PRISE Fellows 2009
FORMS
Fellow-initiated activities form (.pdf)
Faculty chat form (.pdf)
PRISE expense reimbursement form (.pdf)
Harvard Universal Expense Form (UEF)
Week IX Announcements
8/10/2009
FINAL PRESENATIONS THIS WEEK: The final presentation with revisions is available on the PRISE Home Page. IMPORTANT: Please arrive at the Science Center by 2:45pm today to collect an Abstract Book from the 3rd floor landing, where I will be stationed, and so that we can start promptly at 3:00pm. Presenters are encouraged to arrive early to set up and check their slides. A reminder for presenters in 309 and 309A: please make sure you move the cursor several times during your talk so the machine does not shut down. Make sure you sign in for each talk you see--and please write your name legibly. These talks are open, and you are welcome to invite your PIs, lab colleagues, and peers for moral support! Finally, please stay through the end of the last talk, as it is important that everyone, regardless of presentation time, gets a sizable audience.
OPEN HOUSE AT THE LEVERETT HOUSE MASTERS' RESIDENCE: The Georgis have graciously opened their home tonight from 8:30pm-10:00pm for the PRISE Fellows and all undergraduate scientists who are here this summer (please get the word out and invite your friends!!). If only for the monkey bread you should go, but it will be a great opportunity to thank them for lending McKinlock Hall to PRISE for the summer. The entrance to the Masters' Residence is at 25 DeWolfe Street, around the corner from the main McKinlock entrance.
PRISE 'THANK YOU' DINNER: Tomorrow's dinner should be fun--we have a healthy list of 125 guests! When you arrive, please sign off with your party at the cashier's desk. Dinner hours will be the normal 6:00-7:30pm. This event is very informal as our regular Dudley Hall dinners are--simply a way for your lab colleagues to experience a typical evening with PRISE and to thank them for their effort on your behalf in the lab this summer.
PRISE CLOSING DINNER: The amazing Closing Dinner, the final PRISE event of the summer, will be held Thursday evening beginning with a reception at 7:00pm in the Atrium of the Northwest Labs. This is a spiffy final celebration for you, so shine those shoes! Please get in touch with me if you already have not done so only if you are planning not to attend. Also, if you require a vegetarian meal, please let me know.
POST-PRISE SURVEY: The post-PRISE survey will open on Wednesday. You will receive a separate notice, and I would appreciate it if you could complete the survey straight away. PRISE's success largely rides on the feedback we have received from prior cohorts, and I value very much your unfettered perspective on what you think we should continue doing or what could be made better. You have the oportunity to shape PRISE in the future by spending a few quick minutes sharing your thoughts. Indeed, some of the changes that were made to this year's PRISE (like the meal allowance) were the result of recommendations from prior years' PRISE cohorts. So, when the message comes, please heed the call!
POST-PRISE STORAGE: You will be able to leave three boxes for the interim period before classes as you did before PRISE, in the A-entryway basement during the following hours: Wednesday, August 12, 7-9pm; Thursday, August 13, 2-5pm; Friday, August 14, 2-5pm; Saturday, August 15, 10am-4pm.
PRISE CHECK-OUT: Formal check-out is Friday and Saturday, from 10am-4pm. Proctor Nora Sluzas will be coordinating the check-out process on Friday; Proctors Cesar Lopez and Jennifer DeCoste-Lopez will be coordinating on Saturday. YOU MUST COMPLETE THE POST-PRISE SURVEY, HAVE YOUR ROOM CHECKED BY A PROCTOR, AND RETURN YOUR KEY BEFORE YOU LEAVE. (We will have to notify the Office of Residential Life about anyone who does not formally check out, which may negatively impact checking in at the beginning of the fall term.) Please remove all of your personal belongings and trash before you ask your proctor to check you out of your room. ALL ROOMS MUST BE VACATED BY 4:00PM SATURDAY AFTERNOON. Due to the quick turn-around necessary by dorm crew, we have no flexibility on that score, so please be prepared!
