More websites.

Have nothing to do today? Why don't you expand your mind with these websites.

TED.com is the official website for the TED (technology, entertainment, design) conference. Here you will find some of the most intelligent people in the people in the world talk about various topics including TED, politics, culture, and the like. The lectures are not that long (about 20 minutes), so you can always watch them as a study break.

FORA.tv is a similar website with more lengthy discussions akin to those held at Penn. These are not as technologically based, but are great to watch anyway. They cover topics such as the economy, green technology, culture, and others. Check it out.

Deuces.

Summer opportunities.

I hope everyone is having an excellent week so far. Here are some links for your enjoyment. These are most applicable to undergraduates.

Are you an undergrad interested in your PhD? Then the McNair Scholars program might be right for you. Here you participate in a 6 week summer research program mentored by a faculty member. The research experience is one many great benefits of the program. The deadline for this is March 23, 2009.

Perhaps you are interested in working after graduation. The MLT prepration program may be of interest to you. Here you get summer workshops and training to become a leader in the business world and get an edge in the competitive market. This is wonderful for networking as well. This program is only open to rising juniors (Spring semester sophomores), but freshmen can apply for next year. The deadline for this is April 15, 2009.

Once again, the links:

McNair Scholars: http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/aap/mcnair/index.php

MLT Prep: http://www.ml4t.org/join/programs/prep

Deuces.

Some useful applications.

Spring Break is almost here, and so are the due dates for various due dates for projects and assignments. In the advent of long nights at the computer, let's save our eyes and time.

Courtesy of lifehacker.com comes F.lux an application that controls the brightness and tint of your monitor corresponding with the time of day. That way when the sun sets, the screen darkens slightly to match it. We don't have 18 hours of sunlight, so don't give your eyes that much.

Also from lifehacker.com comes E.gg Timer. It is a web application whereby you can set a countdown for whatever time you like. It is perfect for timing breaks or budgeting how much time you want to spend on an assignment.

The source websites:
F.lux
E.gg Timer

Happy studying, all.

Back to school tip

Welcome back to campus, all. Here is a tip to start the new semester well:

Add your schedule and office hours for classes now to a calendar before it gets too busy. That way you always know when and where to contact your professors and TAs. My current favorite is Google Calendar, but any work fine. Use a paper calendar if you are so inclined.

Register for the National Conference!

I am sure that most of you have registered for this year's National Convention in Las Vegas, but if you have not the early-bird registration fee is still in effect until Friday, January 16. Until the 16th registration will cost $105 after which will cost $140 through February 15th. If you miss that you will have to pay the on site price of $205. Registering early not only saves you money, but also allows the committees to make proper arrangements in order to make the event as pleasant as possible.

Register now!

Happy New Year!

On behalf of Penn NSBE, I would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy new year!

Academic Excellence

Hey everyone. It has been a while, hasn't it?

November is academic excellence month. That means it's time for an academic excellence post! I'll keep it short since everyone is studying right now. I know I have to get back to it myself!

This one is from Pick The Brain, a productivity blog.

Raising your GPA (and keeping it high).

Happy studying, everyone!