The three day weekend Funpage

http://hanszen.blogspot.com/

1. Baker Institute Summer in DC Policy Research Internship Program
2. Discount tickets to 2010 Hobby Center performances
3. Spring Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Short Courses
4. Step Ahead Informational Meeting
5. Rice Cyber Sports Ladders
6. Philadelphia ASB fundraiser
7. Apply for a HuMed trip!
8. Nirvana in the New Year

~

Dancing guy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlmLZRCjrMY

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1. Baker Institute Summer in DC Policy Research Internship Program

The James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy is seeking applicants for the seventh
cohort of the Jesse Jones Leadership Center Summer in Washington DC Policy Research
Internship Program. The program will provide stipends sufficient to support a select
group of Rice undergraduates conducting policy-making research at government agencies,
private think tanks, and NGOs in DC in summer 2010. Those accepted must be currently
enrolled as full-time undergraduates through fall 2010. Those selected will attend a
seminar on public policy and global affairs coterminous with their internships in DC,
write a research report for publication and presentation before Rice faculty and
researchers at the beginning of fall semester 2010, and also organize a public policy
education activity for academic year 2010/2011. Applicants are individually responsible
for selecting and establishing internships and residency in DC. Interested students
should send the following materials by January 31 to Dr. Steven Lewis, Washington
Internship Committee, Baker Institute, MS-40:

1. A letter of application with your campus and home addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses;

2. A short essay of no more than 600 words describing your career goals, your internship plans (including the organizations to which you have applied or intend to apply), and how these tie in with the mission and policy research programs of the Baker Institute;

3. A resume;

4. An official, sealed transcript;

5. One letter of recommendation, preferably from a Rice faculty member or researcher,
who can discuss your ability to conduct policy research.

Questions should be addressed to swlewis@rice.edu

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2. Discount tickets to 2010 Hobby Center performances

Broadway Across America Shows include:
Cirque Dreams 2/23 - 3/6 (Discount ends Jan. 31)
In the Heights 4/6 - 4/17 (Discount ends March 21)
Young Frankenstein 5/25- 6/5
Wicked 7/4, 7/7, 7/16
Follow this link http://app.e2ma.net/campaign/1215.98006571a3de03312388aa3d64e66353 to obtain discounted tickets to selected performances.
Please not that the discounts end several days prior to the start of a performance and that tickets for some shows (like Wicked) will sell out way in advance of the performance date.


***Discounts for Theatre Under the Stars shows available ONLINE ONLY through February 7, 2010***

Log online to www.tuts.com/promo Enter Promotion Code: RICE

Miss Saigon
Following up the blockbuster hit of last season's LES MISERABLES, TUTS brings you a more modern romance from the same amazing composers. The heat is on in SAIGON! One of the shows that our subscribers have asked for again and again, this modernized version of the classic love story MADAME BUTTERFLY has all the timeliness of a country at war--making the character's choices and struggles newly relevant. With soaring songs like "The Last Night of the World" and roaring production numbers that show a different kind of "American Dream", thrill with TUTS to this contemporary classic musical smash.
20% Discount available for the following dates:
February 9 at 8:00pm, February 10 at 8:00pm, February 14 at 7:30pm, February 16 at 8:00 pm,
February 17 at 8:00pm, February 18 at 8:00pm, February 19 at 8:00pm & February 21 at 7:30pm

***10% Discount Available for the following dates:***
February 11 at 8:00pm, February 12 at 8:00pm, February 13 at 2:00pm, February 13 at 8:00pm,
February 14 at 2:00pm, February 20 at 2:00pm, February 20 at 8:00pm, February 21 at 2:00pm

South Pacific
This stunning reinvention produced by Lincoln Center Theater and the winner of seven 2008 Tony Awards® including Best Musical Revival, SOUTH PACIFIC has music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan. Set on a tropical island during World War II, SOUTH PACIFIC tells the sweeping romantic story of two couples -- US Navy nurse Nellie Forbush & French plantation owner Emile de Becque and Navy Airman Joe Cable & a young local native girl Liat -- and how their happiness is threatened by the realities of the war and by their own prejudices.
10 % Discount available for the following dates:
March 9 at 8:00pm, March 10 at 8:00pm, March 14 at 7:30pm, March 16 at 8:00pm, March 17 at 8:00pm &
March 21 at 7:30pm

