportunities for undergraduates to participate in research. A smaller school may also offer more opportunities to participate on sports teams and step into leadership roles in other student activities.

Large universities offer more academic choices and more opportunities to combine undergraduate and graduate work. Professors may be the top in their fields (although if their courses are large lecture courses, you may not get to know them personally). Large schools may also offer more diversity among the student body.

Each choice has advantages, so consider carefully. Talk to people who have attended both kinds of schools about what they liked or didn’t like. Think about what kinds of classes you enjoyed most in high school: if small discussion-based classes are where you thrive but you are considering a big university, visit some classes there to evaluate how comfortable you are with the classroom experience.

Urban vs. small town: Visiting will give you a feel for the college setting. Even colleges in one-traffic-light towns bring cultural activities and entertainment to campus, so don’t dismiss a more remote college if it offers other things you want.

Liberal arts vs. technical: Since you are thinking broadly about your life and interests, consider everything the school has to offer. Just because a school is a liberal arts school, don’t assume it doesn’t have a strong science or engineering program. And don’t underestimate the value of a liberal arts education to a career in science. Increasingly, scientists and engineers need human relations skills since they must manage other people, work in teams, and explain their work to environmental groups, politicians, and communities. Taking courses that focus on the human element improves your ability to do these things well. Even pre-med students may be philosophy majors these days.

If you are considering a specialty school in engineering, experts from a variety of fields recommend that you explore the field before applying. One way is to participate in a summer program. Another is to call up several local companies and ask if you might follow an engineer around for a day or two (it’s called “shadowing”). Don’t feel awkward: people generally love to talk about what they do.

Step 3: Develop a list of schools.
Make a list of schools with strong science or engineering programs, using this magazine in combination with your school counselor, any of the well-known college guides, or any of several comprehensive sites on the Internet. Investigate each school’s strength in your particular field of interest.

Step 4: Visit.
Remember, you’re signing up for four years at college, so if at all possible, pay a visit. The college as it appears in a glossy view-book may look very different when you see it in person. The reverse also can be true: the school your parents have to drag you to might turn out to be much better than you had imagined. Visit the college when it’s in session. Many schools hold a special on-campus program in the spring for accepted students—a great opportunity to evaluate a school as well as the area around it. During your visit, scope out three major areas: the academics, the students, and the extracurriculars.

Academics: Take an active approach when planning your visit to a college—and during the interview, too. If you’re feeling like a fish on a hook during your interview, it can be hard to remember that you are interviewing the college as much as its representative is interviewing you. So make up a list of questions for your interviewer. Here are some questions you might ask:

• Are the faculty professionally active in their fields?
  
• Is teaching emphasized, or is research the faculty’s major focus?
  
• Do graduate students teach courses, or are they used primarily as lab instructors and graders?
  
• What opportunities are there for students to participate in real research?
  
• What kind of research is the school involved in?
  
• What percentage of students go on to receive graduate degrees, and what is the acceptance rate at graduate and medical schools?
  
• What lab facilities are offered?

Neither high school guidance counselors nor college admissions officers are likely to have a scientific background, so as a prospective science or engineering major you will get a better feel for the school if you can talk with some professors in your area of interest. Colleges will arrange that for you. Ask the admissions office for a professor’s contact information and see if you can meet briefly during your visit. You might visit his or her class and chat afterward. If calling a professor out of the blue feels uncomfortable, remember, this is part of your process of interviewing the college.

The other students: Arrange to stay overnight in a dorm, if possible, with a student majoring in your field of interest. Meet your host’s friends, walk around campus, attend classes, or go to a social event. Ask yourself: is this an environment I’ll feel comfortable in socially?

Outside activities: College is a great time to try out something you’ve never done before: hosting a radio program, acting in a play, doing field research, studying abroad, learning tae kwon do. It’s also a time to continue doing the things you enjoy: playing a sport or an instrument, participating in student government or a political organization, or volunteering in the community. Find out what sports, clubs, and activities are available on campus, and don’t give up outside interests and activities when you get to college.

Step 5: Look at research opportunities offered by the school.
A school with a big reputation may have appeal, but reputation isn’t the whole story. Getting hands-on experience is increasingly valued by employers. Ask about opportunities, including:

On-campus research: Find out how many students actually do research and whether opportunities are open to undergraduates, including freshmen and sophomores. Ask about summer research, including paid research positions.

Hands-on projects for engineering students: Find out if you’ll actually get to work on engineering projects, rather than just study theory, during your first and second years.

Co-op jobs: Co-op programs involve working a certain number of semesters. Although this means completing college in five years, co-op jobs are typically in your field of interest, provide valuable hands-on experience (and significant income), and may help you develop connections for a permanent job.

If you’ve already decided what field interests you...
Don’t be too sure too soon. Carnegie Mellon University’s Steidel says that many students come to college wanting to specialize right away. But the work world, he says, is going in the opposite direction, leaning more and more toward multidisciplinary talents. “The walls surrounding disciplines are starting to come tumbling down,” he says.

Consider choosing a college that will challenge you not just in science or engineering but in the liberal arts and even the fine arts. These fields help develop the communication and human relations skills that scientists and engineers need in today’s world.

“If you can’t communicate, no matter how technically competent you are, you aren’t going to be very successful,” says Steidel.

If you’re not yet sure what field you want to pursue...
Look for a college that will provide you with flexibility to switch between science and engineering and other majors if you change your mind—which lots of students do. Switching to a liberal arts major even after your sophomore year usually isn’t difficult, since most science classes can be counted toward distribution requirements. Remember, if you do stick with science or engineering, you’ll still have lots of options after you graduate, since an education in science or engineering is increasingly an excellent preparation for many different careers.

Article by Deborah Knight and courtesy of www.careersandcolleges.com

Posted by Sarah Ennenga on August 31, 2007 at 3:52 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Early baby boomers are now at an age when their healthcare needs are starting to increase. These “early boomers” will be followed by a tidal wave of individuals born right after World War II, putting further demands on a healthcare system already short of trained medical professionals.

Are you thinking about a career in health care? Nursing, the front line of the healthcare system, is a choice worth exploring. This area of medicine is already experiencing shortages—despite the fact that the Department of Labor projects the career field to have a large number of openings in upcoming years.

Government officials are well aware of the need to attract more people to this career choice. As Senator Hillary Clinton noted, “At one time or another in each of our lives, nurses have been there for us with a kind word and a pair of able hands to comfort and heal. But today, the shortage of nurses . . . has reached crisis proportions. A record number of retirements, along with a shrinking number of students going into the nursing field . . . have left hospitals and nursing homes without the skilled staff that they need.”

Enrollment in entry-level degree programs in nursing increased by 10.6% in 2004 over the previous year, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). “Though this increase is welcome, nursing colleges and universities denied 26,340 qualified applications this year due primarily to a shortage of nurse educators,” the Association said.

The government is projecting a short-fall of 800,000 nurses by the year 2020 and there is concern that access to quality healthcare may be compromised since nursing schools are not graduating enough nurses educated at the baccalaureate and graduate levels.

Many different options The opportunity to help people and make a difference in their lives, the diversity of specialties available within the overall field of health care, and the likelihood of job security all make nursing a good field in which to work.

“Young people are now discovering all that nursing has to offer and the variety of things they can do in the profession,” says Dr. Verna R. Kieffer, chair of the Department of Nursing at D’Youville College in Buffalo, New York. “There are endless opportunities available in today’s healthcare system.”

