SUMMER 2009

J U L Y 3 1 S T 2 0 0 9

V O L U M E I I S S U E 9

t h e N t h D e g r e e

pants this year is over one-

hundred students.

The General Assembly sessions of

the Council will resume on Tues-

day, September 1st, 2009, with

meetings scheduled every other

Tuesday, in Koldus, room 144.

The sessions are open for all

graduate and professional stu-

dents. Please visit our website for

meeting schedule, minutes, and

agenda.

The Graduate Student Council is

extending an invitation for you to

learn about its goals, programs,

and many opportunities for you to

make a difference on-campus. If

you have any comments or sug-

gestions, please do not hesitate

to contact us at gsc@tamu.edu.

At GSC, we work together,

we succeed together!

Husameddin AlMadani

GSC President

partment representative for the

council by visiting http://

gsc.tamu.edu.

Along with planning for next year,

the council has been, tirelessly,

working to ensure the success of

the inaugural Grad Camp, August

13-14. Grad Camp is an extended

orientation program for graduate

students. It is an opportunity for

incoming graduate students to

meet other grads, learn more

about life at Texas A&M Univer-

sity, and interact with student

leaders. The number of partici-

WO R K T O G E T H E R , S U C C E E D T O G E T H E R

Howdy!

On behalf of the 2009-2010

Executive Committee of the

Graduate Student Council, I

would like to welcome you to the

summer edition of the Nth De-

gree.

In this issue, you will learn more

about GSC Internal Committees

and explore several unique lead-

ership opportunities for you to

be involved in serving the gradu-

ate and professionals students

of Texas A&M.

The Executive Committee has

been working very hard this

summer to develop the 2009-

2010 plan for the Council, with

special emphasis on improving

communication with departmen-

tal representatives and the

graduate student body. I invite

you to email us any suggestions

or priorities you believe GSC

should consider for next year.

You can also identify your de-

Nth Degree is a monthly publication of the Graduate Student Council (GSC). Special Editions are published in the Win-

ter and Spring. It contains news related to graduate students at Texas A&M University and shares graduate student

achievements with the University community.

Articles for the Nth Degree are welcome from graduate students. Articles must include the name of the author to be

included in publication. GSC reserves the right to select and edit articles for clarity and length. All correspondence

with regards to the Nth Degree should be directed to: Surya Chaturvedla : nthdegree@gsc.tamu.edu

I N S I D E T H I S I N S I D E T H I S I N S I D E T H I S I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :I S S U E :I S S U E :I S S U E :

W E L C O M E N O T EW E L C O M E N O T EW E L C O M E N O T EW E L C O M E N O T E 1

I N T E R N A L C O M M II N T E R N A L C O M M II N T E R N A L C O M M II N T E R N A L C O M M I T -T -T -T -

T E E C H A I R ST E E C H A I R ST E E C H A I R ST E E C H A I R S 2

G S C 2 0 0 9G S C 2 0 0 9G S C 2 0 0 9G S C 2 0 0 9 ---- 2 0 1 0 E2 0 1 0 E2 0 1 0 E2 0 1 0 E X -X -X -X -

E C U T I V E C O U N C I LE C U T I V E C O U N C I LE C U T I V E C O U N C I LE C U T I V E C O U N C I L 2

I N T E R N A L C O M M II N T E R N A L C O M M II N T E R N A L C O M M II N T E R N A L C O M M I T -T -T -T -

T E E C H A I R ST E E C H A I R ST E E C H A I R ST E E C H A I R S 3

A G G I E N D A E V O R SA G G I E N D A E V O R SA G G I E N D A E V O R SA G G I E N D A E V O R S –––– A G G I E V I S I T A G G I E V I S I T A G G I E V I S I T A G G I E V I S I T C H AC H AC H AC H A P -P -P -P -

M A N , G R A D S T U D E N T S , M A N , G R A D S T U D E N T S , M A N , G R A D S T U D E N T S , M A N , G R A D S T U D E N T S , M A K E T R I P T O N A T I O N ’M A K E T R I P T O N A T I O N ’M A K E T R I P T O N A T I O N ’M A K E T R I P T O N A T I O N ’ S S S S

