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Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Are you a mythbuster, artist, junk yard warrior, actor, closet inventor? JMU DI wants YOU!!!


Are you a mythbuster, artist, junk yard warrior, actor, closet inventor? Are you looking for a way to release your inner child and set your creativity free while at the same time earning course credit?

JMU DI wants YOU!

Is it REALLY possible to a have this much FUN in a college class?  YES!!!

Find out HOW MUCH FUN by coming to our JMU Destination Imagination (JMU DI) class/club meeting scheduled for Wednesday, August 28 at 7 pm in ISAT/CS Room 348!  (If you are unable to attend this session, please contact one of instructors listed below to find out when the next meeting will be held.)

We are now forming JMU DI teams to compete in the 2014 Destination Imagination Global competition!  JMU DI teams have “placed” consistently at this event competing against university teams from across the nation and around the world, delivering TWO gold medal performances at the 2013 DI Global tournament!

Destination Imagination (DI) is a competitive, team program that requires students to use creativity, imagination, theater arts and innovation to solve a variety of “challenges.” JMU DI teams work together throughout the spring to develop their creative problem solving skills, research problem solutions and develop imaginative methods to present their independently developed challenge solutions to an audience and panel of judges.

JMU Destination Imagination is offered as a 1-credit FALL semester class that leads to a 3-credit Spring semester class.  Both of these are OPEN TO STUDENTS in ANY MAJOR!

The Fall 2013 class is currently open for enrollment as ISAT 280 (Section 0006), Class #76592 regardless of your declared major or discipline area and to Engineering students as ENGR 280 (Section 0001), Class #76570.

For more information please contact Jonathan Spindel (spindejh@jmu.edu) or Elizabeth Armstrong (armstrem@jmu.edu) or check out the JMU DI Facebook site at:  http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=53150302631

Jonathan Spindel (spindejh@jmu.edu)
Elizabeth Armstrong (armstrem@jmu.edu)
“Instructors and JMU DI Team Managers”

Friday, August 23, 2013

15 Inspiring TED Talks for Freshman Year


You've selected your classes and shopped for your dorm room. You've bought some new clothes and packed your favorite things. The new semester is around the corner and you're as ready as you'll ever be.
Unless, that is, you want to get a tiny bit ahead. We know you're excited, and probably more than a little nervous, so take some time to listen to these TED talks to get some inspiration before you even have a syllabus to crack. You'll learn some important lessons that may just stick with you throughout college and beyond.
The TED speaker series features "ideas worth spreading." With over 1,400 to choose from, we've selected a few that are perfect for students. But keep exploring, there's so much to discover.
Did we miss one that inspires you for the new school year? Share it with us in the comments.
1. Angela Lee Duckworth: The Key to Success? Grit
2. Dan Gilbert: The Surprising Science of Happiness
3. Margaret Heffernan: Dare to Disagree
4. Andy Puddicombe: All it Takes Is 10 Mindful Minutes
5. Larry Smith: Why You Will Fail to Have a Great Career
6. Susan Cain: The Power of Introverts
7. Matt Cutts: Try Something New for 30 Days
8. David Kelley: How to Build Your Creative Confidence
9. Shane Koyczan: To This Day... For the Bullied and Beautiful
10. Adora Svitak: What adults can learn from kids
11. Derek Sivers: How to Start a Movement
12. Jackson Katz: Violence & Silence
13. Chimamanda Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story
14. Freeman Hrabowski: 4 Pillars of College Success in Science
15. Drew Dudley: Everyday Leadership

In need of a motivational pick-me-up? In this quick and inspiring talk, former seventh grade teacher Angela Lee Duckworth describes her realization that IQ is not necessarily a good indicator of which students would succeed and which ones would struggle. She argues that what it really takes to succeed is "grit."
According to Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert, sometimes our notions of what will make us happy and what will make us miserable are way off. Humans have an amazing ability to create our own happiness, and that synthetic happiness is "every bit as real and enduring as the kind of happiness you stumble upon when you get exactly what you were aiming for." This one is a must.
There's a strong chance you'll have your fair share of group projects this semester. In this important talk, Margaret Heffernan, former CEO of five businesses, illustrates how the best research teams and companies are those in which its employees deeply disagree.
Between dance team, ultimate frisbee club, volunteering and—oh, right—lectures, your life's crazy factor is about to go way up. In this entertaining and informative talk, mindfulness expert Andy Puddicombe teaches us how to be "more healthy, more mindful and less distracted" by taking just 10 minutes out of the day to be more present.
We humans have an excellent ability to make excuses for ourselves. Larry Smith, a professor of economics at the University of Waterloo in Canada, tells us why most of us will fail to have a great career. But there is a way out — if you take the initiative to pursue your passion.
Does a cup of tea and a good book sound like a perfect Friday night? In this personal talk, Susan Cain argues that introverts have important talents and abilities that need to be accepted and nurtured. Our culture may value being social and outgoing, but the world needs all kinds.
College is the perfect time to try something new. See something on campus that strikes your fancy? Quidditch, perhaps? Matt Cutts, engineer at Google, says you should try it for 30 days. It's a great way to achieve your goals and incorporate some dimension into your life.
Are you a numbers person or more of the creative type? Though most of us probably have an answer to that question, David Kelley argues that we shouldn't be asking it. Everyone has the potential to create, as long as they have the confidence. Learn about how to build your creative confidence in this important talk.
This talk is sure to stay with you. Shane Koyczan's "To This Day" is an affecting spoken-word poem about bullying and being different that gained over 10 million views on YouTube. In this talk, Koyczan gives a live reading of the poem, along with some stories about his background.
It may feel like a lifetime, but it wasn't that long ago that you were twelve years old. In this eye-opening talk, child prodigy Adora Svitak encourages you not to lose touch with "childish" thinking. It's the childlike ability to dream big and be optimistic that will allow you to create innovative ideas, if you let it.
In this short but memorable talk, Derek Sivers illustrates how a movement gets going using footage from an impromptu dance party. Silvers explains that it may be the founder that gets the credit, but it's the first follower that creates the movement.
Here's one for the gentlemen (but ladies, you listen up too). In this talk, Jackson Katz discusses why men need to step up and work to stop sexual and domestic violence. It all starts with speaking up. If you're lucky, you'll come across Katz's Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) gender violence prevention program at your university.
In this eye-opening talk, novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells us the importance of understanding that a culture is made up of many overlapping stories. If we hear only one story, we cannot fully understand a culture. She discusses how some of her fellow students forgot this critical point, and how you can avoid making the same mistakes.
Freeman Hrabowski is the ultimate success story. In this inspirational talk, he traces his past back to the time he was jailed for marching with Martin Luther King. Today, he is president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), where he continues give minority students the opportunity to succeed.
Drew Dudley believes we can all show our leadership in everyday situations. His "lollipop moment" (you'll have to listen to find out) takes place at a college orientation. See what you can do to improve someone's life and be a leader in this quick and funny talk.
Image: YouTube, TEDtalksDirector

