By Matt Sabongi 

Students and faculty at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities not only spend their time studying the natural world but playing in it, too! As a student, I was an avid participant in the University's Center of Outdoor Adventure. Throughout my life, I have had a passion for the outdoors and adventure sports. I enjoy backpacking, kayaking, snowboarding, hiking, climbing, and biking--to list a few. When I began as a student at the U of M, I was determined to continue pursuing my passion for adventure sports and the outdoors, even though I was moving to a metropolitan city. The Center of Outdoor Adventure helped me experience the best of both worlds: exploring the great outdoors while living the city life. 

The Center for Outdoor Adventure (COA) provides student with alternative recreation experiences revolving around the outdoor activities. Throughout the year, COA hosts clinics and trips that introduce both beginner and experienced adventurers to the fundamentals of outdoor adventure skills and environmental ethics. Activities range from backpacking to ice climbing, both locally and nationally.

No matter if you are a experienced outdoor enthusiast or simply a learning the ropes, COA can provide students with the information and equipment needed for any outdoor adventure. COA has a great rental center full of equipment for every season at very reasonable student rates. Also, if you're looking to buy or sell some gear, the COA Gear Sale is a great way to get your hands on quality equipment at a student-friendly price.

Climbing is another great way for members to get involved with the Center for Outdoor Adventure. The climbing walls were actually the resources I used the most as a student. After my classes, I would walk over to either the Minneapolis or St. Paul Recreation Centers to climb either one of COA's two bouldering caves and full climbing wall.

The Center for Outdoor Adventure office is located in the lower level of the Minneapolis recreation center (or simply "The Rec," as students refer to it!). If you're visiting campus for a campus tour or simply in the area, make sure stop by and see the great resources COA provides for students interested in exploring the outdoors.

For me, this week marks the beginning of fall. Though our calendars still say August, this week the U of M's freshman class moves onto campus and starts Welcome Week.

During my freshman year, I lived in an Honors Living Learning Community in Middlebrook Hall. Living Learning Communities are groups of students with similar interests within our residence halls. The College of Science and Engineering (CSE) students often find special interest in these three Living Learning Communities: Science and Engineering Explorations House, University Honors Housing, and the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) House.

Living Learning Communities are optional, but I can tell you from experience that participating in a Living Learning Community made me feel more confident moving to campus because I knew I would be living around other students who shared my same interests--it was a built-in community.

Even if you're not interested an Living Learning Community, I highly recommend that you consider living on campus (it's not required, but most first-year students do). It's such a fun experience to be around so many other students who are going through the same transition. The U of M has eight residence halls and three apartment buildings. High school seniors: the freshman housing application will be available early November 2010 at www.umn.edu/housing. Housing preferences are granted based on the date of submission, so fill out your application early! (You don't have to be admitted to the University to apply for housing.)

You may also want to check out video tours of our residence halls and apartment complexes. This is a great way to get a feel for all our housing options without touring campus 11 time! 

What's the difference between a geek and a nerd? I've had this conversation many times and have never gotten a satisfactory answer. 'Geek' and 'nerd' are often used to describe those interested in math, science, and engineering. I recently came across this video from the 2009 Freshman Convocation event in which Professor Jim Kakalios from the College of Science and Engineering's physics and astronomy department discusses the difference.

Professor Kakalios actually encourages every incoming U of M freshman to become both a geek and a nerd during their time in college. He defines the terms, saying that geeks and nerds exist in every discipline.

A geek, according to Professor Kakalios, is a person who is incredibly passionate and interested in one subject. All of our new students should become geeks. You should be excited to learn and do research in your field!

A nerd is someone who is very smart. We want to cultivate our students' minds so you are on the leading edge of your field when you graduate.

The combination of these, a geek and a nerd, is what all of our students should aspire to be, whether you are going to be an aerospace engineer or a professional dancer.

Freshman Convocation is a component of a week-long orientation we have for incoming freshman called Welcome Week.  This year's convocation will be on Thursday, September 2.  At convocation, our freshman class is officially welcomed to the U of M by President Bruininks and faculty members, staff, and current students.

By Zack Haas

While the summer sunlight may be waning, the excitement on campus for the coming academic year is only growing. This is a favorite time of year for everyone at the University, as students begin their academic careers or return to another year at the University of Minnesota. 

I can still remember the excitement and nervousness I felt when I was an incoming freshman. Coming from a small town, I remember feeling a bit worried about finding my classrooms, meeting other students, and just figuring out how I would fit in. That fear subsided very quickly! Incoming students now have it even better--since 2008, incoming freshmen have been participating in Welcome Week, which helps students to make themselves at home at the University of Minnesota before classes even start. 

During Welcome Week, which runs from September 1 to September 6, students in the freshman class will participate in different activities including: Moving into their residence halls, attending a kick-off dinner, getting to know their college, showing their school spirit at the Pride and Spirit event, visiting the Mall of America, and much more. Through those activities, students will get acquainted with campus and the resources that are available and will also spend a lot of time getting to know other students in the freshman class--making friends and getting to know their way around before the sophomores, juniors, and seniors return to campus.

I am personally very excited for New Student Convocation, which is scheduled during Welcome Week's College Day. I will be at Mariucci Arena helping with the event and can't wait to see the entire freshman class on campus. New Student Convocation is the official welcome to the University of Minnesota and marks the beginning of students' academic careers. During the event students will hear from President Bruininks and current students and will learn about what it means to be a Golden Gopher.

By Zack Haas

While browsing the U of M YouTube channel, I came across this video of a research project that is being conducted on our campus right now. Dr. Heather LaMarre, a professor in the College of Liberal Arts' School of Journalism and Mass Communication has been studying the role of Facebook and other social media platforms in political campaigns. She is trying to find out if social media actually matters in political campaigns. By comparing social media with more traditional forms of media, she is making discoveries that can help not only political candidates but also businesses and organizations understand the importance and effectiveness of the emerging social media.

Students at the University of Minnesota have the opportunity to learn firsthand from professors like Dr. LaMarre who are contributing to the landscape of academic knowledge in all of our academic programs. Students can get involved as easily as filling out a survey, participating in a focus group, or as in-depth as working with professors on their research or participating in our Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). 

UROP provides an opportunity for undergraduate students to conduct their own research or work side-by-side with a professor on his or her research. Through the program, students will work with a faculty member in the department they want to study to create a research proposal. If they are approved for research, students can be awarded money to carry out their own research. 

This is a fantastic opportunity for students to get to work side-by-side with some of our world renown professors, to get hand-on experience in the field they are interested and to get paid to do it!