C A P I T A LC A P I T A LC A P I T A LC A P I T A L

4

A G G I E N D E A V O R SA G G I E N D E A V O R SA G G I E N D E A V O R SA G G I E N D E A V O R S –––– A G G I E T A K E A G G I E T A K E A G G I E T A K E A G G I E T A K E G R A DG R A DG R A DG R A D L I F EL I F EL I F EL I F E W I T H O U TW I T H O U TW I T H O U TW I T H O U T AAAA L A P -L A P -L A P -L A P -

T O PT O PT O PT O P . .. .. .. .

4

A G G I E N D A E V O R SA G G I E N D A E V O R SA G G I E N D A E V O R SA G G I E N D A E V O R S –––– A G G I E V I S I T A G G I E V I S I T A G G I E V I S I T A G G I E V I S I T F O U R F O U R F O U R F O U R

A G G I E S C O N N E C T I N G EA G G I E S C O N N E C T I N G EA G G I E S C O N N E C T I N G EA G G I E S C O N N E C T I N G E R -R -R -R -M A N Y A T A M E E T I N G O FM A N Y A T A M E E T I N G O FM A N Y A T A M E E T I N G O FM A N Y A T A M E E T I N G O F

N O B E L L A U R E A T E SN O B E L L A U R E A T E SN O B E L L A U R E A T E SN O B E L L A U R E A T E S

5

E V E N T S A U G U S TE V E N T S A U G U S TE V E N T S A U G U S TE V E N T S A U G U S T ––––

S E P T E M B E RS E P T E M B E RS E P T E M B E RS E P T E M B E R 6666

S T U D Y B R E A KS T U D Y B R E A KS T U D Y B R E A KS T U D Y B R E A K

15 reasons 15 reasons 15 reasons 15 reasons Why Grad Students Why Grad Students Why Grad Students Why Grad Students

Are Like CATSAre Like CATSAre Like CATSAre Like CATS

7

G S C G S C G S C G S C I n f o r m a t i o n & I n f o r m a t i o n & I n f o r m a t i o n & I n f o r m a t i o n &

R e t r e a t P h o t o sR e t r e a t P h o t o sR e t r e a t P h o t o sR e t r e a t P h o t o s 8

A G G I E N D A E V O R SA G G I E N D A E V O R SA G G I E N D A E V O R SA G G I E N D A E V O R S ––––

A G G I E R E S E A R C HA G G I E R E S E A R C HA G G I E R E S E A R C HA G G I E R E S E A R C H 5555

Page 2

A W A R D S C O M M I T T E E A W A R D S C O M M I T T E E

The GSC Awards Committee formed this summer

with the main purpose of administering monetary

travel grants of up to $500, per student, to Texas

A&M University graduate students for professional

development activities. Our committee is very

excited to start this program that we believe will

help to increase the exposure of our graduate

student’s research beyond the state level. We will

be offering awards every quarter for the upcoming

calendar year, and more information for students

interested in applying can be found at our website

(gsc.tamu.edu/travelawards). To be eligible for GSC

Travel awards, your department must be in good

standing with the GSC, which means your department

has a representative who attends regularly. If you

want to apply for the travel awards, but find your de-

partment is not eligible, we invite you to volunteer to

serve as your department’s representative to the GSC.

