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by Alex Bybee Alex Bybee is currently the Vice President for ASUN, the student government at the University of Nevada, and he has had a busy semester at Nevada implementing a new internship program for students. Alex followed an interest in politics, which developed during his time in high school in Las Vegas, to Northern Nevada where he could go to college and be close to our state capitol, Carson City.  Bybee was part of the Nevada Youth Legislature and worked with a state legislator to represent the non-voting constituents in his district.  Being involved with student government and club activities at Nevada has helped Alex develop his interest in politics while connecting with students. In his first semester at Nevada, Alex attended a Student Senate meeting where he learned that there was an opening in the ASUN Legislative Affairs Department for a student worker. He saw this as a perfect opportunity to build upon his passion of politics and continue to learn about the political system as he had with the Nevada Youth Legislature program.  As a sophomore Alex had the opportunity to become the director of Legislative Affairs for the Associated Students of the University of Nevada, and the connections he developed in the position combined with the skills he developed leading a team of students prepared him to run for Vice President. Pack Internship Grant Program While campaigning with Jake Pereira and talking to students, Alex had the idea of finding a way to use money directed towards ASUN from a $5/credit tuition fee that students are already paying, to open up new internship opportunities. The Pack Internship Grant Program is what grew from Alex’s idea on the campaign. This year the program will open up with $30,000 to provide for 21 internships for students with companies in the Reno area. Internships will be with local non-profits, state agencies, and local companies to provide a variety of work and professional experience for students who are looking to get a foot in the door. By working with the Career Center on campus, Alex and ASUN were able to find great internship positions for students where they would be doing meaningful work to develop skills, and truly learn about themselves and potential careers. Links from the Show Nevada Career Studio: http://www.unr.edu/career Pack Intersnhip Grant Program http://www.unr.edu/career/pack-internships ASUN Legislative Affairs: http://www.nevadaasun.com/get-involved/legislative-affairs.html Beta Sandwi

by Ashley Garcia & Nick Lape: Relay for Life   Relay for Life is the largest fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, with hundreds of Relay events held all across the country each year. Most relays are 24 hours, but here at Nevada the Relay for Life Committee, a student led club, holds a 12 hour event inside Mackay Stadium.  Teams form and come together following the slogan, “Cancer never sleeps, so neither should we” and for twelve hours the teams set up camp along the track and have fun games, educational displays, or even food and drinks while at least one team member goes around the track. This year’s Relay for Life will be held April 24th, 2015. Nick found the event almost by chance one year when he and some friends where walking by the track during Relay for Life. Nick paid the $9 entrance fee, and ended up walking around the track for 9 hours that night. He made a point to return to the event the following year, and after seeing how important the event was for the people attending who had lost a loved one to cancer, Nick asked what he needed to do to get involved. This is Ashley’s fourth year being a part of the Relay for Life club, which has become a bit of a tradition for her family. Her brother served as a chair of the club four years ago, and helped her find her way to get engaged.  She has held many positions within the club, starting out with recruiting and using her outgoing personality to her advantage, to focusing on fundraising, and now focusing on creating a comfortable and supportive environment for everyone at the event. Links from the show: American Cancer Society University of Nevada Relay for Life: http://relay.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=66134 Wolf Pack Relay Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/packrelay?fref=ts Clockwise Podcast: http://www.techhive.com/column/clockwise by The post Relay for Life – Ashley Garcia & Nick Lape – Episode #21 appeared first on Smart Students Podcast » Students Engaging Students. The post Relay for Life – Ashley Garcia & Nick Lape – Episode #21 appeared first on Smart Students Podcast » Students Engaging Students.