FINALLY, THANK YOU: The reason PRISE is so well regarded at Harvard is because you all have made it that way. I think you all will agree it has been a fun, busy, productive summer, and I appreciate the conribution each of you has made to the success of PRISE 2009. I look forward to seeing you this week and especially at the Closing Dinner--a celebration of your great achievements and a testimony to the richness, enthusiasm, and inclusiveness of the PRISE community.
Best wishes for a memorable final week!
Yours truly--Greg Llacer.
Week VIII Announcements
8/3/2009
PRESENTATION PRACTICUM TONIGHT--IMPORTANT!: Tonight in Dudley House Dining Hall after dinner will be the presentation practicum hosted by your program assistant fellows, from 7:30-9:30pm. Please refer to the attached document to find your table. If you don't have a laptop available, you may want to bring a flash drive or make arrangements to load your presentation onto someone's laptop who also is at your table. Each individual will get approximately 10 minutes to share their presentation draft, to practice and to get helpful feedback from other PRISE fellows. During the evening you also will be signing up for final presentation times next week.
CAMBRIDGE FELLOWS--SPECIAL LUNCH DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER TOMORROW: Professor Marc Hauser from the Department of Psychology will be giving a special lunchtime talk next Tuesday, August 4 at 12:00 noon to Cambridge PRISE fellows. Lunch will be provided at this event (so you save your meal allowance for later in the day!) If you are a Cambridge fellow, please let me know if you are NOT going to attend the lecture straight away, so we don't overorder lunch. The talk will take place in CGIS-020 (1730 Cambridge Street), on the basement level in the Belfour Case Study Room.
DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER THURSDAY NIGHT: Our final Distinguished Speaker of the summer will be Professor Alyssa Goodman whose research focuses on how interstellar gas arranges itself into new stars, using a variety of observational techniques covering the spectrum from X-ray to radio. This talk is open to the university community, so please feel free to invite your friends. The lecture will be in Sever 113 at 7:30pm. This week's sign in will take place at the end of the lecture--we will have sign in sheets available when the lecture concludes.
OPEN HOUSE WITH LEVERETT MASTERS NEXT MONDAY NIGHT: Howard and Ann Georgi have invited PRISE Fellows to an Open House next Monday evening, complete with the infamous and irresistable Leverett Monkey Bread. Stay tuned for more information next Monday, but don't forget to put this opportunity to meet Howard and Ann (and to thank them for hosting PRISE again this summer) on your calendar.
FINAL PRESENTATIONS NEXT WEEK: Please make sure to alert your PI that you will need to be in Cambridge for the final PRISE presentations. In order to get all of the presentations done in three days (usually we have four), please plan on being in the Science Center at 2:30pm Monday-Wednesay of next week. Participation in each of these days is mandatory, to ensure that all PRISE fellows' presentations are well attended.
PRISE BALL THIS SATURDAY!: Come one, come all to the PRISE Ball Saturday night, beginning at 8:00pm at Dudley House. The three 'D's all will be present: Decorations, Desserts, and Dancing, promising a fun social send-off as PRISE comes to a spectacular close.
PRISE 'THANK YOU' DINNER: You will have the opportunity to invite your PI and lab colleagues (up to five) for a special thank you dinner next Tuesday, August 11, at Dudley House Dining Hall. Instructions will be sent out next week with information about how to reserve spaces for your guests.
PRISE CLOSING DINNER: You have been automatically RSVP'd to the PRISE Closing Dinner on Thursday, August 13 at 7:00pm. If for some reason you are not going to this amazing final PRISE event, please let me know so I can sadly take you off the guest list. It is going to be fantastic!!
PRISE MOVE OUT--PRELIMINARY INFORMATION REMINDER: Just a head's up--given the very short duration between the end of PRISE and Opening Days for the fall term, ALL PRISE FELLOWS MUST VACATE BY 5:00PM ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 15. Due to the short-turn around time to prepare, there will be no bridge housing or housing beyond August 15, even for special circumstances, so please plan ahead. Storage will be offered during the interim period, with open times beginning Wednesday, August 12 to be announced. You will be required to return your key and sign-out with a PRISE proctor, after you complete the PRISE post-program survey.
