Become
an APLE scholar! APLE provides students in the College of Arts and Sciences
with opportunities to do research with faculty members, and to get hands-on
experience in internships. Science students work in research laboratories
both in Arts and Sciences and in the Medical School. Other students become
involved in the local community through internships and service learning
projects, and still others follow their interests far from the University
of Vermont both in the United States and abroad. Funding
is available on a competitive basis for research and creative projects.
Click on the APLE Opportunities link at the
left to get information on opportunities in each department and program
in Arts and Sciences. Read on to see what Arts and Sciences students have
done.
Professor
Jim Vigoreaux, Department of Biology
does National Science Foundation-funded research on muscle proteins. An
undergraduate biology major did research in his lab for about three years
including one summer. The student's research was funded by a special grant
from the National Science Foundation. After finishing his honors project,
this 1999 UVM graduate went on to medical school in New York.
German majors have taken advantage of internships in Germany, primarily in the travel and automotive industries. One student found an internship position at the Georg Olms Verlag, a German publishing firm in Hildesheim. During this time she was able to learn about various aspects of book production, including correspondence with authors, editing of manuscripts, layout, production, and marketing.
Every Wednesday at
6 o'clock, Kay, a sophomore at UVM majoring in English
and Women's and Gender Studies,
meets with four young teens at the King Street Youth Center in downtown
Burlington.
Together they've formed King Street's new "creative writing club."
Each
week Kay and the teens work on poems, stories, and raps. Kay also guides
the conversation - about language, about metaphor, about the problems
these teens are facing and the possibilities of their writing. At the
end of the semester, Kay works with the teens as they edit and professionally
publish (thanks to a small grant Kay helped write) a chapbook titled "Kids'
Rule" that the teens give to their families, teachers, and even
to the school and city libraries. Kay is doing this work in the context
of
her English 111 course, "Literacy Politics."
Kristina,
a double major in History and Music
(flute performance), lived and worked on the Navajo reservation in Chinle, Arizona
for several summers and her "semester abroad," learning the Navajo
language and culture. Especially fascinated by Navajo performance traditions,
in which history and folklore were publicly presented through story-telling
and song, Kristina wrote her college honors thesis on "The Oral Traditions
of the Navajo," focusing on theNavajo poet Luci Tapahonso. Kristina is
presently a Ph.D. student in ethno-musicology at Arizona State University.
A
Sociology major and snowboarder,
was interested in understanding the inner dynamics of the snowboarding
subculture, from the slang and the clothing, to the taste in music, and
most importantly the hierarchy. Using qualitative methods he studied snowboarding
finding, among other things, that status within that the subculture was
based on many things beyond snowboarding skill, including deep entrenchment
in the lifestyle and willingness to make sacrifices for the sport.
Some Sociology students have applied their skills to the field of advertising by working as interns in advertising firms in the area. They have used focus group interviews, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and basic analytic tools that they have learned to identify a company's demographic market. Other Sociology students interested in criminal justice have worked in the public defender's office, doing intake interviews with new clients. Still others have worked in the correctional facilities. They have supervised and participated in the recreation program, coordinating basketball games and other recreational events. These kinds of experiences have introduced students to work situations that help them determine their career goals after graduation.
Students
in a number of different majors have worked as production assistants at
local radio or television stations where they learn the nuts and bolts
of producing programs.
Jason,
a Biology major spent several
semesters working in the research lab of Prof Cynthia Forehand, a faculty
member in the Medical School. Under Professor Forehand's supervision
he
wrote a senior honors thesis on "Astrocyte Damage and Niemann-Pick
Type C Disease." Jason is now a student in the University of Vermont
College of Medicine.
In
the spring of her third year, Amanda, Studio
Art major, decided to set up an internshipworking in a contemporary art
gallery in New York City. With the help of her academic advisor, she targeted
more than thirty galleries and sent them a proposal. This effort yielded twelve
interviews and six job offers as Amanda's skills in digitizing images were in
high demand. She worked in that capacity and many others at the Charles Cowles
Gallery in the Chelsea district all that summer. She was hired by the same gallery
upon graduating and has since become part of the sales team at the new Marlborough
Gallery in Chelsea.
Students interested in completing internships for academic credit should consult the College's Internship Policy.
Last modified April 30 2008 06:17 PM