And while nursing used to be a field that primarily attracted women, more and more men are now choosing it as a career. The broad range of choices available include work in oncology, renal medicine, psychiatry, emergency services, pediatric nursing, operating room care, hospice and palliative care, intensive care, community health nursing, research, teaching, and more.

All branches of the military are interested in signing on nurses, and individuals who make this career decision can be stationed throughout the world.

Solid earnings and benefits While entry-level salaries for nurses vary depending on location, they generally range between $35,000 and $45,000 per year, with additional compensation for evening, night, and weekend shifts. Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow, a coalition of 42 nursing and healthcare organizations, lists health insurance, vacation days, holiday pay, college tuition reimbursement, childcare, flexible scheduling, and pension plans as benefits people entering the field can expect to enjoy.

Individuals who are interested in pursuing a nursing career should be aware, though, that educational requirements are becoming stricter. The National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice (NACNEP) calls for at least two-thirds of the workforce to hold a baccalaureate degree or higher in nursing by 2010. Currently, only 43% of nurses meet these qualifications.

Reaching nontraditional applicants Today’s nursing students have not all followed traditional paths to their profession. With so many economic and job market changes in the past few years, more and more individuals with degrees in other areas are contemplating changing careers—and nursing ranks high with those seeking a stable, well compensated job.

In order to attract these adult students, colleges are working to make the transition to nursing easier and course work schedules more flexible.

Innovative programs Five-year programs in nursing are now offered by many colleges. Combined B.S./M.S. programs allow students to finish faster and move into the workforce more quickly. Some colleges also offer financial features that include the master’s degree portion of the degree billed at the undergraduate level or a special tuition rate for registered nurses seeking their bachelor’s degree in nursing. Still other schools have boosted scholarship awards to qualified students.The bottom line is that by whatever method students come to the field of nursing, the opportunities are certainly there. In today’s high-tech, often impersonal world, nursing offers a career that touches lives—and that can provide a great deal of personal satisfaction.

Rebecca Witcop, a recent nursing graduate, works in a busy county hospital. She sums up her feelings this way: “I love my job, and I feel what I do every day makes a real difference in people’s lives.”

Profile Cheryl Lyons When it came to choosing a career, I always knew I wanted a profession in which I could work directly with people and make a difference in their lives. The health care field seemed the perfect choice. So I decided in high school that I would study nursing when I got to college. Some parts of my training were hard. The most difficult period for me was medical surgery clinicals. There was a huge amount of material to learn in just one semester, and some of the patients in the unit were seriously ill. But there were satisfying times as well. For example, I found home visits especially rewarding. They helped me understand how patients were coping with the challenges they faced and how they were dealing—emotionally and physically—with their illnesses. Once I completed my undergraduate work, I needed to decide which field to specialize in. I’ve always found the complexity of the human mind and human behavior very interesting, so I chose psychiatric nursing. When I went through my psychiatric rotation, I knew for sure that I’d made the right choice. Psychiatric nursing really fit my original career goal of having a lot of patient contact and helping people through stressful times. There’s no question that nursing is challenging, but the rewards are great. You’ll have many choices about what you want to specialize in, and RNs can work anywhere in the country. And since the demand for nurses is increasing every year, salaries are good. Currently, I’m the charge nurse on the day shift for an adult psychiatric unit. First thing in the morning, I get reports from the nurses on the night shift. Then I make up staff assignments for the day. Following that, I make the rounds with the psychiatrists and give them reports on the patients. Next I transcribe medication orders, do safety rounds, census checks, and admissions and discharges. I also try to work in as much time in as possible to talk to patients. Sound fast-paced? It sure is—there’s never a boring moment. And I love it! Cheryl Lyons is a registered nurse in psychiatric care at Hampton Hospital in Westhampton, New Jersey.

Article by John Bray and courtesy of www.careersandcolleges.com

Posted by Sarah Ennenga on August 31, 2007 at 2:23 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Question: What do all three of the women quoted below have in common?

• “I never ever thought I’d go to a women’s college.”
  
• “I was not going to an all-women’s college by any means.”
  
• “I remember getting in a fight with my mom. I said, ‘I’m not going to a women’s college—no way.’”

Answer: They are all enthusiastic graduates of women’s colleges.

How in the world did these women end up at schools that are not coed? The same way many women do. First, they went to visit because something about the college attracted them. Most women’s colleges are small liberal arts schools that offer small classes, lots of personal contact with professors, and strong academics. That’s a great combination; one that many high school students are looking for in any college they consider.

And then these women found something extra. For a number of students, it was a strong sense of community.

For others, it was a super financial aid package. For still others, it was the opportunities for leadership in a place where all the leaders are women.

Women who have had positive experiences at non-coed colleges offer this advice: Don’t dismiss a college simply because it’s not coed. If the school offers something that attracts you, check it out.

Some firsthand experiences Erica Gonzalez, Saint Mary’s College ’07 (Notre Dame, Indiana): Erica, who is both Puerto Rican and African American, says, “In coed schools, I’ve always felt men were more credited for what they could do, and [mens’] sports were more emphasized. I’m involved in seven or eight clubs and take leadership positions in all of them. I give my opinion more, and what I say really counts.”

Stacy Villalta, Mills College ’09: Stacy’s parents were immigrants from Central America, and as a child she lived in Los Angeles. When she was in high school, she took an AP English class with a teacher who put her on the mailing list for Mills, a women’s college in Oakland, California. “At first I thought, an all-women’s college, that’s not for me,” Stacy says. But recruiters from the college made it sound appealing: small class sizes, a beautiful campus, and a place where you would be known by a name and not a number. “Because [Mills is] a women’s college, it’s allowed me to focus on my education rather than impress a boy,” Stacy says. “I do tend to have a social life, but Monday through Friday I concentrate on my studies.” She says the school has guided her to her goals—with professors even responding to her e-mails within two hours. And getting to know her fellow students has made her aware of the school’s diversity. “You get to know your peers,” she says, “and realize everyone comes with a different story.”

What is right for you? Bianca Passos, Barnard College ‘08, was born in Brazil and moved to the U.S. with her parents when she was seven. “I wasn’t looking at women’s colleges,” she says, but she stumbled on Barnard College when she was visiting other schools in New York City and immediately decided to apply. Barnard is across the street from Columbia University, which is coed, and Columbia’s classes, activities, and even dorms are open to Barnard students. Bianca says, “It’s easy to balance between the academic and the social.”

To Bianca’s surprise, the fact that Barnard is a women’s school came to be one of the things she valued most about it. Her advisor, the head of the American Studies Department, was a woman, and 60% of the faculty are women (the national average is about 30%). Having these role models inspired Bianca. “I hate to use the word nurturing, because it fits into the female stereotype,” she says of her experience at Barnard, “but they recognize the student body as female and cater to us. It’s very nurturing to our abilities and potential as women.”

She has also come to realize that diversity goes beyond one’s skin color and background. “Barnard teaches us to be very culturally aware,” she says. “We learn it in the classroom, but I’ve learned it most from the other students. College is eye-opening in many different ways, not only to racial and religious diversity. It’s also geographic and demographic diversity, and all of the different interests. There’s diversity in a lot of different senses.”

What about the guys? You’ll find women’s colleges in settings from quiet rural surroundings to New York City. Some offer all-female classes; others have cross-registrations with coed schools. A few even have some coed dorms. So the opportunities for interactions with men vary widely. At many schools, women endure—and to some extent enjoy—the relative absence of men during the week, which gives them the chance to focus on their studies and other activities without distraction.