Looking forward to seeing you at the presentation practicum tonight,
Yours truly--Greg Llacer.
Week VII Announcements
7/27/2009
PRESENTATION PREPARATION WEEK: Tonight's seminar, which everyone is encouraged to attend, will give you helpful information about presentation strategies. Even if you figure yourself a great public speaker, thie seminar will provide guidelines about organizational strategies, using the "art of speaking" as a launching pad, that may not have occurred to you before. There also will be an opportunity for some of you to practice utilizing some of the techniques and get feedback. Tonight at 7:30pm in the dining hall.
DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER THURSDAY NIGHT: Our Distinguished Speaker this week is Dean Stephen Kosslyn (Social Sciences for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences), whose research focuses on the relationship between imagery and perception (and cognition more broadly). He will present material from his book, 8 Psychological Principles for Compelling PowerPoint Presentations, providing valuable tips on how to develop interesting slides that are both appealing and logical to the audience. The lecture will be in Sever 113 at 7:30pm. This week's sign in will take place before the lecture--please do not forget to sign-in.
LONGWOOD RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM: PRISE Fellows invited to the research symposium tomorrow at HMS will receive a reminder notice this afternoon. If for some reason you are unable to attend, please let me know so I can relay that information to the HMS staff putting this great program together.
CAMBRIDGE FELLOWS--SPECIAL LUNCH DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER NEXT WEEK: Professor Marc Hauser from the Department of Psychology will be giving a special lunchtime talk next Tuesday, August 4 at 12:00 noon. Lunch will be provided at this event (so you save your meal allowance for later in the day!)--stay tuned for the details, but please put it on your calendar now.
LOTTERY EVENTS COMING UP: Be on the lookout for the opening of lotteries for events this weekend and next, for trips to Six Flags (this Saturday) and Tanglewood (next Sunday).
PRISE MOVE OUT--PRELIMINARY INFORMATION: Just a head's up--given the very short duration between the end of PRISE and Opening Days for the fall term, ALL PRISE FELLOWS MUST VACATE BY 5:00PM ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 15. Due to the short-turn around time to prepare, there will be no bridge housing or housing beyond August 15, even for special circumstances, so please plan ahead. Storage will be offered during the interim period, with open times beginning Wednesday, August 12 to be announced. You will be required to return your key and sign-out with a PRISE proctor, after you complete the PRISE post-program survey.
It looks like summer may have finally arrived. Please stay cool and hydrated this week! See you tonight,
Yours truly--Greg Llacer.
Week VI Announcements
7/20/2009
SEMINAR SERIES TONIGHT: Careers Off the Bench features a conversation among three individuals who received doctoral degrees in the sciences and pursued related interests in the private sector. Mary Lynne Hedley is the Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer for Abraxis BioScience, Incorporated, where she is a member of the executive management team and is directly responsible for research, clinical and product development, program management and global drug safety and pharmacoviglenece. Stacie Weninger, Ph.D. '99, is the director of science programs at Fidelity Foundations, and has prior experience as a senior scientist for the journal Neuron (Cell Press). Brenda Jarrell is a partner with Choate, Hall, and Stewart, and practices intellectual property law specifically for scientific enterprises. The three make a great panel and have terrific stories to tell about graduate school, their trajectories as scientists, and how they got to where they are now. The panel will be upstairs at Dudley House, tonight at 7:30. See you there!
DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER THURSDAY NIGHT: Our Distinguished Speaker this week is Professor Adam Cohen in the Departments of Chemistry and Chemcial Biology and Physics, whose research focuses on developing and applying new tools to probe the physical properties of complex molecules. The lecture will be in Sever 113 at 7:30pm. You may have noticed that the lectures are beginning to run quite late, which is typical for the summer. Please try to leave the dining hall earlier so we can start the lecture near to on time as possible. Also, since we were not able to have a sign-in last week. This week's sign-in will take place before the lecture--please do not forget to sign in.
