2012 Rackham Summer Institute Participants
This is my first year here in my role as director, and now I understand why people kept telling me that summer is the busiest time—and probably the most enjoyable. The staff in Graduate Student Success is responsible for two large summer programs, one for undergraduates and one for incoming graduate students, the Summer Institute.
Known as SI to all involved, this program has been a fixture at Rackham during the summers since 1989. In the past enrollment was limited to about 50, but Dean Weiss decided it should be open to all eligible students who wanted to attend. This year we have 103 students in SI and that’s become typical for the program. And they keep us busy!
SI offers an accelerated entry into graduate programs for newly admitted recipients of Rackham Merit Fellowships (RMF), Rackham Engineering Awards (REA), Rackham Science Awards (RSA), and Rackham Merit Fellowship students in Education, Psychology, and in the Program in Biomedical Sciences (PIBS).
Participants have the option of coursework in humanities research methodology, laboratory research and research ethics, languages, mathematics, or social science research methodology—whichever provides the best preparation for the student’s field of interest. In addition to coursework they are attending weekly seminars that address issues common to all graduate students and provide an advanced look at the real nature of graduate education. Over the summer, they’ll also have the opportunity to build networks within and across departments, throughout campus and the Ann Arbor community by participating in a variety of formal and informal events sponsored by Rackham and SI alumni.
The program began on June 14 and ends on August 7 with the Summer Institute Research Symposium from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. here in the Rackham Building. Each year this Symposium provides the first opportunity for these new U-M graduate students to take part in a professional conference. Students will give both poster and oral presentations highlighting the research activity they pursued during the summer term.
Published in: Graduate School News
Keywords: students research rackham professional development phd academics