Still skeptical? A women’s college is not for everyone. It’s important to weigh the pros and cons along with all aspects of any college you consider. Judge a women’s college the way you would any college: get beyond the glossy brochures and admissions reps. Go to visit. Stay overnight. Attend some classes. Talk to as many students as possible to a sense of what the school is like. Compare it to other schools you visit. Then you be the judge.

Article by Deborah Knight and courtesy of www.careersandcolleges.com

Posted by Sarah Ennenga on August 30, 2007 at 6:01 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Like many high school students, you probably have at least some idea of what you’re interested in becoming. You may even know that you have the potential to be a great scientist or engineer. One thing that will carry you through to a career, however, is true excitement about today’s research and tomorrow’s discoveries. So read on—your future career may be described here!

Listed in this article are some of the really hot areas of science and technology. Keep them in mind as you read the profiles in this magazine. Obviously, it will be a long time before you commit to a career, but it’s important to start following trends and learn how different disciplines combine to form new areas of study and research.

College is where hands-on learning really starts; where good programs get you thinking about real-world problems, not just textbook exercises. Part of what college gives you is a chance to experience what professional scientists and engineers really do every day. How do they discover new topics? How do they decide which research questions to ask? How do they put these questions to the test?

Working in laboratories, assisting in experiments, and interning at companies are ways of learning the challenges and joys of contributing to the world through science and technology. Internships and co-op programs are great ways to learn how to be part of a research team and to receive the mentoring that will let you know what kind of work you will most want to do. So slip on the asbestos gloves. Here are the hot areas you’ll be involved with in college:

Changing life’s basic code: biotechnology
Biotech research delves into and even changes the basic laws of physics, biology, chemistry, and ecology. Stem cells and cloning are in the news these days because they have the potential to alter life as we know it. Dolly (the cloned sheep) was only the first step. Scientists are now experimenting with changing genes in developing embryos to help cure them of diseases before they are born. Biotechnology got its start with the discovery that the DNA that guides our cells can also be manipulated to make new things, new tools, and even new creatures. Over the last 10 years, molecular biologists have discovered how DNA actually helps grow proteins, computer scientists have gotten ultra-fast computers to map the three billion or so amino acids that make up DNA, and a variety of engineers have created the tools and applications that turn this information into products. The result is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world.

Designing molecules to order: combinatorial chemistry
From plastics to fertilizers, chemistry has always been one of the foundations of the modern world. Chemistry experiments used to be long, careful, laborious cooking projects involving hours or days of mixing chemicals, waiting for reactions to happen, and continuously measuring the results. No longer. Revolutionary changes are taking place in how chemistry is taught and how it’s applied.

“Combinatorial” chemistry is an example, involving the use of computers and robots to automate the production of millions of different but related compounds.

Did you know that there have been more chemicals made in the last five years than in the last 500 years of chemistry combined? These chemicals can even be barcoded so their exact makeup can be determined in an instant. Most importantly, this process allows chemists to concentrate on what the new chemicals do rather than on making them in the first place.

The teaching of chemistry has also shifted to a focus on how molecules actually look in three dimensions and imagining what to do with them. Computer simulations and molecular modeling software now allow researchers and students the excitement of seeing just how chemicals are combining. New testing probes are giving chemists of the future more time to work with applications such as drug design. The new chemistry is literally remaking the world. And you can be part of it!

Investigating crime scenes: forensic science and criminal justice Every fan of CSI knows that science and technology are the keys to truth and justice. Discovering a trace amount of paint on a pipe, using mass spectrometry to discover its molecular structure, and then locating the paint manufacturer in a database is fascinating; figuring out how to put all these pieces together and identifying the criminal is heroic. The fields of forensics and criminal justice are rapidly expanding, with opportunities in law enforcement and homeland security. Husson College offers a substantial mentoring program in criminal justice so you can learn from the experts. Criminal justice majors at Kentucky Wesleyan University have gone on to careers with the FBI and the police, and they have even become lawyers.
Developing a keen analytical mind and an attention to detail are only the first steps in becoming a top-notch investigator. Careers in forensics can begin with majors in criminal justice and psychology or in biology, chemistry, or computer science. If you major in one, then you should minor in one of the others.

In these fields, you will learn what DNA is, how relational databases are constructed, and how they each can be used to identify someone. You will also learn the basic principles of the scientific method, the organization of law enforcement in the United States, and how hard it is to make an airtight case.

Once you get started, try to take advantage of internship programs to see what life is like in the field. A bonus of this approach is that if you decide that forensics is not for you, the scientific and critical thinking skills you develop will enable you to go far in any field.

Looking and seeing in new ways: multimedia and interface design Multimedia means the combination of pictures, video, sound, and text. An interface is how people get in touch with their computers. Together these areas are at the center of business, research, and, of course, entertainment. During the last 10 years, games have actually driven the home computer industry. No one really needs a super high-powered computer to run a spreadsheet or word processor, but they certainly know the difference when a popular game like Unreal or a graphics program like Photoshop is run on one. Businesses also need power, but with power comes information––too much information–– and dealing with that information requires new kinds of interfaces.

The really hot areas of multimedia and interface design include visualization––the art of presenting thousands or millions of data points (or customer records) in an understandable form. Current work in this area is exploring three-dimensional screens, virtual reality, and voice-activated computers. Visualization requires cutting-edge mathematicians, as well as computer scientists, electrical engineers, and mechanical engineers. Going beyond the visual, a couple of undergraduates at MIT are producing the next generation of “wearable” computers. They help design and test “tactile feedback systems” so that users can “feel” data as well as look at it. Often, the new multimedia applications require new hardware altogether, new materials, and new manufacturing techniques. Physicists, engineers, and material scientists have invented new devices and gone on to run their own companies. You could, too.

Neuroscience: brains studying brains The brain has been studied by scientists for centuries, but it still remains a tremendous mystery. Its complexity is astounding: a single cubic millimeter of the human brain contains 100,000 neurons and 500 million synapses. Figuring out how to study something as complex as the brain requires not one discipline, but an entire range of disciplines. Neuroscience is the combination of psychology, neuroanatomy, physiology, molecular biology, computer modeling, artificial intelligence, and philosophy. Many universities, such as the University of Rochester, have established a Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department to enable more interaction between these fields.

Neuroscience is one of science’s fastest-moving and fastest-growing fields. Because there is so much to find out about the brain, undergraduates are often able to experience laboratory research firsthand. At George Washington University, students are given the option to join a faculty member’s research project or conduct their own independent projects.

If learning more about the brain intrigues you, get a head start by reading as much as you can—in print and online. Because the field is so vast, you have the rare opportunity to indulge your curiosities, however broad or selective they are. And when you get to college, be sure to take a wide range of classes to start with. Most of the great discoveries in neuroscience—and science in general—are the result of applying knowledge from one discipline to another.

What you can do now

• Get passionate! These areas are just the beginning. Getting and staying informed about hot topics and new areas is not just a good career move; it will keep you motivated as you learn to be an expert in your field. Some great magazines to help you keep up with cutting-edge research are Scientific American, Science, and Science News. Websites worth a visit include Science Daily (www.sciencedaily.com) for news and Discover magazine (www.discovermagazine.com) for the latest in interesting research.
  
• Get skilled! If you haven’t noticed, almost every hot area these days involves computers. The more experience you get with them, now and throughout college, the better prepared you will be to integrate various fields and stay on top of the latest technologies. And learn to be flexible. Don’t limit yourself to a specialized field right from the beginning.