CITIZEN SCHOOLS PIZZA BRAINSTORMING SESSION: PRISE Fellows are especially invited to attend the Citizen Schools' brainstorming session about new models for science education from 6-9pm in the Northwest Labs pre-event basement space. If you have not done so already, please RSVP tto Sam Novey by e-mail message to samnovey@citizenschools.org .
PRISE FINAL PRESENTATIONS: You should have received an e-mail message from me last week with the instructions for PRISE final presentations during the week of August 10. These presentations will be 12-15 minute talks supported by slides (not posters). If you did not receive the message or have questions about preparing your presentation, please let me know. Seminar activities to help you through the process will be held during the next two weeks.
LOTTERY EVENTS THIS WEEKEND: There are two lottery events on Sunday of this weekend: the Broadway musical Rent, and the Red Sox game (versus Baltimore). Even though the times for these events do not conflict, you may only accept tickets to one (with the intent to spread the opportunities around regardless of lottery outcome). Be prepared to make a choice if you are super lucky!
Best wishes for another great week ahead,
Yours truly--Greg Llacer.
Week V Announcements
7/13/2009
Hello, PRISE Fellows--This is a big week; something going on pretty much every day in PRISE as we head toward the midpoint of the summer!!--Here are your announcements for Week V:
SEMINAR SERIES TONIGHT: I am pleased to welcome back PRISE Fellows Hasan Korre, Stella Lee, and proctor Nora Sluzas, who will be speaking on a panel about their post-Harvard plans. This particular panel is great not only for those of you who are rising seniors, but also those of you thinking about not-so-obvious choices. This seminar will mostly about questions you have about strategies these fellows chose, and how their responses might inform you about your own looming decisions. See you tonight after dinner, at 7:30pm in the upstairs lounge of Dudley House.
DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER THURSDAY NIGHT: Our Distinguished Speaker this week is Professor Shah Khoshbin, giving his talk entitled "A Neurologist's Portrait of VanGogh. From 1888 to 1889, Van Gogh created 200 paintings as well as 200 drawings and water colors, each one, according to Professor Khoshbin, ranking among the masterpieces of Western art. During the same period, Van Gogh also wrote 200 letters of more than six pages each. In this lecture, Khoshbin analyzes Van Gogh's prodigious achievements and life through the fascinating lens of the study of neurological disorders. The program will begin at 7:30pm this Thursday, in Sever Hall 113 and is open to the whole Harvard community (so feel free to bring a friend!). Please let me know if for some reason you cannot attend--otherwise, again please make sure you sign in; however, for this lecture sign up sheets will be available at the end since we will have guests.
HARRY POTTER: Due to the very high interest in the pre-release showing of the new Harry Potter movie, there will be a lottery for tickets. The results will be announced later today.
ALL-CAMPUS SCIENCE SUMMER BARBEQUE WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Jointly sponsored by PRISE and Harvard Integrated Life Sciences, the annual Harvard all-campus summer science barbeque will be held from 5-7pm at the Cambridge Queen's Head Pub. Programs from across the Harvard universe have been invited to this annual party dinner to give you an opportunity to meet fellow scientists conducting research this summer. (Please note: only very limited service will be held during regular dining hours at Dudley House for this evening only.)
HARVARD NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE FRIDAY: Plan to attend this great event exclusively for the Harvard community this Friday evening between 4-9pm. All PRISE Fellows are on the invite list--simply bring your Harvard ID. Stroll through the activity halls and check out the amazing feature exhibit Black Holes: Space Warps and Time, created by our own Smithsonian Observatory.
REIMBURSEMENTS UPDATE: Now that activities have been scheduled, those of you responsible for them should be familiar with the reibursement form located at the top of the PRISE Fellows web page. In addition, you will need to complete the Harvard Universal Expense Form (UEF). If you are going to be reimbursed for expenses, please complete BOTH forms and return with your receipts to Carol Suh, so we can get a check issued to you as efficiently as possible. If you have questions about how your activity should be financed, please let me know.
I hope you enjoyed the fantastic weather this past weekend and are ready for another great week. I look forward to seeing you!
Yours truly--Greg Llacer.
