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OIR is pleased to report that two Olin faculty members have recently received grant awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Professors Sarah Spence of Olin College and Gordon Prichett of Babson College received an NSF grant to develop a course in coding theory and cryptology that will reveal the excitement and relevance of mathematics. The course will be developed in partnership with Wellesley College and Brandeis University.
This innovative math course will “open a new window for undergraduates into the mathematics world by incorporating an interesting mix of technical, social and historical aspects of coding theory and cryptography,” said Professor Bong Lian of Brandeis University.
In collaboration with Babson College, Professor John Bourne was awarded an NSF grant to develop and introduce a “Partnerships for Innovation Program: Symposium for Engineering Entrepreneurship Educators (SEEE).” Both Olin and Babson College faculty members will work with the Sloan Consortium, the REE at Stanford University, and Geo-Centers (a science-based research and product-development services company) to create an innovative education program in technology entrepreneurship. SEEE will deliver online and face-to-face symposia bringing educators, innovators and entrepreneurs along with the state and government partners. Experiences and lessons learned from these symposia will help develop engineering curricula that teaches students how to transform innovative ideas into companies, products, systems and services that drive the national economy.
The Olin Seminar Series will welcome the following guest speakers to campus this semester. All seminars will be held in the auditorium and begin at 4:00 p.m.
- On September 7, Dr. Arthur Benjamin, Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College will discuss “The Science of Patterns.”
- On September 29, Dr. Joseph Silverman, Chairman of the Math Department at Brown University will discuss “Public Key Cryptography for Fun (!) And Profit (?).”
- On November 10, Dr. Miriam Leeser, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northeastern University will be on campus as part of the Olin Seminar Series. Her speaking topic will be distributed at a later date.
During the month of July, construction continued on the East Hall roof, interior wall framing, stairways, and the exterior wall framing and sheathing. The crew continued to work on the installation of utilities, including plumbing, electrical, HVAC, sprinkler, tel/data rough-in, hot and chilled water, electric, emergency electric, fire water, tel/data underground pipes and duct banks. The also crew began to install door frames and work on the interior masonry (lower level and elevator shaft walls). Additionally, design work continued on the residence hall furniture and signage. For more information, visit http://www.olin.edu/campus/easthall.cfm .
West Hall residents should park in tiers four and five of the main parking lot A. These tiers will also serve as the designated snow emergency lots. Due to the increased size of the faculty and staff populations, tier three will be reserved for faculty, staff and visitors
Mod residents will be assigned to parking lot C. During snow emergencies, mod residents will park on the north side (soccer field side) of parking lot C, until the snow has been removed from the parking lot.
We've been hard at work improving the campus. Here are some of the things you should know about:
- Flowers, flowers everywhere
The Facilities Services grounds staff has begun the development of a campus-wide flowering master plan. During the summer months, selected areas of the campus were planted with a variety of perennials and annuals to add color to the campus walkways. New trees will soon be planted in the Oval, as our original trees were infested by a deadly bug. In the fall, stage two will begin with the planting of tulips and other flowers for the arrival of spring. If you have suggestions, please pass them on to the Facilities Services staff.
- Lab Renovations
Over the summer several fourth floor laboratories were renovated to meet the curriculum and research needs of the academic community. These areas will support the ongoing research work of the faculty and the curriculum needs of students.
- West Hall
All residence hall rooms received new lighting fixtures to increase the lighting issues that students identified over the past year. The kitchen flooring was been upgraded from carpeting to tile to meet the needs of our budding chefs.
- Look Mom, No Change!
The laundry and soda machines will soon be utilizing the one card system. Look for more details on this change in the next issue of The Link.
- New Snacks
New vending machines have been installed on campus to please those with a sweet tooth. The new machines offer a wide variety of products and get ***** (5 stars) from daily visitors.
- Curie House Welcomed the Boston Consortium
The Boston Consortium, has taken up residence in Curie House for the year. The Boston Consortium for higher education acts as an external resource in creating a collaborative environment that inspires member institutions in the development and practical implementation of innovative cost management and quality improvement ideas. Olin College is a member of the Boston Consortium.
The Olin HR/Training Update is now available. The update includes information on lunchtime seminars, computer training, the Boston Consortium fall class schedule, Blackboard pre-fall schedule, news from the Glavin Center for Global Management and an infobyte for faculty and staff.
During the month of September, the Information Technology Department will be holding question and answer sessions for all students.
These sessions will be open to everyone on campus. The goal of the sessions is to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to get to know the IT staff and have their questions and concerns addressed.