The Awards Committee will also be responsible for

recognizing organizations and individuals who display

outstanding service to the GSC at our Spring Awards

and Recognition Banquet. Holly GibbsHolly GibbsHolly GibbsHolly Gibbs

Hometown: Hometown: Hometown: Hometown: Houston, TX

College: College: College: College: Look College of Engi-

neering

Degree: Degree: Degree: Degree: PhD, Biomedical Engi-

neering

M A R K E T I N G A N D C O M M U NM A R K E T I N G A N D C O M M U N I C A T I O N S I C A T I O N S

The GSC Marketing and Communications Commit-

tee focuses on taking the GSC to every graduate

student of Texas A&M. Our aim is to convey infor-

mation about the latest events in TAMU and how it

affects you. We look to provide you with means to

voice your opinion, and share your experiences with

the Graduate Community. We create and edit vari-

ous GSC publications and material, the Nth Degree

being one such. It is published every month and

electronically published at http://gsc.tamu.edu/

publications. We also create various other plat-

forms for communication on the web, the GSC web-

site, our Facebook group, our Twitter account,

which are maintained and updated regularly. We

also look to conduct various fun competitions and

socials for Grad students, where you connect with

other Aggies and get a glimpse of the Spirit of Aggie-

land, outside of your lab! Our current goals also in-

clude developing a quarterly marketing strategy that

focuses on one major issue at a time, developing the

history for GSC and the campaign initiative for GSC

15th Anniversary. We are looking for Grads who would

like to be a part of the Marketing & Communications

Committee. Those of you interested in web designing

and web site management can contact me, Chaturv-

edla.surya@gmail.com. I look forward to your partici-

pation, feedback, articles and your ideas. Gig ’em!

Surya ChaturvedlaSurya ChaturvedlaSurya ChaturvedlaSurya Chaturvedla

Hometown: Hometown: Hometown: Hometown: Hyderabad, Indi

College: College: College: College: Look College of Engi-

neering

Degree: Degree: Degree: Degree: MS, Mechanical Engineering

Internal Committees were

established to ensure that

certain key issues that

affect graduate students

are addressed by the

administration.

I N T E R N A L C O MM I T T E E C H A I R S

G S C 2 0 0 9G S C 2 0 0 9G S C 2 0 0 9 --- 2 0 1 0 E X E C U T2 0 1 0 E X E C U T2 0 1 0 E X E C U T I V E I V E I V E C O U N C I L C O U N C I L C O U N C I L

PresidentPresidentPresidentPresident

Executive Vice PresidentExecutive Vice PresidentExecutive Vice PresidentExecutive Vice President

Vice President for FinanceVice President for FinanceVice President for FinanceVice President for Finance

Vice President for InformationVice President for InformationVice President for InformationVice President for Information

Vice President for University AffairsVice President for University AffairsVice President for University AffairsVice President for University Affairs

Awards Committee ChairAwards Committee ChairAwards Committee ChairAwards Committee Chair

Marketing & Communications ChairMarketing & Communications ChairMarketing & Communications ChairMarketing & Communications Chair

Multicultural & Diversity Affairs ChairMulticultural & Diversity Affairs ChairMulticultural & Diversity Affairs ChairMulticultural & Diversity Affairs Chair

Legislative Affairs Committee ChairLegislative Affairs Committee ChairLegislative Affairs Committee ChairLegislative Affairs Committee Chair

Graduate Quality of Life Committee ChairGraduate Quality of Life Committee ChairGraduate Quality of Life Committee ChairGraduate Quality of Life Committee Chair

Husameddin AlMadani

Laura Ingels

Natalie Hewitt

Brittany Jones

Julian Avila-Pacheco

Holly Gibbs

Surya Chaturvedla

Feyza Berber

Kathryn Brady

Katherine Prem

Advisor: Advisor: Advisor: Advisor:

Stefanie Stefancic

Student Assistant: Student Assistant: Student Assistant: Student Assistant:

Autumn Gardner

Student Research Week:Student Research Week:Student Research Week:Student Research Week:

Sarah Jaks

Past President: Past President: Past President: Past President:

Tracey Wellington

This committee reaches out to the diverse graduate

student body to identify and address their unique

needs and concerns. MDAC engages with the related

Texas A&M University entities such as the ISS, GLBT

Resource Center, Multicultural Services offices, VP for

Global Initiatives, and VP for Diversity for this purpose.

Another important task of the MDAC is to keep the

diverse graduate student body apprised of not only

pertinent information but also of their rights.

In 2009, MDAC aims to reach out to more organiza-

tions within the University and to increase their partici-

pation in the GSC.