  The worlds of research and the worlds of work are constantly changing and recombining. Monster.com columnist Linda Sharpe offers this useful advice to students like you: “. . . anyone who is in school now should cut a wide swath through the course catalogue.” Don’t limit yourself just to courses in your chosen major.

  If you want to find information on salaries and job outlooks for science and engineering jobs, check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov/oco/oco1002.htm).

  Keep a sharp eye as well on other “hot” areas such as:

  • environmental science
    
  • networks and communications
    
  • nanotechnology
    
  • chaos and complexity theories
    
  • data mining and information security.

• Get going! Be sure to look into internships, co-ops, summer research, and other hands-on learning programs available at the colleges you are interested in. Maybe not your first year, but often by your second, you can be involved in a critical research enterprise or contribute to a company’s growth while building your resumé. For a career in science, engineering, or technology, put yourself on a fast track and investigate 3-2 programs.

If possible, visit campuses, talk with undergraduates about their experiences, and get a sense of what they’re really doing and what they are passionate about. It’ll get you excited, too.

Article by Joseph Dumit, Director of Science and Technology Studies at UC Davis and courtesy of www.careersandcolleges.com

Posted by Sarah Ennenga on August 30, 2007 at 5:45 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Do you have an adventurous streak? If so, colleges and universities can offer you the chance to explore science and engineering options you may not yet have considered.

Here are just a few of the many science-related possibilities that have developed recently. See if any of these appeal to you!

• Environmental Engineering: “Every engineer should be a green engineer,” says Dr. Tony Collins, President of Clarkson University. Environmental engineers, who traditionally design systems such as wastewater treatment plants and air pollution control systems, are increasingly involved in designing manufacturing processes to minimize the production of wastes.
  
• Law: Many science and engineering majors head for the bar—via law school, that is. Patent lawyers and environmental lawyers, in particular, need technical knowledge. Law schools love engineers. “The academic discipline that you learn in engineering is perfect preparation for the discipline of law course work,” says Julie McCulloh, Dean of Admission at Gonzaga University.
  
• Anthropology or Archeology: Technology is driving new advances in the study of history and culture—and it’s helping to make or accelerate new discoveries. Plus, anthropology and archeology complement other disciplines in obvious and subtle ways; they can expand your horizons and add a richer dimension to your life.
  
• Information Technology (or Technical Communications): Interested in high tech but don’t want as much math as engineering requires? This new major (it can carry either of the names above—or others) provides a strong background in computer applications rather than in hardware. Graduates work in a variety of areas, including computer networking, website design, or technical writing.
  
• Neuroscience: Lots of colleges have added this interdisciplinary major. Students study the nervous system through courses ranging from molecular biology and biophysics to computer engineering, behavior, and cognition.
  
• Biomedical Engineering: This brings engineering technology, analysis, and design together to solve medical problems. Bioengineers design equipment and techniques used by medical professionals to do high-precision surgery such as fetal or brain surgery; to produce accurate, non-invasive images of the body with MRI, CT, and PET; and to produce artificial body parts. Engineers also contribute to molecular biology and genetics. Vanderbilt, for example, offers a biomedical degree that can be combined with an electrical or chemical engineering major.

How can you find out about science and engineering fields you’re not familiar with?

• Don’t rely only on the good folks in the admissions office. Ask the admissions office to provide you with detailed information about course offerings in the science, social science, and engineering departments and to put you in touch with a professor or the department head.
  
• Make plans to visit the campuses of the colleges you’re interested in. A few weeks before your visit, call and ask the admissions office to set up an appointment for you with a professor in your area of interest—and be ready to ask lots of questions. Intimidated? A professor’s job is to be a teacher. Besides, most are pleased to talk to a prospective student who might major in their field. You can simply say, “I think I might be interested in this field, but I’d like to know more about the opportunities and the options available.”
  
• Sit in on a class; ask to talk with one or more students in the field.
  
• Look carefully at the college’s website or literature to see if cutting-edge courses are offered.
  
• Use online resources to research your area of interest more broadly.

In your college search, explore all the options a college offers. And once you get to college, keep on exploring. In many fields, technology is opening up new possibilities, and new options and applications are constantly being created.

Article by Deborah Knight and courtesy of www.careersandcolleges.com

Posted by Sarah Ennenga on August 30, 2007 at 5:08 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Did you know that about 25 percent of all freshmen at four-year colleges do not return for their second year? Sometimes it takes the reality of actually being on campus for students to learn that they're not ready for college. Whether you've already decided to go to college or are still considering your options, this short quiz can help you assess your readiness for the college experience.

1. Are you prepared academically?

According to ACT, you should have taken, at minimum, four years of English and three years each of mathematics (algebra and higher), natural sciences, and social sciences to prepare for a four-year college education. If you have to scramble to keep up with college work, it can cause you a lot of stress.

2. Are you prepared socially?

Leaving home and living with a group of different people your own age is a major transition. Some thrive on it; others aren’t quite ready for such a big life change. Visiting college campuses will help give you an idea what college life is really like.

3. Are you financially equipped?

The average cost of tuition, books, fees, and room and board at a private four-year college is $26,854, according to the College Board, but more expensive schools cost up to $40,000 a year. Be sure to review college costs, financial aid options, and finances with your parents before making a decision.

4. Are you personally ready?

A traditional four-year college is not the only route to take after high school. You simply may feel that living on a campus and studying full-time is not for you right now. Perhaps you don't feel ready for the independence, or perhaps you’d prefer to explore yourself and the world to help give you a better idea of what you want from college.

If you answered “no” to one or more of these questions, you might want to explore alternatives to attending a four-year college. Community college can be a less expensive way to get an education without living on a campus; taking a year off to volunteer or work can provide you with an enhanced personal perspective; the military can provide you with career opportunities and a chance to serve your country, and trade school may be a good option if you want to learn a hands-on skill that will give you on-the-job experience and a clear path into the workplace.

Article courtesy of www.careersandcolleges.com

Posted by Sarah Ennenga on August 29, 2007 at 3:57 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

If you're planning on applying to an art or architecture school, be prepared for a few extra requirements along with your typical application. These requirements apply mainly to those universities that have separate departments or schools for the intended major. For example, Syracuse University has a School of Architecture and a College of Visual and Performing Arts. What happens in universities like these is that, on top of the general requirements for a typical application (basic info, essays, short answers, transcript, extra-curricular activities, etc.) the separate schools/departments have requirements of their own. Generally speaking, art and architecture schools will request a portfolio.

Almost all art schools will require that a portfolio be submitted with the general application. The format of the portfolio varies upon the college. Most schools prefer slides, but some may ask for photos. Whatever the format may be, the medium used, the original size of the piece, an approximate date, and possibly a title should always be included with the slides or photos. These can be written on a separate index sheet, or next to the slides/photos themselves. Be sure to follow the instructions and requirements of each school. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to call and ask them.

Architecture schools with four-year, Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts programs most likely will not ask for portfolios. However, almost all architecture schools with five-year, Bachelor of Architecture programs will require that a portfolio be submitted. Like the art schools, the format for these portfolios may vary slightly. Again, most schools prefer slides, but photos are sometimes requested. Be sure to follow the instructions and requirements issued by each school. Sticking to the format requested is very important. Remember, the people reviewing your portfolio probably have already seen many before yours, and will probably see many more after yours. Although the process is supposed to be “fair,” a simple annoyance could cause the reviewers to place your portfolio at the bottom of the pile, or even worse, to not review it at all.

