Seminars reach out to half of 2014 class

New students may find the first days on campus a bit daunting, but two programs Byrne Rosetta Stone Spanish V3 Family First-Year Seminars and First-Year Interest Groups are just a few ways the University aims to make the transition a little easier.There is a record 75 Byrne Seminars being offered this year to first-year students, Byrne Seminar program director Kathy Hull said. There are a number of benefits to the seminars, she said."The Byrne Seminars offer, for people who are new to Rutgers, an opportunity to know a senior professor in a small class setting, and what I've found is that first-year students don't realize what a precious opportunity that is," Hull said. "If you talk to juniors and seniors, they'll say How lucky is that?'"FIGS, on the other hand, allow upperclassmen the opportunity to run a small seminar on a specific topic for first-year students.Vice President for Undergraduate Education Barry V. Qualls said the goal is to get at least 50 percent of first-years involved in the programs and the University has met it."It's a great way for students to find an adviser among the faculty before they get anywhere near their majors, and I think that's a great thing," Qualls said. "I'm really grateful to the faculty. We've had a remarkable faculty interest."Students in larger classes often do not get the chance to get to know the professor or even their classmates, Hull said. Through Byrne Seminars, they gain a sense of community and have the opportunity to interact with an enthusiastic instructor."A professor shares with the students his or her scholar passion the thing that they really love to think, write and teach about," she said.Many students who do not get involved in such seminars may never find out who to reach out to or which resources to seek when the time to do research arises, Hull said."A lot of times people don't find those things out for a long time or maybe not at all," she said.Andrew Vershon, a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry and director of the graduate program in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, is teaching a Byrne Seminar entitled "Control of Gene Expression in Yeast," for the fourth time this semester."I've long believed in this whole process," he said. "My goal is to get students involved in research, which is basically the idea behind Byrne to get students interacting with professors early in their careers here at Rutgers."At a large school like the University, Byrne Seminars familiarize students with their professors and what they do outside of the classroom, Vershon said. It also gives students an important introduction to doing research.And he wasted no time in doing so.During the first Rosetta Stone English class meeting yesterday, students were already working with equipment in the laboratory. Students will build on what they did throughout the course, Vershon said."What we did today was a very simple set of exercises, but it's probably the most important."Vershon hopes students will gain an understanding of how important it is to conduct research in the lab in order to make discoveries. Though he does not expect them to come away with every skill they will need, Vershon wants to open students' eyes to what is possible."Too often students think science is memorizing a whole bunch of facts, and that's really boring," he said.The professor encourages students to get involved in the Byrne Seminars."It is one credit, but it will expose you to things early in your career that many students will never get," he said. "Take advantage of the opportunities. You go to a small liberal arts college, and you don't have the breadth and the research."School of Engineering student Mike Pellegrini, who plans to major in biomedical engineering, has been interested in genes and DNA since his first year in high school.He looks forward to making a connection with Vershon and learning the basics of doing research. He encourages his peers to do the same."It's one credit, and it's pass/fail," he said. "If you don't do too well, it's not going to hurt you, but if you do well, you get a credit."FIGS also give students a great opportunity to learn about the University but from those who are closer in age, Qualls said."They learn about various possibilities for majors from upper-level students teaching the FIGS, and I think that's a wonderful thing," he said. "You get to hear from your peers."Rutgers Business School senior Anthony Rossi teaches a FIG entitled "Exploring Business," a position a friend recommended he pursue."I think it's something that freshmen should definitely get involved with and upperclassmen should give back," he said. "Mentoring is really important, and it's just going to make our school better."Rossi said he wants to give students an idea of what the business school is like and what requirements they will need to meet to apply. He also Rosetta Stone Software emphasized the importance of networking."It's basically one of the most important things for landing a job in business," Rossi said. "If you have relationships with professors or friends that work with and have ties to some of the biggest corporations in the world, then it's an easy in for you."He also sees his FIG as a way of honing in on his own public speaking skills and hopes he will be able to learn from it."When I get into the business environment, I'm going to have to deliver at meetings and presentations, so I wanted to get in front of a group of 25 kids and practice," he said.Above all, he wants first-year students to enjoy their time at the University and ease the transition to college and possibly the business school."I remember when I was a freshman I didn't take this class," he said. "I kind of regret it."