Little House on the Prairie
Little House on the Prairie has remained one of the most popular and beloved celebrations of early Americana since the appearance of Laura Ingalls Wilder's popular classic book series 70 years ago. Now the inspirational stories take on a brand new frontier in an uplifting new musical. Melissa Gilbert, who played Laura for 10 years in the much loved television series, continues her legacy by starring as Ma. Families will continue to fall in love with these life affirming stories about the Ingalls' struggles and triumphs through the celebration of the pioneering spirit and the core values on which this country was founded - a spirit that resonates within each of us today.
10 % Discount available for the following dates:
April 28 at 8:00pm, May 2 at 7:30pm, May 3 at 8:00pm, May 4 at 8:00pm, May 5 at 8:00pm, May 6 at 8:00pm, May 9 at 8:00pm

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3. Spring Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Short Courses

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GIS?

The GIS/Data Center is offering FREE, one-time courses on different topics using the popular GIS software ArcGIS Desktop 9.x. The short courses offered by the GIS/Data Center are very basic and strive to form a strong foundation of GIS software knowledge. They are structured to teach central concepts and tools necessary to complete a broad spectrum of GIS projects and analysis.
All short courses are held in Fondren Library room 156. Enrollment is limited to 11 people per course.
To sign up for a short course, please visit our website at http://library.rice.edu/services/gdc/course-registrations or e-mail gisdata@rice.edu with your preferred dates and course titles.
*We have organized the short courses in levels to help participants know what to expect. Intermediate and Advanced courses can be taken in any order, after taking the Introduction to GIS course (or having familiarity with ArcGIS Desktop 9.x).

Level: Beginner
There are no prerequisites for beginner courses.

Introduction to GIS
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) enable users to visualize and analyze spatial information in a dynamic digital environment. This short course will introduce students to general concepts and applications of GIS. Participants will become familiar with the ArcGIS Desktop 9.x environment and will gain hands on experience using ArcMap to create a GIS project utilizing a variety of data layers.
DATE TIME
01/19/10 2 - 4 p.m.
02/01/10 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
02/18/10 2 – 4 p.m.
03/08/10 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.


Level: Intermediate
All intermediate courses have the following prerequisites:
Familiarity with Microsoft Windows
Introduction to GIS or familiarity with ArcGIS 9.x
Familiarity with Excel (Adding Tabular Data and Mapping Locations only)

Adding Tabular Data
Following the introduction, short course participants can choose tutorials to review at their own pace during class time. Tutorials include: Working with Census 2000 Data and Adding, Editing, Joining, and Relating Tables. Instructors will be available for questions and assistance.
DATE TIME
01/26/10 2 - 4 pm
03/10/10 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Mapping Locations
Following the introduction, short course participants will have time to review a tutorial on how to map locations using coordinates (X,Y event) and by address (Geocoding). Instructors will be available for questions and assistance.
DATE TIME
02/08/10 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
03/16/10 2 - 4 pm


Creating and Geoprocessing Vector Data
This short course will explore some of the analytical tools within ArcToolbox and focus on vector data creation. The short course will allow students to work through tutorials—Creating Shapefiles and Geoprocessing though ArcToolbox—at their own pace and instructors will be available for questions and assistance.
DATE TIME
02/09/10 2 - 4 p.m.
03/22/10 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.


Spatially Referencing Data
This short course will begin with an introduction to coordinate systems and projections. Methods for georeferencing data without a known coordinate system will also be covered. Participants may then work through tutorials—Defining and Projecting Data and Georeferencing Data—at their own pace and instructors will be available for questions and assistance.
DATE TIME
02/15/10 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
03/23/10 2 - 4 p.m.


Level: Advanced
All advanced courses have the following prerequisites:
Familiarity with Microsoft Windows
Introduction to GIS or familiarity with ArcGIS 9.x
Familiarity with Excel

Data Manipulation
This short course will begin with an introduction to several types of data manipulation: performing calculations on a dataset, interpolating between data points, converting between one data type and another, and merging datasets based on certain parameters. Participants can then work through a tutorial that uses various interpolation techniques to get storm data from areas outside of NOAA’s direct hurricane or rain gauge data and shows how to extract results into Excel.
DATE TIME
02/23/10 2 - 4 p.m.
03/29/10 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Course schedule is subject to change. Please check http://library.rice.edu/services/gdc/training-gis for an updated schedule.


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4. Step Ahead Informational Meeting

Are you interested in volunteering on campus and practicing your Spanish skills?
Step Ahead is a program that holds weekly basic computer classes for the Rice maintenance staff.
Come to find out more about the program and how to get involved on Monday, January 18 at 8:00 PM in the RMC Miner Lounge.