We will focus on

Page 3

M U L T I C U L T U R A L & D I V EM U L T I C U L T U R A L & D I V E R S I T Y A F F A I R S R S I T Y A F F A I R S

making the diverse graduate student body more

visible and more appreciated by the TAMU and B/

CS community. A main project of MDAC in 2009 is

to develop and launch a ‘diversity training’ program

that focuses on identifying, addressing and elimi-

nating prejudices and misunderstandings between

the University staff and the diverse graduate stu-

dent population. We will work with relevant univer-

sity offices and other interested parties for the reali-

zation and acceptance of this training program.

Multicultural and Diversity Affairs committee wel-

comes all the graduate students to share their

ideas and to help realize its projects.

Feyza BerberFeyza BerberFeyza BerberFeyza Berber

Hometown: Hometown: Hometown: Hometown: Istanbul, Turkey

College: College: College: College: Look College of Engi-

neering

Degree: Degree: Degree: Degree: PhD in Electrical

Engineering

L E G I S L A T I V E A F F A I R SL E G I S L A T I V E A F F A I R S

Hometown: Hometown: Hometown: Hometown: Marble Falls, TX

College: College: College: College: Agriculture & Life Sciences

Degree: Degree: Degree: Degree: M.S, Agriculture in Rangeland

Ecology & Management

The Legislative Committee is planning

on compiling a list of actions that are

relevant to graduate students at Texas

A&M to be taken before the Texas

Legislature in the following year. As

well as suggesting improvements to

the functioning of the GSC. This

committee will also be participat-

ing in the 2nd Day on the Hill. If you

would like to be a part of this com-

mittee and participate in compiling

and implementing plans to im-

prove the life of the graduate stu-

dent at Texas A&M on the univer-

sity, state, and national levels

please feel free to express your

interest in joining this committee. Kathryn BradyKathryn BradyKathryn BradyKathryn Brady

issues in order to enhance the quality of graduate stu-

dents alongside the university administration.

The graduate quality of Life oversees the workings of

the working groups namely, Financial, Career Aware-

ness, Health, Health/Safety, and Well-Being, Transpor-

tation. With the help of these working groups, the

graduate quality of life internal committee aims to help

in the implementation of university wide policies that

are beneficial for improving the overall quality of life

and academic progress of all TAMU graduate students.

All interested graduate students who want to serve on

anyone of the working groups or directly in the internal

committee should contact the graduate quality of life

committee chair directly.

Katherine PremKatherine PremKatherine PremKatherine Prem

Hometown: Hometown: Hometown: Hometown: Bangalore,

India

CollegeCollegeCollegeCollege: Look College of

Engineering

Degree: Degree: Degree: Degree: PhD in Chemical

Engineering

This internal committee exits for ensuring quality

academic experience in terms of education, re-

search and financial support to all current and pro-

spective graduate students. The graduate quality of

life also addresses matters outside the academic

experience such as proper student health insurance,

personal and family welfare, social life, personal

budget, child care, etc which are pertinent to en-

hancing graduate student experience in Texas A&M

University.

This committee seeks to highlight issues that affect

the quality of graduate student life and recommends

changes for improvement. It identifies graduate stu-

dent stipend levels, health care issues and safety

G R A D U A T E Q U A L I T Y O F G R A D U A T E Q U A L I T Y O F L I F EL I F E

I N T E R N A L C O MM I T T E E C H A I R S

GSC encourages involvement by

participating in departmental

elections, by serving as a

r ep r e s en t a t i ve o f you r

department or by becoming a

GSC officer. The general

meetings are held every FIRST FIRST FIRST

and THIRD TUESDAY of and THIRD TUESDAY of and THIRD TUESDAY of

each month at 5:30 pm, each month at 5:30 pm, each month at 5:30 pm,

Koldus Room 144 Koldus Room 144 Koldus Room 144 and everyone

interested is free to come. Our

hope is that you take full

advantage of our resources and

by attending meetings you can

provide information, insight,

complaints, or just voice what is

on your mind.

by Carol Trono,

College of Geosciences

Oceanography Department Head Piers

Chapman, Ph.D. student Ruth Mullins,

and Geology Ph.D. student Clay Bowden,

traveled to Washington D.C. on April 28-

29 to thank Congress for recent legisla-

tion that funded research and develop-

ment projects at academic institutions

across the nation.