So bring your laptops and your questions, and join the IT staff in the Olin Center Lower Level Computer Lab for these sessions (additional sessions and topics will be scheduled as the demand warrants so please provide feedback to the IT staff and email helpdesk@olin.edu with questions):
- Helpdesk Q&A
Thursday, September 9 at 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday, September 15 at 4:00 p.m.
- Linux Q&A
Wednesday, September 8 at 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday, September 14 at 4:00 p.m.
- Click Community Calendar for the calendar on upcoming community-wide events:
- Click CORe Public Calendar for the calendar on upcoming student activities.
- Both can be found in Outlook under Public Folders > Calendars.
If you are hiring a student worker for the fall semester, please call Nancy Sullivan at 781-292-2403 or email nancy.sullivan@olin.edu. All faculty requests should be directed to Karen Stone at 781-292-2509 or karen.stone@olin.edu.
Student Employment forms and open jobs are posted on Blackboard > Olin Community > Forms > Student Employment.
Students should review the requirements for employment before arriving on campus:
- A voided check or pre-printed deposit slip is required for direct deposit. Direct Deposit is now mandatory for all student workers, faculty and staff.
- W-4 Form (new form required at the beginning of each academic year).
- U.S. Department of Justice Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9) requires:
- Passport or
- Two forms of ID (Driver's License, Social Security Card, Birth Certificate)
- Non-residents need copy of Visa, Resident Alien or Permanent Resident Card
By using a postal indicia the College can take advantage of non-profit mailing rates for bulk mailings. If your department would like to find out more about saving on postage by using the non-profit mailing indicia please contact Scott Slaboden.
The College is currently looking to fill the following positions:
• Visiting Position in Bioengineering (Faculty)
• Machine Shop Technician (Machine Shop)
• Director of Post Graduate Planning (Career Services)
On July 19, Olin's faculty/staff softball team posted a 12-9 win over Babson's Undergraduate/Graduate Programs team and brought its inaugural season to an end with a record to 2-1. The team hopes to go undefeated next year.
The Army's "Spirit of America" has scheduled free performances for 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 10 and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 11 at the Centrum Centre in Worcester. Spirit of America is a unique live-action musical performance meant to inspire, entertain and bring this nation's history to life.
More than 400 Soldiers of the Army's elite ceremonial units, the Third U.S. Infantry Regiment (Old Guard) and U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own," are set to perform in a two-hour show divided into two acts. Told by today's Soldiers, not actors, Spirit of America captures 229 years of stories spanning generations of service members who have answered the call to uphold freedom and democracy. To receive free Spirit of America 2004 tickets, visit http://spiritofamerica.mdw.army.mil/ to download the ticket order form. Mail the ticket form by Aug. 27. Orders postmarked after Aug. 27 will be available at the Centrum Centre box office.
Susan Goldstein joined the Olin Community on August 16 as the Financial Services Coordinator. For the past six years Susan worked for State Street Corporation as a Mutual Fund Account Manager. At Olin she will be responsible for accounts payable, petty cash, cash receipts and other duties. Susan's office is located in OC 316. Her extension is 2423 and her email address is susan.goldstein@olin.edu.
On August 17 Gillian Epstein joined the Olin faculty as a part-time consultant in writing. Dr. Epstein received her Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in English. She has extensive teaching experience at the university level and program development in the K-12 environment, including a teaching position at Berkeley where she was recognized as “Best English Instructor.” Her office is located in OC 362 and her extension is 2543.
Judith Cohen joined the Olin community on August 8 as the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System Manager. Her office is located in OC LL16 and her extension is 2436.
This year Olin College was included on the Princeton Review's list of The Best 357 Colleges for the first time. Olin College is included 14 times on the Best 357 rankings against all other schools in the country.
“This is an excellent debut for our school,” said President Richard Miller in an email to the Olin community. “I want to thank everyone who contributed time and information to Princeton Review in connection with this publication.”
To review the entry for Olin College, visit
http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/profiles/
generalinfo.asp?listing=1037875<ID=1
FORTUNE Small Business recently announced semifinalists for its second annual FSB Student Showdown competition. One of the three semifinalists is the Babson/Olin team of Seahorse Power Company. Congratulations (and good luck in the final round) to Bret Richmond, Jeff Satwicz and their Babson teammates Alex Perera (M '04) and Jim Poss (M '03). Winners will be announced in September. For more information, visit http://www.fortune.com/fortune/information/Presscenter/
0,,07282004fsb_students.html
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