by Thomas Snider Tom Snider is the manager of the Wolf Pack Radio Studio at the University of Nevada, Reno. He first found the radio station when he came to the University for orientation. His guide for the day had a radio show, and he made a special trip with the group to see the station. Two months later during the club fair day Tom met a group of students from the radio station, and jumped in asking how he could get involved. His opportunity came as the hip-hop dj for the station, and he was always looking for ways to do more for the station. He first applied for the blog editor position as a freshman, but wasn’t selected. Tom stuck around and continued to attend every dj meeting, and was selected for a new position as the hip-hop music director the following semester. Since then he has continued to grow, continued to learn, and continued to have more opportunities through Wolf Pack Radio. Under Tom’s leadership the studio has grown from 15 dj’s to 55. Shows were shorted to one hour each, to provide more students the opportunity to play the music they want, and to practice producing radio shows.  The station is all about local and underground music, and helping students find new music and artists that typically would not be played on other radio stations. Links from the Show: Wolf Pack Radio: Wolfpackradio.org Wolf Pack Radio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wolf-Pack-Radio/305097606168000?sk=photos_stream&tab=photos_albums Wolf Pack Radio Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/wolf-pack-radio Casino Hearts: http://casinohearts.bandcamp.com/ Guest #14 Leona Novio, Brushfire Literary Arts Journal http://smartstudentspodcast.com/wordpress/guest-14-leona-novio-nevada-brushfire/ Guest #4 Chris Boline, Nevada Sagebrush http://smartstudentspodcast.com/wordpress/chris-boline/ by The post Tom Snider – Wolf Pack Radio – Guest #20 appeared first on Smart Students Podcast » Students Engaging Students. The post Tom Snider – Wolf Pack Radio – Guest #20 appeared first on Smart Students Podcast » Students Engaging Students.

by Nevada Concrete Canoe Nevada Concrete Canoe The Concrete Canoe team formed at Nevada in 2006, and since then has finished in the top 5 nationally in every year since 2007, with two national championships in 2008 and 2013. The team is comprised mostly of engineering students at Nevada, but anyone is able to help the team build the canoe. The team is comprised of senior leadership with students leading separate divisions of the team, each specializing and organizing different aspects of the team. This year there are 12 students working on building the canoe and eventually competing for a second national championship. The Competition is set up as a mock bid for a company that wants to produce a concrete canoe. Teams compile a proposal and build their canoe as a prototype for the mock bid. The teams are judged on four aspects of their design, planning, and building process. There is a presentation portion, a technical paper, canoe races, and the design and presentation of the canoe. The competition is meant to multiple areas to emphasize student well roundedness by combining the athletic component of racing the canoes with writing and presentation skills as well as the manufacture of the ultimate product. Wes Munson, Kristen Kramer, and Evan Jordan have all been part of the team before, and are now in leadership positions. There are five management subdivisions: construction manager, mix design manager, aesthetic design manager, safety manager, and junior project manager. Roughly 200 schools participate in the ASCE Concrete Canoe Challenge each year in one of 18 regional divisions. Teams have to win their regional competition to move on to the national competition.  Nevada has placed in the top 5 every year since 2008, and is hoping for another great performance this year. This year’s casting day (the day the concrete mix is poured/placed around the frame and form of the canoe) will be November 22nd.  The team is encouraging all students to come out and give the team a hand. Students do not have to be from a specific major to help out. The casting day is a great chance to see all the behind the scenes products and assembly of the canoe, and help out a possible future national champion team. Links from the show: Nevada Concrete Canoe Pack Pride Page: http://www.unr.edu/pride/concrete-canoe ASCE National Concrete Canoe Competition: http://www.asce.org/concretecanoe/ Past year’s performances: http://www.asce.org/past-years/ Concrete Canoe Facebook: ht

by Nick Paasche Nicholas Paasche came across the country from the University of South Florida where he studied Geology, to Nevada where he is now pursuing a M.S. in Hydrogeological Science.  Nick found a passion for geology in Florida, and came to Nevada because we have a great hydrogeology program, and are located in a part of the country that is more attractive on a rock basis for geologists.  Nick and I talk about the growing importance of water rights in the Western United States, and what the future looks like for hydrologists and people working in hydrology and hydrogeology fields. The Student World Water Forum is a free professional conference for all graduate and undergraduate students from any major. The forum is aimed towards any water issue, and participants will give oral presentations about water issues on local, national, and international levels.  Nick emphasized that the talks are very accessible for students from any major, and that there is no need to be a geology, hydrology, or science student to understand the presentations. Links from the show: Student World Water Forum about page: http://www.cabnr.unr.edu/swwf/ Nevada Graduate Program of Hydrologic Sciences: http://www.hydro.unr.edu/home/ Albuquerque’s Water Supply: http://www.challenge.nm.org/archive/00-01/finalreports/013/ http://www.cabq.gov/community-services/environment-and-health/water Lake Tahoe’s Clarity: http://keeptahoeblue.org/protect/water/ http://www.tahoefund.org/about-tahoe/recreational-paradise/ by The post Nicholas Paasche – SWWF – Guest #18 appeared first on Smart Students Podcast » Students Engaging Students. The post Nicholas Paasche – SWWF – Guest #18 appeared first on Smart Students Podcast » Students Engaging Students.