If you have any questions, please contact Maggie Andersen at mfa3@rice.edu.

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5. Rice Cyber Sports Ladders

Attention all Smash Brothers Melee/Brawl and Starcraft players! Rice Cyber Sports has started ladders for these games. This is a great way to find friendly competition around Rice and improve your skills. We will also seed our future tournaments based on these ladders. Check out the links below.
Smash: http://cybersports.rice.edu/smash/ladder.html
Starcraft: http://cybersports.rice.edu/starcraft/ladder.html

Also, we are having another Halo/Smash Bros get together!
Saturday, January 23rd
McMurtry PDR
8pm-11pm
Come out and play! Bring your controllers and systems/TVs please!
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=248971414730
Modern Warfare 2? If any of you all have the game, bring it along, we may have enough systems to get a large game going!

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6. Philadelphia ASB fundraiser

The Student Engineers Educating Kids (SEEK) Alternative Spring Break to Philadelphia is going to be holding a fundraiser night on Monday, January 25th at Jason's Deli in Rice Village from 5-9 PM. If you go to Jason's Deli during that time and mention that you're there to support the SEEK trip, 10% of your purchase will be donated to this Alternative Spring Break. Grab some friends, eat some delicious food, and don't forget to mention the SEEK trip!

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7. Apply for a HuMed trip!

Wanna go abroad on a healthcare-oriented service trip to GHANA or
INDIA this summer? Then apply to be a participant on a HuMed summer
trip!
In past summers, students have:

*Aided nurses and doctors in health clinics,
*Developed HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns with local NGOs,
*Tested for AIDS in prisons and schools,
*Volunteered at pediatric burn units,
*Rotated through different wards of hospitals,
*Helped physicians set up mobile health care camps in rural villages, and
*Taught in elementary schools.

For an **application**, e-mail Trip Coordinator Arthi at as12@rice.edu.
Application deadline is *Wednesday, January 27 at 5pm.*
To learn more about the 2 trips this summer, come to the *HuMed SUMMER
TRIPS MEETING on Wednesday, January 20 at 8pm in Huma 117*, where the
site leaders will present details on powerpoint and answer your
questions.
*Graduating seniors and non-pre-meds can also apply!*

Hope to see you on the 20th!
Thanks,
HuMed Board

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8. Nirvana in the New Year

The Nirvana Sessions will resume next week and we look forward to seeing each of you in
attendance. We will continue to offer three sessions each week (see below), providing
guided imagery exercises (via audio CDs) on Tuesdays/Thursdays and the mindfulness
practice on Wednesdays with Micki Fine. All sessions will be in the Rice Memorial Chapel.

The Club Nirvana incentive program was a definite success this fall and I am excited to
continue offering these benefits to members going forward. If you would like to join,
please go online and register - http://wellness.rice.edu/nirvana.html and then pay your
$15 at your earliest convenience. You can do this at either a Nirvana Session or in the
Wellness Center. Only students are eligible for the incentive program.

I thought I would share a few key findings from the fall evaluation for your reference:

Those individuals who participated in 4 or more Nirvana Sessions saw a greater benefit
than those who attended only a few sessions. This may indicate that a certain "dosage"
is needed, not only to receive the relaxation/refocusing benefits of meditation, but also
to develop better coping skills in daily situations.

82% of respondents who attended 10+ sessions reported that they felt "very confident"
about practicing meditation to manage daily stress.

Participants said:
"It helped me calm down before a test as well as let my mind not focus on
studying/preoccupations."
"I have definitely been aware of times when I was stressed out and needed to take a few
minutes breathe. I used some of the strategies I learned in the Nirvana Sessions to
refocus my thoughts."
"It has definitely provided me with the tools to reel in my wandering mind, which is very
helpful when studying and writing papers."

*The Nirvana Sessions - Spring 2010 Schedule
*January 19th - May 6th, Rice Memorial Chapel
http://wellness.rice.edu/nirvana.html*
*
Evening Nirvana: Tuesdays 5:00 - 5:20 pm
Noontime Nirvana (Live): Wednesdays 12:30 - 12:50 pm
Afternoon Nirvana: Thursdays 3:30 - 3:50 pm

Best wishes for well being in the New Year!

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9. It's only been a week of classes

Yeah we can't believe it either.

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Your secs (who love you lots),
Chethlyn