The trio joined 200 scientists, engineers,

and business leaders who visited Capitol

Hill as part of the fourteenth

“Congressional Visits Day,” an annual

event sponsored by the Science-

Engineering-Technology Work Group of

the American Geophysical Union (AGU).

This work group is an information network

comprising professional, scientific, and

engineering societies, institutions of

higher learning, and trade associations.

The Work Group is concerned with the

future vitality of the U.S. science, mathe-

matics, and engineering enterprise.

While visiting offices of various Senators,

Chapman, Mullins, and Bowden discussed

the importance of the nation’s broad portfolio

of investments in science, engineering, and

technology to the promotion of prosperity and

innovation in the US.

They also provided a constituent perspective

on the impact of these programs and their

significance to TAMU, citing particularly cur-

rent work as part of the Integrated Ocean

Drilling Program (IODP) and on the hypoxic

region in the Gulf of Mexico. Mullins also re-

ported on her outreach as part of the Partner-

ship for Environmental Education and Rural

Health program (PEER), a National Science

Foundation Teaching Fellowship.

"Funding for science doesn't just happen,”

Chapman said, “it requires lobbying in the

same way as we see industry lobby for favor-

able treatment. While groups such as AGU can

assist, having scientists and students explain

to their local politicians how science funding

affects them personally provides a much

stronger advocacy."

Washington’s ongoing commitment to re-

search and development, and programs like

PEER, has led to huge advancements. Some

argue that more than 50% of all industrial in-

novation and growth in the US since World War

II can be attributed to advances pioneered

through publicly funded research and develop-

ment.

Additional information can be found online at

http://www.setcvd.org.

A G G I E V I S I T S : A G G I E V I S I T S : C H A P M A N , G R A D S T U D E NC H A P M A N , G R A D S T U D E N T S , T S ,

M A K E T R I P T O N A T I O N ’M A K E T R I P T O N A T I O N ’ S C A P I T A LS C A P I T A L

Page 4

Visitors pose under the dome of the Cannon Senate

Building: (l to r) Clark Weaver, University of Maryland;

Piers Chapman, TAMU; Villi Kourafalou, University of

Miami; Ruth Mullins, TAMU; Jessica Ali-Adeeb, Chevron;

and Stephen Bowden, TAMU.

aggiENDEAVORS

A G G I E T A K E : A G G I E T A K E : G R A D L I F E W I T H O U T A L A P T O P . . .G R A D L I F E W I T H O U T A L A P T O P . . . My laptop crashed.

To a graduate student, this feels like a part of him has been ripped off and thrown into the worst corner of hell. That’s the horror which I was

pushed into last February. When HP told me that getting my laptop fixed would cost me around $450, I had to opt for buying a new one in-

stead. While saving the money required, I started realizing what the world felt like without a laptop. Some instances,

By Sujeevraja Sanjeevi,

Look College of Engineering

• I don’t hunt for a movie and watch it solely

because I haven’t seen it yet.

• I don’t watch Friends 5 times a day.

• I eat, sleep and shower. Every day.

• I don’t dream of mines blowing up in a

window at night (minesweeping).

• I actually get a lot more work done, thanks

to my newfound regularity and order.

• The first thing I do each morning is brush

my teeth, not check email.

• I don’t care about the price of every elec-

tronic gadget on eBay and a million other

websites every other minute.

• I don’t care if there’s a discount on a flight

from Tampa to New York on Feb 15, 2011.

• I don’t check email every 60 seconds.

I’m ordering a Dell XPS M1550 equipped with an Nvidia Geforce graphics card next week.

Page 5

By Vincent J. Venditto and Brandi Kiel Reese, Dept. of Oceanography,

College of Geosciences.