Week IV Announcements
7/6/2009
SEMINAR SERIES TONIGHT: Have you ever read a really bad fellowship or research proposal? Think yu can spot a winner? You will get your chance tonight at our seminar this evening, which will focus on proposal writing strategies, but also will touch on other important matters, such as identifying funding sources, how to select and approach your reference writers, how to propoerly prepare to be competitive, etc. This seminar is for everyone, as there will be information that is worthwhile for those of you considering applying to graduate school this fall, as well as you who are rising sophomores. See you tonight after dinner, at 7:30pm in the upstairs lounge of Dudley House.
DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER THURSDAY NIGHT: Our Distinguished Speaker this week is Professor Paula Johnson from Harvard Medical School. Professor Johnson is a women's health specialist and a pioneer in the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease. She conceived of and developed one of the first facilities in the country to focus on heart disease in women. The program will begin at 7:30pm this Thursday, in Sever Hall 113. Please let me know if for some reason you cannot attend--otherwise, please make sure you sign in as you enter the auditorium.
SCIENTIFIC TRAINING FOR PRISE FELLOWS: The second MatLab training will be held at 5:00pm (before dinner) on Tuesday, July 7. More information and location will be forthcoming from Joseph Shivers. This week, the first session of the Latek training course will be held on Wednesday, July 8, at 9:00pm in the JCR. For more information, please contact, Zach Abel or Ernest Fontes.
RESEARCH AWARDS AND OTHER DISBURSEMENTS: If you did not get your check last week, you may do so at dinner tonight, or at the seminar this evening. After tonight, you will need to come to my office to pick up your check.
REIMBURSEMENTS: Now that activities have been scheduled, those of you responsible for them should be familiar with the reibursement form located on the PRISE Fellows web page (http://prise.harvard.edu/fellows.html). If you are going to be reimbursed for expenses, please complete the form and return with your receipts to Carol Suh, so we can get a check issued to you as efficiently as possible. If you have questions about how your activity should be financed, please let me know.
HSA DORM STORE MARKET DAY FOR PRISE FELLOWS: DormStore is proud to bring Market Day to your program this summer - you might have heard of Market Day if you live in Eliot, Kirkland, Pfoho, or Currier House - it's as simple as 1, 2, 3. 1.) You order products you like, wholesale, from their website; 2.) They go to Costco, pick it up for you, and bring it back to Harvard. 3.) You pick up the products you ordered from your designated distribution location (for PRISE: Leverett Towers (Dewolfe Street). Your Market Day will be occurring on Thursday, July 9th, from 4pm to 6pm. Order by Wednesday morning, July 8th, at 10am, to get your bulk items. Check it out at their website: hsa.net/marketday .
NE AQUARIUM/WHALE WATCHING THIS WEEKEND: You may now register for tickets to visit the New England Aquarium and participate in the annual PRISE Whale Watching Trip, this Sunday, July 12. Please sign up for tickets by sending an e-mail to prise@fas.harvard.edu from your FAS account with "WHALE WATCH" in the subject line.
I hope you have another great week, and I look forward to seeing you!
Yours truly--Greg Llacer.
Week III Announcements
6/29/2009
SEMINAR SERIES MONDAY NIGHT: As I mentioned Thursday night, "Managing Expectations in the Lab" is the subject of our first seminar, featuring Craig Rodgers from the Bureau of Study Counsel. Now that you have a couple of weeks under your belt, it's a good time to take stock: what is working out whell, what could be working bettter? Scientific investigation is a constant give-and-take, and recognizing the need to recalibrate one's own expectations amid sometimes unexpected results is a vaulable tool. Understanding the value of tiral and error is critical in research, as is how to develop strategies for success in your relentless pursuit of compelling research questions that require patience and fortitude, among other things (time, resources, arcane theoretical knowledge, unfailing accuracy, cooperation with PIs and lab colleagues, humility, etc.). Craig will provide an interactive approach in thinking about how to assess and evaluate matters in the lab, and how to effectvely approach challenging situations. This seminar will take place in the Dudley House Common Room (upstairs) right after the conclusion of dinner at 7:30pm.
