• So far, you should have met your mentor at least three times. If not, please contact your mentor to arrange meetings.
• Ask your instructors to fill out the midterm progress report as soon as possible and share it with your mentor.
• Do you have an account in Facebook? If yes, send a message to glorial@oakton.edu to join the Center for Promoting STEM group in Facebook and get updated information about activities and reminders.

2. Mark your calendar for STEM Activities:

• AMATYC Math Competition
Date: Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Time: 1pm-3pm
Room: 1608 and 1610 (Des Plaines Campus)
P103 and P104 (Ray Hartstein Campus)

Every Oakton student is welcome to participate. The actual competition takes 60 minutes to complete. Students may be admitted to the competition either at 1:00pm or 2:00pm.

• JUNO Lighting’s Idea Lab
This is a field trip to visit a leading lighting manufacturer. You will see innovations in recessed lighting, track lighting, fluorescent lighting of award winning designs. The field trip will be between 9am and12pm on November 1, 2007. Lunch is provided. To sign up, stop by the Division II office (Room 2180, 847-635-1688).

• Video Series, Room 2140, 2pm-3pm, every Tuesday in November, 2007.

Nov. 6: Engineering Disasters
Nov. 13: Elements of your chemistry career
Nov. 20: Biology in four dimensions
Nov. 27: Good job for a woman & Actuarial science

• The 10th CEO, Scholar and Expert Forum and the Fall 2007 Math Competition Award Ceremony

Date: Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Time: 2pm-3:30pm
Room: 1608 and 1610 (Des Plaines Campus)
Distinguished Speaker: Larry Marturano, Ph.D.
Director, Social Media Research Lab, Motorola
Title of Presentation:
What I Didn’t Learn in Engineering School: User Centered Design and Technology Transfer in the Real World

Every one is welcome. Refreshments will be provided.

• All Students Gathering will be held on November 29, 2007 from 3:00 – 4:30 pm in Room 1608 Des Plaines. This is a required meeting for students participating in STEM Enrichment Program or STEM Mentoring Program.

3. Apply for spring 2008 with STEM Enrichment Program and STEM Mentoring Program.

• We are accepting applications for the NSF-Oakton STEM Fellowship for spring 2008. The Fellowship participants will participate in the STEM Mentoring Program (SMP) with a stipend of $300, and the STEM Enrichment Program (SEP) with a stipend of $500. Students in SMP must take at least one science, technology, engineering, or mathematics course in spring 2008. Students in SEP must take a course designated “For STEM Students only” in MAT052, COL101, MAT120, EGL101, EGL102, and PSY101.

Current students must reapply for spring 2008 program. Application is available online.

4. NSF awarded Oakton Community College a new grant.

The National Science Foundation has awarded Oakton Community College approximately $500,000 to provide scholarships to academically talented, financially needy STEM students. This scholarship will be awarded beginning fall, 2008 and may provide as much as $8,000 of financial support per student per year. Application for this APEX Scholarship will be available in spring 2008.

5. Oakton's Paid Internship Program

Make your work hours really count through the Paid Internship Program! Internships offer a number of invaluable opportunities: transfer classroom learning to a job setting in your major area of study; enhance your professional resume/portfolio; work at a pre-screened company that will help you meet your learning goals; and earn between $9 and $15 per hour while gaining real world experience! To qualify, you must be a full- or part-time student, presently taking credit or noncredit courses at Oakton; have completed 12-15 hours of credits in your major field of study; and be in good academic standing with a 2.5 GPA. For more information about the Paid Internship Program, contact Shannon McKenzie at mckenzie@oakton.edu or 847-635-1404.

6. Undergraduate Research at Oakton

Funded by the National Science Foundation, BIO240-0H1 and CHM240-0H1 offer challenging interdisciplinary coursework that follows inquiry-based learning. Students develop and implement their research while they work closely with multiple instructors who teach the course. Advantages of taking BIO240-0H1 or CHM240-0H1 include receiving credits accepted at top four-year institutions, having the ability to expand the two-credit course to three credits with independent study, and experiencing research comparable to those at four-year institutions. For more information, contact Richard Stacewicz at 847-635-1915 or rstacewi@oakton.edu.

7. NASA Undergraduate Student Research Program

OPPORTUNITY FOR STEM STUDENTS! The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is seeking undergraduate students from diverse communities across the United States interested in unique hands-on experiences with NASA scientists and engineers. USRP internships are available year-round at all NASA facilities. Selected students receive a stipend and round-trip travel allowance. Students may apply for 15-week spring session, 10-week summer session, or 15-week fall session. USRP seeks applications from undergraduates who are U.S. citizens enrolled full-time in accredited U.S. colleges or universities. Applicants must be classified as sophomores, juniors, or seniors by the start of their internship. Eligible applicants must be U.S. citizens with academic majors or course concentration in engineering, mathematics, computer science, or physical and life sciences. NASA-USRP provides students with hands-on, real-life, career-related internships that challenge, inspire, and provide practical application that complements students' academic education. Application deadlines: spring session - Oct. 22, 2007; summer session - Jan. 31, 2008; fall session - Feb. 29, 2008. For more information and application, see http://www.vsgc.odu.edu/Menu3_1_3.htm

8. News from CP-STEM

• In fall 2007, there are 77 students in the CP-STEM programs (31 students in the STEM Enrichment Program, and 46 in the STEM Mentoring Program). 17 faculty mentors are working with these students.
• On September 27, 2007, 13 Oakton students, accompanied by adjunct professor George Tootelian, visited Argonne National Laboratory.
• The second Institutional Advisory Committee meeting was held on October 3, 2007. Advisors provided suggestions on problem based learning and marketing CP-STEM programs.

9. Contact CP-STEM

Tingxiu Wang, Director
847-635-1751, tingxiu@oakton.edu, Room 2142

Gloria Liu, co-Director and Coordinator
847-635-1738, glorial@oakton.edu, Room 2166

Joe Kotowski, co-Director
847-635-1861, koto@oakton.edu, Room 2614

Bob Sompolski, co-Director, Dean of Mathematics and Technologies
847-635-1690, somplski@oakton.edu, Room 2184