The 59th Annual Lindau Meeting of

Nobel Laureates was held at Lindau am

Bodensee on Lake Constance in Ger-

many from 27th June - 3rd July. In at-

tendance were 23 Nobel Laureates and

583 selected young researchers from

67 countries, including 70 students

from the US. Prior to the conference the US delegation convened in

Washington, D.C. for meetings at the Department of Energy with the

funding agencies: National Institutes of Health, National Science

Foundation, Department of Energy, Oak Ridge Associated Universities

and MARS Inc. The conference was started by Count Leonart Bernad-

otte in 1951 as an effort to bring together Nobel Laureates and stu-

dents/young scientists in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. The

focus of each year’s meeting rotates between Physiology/Medicine,

Physics, and Chemistry as well as a jubilee meeting featuring a com-

bination of the three, which will take place next in 2010. This year’s

meeting was dedicated to chemistry; however, the focus of the con-

ference was global warming and the progress being made toward

renewable resources. Daily lectures and discussion sessions by the

Nobel Laureates gave the students a glimpse into their lives as lau-

reates, scientists, artists and most importantly down to earth peo-

ple. Highlights of the

conference included

many one-on-one inter-

actions with the laure-

ates, lunches with other

delegations, a tradi-

tional Bavarian get-

together, a concert by

the Verbier Festival

Youth Orchestra and a 2

hour cruise to the island of Mainau to visit the palace and botanical

gardens of the Bernadotte family. Texas A&M University was well

represented among the delegation with two current graduate stu-

dents, Brandi Kiel Reese of oceanography and Vincent J. Venditto of

chemistry, and two former students Ashley Leonard, class of ‘05 and

Garry “Smitty” Grubbs, class of ‘06.

Reese is the former Executive Vice President of the Gradu-

ate Student Council —Editor

A G G I E V I S I T S : A G G I E V I S I T S : F O U R A G G I E S C O N N E C T F O U R A G G I E S C O N N E C T I N G E R M A N Y I N G E R M A N Y

A T M E E T I N G O F N O B E L L A U R E A T E SA T M E E T I N G O F N O B E L L A U R E A T E S

Pictured (left to right): Smitty Grubbs, Ashley

Leonard, Brandi Reese, Vincent Venditto ,

Texas A&M University.

aggiENDEAVORS

By Victor Hugo Carreto Vazquez,

Look College of Engineering

This research aims to develop

thick-membrane-based micro

calorimeters that can be applied

to perform thermal screening on

highly energetic materials includ-

ing explosive substances. The

goal is to design, fabricate and test a prototype

that can be operated at temperatures up to

500oC to satisfy the requirements for the thermal

screening of highly energetic materials. The mi-

cro calorimeter developed here should enable

safe thermal characterizations of hazardous ma-

terials and offer the capability of conducting ther-

mal analyses in reduced periods of time, at low

cost. The micro calorimeter design should also

enable its use in portable devices for field appli-

cations. In terms of the advantages offered by

the proposed system: 1) The proposed device will

increase the efficacy to detect explosives by in-

creasing the spectrum of detectable materials

because this method is not based on searching a

specific functional group associated with an explo-

sive, but on the determination of the energy that

can be potentially released regardless of its compo-

sition; 2) because the size of the micro calorimeter

will be radically smaller it will facilitate portability

for easy deployment in field applications; 3) its

cost (including hardware) will be lower than other

traditional DSC instruments; 4) the data obtained

with the device will be easy to interpret, reducing

the time and resources required for training person-

nel 5) the reduced amount of sample required for

the analysis will enable inherently safe operation of

the equipment during the screening of energetic

materials in terms of preventing potential damage

to the equipment and operator.