by Erik Cadaret Erik Cadaret came to the University of Nevada after completing an Undergraduate degree in Geology at Cal State Fullerton. The hydrology department here at Nevada recruited Erik because of his senior thesis which focused on hydrogeology during his undergraduate studies. He was impressed by the school, knew that our hydrology program is among the 10 best in the nation, and wanted to be part of the Student Association for International Water Issues after he attended the SAIWI banquet. As one of the two co-presidents of SAIWI, Erik has worked to bring awareness to international water issues through the Student World Water Forum, he has organized trips to send students to work on international water projects, and has hosted events such as a manual well drilling workshop and the annual African Dinner Fundraiser. Erik has been interested is working abroad and helping people since a trip to Thailand as an undergraduate. When he and the people he traveled with came across a well filled with trash, Erik saw an opportunity to help people, and work on projects that would improve the lives of many. SAIWI has allowed Erik to travel abroad and focus on improving people’s water usage, knowledge, and sanitation. Links from the show: SAIWI home page: saiwi.org Student World Water Forum: http://www.cabnr.unr.edu/swwf/ Hydrology at Nevada: http://www.hydro.unr.edu/home/ Dr. Laurel Saito: http://www.cabnr.unr.edu/Saito/ Ocean Currents Podcast: http://cordellbank.noaa.gov/education/radioshow.html by The post Erik Cadaret SAIWI – Guest #17 appeared first on Smart Students Podcast » Students Engaging Students. The post Erik Cadaret SAIWI – Guest #17 appeared first on Smart Students Podcast » Students Engaging Students.

by Jaclyn Fisher Music has been an important part of Jaclyn Fisher’s life since the fifth grade, and has continued to be a big influence into her third year of college.   Music and being part of the marching band has helped her connect to leadership at the university, and gives her a unique way to express herself.  At the start of her freshman year Jaclyn decided to go out for the Marching Band, and after emailing Dr. Plenk, the Marching Band Director, she became part of the band. Jaclyn is still involved with Marching Band and is now part of Kappa Kappa Psi, a band honors fraternity that she and about ten students have started at Nevada over the last couple years.  Kappa Kappa Psi is focused on helping not just the Marching Band, but all of the bands on campus including: Jazz Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Campus Band, and Percussion Ensemble. Their goal is to work on fund raising, assisting bands with equipment, food, and production needs, and promoting band events. In the future the fraternity see’s themselves taking over the Sierra Band Camp as a yearly service project. The event is a high school performance featuring local bands, orchestras, and ensembles hosted by the university. Kappa Kappa Psi sees it as a great way for them to talk to graduating high school seniors to encourage them to continue their passions and look for new avenues in college. Links from the show: Nevada Music Ensembles/Bands: http://www.unr.edu/cla/music/ensembles/bands.htm Kappa Kappa Psi: National Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/KappaKappaPsi Website: http://www.kkpsi.org/ Dr. Plenk, University of Nevada: http://www.unr.edu/cla/music/pages/bios/plenk_william.htm Nevada ASUN Legislative Affairs: http://www.nevadaasun.com/get-involved/legislative-affairs.html     by The post Guest #16: Jaclyn Fisher – Kappa Kappa Psi appeared first on Smart Students Podcast » Students Engaging Students. The post Guest #16: Jaclyn Fisher – Kappa Kappa Psi appeared first on Smart Students Podcast » Students Engaging Students.