The contents of your portfolio should not only reflect your talent or your “artistic ability,” but they should also reflect some sort of potential and growth. However, this does not mean to include the very first drawing you ever made back in kindergarten, and then other drawings that you've done recently that you consider to be “masterpieces.” The timeframe of all the pieces you choose should be within 1 or 2 years. For architects, schools are not looking for how versatile you are, or how many different kinds of medium you've experimented with. Most important and most dominantly present in your portfolio should be pieces that display your free-hand drawing abilities. Simply put, pencil drawings. Free-hand drawing is one of the clearest ways for a reviewer to truly assess talent, potential, growth, etc. Also, free-hand drawing is one of the most basic skills. Presenting them with your strong ability to draw with a pen or pencil (whatever the subject may be) is more powerful than presenting them with pieces made with many different materials. This applies to art applicants as well, although having some sort of variety in your medium may be appreciated.

For architecture applicants, examples of your technical drawing skills are much less appreciated than examples of your free-hand drawing skills. Technical drawing is a simple technique that is quickly learned and that tells nothing. Unless the drawing is exceptional (as in its concept or its representation), do not include technical drawings. If you have attended a summer architecture program in which you made models, do include them if they are presentable.

Ask an art teacher for help in selecting pieces for your portfolio. What you may see as “bad” may actually have many more merits than you may think.

Many of the top art schools, and a few architecture schools (namely Cooper Union) require that a Home Test/Examination be completed. The home test is usually sent out sometime in January or February (if you are applying regular admission), and approximately a month is given to complete it. The home test is a multi-part examination that consists of various “art projects.” For example, one part may be to create a composition of various manufactured items. Remember, this test is not a standardized test. It is a test meant for them to see your potential as well as your ability. Your idea is just as important as the representation of it. Follow the directions of the home test, but remember that they are looking for potential and ability, as well as concept and idea. Often, the directions are not as clear or obvious as one would like them to be, so be creative and thoughtful.

Article by Jung Paek and courtesy of www.careersandcolleges.com

Posted by Sarah Ennenga on August 29, 2007 at 2:51 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

With the Internet at your fingertips, you can visit colleges and universities 24/7, thanks to “virtual tours,” online chat sessions with faculty and students, and comprehensive websites describing every last detail about course requirements and student life. Is there any reason these days to spend a lot of time actually traveling to your top-choice campuses for an old-fashioned visit? Absolutely!

Why? Because facts, figures, and even the best websites will never give you the 3-D, personal experience of knowing how a particular campus feels to you, how the students seem to live their daily lives, or what the buzz of a particular café is like. For all of this—and more—you and your parents may want to exchange your computer mouse for a road map, find your way to the colleges and universities you’re interested in, and take a firsthand look.

The Internet, college guidebooks, and magazines like this one will help you sort out the places worth further investigation. But once you’ve developed that short list, it’s time to begin making some direct comparisons.

It’s important to make sure that you and your parents get the most out of these relatively short visits. After all, you’re trying to gather enough information in a day or less to help you decide where you want to spend four years!

As a student tour guide and later as an admissions associate and university administrator, I’ve frequently been asked to give advice to families as they plan for their campus visits. Here are ten suggestions to help you make the most of your time.

1. Plan ahead. Call the admissions office or visitor center to learn about when tours and admissions information sessions are available. Many people just “show up,” hoping there will be a guide available. These last-minute arrivals can often be accommodated, but at some colleges, there are limits to the number of people who can be seen each day. And although most schools have scheduled tours and other activities that are open to all, some campuses do require reservations for visits.

2. Timing is everything. When you call, you’ll also want to find out if your intended dates to visit coincide with any major campus events like commencement, or worse, opening weekend of the Fall semester. These weekends can be so busy that you won’t get the attention you need from anyone. Summer, even though it’s convenient for visitors, is also an atypical time when few students are around and the campus is not really in its “normal” mode of operation. Therefore, I recommend a visit during the academic year, when you can get the feel of the place in full swing.

Plan for at least half a day on campus, including a meal time. This will allow for a campus tour, a visit with an admissions representative, and some free time to chat with current students or to explore on your own.

3. Dress appropriately. You’ll be walking a lot, so wear comfortable shoes. And plan for the weather: obviously you’ll want to dress differently for a springtime visit to a college in southern California than for a February one in New Hampshire. When I was working in upstate New York, we had visitors on our campus every winter who hadn’t thought to bring hats or gloves. That kind of oversight can make a one-hour tour seem like an eternity!

Very few campuses these days are so formal that you need to wear a suit or tie—but you should check, just in case. Ask your college contact person for clothing recommendations. You’ll most likely be advised to wear whatever makes you comfortable. Remember, however, that the kind of clothing you wear helps create the image you aspire to.

4. Target your questions. You’ll have lots of them, so make sure you ask the right ones to the right people. Students, for example, will be better at answering your questions about the social life and dining hall food than admissions officers will. Likewise, very few students will be able to give you answers about financial aid and admissions requirements.

Since you’ll have some time to be on your own, you should be able to find an “expert” on just about any subject. Talk to a variety of people: coaches, advisors, admissions counselors, staffers, and students.

5. Dodge the stats! After the first few minutes of your first campus tour, you’ll find that much of the content is expressed as statistics. For example, “The library has this many zillion books” or “The student-faculty ratio is 3:1.” This isn’t particularly helpful to either parents or students in getting a feel for the college, but unfortunately, it is still the core of most campus tours.

What you need to know is whether the student leading the tour can find the books he or she needs in the library. Is the library staff helpful? Is the building open when students need to study late at night? And look beyond those favorable student-faculty ratio numbers: are classes taught by professors or by graduate teaching assistants? Does the tour guide find that the faculty members are available for extra help if needed? Do professors know students by name?

6. Try it yourself. This applies to everything from food to sports to classes. Why ask about how the food tastes when you can try a campus dining hall and form your own opinion? Find out how the softball team is by going to one of their games. See if you can check out the size and quality of classes by actually attending one—most campuses will allow visitors to sit in on certain courses.

7. Relax. The excitement of traveling to your top-choice colleges can cause a lot of stress, especially since you’ll probably be with your parents—and maybe even your little brother—for several days at a time. Try to relax, and remember that your parents are there because they care about the education you’ll receive. And don’t get upset with them if they ask what you think are ridiculous questions; all the other students in your group are in the same boat.

8. Don’t forget: you’ll be living there. You’re not just looking for a top-notch education from a school with a great faculty and a shiny fitness center. You’re choosing a place to live for the next four years. You should think about the kinds of things you like to do for fun. Will the campus make it easy to do those things? If you’re a rock climber, do you want an urban campus? If you love to go to the symphony, do you want to be in a rural setting?

Again, remember to consult the experts—in this case, the students. Their answers may surprise you. You may find that some rural campuses provide very affordable opportunities to attend theater productions, or that the most active ski club is in Manhattan (with frequent trips to the mountains, of course!).

At some point during your visit, try to spend a little time all by yourself. Walk around the quad. Chat with some students. Can you picture yourself living there?

9. Stay overnight. There’s no better way to get the feeling of being a student than pretending you are one for a day or two. Many campuses invite prospective students to stay with a current student in a dorm. Use this valuable opportunity to go to classes, meet lots of students, and find out about the daily routine, but be sure to check on any overnight stays well in advance—there are limited spaces, and they fill up quickly.

If your top-choice college doesn’t offer overnights, find out from your high-school guidance counselor if there are students from your school already attending the college. If so, one of them might be willing to host such a visit.

If you can’t stay overnight, you should still check out the living accommodations. After all, a good deal of your time will be spent in and around your living quarters—studying, eating, socializing, and, of course, sleeping.