MATLAB COURSE FOR PRISE FELLOWS: One of the Fellow-initiated science activities, the first of two sessions for MatLab training will be held at 5:00pm (before dinner) on Wednesday, July 1. More information and location will be forthcoming from Joseph Shivers.
RESEARCH AWARD AND OTHER DISBURSEMENTS: If you are expecting a PRISE check, I appreciate your patience. I have been told "the checks are in the mail," meaning, I hope, that I will be able to disperse them very soon. Stay tuned!
REC CARD REDUX: Due to the high volume of interest ALL PRISE Fellows have been set up for recreation facilities use as of July 1, through the term of PRISE. Your HUID should work as it always has after the expiration of the academic fiscal year on June 30. If your card does not swipe properly as of July 1, please let me know.
REIMBURSEMENTS: Now that activities have been scheduled, those of you responsible for them should be familiar with the reibursement form located at the top of this page. If you are going to be reimbursed for expenses, please complete the form and return with your receipts to Carol Suh, so we can get a check issued to you as efficiently as possible. If you have questions about how your activity should be financed, please let me know.
LOST MEAL CARDS: We are experiencing an unusually number of lost meal card reports. Please make sure you keep your meal card in a safe place where you can find it, like your wallet. There will be a delay in responding to lost card requests, since your old card needs to be de-activated while a new card is processed. You can circumvent this hassle by . . . treating it as you would your driver's license and credit cards!
RED SOX BASEBALL GAME LOTTERY: The lottery for Red Sox tickets for this Friday night's game against the Seattle Mariners is NOW OPEN! Come see the American League-leading Boston Red Sox in the most historic ballpark in America, truly a rite of passage for anyone living in New England. To enter the lottery, please follow the simple steps in the announcement e-mail you received today (Monday).
SHORT WEEK: Due to the holiday on Friday, there will be no Distinguished Speaker lecture Thursday evening. In addition, as Friday, July 3, is a nationally-observed holiday, most university buildings and services (including all meal service) will be closed. Have a great, long holiday weekend, and if you can, try to get to the Esplanade, another New England rite of passage!
See you tonight,
Yours truly--Greg Llacer.
Week II Announcements
6/22/2009
PROPOSALS MEETING TONIGHT: Tonight don't miss the presentations of social and science proposals for fellow-initiated acitivites, at 8:00pm in the JCR. The purpose of this meeting is to go through the various proposals, during which you may ask questions and help further define the requests of the authors. Please remember to use the .pdf form on the PRISE website Fellows page as the proposal-of-record to submit.
CALENDAR MEETING WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Authors of submitted proposals will find out Tuesday whether or not their proposals are approved. If they are approved, at least one author will need to attend the calendar meeting in the JCR on Wednesday night at 8:00pm, where we will plot all of the activities for final distribution to the rest of the PRISE community.
DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER AND PRISE COMMUNITY MEETING THURSDAY NIGHT: I am very pleased to tell you that the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Mike Smith, will be the PRISE Distinguished Speaker this week, at 7:30pm in Sever Hall 113. If you eat a later dinner, please make sure you leave the dining hall by 7:20pm to give yourselv time to get to Sever and find a seat before the talk begins. The main reason for this is actually is about the end of the lecture not the beginning: to get you out at a reasonable time. As you are aware, your attendance is expected at these faculty lectures. If for some emergency you are not able to attend, please make sure you let me know.
PRISE SURVEY: Pretty much everyone we talked to at check-in said they completed the survey before arriving. Now we will find out for sure, as tomorrow I will get the ID list, which is separate from the actual anonymous responses. So, here's your last chance to save face before the survey closes tonight: http://prise.harvard.edu/fellows/survey.cgi .
SEMINAR SERIES NEXT WEEK: The PRISE seminar series, which offers professional development planning for scientists, will begin next Monday witth Craig Rodgers of the Bureau of Study Counsel talking about Managing Expectations in the lab. More will follow in next Monday's announcements, but plan on attending, 7:30pm in the Dudley Hall lounge upstairs.