A G G I E R E S E A R C H : A G G I E R E S E A R C H : D E S I G N A N D O P E R A T I O N O F D E S I G N A N D O P E R A T I O N O F

M E M B R A N E M I C R OM E M B R A N E M I C R O -- C A L O RC A L O R I M E T E R S F O R T H E R M A L I M E T E R S F O R T H E R M A L

S C R E E N I N G O F H I G H L Y E N E R G E T I C M A T E R I A L S S C R E E N I N G O F H I G H L Y E N E R G E T I C M A T E R I A L S

Page 6

AUGUSTAUGUSTAUGUSTAUGUST

8/6, Thursday

$1 T$1 T$1 T$1 T----Shirt Sale Shirt Sale Shirt Sale Shirt Sale 7am @ REC

8/13, Thursday– 8/14, Friday

Grad CampGrad CampGrad CampGrad Camp

8/13, Thursday

The Next Tradition Graduation PartyThe Next Tradition Graduation PartyThe Next Tradition Graduation PartyThe Next Tradition Graduation Party

http://www.aggienetwork.com/Events/

tnt.aspx

8/14, Friday

Commencement and CommissioningCommencement and CommissioningCommencement and CommissioningCommencement and Commissioning

http://graduation.tamu.edu/

8/21, Friday

New Graduate Student OrientationNew Graduate Student OrientationNew Graduate Student OrientationNew Graduate Student Orientation

http://ogs.tamu.edu/orientation/live/

8/23, Sunday

MoveMoveMoveMove----InInInIn

http://transport.tamu.edu/specialevents/

move.aspx

8/23, Sunday– 30, Sunday

Gig 'Em Week: Aggieland's Week of Wel-Gig 'Em Week: Aggieland's Week of Wel-Gig 'Em Week: Aggieland's Week of Wel-Gig 'Em Week: Aggieland's Week of Wel-

come come come come

http://studentlife.tamu.edu/nsp/GEW.html

8/24, Monday– 8/25, Tuesday

Gig 'Em Week Freshman Canoe Day Trips Gig 'Em Week Freshman Canoe Day Trips Gig 'Em Week Freshman Canoe Day Trips Gig 'Em Week Freshman Canoe Day Trips

http://recsports.tamu.edu/programs/

outdoor_adventures/schedule/

8/25, Tuesday– 8/27, Thursday

57th fall Leadership Conference57th fall Leadership Conference57th fall Leadership Conference57th fall Leadership Conference

http://www.mscc.tamu.edu/events/

show/5070

8/28, Friday

New Graduate Student OrientationNew Graduate Student OrientationNew Graduate Student OrientationNew Graduate Student Orientation

http://ogs.tamu.edu/orientation/live/

Aggieland Market 2009Aggieland Market 2009Aggieland Market 2009Aggieland Market 2009

9 am - 3 pm @ Academic Plaza

http://studentlife.tamu.edu/agoss

8/31, Monday

Hola DayHola DayHola DayHola Day

10 am - 2 pm @ Koldus 111

http://www.mscc.tamu.edu/happening/

Maroon Out TMaroon Out TMaroon Out TMaroon Out T----shirt Sales shirt Sales shirt Sales shirt Sales

SEPTEMBERSEPTEMBERSEPTEMBERSEPTEMBER

9/1, Tuesday

GSC General AssemblyGSC General AssemblyGSC General AssemblyGSC General Assembly

5:30 pm @ Koldus 1445:30 pm @ Koldus 1445:30 pm @ Koldus 1445:30 pm @ Koldus 144

Silver TapsSilver TapsSilver TapsSilver Taps

10:30 pm - 11:00 pm @ Academic Building

9/4, Friday

First Midnight Yell Practice First Midnight Yell Practice First Midnight Yell Practice First Midnight Yell Practice

With Jeff Dunham @ Kyle Field

Aggie Nights* (every friday) Aggie Nights* (every friday) Aggie Nights* (every friday) Aggie Nights* (every friday) 8 pm– 12 am

9/6, Sunday

MSC Fall Open HouseMSC Fall Open HouseMSC Fall Open HouseMSC Fall Open House

1pm-5pm @ Rec Sorts Center

9/12, Saturday– 9/13, Sunday

Conference: Economic Issues Affecting His-Conference: Economic Issues Affecting His-Conference: Economic Issues Affecting His-Conference: Economic Issues Affecting His-

panic American Communitiespanic American Communitiespanic American Communitiespanic American Communities