Because of security and safety concerns, most dorms are now locked or guarded 24 hours a day. Your best bet for getting inside is to ask a student on campus to show you his or her room.

Once you explain that you’re thinking of attending next year, you’re also more likely to hear the “inside scoop”—the things no one talked about on the tour. Just keep in mind that every student’s experience is likely to be different.

10. Reflect and write. After each visit, take a moment to jot down a few of your thoughts about the visit. What impressed you the most? The least? These notes will later help you to remember which college was which and pull your thoughts together.

After you have finished touring the campuses on your list, it might be helpful to relax and to picture yourself as a student on each campus. Keep in mind that each campus is a busy place, with much more happening than you are able to experience in a single visit. When you look at the whole package—academics, size, location, mood, social life, sports, and so on—all the formal and informal data you collected should pay off.

Following at least some of these suggestions should lead you forward in choosing your college . . . and your new home.

Article by Joel Seligman and courtesy of www.careersandcolleges.com

Posted by Sarah Ennenga on August 29, 2007 at 10:39 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Thrill Builder

Slowly the car inches up the improbable incline, defying gravity, and propelled by unseen forces. As the roller coaster car gets to the crest of the hill and peers over the top at the twisted tracks and loop-the-loops that lie just ahead, you try to convince yourself that the person who designed this cruel contraption knows what he is doing.

Relax: he does.

Kent Seko originally wanted to be an architect. He rode roller coasters as a kid, but never thought about designing them until years later, when a friend who worked at Arrow Dynamics, Inc., a roller coaster design firm, talked him into applying for a job. Soon Seko joined Arrow Dynamics at the entry level, in the drafting department.

Seko has worked his way from drafter to conceptual designer over the 12 years he has been with Arrow Dynamics. The primary designer has been a good mentor, working with Seko on his first few design jobs. The two now make up the conceptual design team.

With Seko's help, in 1989 Arrow designed and built the world's first 200-foot tall roller coaster the Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point. The Magnum was the worlds first "hyper-coaster". In 1994, Arrow designed and produced two more hyper-coasters-the Pepsi Max Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, and the 80+ mph Desperado at Buffalo Bill's Resort and Casino. Also with Seko's help, in 1998 Arrow entered the Mouse ride market with its debut of the Mad Mouse at Myrtle Beach Pavilion and Amusement Park. He also worked on the Viper at Six Flags Magic Mountain, the tallest looping coaster in the world reaching a lofty 188 feet into the Californian sky.

It takes both design and engineering to develop a thrill ride. Arrow Dynamics, a company of less than 30 people, employs electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, drafting engineers, and structural designers.

There aren't many roller coaster designers (there are about 100 roller coaster design companies in the U.S.), and there is no special school. But Seko said, "It's a great business to be in. It really gets in your blood."

Great parks are everywhere
Seko was surprised to find how many amusement parks there are in the United States that he'd never even heard of. One example is Cedar Point in Ohio, always on the top ten list for most inventive, tallest, and biggest roller coasters but unknown to Seko before he started designing.

After a spurt in roller coaster building in the early 1900s, the U.S. had over 1,500 coasters. This number subsequently declined to less than 200 in the 1960s. There are over 115 parks in the United States today, and competition is driving a continued production of many new coasters every year.

Designing for the landscape
Roller coasters are usually custom made. A park orders a new ride for the coming year, describing the desired features and the budget. Seko and the design director then develop a proposal for the park covering cost, design features, and environment.

Designers can be creative about all sorts of aspects of the job. A ride can be basic, suspended, looping, or straight; it can be a water log ride; it can be death-defyingly tall or just medium tall. The surrounding landscape, and the available plot, strongly influence the design decisions. There may be a great view, or no view, or hills to work with. The ride could be long or short. The capacity of the ride is another concern: the park views it as how many passengers the ride can handle at a time, while the designer sees it as how many cars to build, and how much weight to account for.

Seko has been asked from time to time to design rides that can snake through the park's existing, surrounding rides.

If the park says yes to the proposal, the engineering designers set to work on the ride, building the track, structure, stations, and controls. The designs then get sent to the fabrications, or manufacturing department, which builds the machine. They then ship it off to the park.

Arrow Dynamics usually likes to have a year to build a ride, but on occasion has completed projects in just eight months. The more complicated the designs, the longer the ride takes to build.

One of the company's most recent innovations is the ArrowBatic, which Seko describes as an "inverted Mouse Ride," meaning an alteration of Arrow Dynamics' Mad Mouse, pictured at www.arrowdynamics.com. The ArrowBatic has loops and corkscrews, as well as a heart-stopping vertical drop. The ride uses a single vehicle, instead of a train, which allows it to maneuver in small areas.

Future ideas are top-secret, but Seko is excited and hopeful about upcoming plans. "Everybody's going higher and taller," he said. "The 310-foot height barrier was recently broken, so there's a little height war going on right now." Arrow Dynamics was responsible for the 200-foot record at Cedar Point with The Magnum in 1988. The Magnum is still rated seventh on rollercoaster.com's top-ten coaster list.

The job that takes you for a ride
Seko said there are a few Arrow Dynamics employees who won't ride the rides they develop, but Seko hops into a roller coaster car whenever possible. As designer, he gets to enjoy a special perk. After finishing a job, Seko sometimes gets invited to meet the people he's worked with from the amusement park. He then gets the honor of "bucking the line" to take his ride for free.

Learn more about roller coaster design
To learn more about how roller coasters are designed and built, visit the Arrow Dynamics website.

Article by Leslie Tebbe and courtesy of Salary.com®

Posted by Sarah Ennenga on August 28, 2007 at 1:19 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

This Job is a Blast

Everything’s been planned, down to the tiniest detail. Sketched. Built. Tested. Tested again. Cameras roll…"Fire in the hole!" You turn a key, sending an electric current from a briefcase containing a battery to the explosive device, and then…KABOOM! A cheer goes up from the crew.

The place: the set of an upcoming action movie. You: the pyrotechnician, a highly trained expert in the art of explosives technologies. In short, the guy who blows things up for a living.

Okay, so it isn’t a Wile E. Coyote box of TNT with a two-mile fuse, but what kid doesn’t love playing with fireworks? Being a pyrotechnician means your inner 12-year-old never has to grow up.

Tools of the trade
Most pyros have extensive workshops where they tinker with every kind of explosive device, experimenting with different substances and ignition methods. Common household items often get drafted into service, from tupperware to toys.

And pyros rarely leave home without…condoms. Filled with gasoline, they create small explosions; filled with fake blood, they become “squibs” – bullet hits on an actor’s body. Other substances and quick thinking also come into play on set. Dominic, a Hollywood pyrotechnician, tells the tale of a fire suit too tight for an actor who had to walk through a wall of flame. A hapless assistant had to go buy 20 tubes of KY Jelly to get him into it.

Still, pyrotechnicians increasingly rely on sophisticated technology to make things happen. Some complicated explosions for the film Armageddon were triggered by the camera itself, via infrared cues, as it moved along the asteroid at the end of a crane.

Sometimes it blows – or doesn’t
The downside? Danger and unpredictability, those rare times when something goes wrong, or doesn’t go at all. “It’s embarrassing when everybody’s ready and they call ‘action’ and you count it down and nothing happens,” says Dom, who’s worked on movies as well as private fireworks displays. “And then somebody has to go in there and find the problem, and you don’t know if you have a live fuse or what.” Frank, a veteran who recently blew up a full-scale F117 Stealth bomber, agrees. “I’ve been doing this for 22 years, but it’s still a little scary. Believe it or not, I still say a prayer before each gag.”