by Madeline Burak Madeline Burak with ASUN vice president Alex Bybee Madeline Burak is the Director of Legislative Affairs for ASUN, the student government at the University of Nevada, Reno.  In her senior year, Madeline is working to connect students to the Nevada legislature, help them become more knowledgeable about politics, and teach them how to be involved with the political process. Her interest in politics began in high school, when she won the Miss Reno Spark’s contest, and was introduced to several Nevada State Legislators.  She saw that they were interested in the voice of young people, and began to see new opportunities.  Madeline later interned for a summer with Harry Reid’s office in Washington D.C., getting an up close look at the nation’s political framework. Nevada became Madeline’s college of choice because she wanted to stay in Reno where she had an internship for the Northern Nevada International Center.  The NNIC offered her a job when she graduated high school, and enjoying the work and opportunities it presented her, Madeline accepted and chose to attend Nevada. She worked constantly with the University and the community to bring international delegates to the area to see what the political, economic, and social experiences in Nevada and the Reno are like. Madeline has come to love Nevada through her experiences with ASUN, and has become passionate about student engagement. With her experiences as a leader on campus and her involvement with political campaigns, she has dreams of being an elected representative at any level.  Whether it is listening to the complaints, concerns, or opinions of students, or working with people to solve difficult problems, Madeline loves helping and being involved within her community. Links From the Show: Nevada ASUN: http://nevadaasun.com/ http://www.nevadaasun.com/get-involved/legislative-affairs.html Northern Nevada International Center: http://www.unr.edu/nnic International Visitor Leadership Program: http://eca.state.gov/ivlp Hunger U Challenge: http://hungeruchallenge.com/ by The post Guest #15: Madeline Burak – ASUN Legislative Affairs appeared first on Smart Students Podcast » Students Engaging Students. The post Guest #15: Madeline Burak – ASUN Legislative Affairs appeared first on Smart Students Podcast » Students Engaging Students.

by Leona Novio Brushfire Editor-in-Chief, Leona Novio Leona Novio is in her first semester as the editor in chief of the Nevada Brushfire, our campus’s literature and arts journal, something she never expected even one semester ago.  Leona has been actively involved with artistic endeavors on campus, and as she explains in the interview, her opportunities seem to have fallen into her lap, almost on accident.  This interview reminded me of one of my favorite quotes from Abraham Lincoln, “I shall prepare myself and my opportunity must come.” Leona is a perfect example of how campus involvement can combine with creativity and hard work to give you new experiences and chances to do great things. Students submit works of art and literature to the Brushfire and Leona her staff review all submissions, and select pieces that express their emotions, share new perspectives, and move people. Knowing how subjective determining what good art is or is not, Leona shared her ideas and decision making process, “Good art is kinda perspective, but it’s how it makes you feel at the end of the day, or if it can bring out a feeling most people try to hide or put away.” Links from the Show: Nevada Brushfire: http://www.unrbrushfire.com/ Brushfire Submittal Page: https://brushfire.submittable.com/submit Nevada Brushfire Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/brushfire.literaryartsjournal Nevada Insight Magazine Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/InsightUNR 1 Million Cups Reno: http://reno.sites.1millioncups.com/ by The post Guest #14: Leona Novio – Nevada Brushfire appeared first on Smart Students Podcast » Students Engaging Students. The post Guest #14: Leona Novio – Nevada Brushfire appeared first on Smart Students Podcast » Students Engaging Students.

by “Be the architect of your own experiences.”                                                                                                              -Jake Pereira Jake Pereira has been involved on campus and a big part of student government at Nevada, and is currently the President of the Associated Students of the University of Nevada (ASUN). Living on campus as a freshman, Jake decided to join Sigma Phi Epsilon after his two roommates decided to rush. He quickly became involved with the leadership within the fraternity serving as a vice president his freshman year, and president his sophomore year.  His time as president of the fraternity introduced him to ASUN and helped him gain leadership and professional experience that he has been able to apply to the positions within ASUN that he has held. His first position within ASUN as a Traditions Programmer introduced him to the legacy of the University, and allowed him to be part of creating events on campus that students would remember. He continued with the position serving as Director of Traditions before deciding to run for President. As part of the Traditions Board Jake had his eyes opened to the number of events happening on campus, and grew to become incredibly passionate and proud of Nevada. Links from the Show! Nevada Traditions: http://www.unr.edu/student-life/nevada-traditions ASUN Executive Board: http://www.nevadaasun.com/student-government/executive-board/executive-board.html Meet the ASUN Staff: http://www.unr.edu/student-engagement/contact-us/meet-the-staff Nevada Homecoming: http://www.nevadaasun.com/blog/traditions/homecoming2014.html Beta Sandwich Science Podcast http://betasandwich.com/ by The post Guest #13: Jake Pereira – ASUN President appeared first on Smart Students Podcast » Students Engaging Students. The post Guest #13: Jake Pereira – ASUN President appeared first on Smart Students Podcast » Students Engaging Students.