Cost of Living Index for James Madison University's engineering students


Cost of Living Calculator:
§  See what salary they would require to maintain their current standard of living in another city
§  Compare the costs of housing, transportation, healthcare, food and entertainment in over 300 cities as well as easier points of reference such as the price of a cup of coffee or a movie ticket
§  Find information tailored to their own demographic.  For example, parents can simply check a box to have public school ratings displayed for them and seniors can compare the average costs of doctor visits

City Life Tool:
§  Browse for information on what life is like in 26 of the most popular U.S. cities
§  Analyze the demographics of their city, including breakdowns of ethnicity and age, the ratio of unmarried males to females and the typical educational backgrounds of residents
§  Assess quality of life factors, including walkability, crime rate, weather and public transit ratings
§  Learn statistics on the available schools, including the quality of public schools and the average tuition for private schools
§  Compare various aspects of their city to other cities
§  Find cost of living information and sample costs like average rent and gas prices



Save The Date!


Special Upcoming Programs:
Ask a Career Coach: A CAP staff member will be available for brief consultations and information near the Starbucks in both Carrier and Rose Libraries. Look for the “As a Career Coach” Signage and table.

Carrier Library – Tuesdays 10 AM – 12 PM,    Rose Library – Wednesdays 4 PM – 6 PM
ResumePREP: (Formerly known as Resume Roundup) provides an opportunity for you to have your resume reviewed by experienced professionals in a casual, relaxed environment. Please arrive with a copy of your resume and you will have a personal reviews with an experienced professional, on a first-come first-served basis. This is a great opportunity to meet with an experienced professional and gain valuable insight and perspective on your resume in preparation for the Fall Career Fair! CAP staff will also be on-hand for resume reviews.

September 9, 12 PM – 3 PM, Festival Ballroom
Resume Review Walk- In Times: Please arrive with a copy of your resume and you will have a personal reviews with a Career and Academic Advisor, on a first-come first-served basis.

Wilson 306
Festival Allegheny Room
September 20, 1-3 PM
September 19, 10 AM – 1PM
September 26, 3-5 PM
September 26, 11 AM – 2 PM
September 27, 1 – 5 PM
October 23, 12 PM – 2 PM


Graduate and Professional School Fair: Interesting in pursing an advanced degree? Come visit the Graduate and Professional School Fair to learn more about choosing a school, the application process, and much more.

September 24, 4 -7 PM in the Festival Ballroom

Fall Career and Internship Fair: This career fair will provide full time and internship opportunities to a variety of majors. Current JMU students (undergraduate and graduate) and JMU alumni are welcome to attend.

September 30, 12 -4 PM and October 1, 11 AM – 3 PM in the Festival Ballroom

Have more questions? Contact me!

Kristin Sowden, Technology Liaison

Career and Academic Planning

540-568-6555

sowdenka@jmu.edu

Meet Your New Liaison!


Meet Your New Liaison!



Who I am: A Career and Academic Advisor with Career and Academic Planning, your new
liaison!

Where I am from: Hunterdon County, New Jersey

Where I went to school: The College of New Jersey (2010) James Madison University (2013)

What I want to be when I grow up: Still working on it!

Favorite college activity: Being an ambassador. I loved meeting prospective students.

Favorite part of JMU: The Views. My office in Wilson overlooks the Quad – it’s breathtaking!

Favorite JMU Memory: Getting my picture taken with President Alger at the Purple Out. He was so nice!

When I am not at JMU, I am … Hanging out with my puppy, Dixie.

What I can help with:
  • ·      Resume Reviews
  • ·      Cover Letter Reviews
  • ·      Job/Internship Searches
  • ·      Choosing/Changing A Major
  • ·      Interviewing Concerns/Questions
  • ·      The Graduate School Search
  • ·      Class/Club Presentations


What I wish I had known earlier in college: To get involved! JMU in particular has an abundance of resources for students – this is the time to take advantage of them! We are all invested in your success and want this to be the best four years of your life – academically, professionally, and personally.  

Where you can find me: In ISAT 313 on Wednesdays from 2 -5, Wilson 301 every other weekday.

How you can contact me: Email: sowdenka@jmu.edu, Phone: 540-568-6555

Looking forward to meeting you soon!
Kristin Sowden, Technology Liaison
Career and Academic Planning
540-568-6555
sowdenka@jmu.edu