FACULTY CHAT: Be sure to ask your PI about the possibility of speaking with your fellow Fellows at a Faculty Chat event hosted by . . . YOU! The applications are on the PRISE website's Fellows page.
PRISE RESEARCH AWARDS: Confirmation letters for research awards provided by PRISE will be transmitted early this week. If you have questions or were among those who were told they might qualify but do not get notified by Thursday, please let me know.
I look forward to seeing you tonight, and best wishes for a great week.
Yours truly--Greg Llacer.
Week I Announcements
6/15/2009
MEAL SERVICE: I see that this topic has generated much chatter on the listserv, so I am happy to provide the following details: First, dinner service at Dudley House is each week night from 6:00-7:30pm (with some exceptions for which you should make sure to follow my future notices), and requires your "Crimson Departmental Dining Card" to swipe in. Although the dining hall is open until 7:30pm, please try to get there by 7:15 at the latest to get food, so the dining hall staff is not delayed in closing.
In addition to dinner, Fellows in Longwood and Cambridge will receive a daily allowance (that does not accrue) on the card for a weekday meal available at one of the HUDS outposts listed here: http://dining.harvard.edu/retail_dining/locations.html .
Fellows working at labs outside of Longwood or Cambridge should have received a message from me detailing how the process will work differently for them (along with travel to your labs): those meal cards are only good for the evening meal at Dudley House. If you have questions about your own meal service or if it is not clear where you may eat during the day, please send them to me instead of the PRISE list.
RESEARCH SUPPORT: Thanks to those of you who have updated for me on your Lab Confirmation Forms the financial support you are getting from your laboratory or program. I know some of you, especially those of you who did not get College support through HCRP and/or the Dean's award, are concerned about what research support you may get from PRISE. I am now in the process of determining who may be eligible for a PRISE-Armstrong Research Award, and you should be hearing from me within the next couple of days. If you receive a message from me inidicating you may be eligible, please respond straight away to verify whether or not you are getting financial support from another source. Once I have received your response, I will proceed with the generation of stipend checks. If you have questions about your eligibility, please contact me AFTER you have received a message from me about research support.
SUMMER SAVINGS: Any PRISE fellow who is a financial aid recipient will receive summer savings support as a term bill credit. You will be notified after July 1 when we get the verification list from the financial aid office. If you are a Herchel Smith recipient and a PRISE fellow, your summer savings credit will come from the Herchel Smith program instead of PRISE.
IMPORTANT MEETINGS THIS WEEK: Now that PRISE is in full swing, the two most important meetings of the summer take place today and tomorrow, at 8:00pm in the JCR: Tonight, social activities groups will convene to develop Fellow-initiated proposals to fill the rest of the PRISE calendar. On Tuesday, science activities groups will do the same, and there will be an EcoREP study break as well. Both meetings begin at 8:00pm. These meetings are really what defines each cohort of PRISE, so I encourage you to participate and I challenge you to help top the efforts of each of the PRISE cohorts before you!
DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES THURSDAY NIGHT: This week's Distinguished Speaker is Noam Elkies, doing his amazing lecture, "Canonical forms: A mathematician's view of musical canons." This lecture (which is mandatory for PRISE fellows) will be held at 8:00pm in the Dudley Dining Hall, and is open to the whole Harvard community--so you are welcome to invite your friends (and your PI!) to the talk. Because this lecture will happen right after dinner, I would appreciate it if you could help the Program Assistant Fellows out by concluding dinner BY 7:30, and help them reset the chairs for the concert and talk.
PRISE CALENDAR: Please check the PRISE calendar (http://prise.harvard.edu/calendar.html) on line often, as the latest activities will be updated there. In addition, these announcements will be repeated on the PRISE Fellows' page (http://prise.harvard.edu/fellows.html).
I hope you had a great weekend, and that you are geared up for spending some productive time in your labs. Please let me know if I can do anything for you. I look forward to seeing you tonight!
Yours truly--Greg Llacer.
WELCOME TO PRISE !!