One famous screw-up occurred on the set of Blown Away, a movie about a Boston bomb squad. They were blowing up a yacht in Boston Harbor, and they so underestimated the percussive effect that office building and apartment windows were shattered 30 blocks away. Luckily, the studio’s insurance paid for the damage; and because 14 cameras captured the explosion from every conceivable angle, the mishap became the centerpiece of the studio’s marketing strategy.

Hazard pay
Years of apprenticeship training, rigorous testing between levels of classification, and stringent licensing laws ensure that the person lighting the fuse really knows his or her stuff. The pros earn $30 to $65 an hour, and when overtime kicks in, well, that’s a lot of bucks for the bang.

So if you frequently dream of putting an M80 – that’s a quarter stick of dynamite for you tyro pyros – inside a cantaloupe and lighting the fuse…dream on!

Article by Lauren Sheppard and courtesy of Salary.com®

Posted by Sarah Ennenga on August 28, 2007 at 8:14 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Playing for Pay

Pam Gamble spends her days rattling off the alphabet and counting aloud to 10, smeared to her elbows in finger-paint and knee deep in four-year olds. "We get to play all day," she said. "We get to paint and run, get messy, and be creative - anything a four-year-old can imagine we try to make into reality."

Gamble has been teaching preschool at the Country Day School in McLean, Va. for almost two years. In addition to leading classes in the intricacies of the ABCs and simple mathematics, she helps young children become good students for the future. She serves not only as a teacher, but also as a role model, disciplinarian, big sister, and caretaker rolled into one, helping children clear academic and social hurdles with open arms.

And for all her efforts, her little clients embrace her - literally. "One of the best parts of the jobs is getting hugs from the kids, and being part of their lives," said Gamble. "They're always so eager to tell us things."

A hands-on experience for all
Preschool programs differ across the country. Some teachers go it alone before a roomful of tots, while others, like Gamble, work as part of a team of teachers to ensure one-on-one contact with the students. However, the free-form educational experience Gamble conducts lends itself to a multitude of small-group activities concentrating on specific subjects, ranging from reading and writing to baking and acting.

"We try to stay outside as much as possible, so the kids have time to run and explore the world around them while interacting with each other," said Gamble. "They learn more that way than they ever would from us lecturing to them."

It may sound like fun and games on the surface, but life lessons are interwoven into this interactive learning experience. "Our kids ran their own restaurant, making and serving food to the rest of the school," said Gamble. "We keep animals on the grounds and the kids help take care of them." So as the children make cookies and feed chickens, they learn about proportions (from the baking ingredients) and anatomy (just where did that egg come from?).

Teachers learn too, but it's not for everyone
Before Gamble began teaching she worked in educational software. She knew that being tied to a desk wasn't for her, so she started to actively pursue teaching opportunities while working on her master's in gifted education.

Gamble learns new things every day thanks to her curious clientele. "I think the most powerful thing you can tell children is, 'I don't know - let's find out,'" Gamble said. "It lets them see that you learn all your life, and that adults don't really know everything!"

Most states require that preschool teachers have at least a two-year associate's degree in early childhood education. Gamble recommends that aspiring teachers also expose themselves to the craft as early and as often as possible. "Volunteer, work with after-school groups, get all the experience you can get," she said. "Make sure it's what you want to do - don't just sit in a class and think about it!"

Creating better students for the future
Working with kids and helping them become good students might produce priceless results. However, early-childhood education is rarely a lucrative field. "I became a teacher for the money," Gamble joked with a verbal wink. "Seriously, I've always loved kids and I feel like I'm good at getting down to their level and communicating with them."

According to Salary.com, the average daycare center teacher in the United States earns $27,000, while an average kindergarten teacher earns $45,000. However, some schools, like Gamble's, are well funded by hefty tuitions and annual auctions, resulting in better wages for the teachers. A basic explanation for the overall pay disparity may be found in the general perception of preschools. Some parents and politicians see preschool as a form of glorified daycare, and many states do not subsidize preschools. This is slowly being turned around as numerous studies show that preschools can help create better students.

The National Center for Education Statistics found that children who enter kindergarten without basic "school-readiness" skills (recognizing letters and numbers, understanding letter-sound relationships, and demonstrating an understanding of relative size and number ordinality) are often able to become school-ready by the end of the year. However, students who arrive with this basic knowledge often acquire more advanced skills (recognizing words by sight; addition and subtraction), leaving them better prepared for grade school. Attending preschool may help place children in the latter group, resulting in better academic performance in the long run.

Beyond traditional compensation
Although preschool teachers receive modest wages in exchange for their hard work and dedication, there are some unexpected perks. "You get lots of stuff for free or at discounts at stores," said Gamble. All you have to do is provide proof of your occupation to participating shops. "We also get pretty good holiday gifts," she continued.

While teaching young children can be fun, it's a daunting task with long-term consequences for the students. Gamble strives to make her students' preschool experience a positive one. "Someone asked me once whether I remembered my first teacher," said Gamble. 'Of course I do - everyone does,' I replied. Then they said, 'Think about all the kids in your class. Someone will ask them that question one day, and they'll think of you.'"

A heavy responsibility for a beginning teacher to bear, no doubt, but Gamble wholeheartedly embraces it. "I don't know if that makes it a dream job, but I think that's pretty cool!"

So, if you don't mind painting with your fingers, sounding out vowels, and singing along to the same songs over and over, grab a lesson plan...and dream on!

Article by Regina M. Robo and courtesy of Salary.com®

Posted by Sarah Ennenga on August 27, 2007 at 8:02 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

You Do Have to Be a Rocket Scientist

Listening to a rocket scientist talk about work is impressive, but tough for the scientifically challenged. It's not unlike having a conversation in a foreign language you barely know. Talk of black holes and exploding suns switches to gyroscopes and accelerometers before you've processed what you think you heard, let alone understood. But then, as the cliché suggests, it is rocket science.

Keoki Jackson and Bob Polutchko knew they'd become rocket scientists from early on. "I was born on July 22nd, 1969," said Jackson. "Mom used to talk about watching the Apollo moon landing from the maternity ward with me in her arms. Maybe that gave space exploration added significance, but I clearly remember being very affected when I saw pictures of the first drop-test landing from Space Shuttle in the eighth grade."

The connection was even more direct for Polutchko. "My father was an engineer on the Mars Viking Lander mission, so aerospace engineering was always a consideration," he said. Both Polutchko and Jackson earned advanced degrees in aeronautics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

"I conducted before-and-after studies of astronauts on Shuttle missions to research how humans interact with the space environment," Jackson said, "examining how people adapt to zero gravity, how the brain takes sensory information and puts it together. Now I'm with Lockheed working on unmanned spacecraft for communications and global navigation. Specifically we handle overall performance of the satellite bus for clients like NASA, or the United States Air Force as well as commercial corporations."

Polutchko researched cooperative control of two spacecraft on rendezvous in orbit for his master's thesis. "Usually one spacecraft is passive and chases the other down. The new idea suggests that you may want to have both vehicles maneuvering simultaneously," Polutchko said. He went on to work as a guidance, navigation and control engineer on the Space Shuttle. Now he manages the development of guidance systems at the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory in Massachusetts.

"We're creating first-of-a-kind miniature inertial navigation systems using micro-electro mechanical systems inertial instruments," Polutchko said. "The use of Draper gyroscopes and accelerators has allowed us to shrink a guidance system that used to be the size of a basketball down to the size of a coffee cup. In addition, these instruments are extremely robust. We have successfully guided an artillery shell shot out of a navy gun at 6,500 Gs. That's a very stressful environment - considering that 8 or 9 Gs would knock out a human pilot."