9/15, Monday

GSC General AssemblyGSC General AssemblyGSC General AssemblyGSC General Assembly

5:30 pm @ Koldus 1445:30 pm @ Koldus 1445:30 pm @ Koldus 1445:30 pm @ Koldus 144

9/18, Friday

Midnight Yell Practice Midnight Yell Practice Midnight Yell Practice Midnight Yell Practice @ Kyle Field

Aggie Ring DayAggie Ring DayAggie Ring DayAggie Ring Day

3 pm @ Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center

http://www.aggienetwork.com/Events/

RingDay.aspx

9/20, Sunday

Kyle Field RecyclingKyle Field RecyclingKyle Field RecyclingKyle Field Recycling

9/24, Thursday

Hierth Lecture "Explaining the Humanities"Hierth Lecture "Explaining the Humanities"Hierth Lecture "Explaining the Humanities"Hierth Lecture "Explaining the Humanities"

3:00 pm @ Rudder 301

9/25, Friday

Midnight Yell Practice Midnight Yell Practice Midnight Yell Practice Midnight Yell Practice @ Kyle Field

9/29, Tuesday

The Ahn Trio The Ahn Trio The Ahn Trio The Ahn Trio ---- OPAS OPAS OPAS OPAS

7:30 pm - 9:30 pm @ Rudder Auditorium

Subscriptions: To subscribe to the electronic monthly newsletter send an

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subscribe GSC-NTHD Firstname Lastname (Firstname and Lastname is your

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E V E N T SE V E N T S

15. They are your friends if you feed them.

14. They both could care less about (insert anything here)

13. You get looks like "and you are?", "this concerns me how?", "am I under

arrest, can I go now?" ,and duuuude!" from them at least once a day.

12. They both tend to collapse in the middle of rooms due to alcohol

and/or a warm sunbeam.

11. They both represent anarchy in its most creative form

10. They can sleep just about anywhere

9. They talk to you and you can't understand what they are saying.

8. They have their own set of morals

7. Both can sleep or otherwise ignore you while you are talking to them.

6. The idea of movement horrifies them

5. They follow instructions……... if they feel like it.

4. Both hide when something big and noisy (vacuum cleaner or supervisor) comes into their vicinity.

3. They eat some of the most disgusting things (free food).

2. They are creatures of the night.

1. They tend to run amok in the apartment/house for no apparent reason in short bursts of frenzy,

followed by dormancy.

1 5 R e a s o n s 1 5 R e a s o n s WH Y G R A D U A T E S T U D E N T S A R E L I K E C A T SW H Y G R A D U A T E S T U D E N T S A R E L I K E C A T S

Page 7

AV E R A G E T I M E S P E N T CA V E R A G E T I M E S P E N T C O M P O S I N G 1 EO M P O S I N G 1 E -- M A I LM A I L

* w w w . p h d c o m i c s . c o m

*http://www.xs4all.nl/~jcdverha/scijokes/8_7.html#subindex

STUDY BREAKSTUDY BREAK

The Graduate Student Council (GSC),

serving as the graduate student gov-

ernment at Texas A&M University,

exists to share and discuss informa-

tion important to all TAMU graduate

and professional students and to ad-

vocate for their interests in dealing

with the University, its constituents,

and all other appropriate entities.

A G r a d u a t e S t u d e n t P u b l i c a t i o n A G r a d u a t e S t u d e n t P u b l i c a t i o n

133 John J. Koldus Building

1236 TAMU

College Station, TX 77843-1236

Phone: 979-862-1974

Fax: 979-845-6138

President: GSCPresident@tamu.edu

Executive Committee: gsc@tamu.edu

Internal Committee Chairs: committees@gsc.tamu.edu

G R A D U A T E S T U D E N T C O U N C I LG R A D U A T E S T U D E N T C O U N C I L

T E X A S A & M U N I V E R S I T Y

We are on the Web!

http://gsc.tamu.edu/

G S C E x e c u t i v e

C o u n c i l

R e t r e a t - M a y 2 0 0 9