Move-in – Wednesday, June 10 through Friday, June 12
ROOMING ASSIGNMENTS AND CHECKING IN: I have sent to you by e-mail the rooming lists sorted two ways, one alphabetically (so you can find your room) and the other by room (so you can see who is in your suite). (This list is made available to PRISE fellows and staff only--please do not distribute.) Everyone has their own room this summer, with suite common rooms open and available to everyone in the suite.
Formal check-in times are: Wednesday, 6/10, 5-9pm, Thursday, 6/11, 9am-9pm, and Friday, 6/12, 8-11am. Individuals whose travel requires arrival after hours may pick up their key from the Leverett guard (in the Towers courtyard), and formally check in during regular times the next day (or after Friday, with me on Monday, June 15). You will be required to sign a housing contract when you check in as you do during regular term time. After you have checked in and before carrying in your belongings, please look around for any left-over damage in the suite and report it to the proctor at the check-in table so we can alert the Leverett building staff (and avoid you being charged at the end of the summer). Individuals bringing their belongings by car may unload at the McKinlock Hall entrance on Mill Street, but park at your own peril!! Please do not leave your vehicle unattended for a length of time to avoid being ticketed.
PRISE SURVEY: Before you arrive, please take the brief PRISE pre-program survey, which can be found at: http://prise.fas.harvard.edu/fellows/survey.cgi . The survey responses are critical for us to collect essential data about PRISE and to find out more about your preferences. Please make sure you complete the survey BEFORE you arrive (hey, why not do it now??), in order to avoid a delay at check in.
EcoREP: PRISE once again will be invovled with REP for the summer. REP generously will be providing bags of ecologically-friendly laundry soap for all PRISE fellows at check in, so you don't have to bring any with you from home.
STORAGE RETRIEVAL: Stored belongings may be retrieved during the following times: Wednesday, 6/10, 7-9pm; Thursday, 6/11, 10am-12noon, 3-5pm, 7-9pm; and Friday, 6/12, 3-5pm. After that, arrangements will have to be made witih a proctor and the Leverett building staff (to let us into the secured space).
MEALS: As you know, regular PRISE evening dinners will be held on weeknights between 6-7:30pm in the comfortably air-conditioned Dudley House Dining Hall (trust me, this will mean something to you about three weeks from now, if not sooner). In addition, each PRISE fellow conducting research in Longwood or Cambridge will be provided a HUDS debit card. (Fellows identified conducting research at McLean, MIT, MGH, and MGH Charlestown will be issued a card to be used locally.) These cards will be distributed next Friday. Meal service begins Monday, June 15.
TRANSPORTATION TO LABS: Regular M-2 shuttle service will be available for Fellows conducting research in Longwood. Fellows identified conducting research at McLean, MIT, MGH, and MGH Charlestown will be provided Charlie Cards/T-passes for weekday round-trip travel to their labs. These cards will be distributed next Friday.
FRIDAY SCHEDULE: PRISE begins at high noon on Friday, June 12 with lunch provided in the McKinlock Courtyard (weather permitting), followed by an orientation by me and the superfun! PRISE Octathlon in the MAC Quad at 1:00pm. Then, you have the afternoon to get further acquainted with your fellow Fellows and to get organized, with the opening dinner beginning at 7:00pm at the Dudley House Dining Hall. Dean Evelynn Hammonds will make the opening remarks, so please arrive at 6:45pm to be seated. PLEASE NOTE: If you have special food restrictions I should be aware of, please contact me straight away so I can inform the caterer.
FIRST ACTIVITY LOTTERY: Since many PRISE activities are restricted to a predetermined number of participants, we hold lotteries to give away tickets to events and activities. Our first lottery is NOW OPEN for the Boston Pops salute to the 40th anniversary of the Apollo Eleven moon landing in Boston's revered Symphony Hall, at 8:00pm Saturday, June 13 (including intuitively enough Holst's The Planets!).
To enter the lottery, please follow the instructions on the PRISE introduction e-mail.
Wow, all that information, and the fun has yet to even begin! I look forward to seeing you next week, and if you have any questions, please let me know.
Safe travels,
Yours truly--Greg Llacer.