No doubt becoming a rocket scientist is the ultimate thrill for the mathematically and scientifically inclined, but getting there requires enormous focus and intellectual application. While rocket science used to be the preserve of white males, recent enrollment of women and minorities in the MIT aeronautics and astronautics program has shown steep increases.

"The rewards of the career are great," said Jackson. "It's something everyone can immediately respond to, especially kids. You definitely make a contribution, working on programs often critical to national defense or NATO. It's work that attracts very dedicated, often patriotic people who really understand the wider implications of what they're doing," he said.

The day-to-day business of aeronautics and astronautics can involve a lot of drudgework - testing components, assemblies and so on. But maintaining focus and accuracy is critical. "The stress factor can be severe," said Jackson, "especially where the rubber hits the road. Like when you're launching a new satellite and something goes wrong. These things cost between $150 million and $1 billion, and you're sitting there looking at streaming data, a big flurry of activity around you, wondering, 'If the numbers were really right, then why is the satellite pointing the wrong way?' It all comes down to that moment, working on the fly, trying to save a mission that took years to design and test. And if it just floats away, that's devastating." Float away! Surely not set loose in space? "Certainly. You'd be amazed at how many stray satellites are out there," Jackson said, chuckling.

Considering the feverish rewards for software engineers in the dotcom world, some might think rocket science is relatively underpaid. Entry-level salaries start around $40,000, and many new recruits have at least a master's degree and often take time out for a doctorate. Salaries rise as you go up the ranks but stabilize around the $125,000 mark. According to Polutchko, it's not about money, "although that's a factor, of course. This is an endeavor that attracts true believers, people with serious, long-term scientific objectives. It's all about the intellectual allure of solving really hard problems. And hopefully, seeing what you've worked so hard on actually fly."

Article by Audrey Arkins and courtesy of Salary.com®

Posted by Sarah Ennenga on August 27, 2007 at 7:53 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Giving It Your Best Shot

When Super Bowl XXXV kicked off at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., most football fans cheered from the sofa. But not Elsa Hasch. She was on the sidelines, armed only with sharp elbows, grit - and a camera.

As a sports photographer for Allsport, a company that distributes sports photos to media around the world, Hasch is regularly on the front lines of professional sports competitions. Her images have been used by such high-profile publications as Sports Illustrated, the Sporting News, ESPN, and the New York Times.

Hasch was one of seven Allsport photographers assigned to Super Bowl XXXV, her third trip to the big game. While attending college at the University of Minnesota in 1991, she worked as a stringer for the Associated Press. It was her job to collect film from the photographers during the game and run it over to the AP office across the street from the Metrodome.

"All I did was haul ass back and forth," she said. "It wasn't much money, but it was worth it just to be there."

An internship at the Sporting News resulted in her second trip to the Super Bowl. It was her first time actually shooting the game.

Hasch shoots a wide variety of sporting events, hockey being her favorite. "It's a lot harder than other sports because it's a fast-moving game and the playing field is huge," she said.

Hasch was never a big sports fan until she became interested in photography. But when she started working as the yearbook photographer in high school, she enjoyed the challenges of capturing the action at sporting events - a passion that has stayed with her.

"I like getting the play of the game or the peak action," she said. "Different sports present different challenges and objectives. You have to adapt and figure out the situation and what you need to do to get the best shots."

After graduating from college, Hasch worked six months at the Kansas City Star as a general assignment photographer before realizing she wanted to focus solely on sports.

When she joined Allsport in 1996, Hasch worked 40 hours a week doing office work, then spent her nights and weekends "shooting my way out of it. It was like sports photography boot camp."

But although Hasch had to pay her dues, she said, "Nowadays with technology it's a lot easier to get in and start working right away."

Salary is modest; equipment is expensive
Most professional photographers use their own equipment. Over the years Hasch has invested over $30,000, and would like to spend more. She says it would take another $20,000 to bring her equipment up to date.

Hasch started at Allsport with a salary in the low 20s. After four years on the job, her salary has bumped to the mid-30s, with a $4,000 per year equipment allowance.

Salaries vary for sports photographers, who hold jobs at wire services such as Allsport, newspapers, magazines, Web sites, and sports card companies. Major publications and large newspapers pay very well, but it's not the industry norm.

"When you're starting out, you're not going to make a lot of money because there isn't a lot of money in journalism," she said.

Sports photographers can also expect to work nights and weekends, and travel heavily. Between March and June, Hasch is rarely at home in her St. Louis, Mo. apartment. "You really have to be motivated and enjoy the pressure if you want to succeed," she said.

Rubbing elbows is a perk
Hasch's salary includes standard benefits plus perks including travel and, of course, access to major sporting events. She also gets to rubs elbows with players and even celebrities on occasion, though Hasch said she isn't star-struck and doesn't usually introduce herself to people.

"Jack [Nicholson] and his friends used to hang out in a kind of break room during the [Los Angeles] Lakers games, which is where I used to go to transmit my pictures. One time he was waiting for his buddies to come in, so I asked him for his advice on which picture to send in," she said. "Oh, and he offered me a soda once. But he pretty much ignored me for the most part."

Article by Amy Furan and courtesy of Salary.com®

Posted by Sarah Ennenga on August 27, 2007 at 6:38 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Ok, you're in high school, and you're ready to make your schedule for the next year. You want to make sure that you're taking classes that will prepare you for college, and you want to make sure that you get the most from your high school education.

When you are selecting classes, you always want to take as many upper-level classes as you can. Even if the subject matter isn't what you're interested in, you'll want to show that you are capable of taking and succeeding at Honors, AP, or IB level courses. However, there is a limit to this philosophy: “It should not interfere with your other passions and interests.” This means that if you have to choose between taking Band, which you have taken for 6 years prior, and Honors Amphibian Biology when you don't like amphibians or biology, you shouldn't take the honors class just because it's an honors class. Go ahead and take the class that you like and that fuels your passions. Because in the end, colleges are interested in people who are extraordinary and you can show them that you are indeed such a person by taking Band to hone your music playing skills. Try to strike up a balance between the honors classes that you are taking and the classes that reflect your passions. If you really love classes that are offered at high levels within your high school, be sure to take those classes above all others.

Now, let's say that you are looking at your schedule, and you find that you have taken all of the high level classes that you want to take and you are now debating over what other class(es) you should use to fill the gap in your schedule or perhaps not taking a class at all because you don't need the credits to graduate.

In high school, you'll want to take as many classes there as you can. There are only two real reasons for scheduling a less—than—full course load. The first is if you are on a strict diet of upper level classes, and you know that the time commitment of an extra class would cause your other classes to suffer. The second one is if you are involved in a sport that takes up a good portion of your free time. This added time commitment could detract from schoolwork time, so it can be wise to take a slightly lighter load when you are participating in a sport.

However, if you don't fall into either of these categories, fill your schedule with an extra class. If you have ever been curious about a subject that is offered, now is the perfect time to take it. Ever thought it might be fun to do some metalworking? If your school still has a shop class, give it a try and see what all of the fuss is about.

There are many classes that are not honors classes that provide you with useful skills that will make life much easier when you are finally on your own out in the big world. Take a cooking class or a money management class, both of these skills are vital in the real world.

Be careful around an Intro to course like an Intro to Business or an Intro to Marketing. These courses will oftentimes present a highly