New composting system

Thanks to Green Campus Initiative, a student group dedicated to making the ESF campus more environmentally friendly, we now have our very own on-campus composting system. Located near the greenhouses on the edge of campus next to Oakwood Cemetery, the new system will handle food waste collected from across the campus and turn it into rich organic material.

Related news:

Students in the Green Campus Initiative and ESF President, Dr. Cornelius Murphy, Jr., will give a demonstration of the new food and organic waste composting operation tomorrow (Thursday, March 11, 2010) at 1:00PM.

The project includes an innovative process called static aerated composting which produces a weed free, pathogen free compost in as little as 3 weeks.

Scheduling of candidacy exams and thesis/dissertation defenses

A message from Scott Shannon, Dean of Instruction and Graduate Studies:

MS and PhD Students & Colleagues:
As the busiest season of the year for defenses and candidacy exams approaches, I’d like to remind everyone of the standard protocol for setting times and dates and reporting these to the graduate office. First, if you have not already filed a Form 5B or 6B this semester, do not plan on scheduling your exam or defense this semester or graduating this May; we are now well beyond the deadline for assigning defense or exam chairs or scheduling exams/defenses (Feb. 12, 2010).

Assuming you have requested and been assigned an exam or defense chair, the first step is to hold a “planning meeting” to schedule the exam or defense and all the activities associated with each. DO NOT hold a planning meeting or schedule a defense or candidacy exam without the examination or defense chair PRESENT. Please do not set any dates, times, or locations prior to the planning meeting. The examination chair is “in charge” of this process, and neither students nor major professors should preemptively attempt to get ahead of things, as it often causes great difficulty in coordinating schedules with the examination chair.

In the planning meeting, you may find that not all members of the graduate committee can be present at the time of the defense or exam. While we prefer all members of the graduate committee to be present, they MAY participate via conference call or Skype if they cannot be here on campus. When the dates and times of an exam or defense have been set, these should be reported to the graduate office, preferably by e-mail or other written form.
Thank you for your help-

Scott Shannon, Dean of Instruction & Graduate Studies
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
227 Bray Hall - 1 Forestry Drive
Syracuse, NY 13210

Outdoors: Winter fun

For those that enjoy outdoor activities during the winter months, options abound. Highland Forest, Beaver Lake, Oneida Shores, and Onondaga Lake Park are popular for cross-country skiing. You can view trail conditions and maps here.

Sledding at Thornden Park or at one of the snow bowls on South Campus is always fun (and free).

Downhill skiing locations include Labrador Mountain (my favorite), Toggenburg, Song Mountain. Special discounts for college students include $15 lift tickets, special "college night" events, and various other promotions at all three locations. Toggenburg also offers snow tubing.

Further North, Whiteface in Lake Placid, home to the 1936 and 1980 Winter Olympics, offers the largest vertical drop east of the Rockies. Gore Mountain in the Adirondacks, and, closer to home, Greek Peak round out the skiing possibilities.

Chili Cook-Off

Graduate Student Association presents the

Annual Chili Cook-Off TG!

TOMORROW
Friday, March 5th at 6:30PM
in Nifkin Lounge

Bring your chili, vegetarian chili, and
cornbread to compete for PRIZES!

To enter: e-mail Katie at
cghaase@syr.edu (walk-in's welcome).

Please bring your own ways of keeping chili warm,
serving utensils, etc. Don't forget your ESF mugs, bowls and spoons!

Must be 21 to participate, please bring a valid photo ID.

Spring graduation deadlines

All graduate students planning to graduate this semester (Spring 2010), please be advised of the following important deadlines:

Important Deadlines for Spring 2010

Last day to request appointment for defense of thesis/dissertation examination committee (Form 5B)
2/12/2010

Last day to drop a class
3/23/2010

Fall 2010 Registration Period
4/5-4/9/2010

All MPS, MF, and MLA students planning to graduate must notify OI&GS of their intent to complete the degree to have name included in convocation program
4/28/2010

Last day to defend to qualify for degree
4/30/2010

Last day to submit a final, revised, and signed version of thesis or dissertation and associated paperwork to OI&GS
5/4/2010

Last day of classes
5/4/2010

ESF convocation
5/15/2010

Commencement
5/16/2010

*Individual departments may also have other internal deadlines. Consult with your major professor or curriculum coordinator with questions.

Other important information:

If you have not turned in your Program of Study (3B) form to the Office of Instruction and Graduate Studies (OIGS), we ask that you do so as soon as possible.

If you are scheduling your candidacy exam or thesis/dissertation defense, please give OIGS two week’s notice.

For information regarding formatting of theses/dissertations, visit: http://www.esf.edu/graduate/graddegreq.htm

Graduate TG

The Graduate Student Association will be having its first Graduate TG of the semester on Friday, January 22nd at 5:30 in Nifkin Lounge.

This month's TG is a Snowman Building Contest!! Build a snow man (or woman) in the ESF quad anytime before the TG and possibly win a prize!! Judges include GSA's advisor, the Assistant Dean Vandeburg, and other faculty or staff members.

Join your fellow grads in a fun night outside, good food and drink inside, and start the semester right!

A valid photo ID is required on entry - non one under 21 permitted.

Gearing up for Spring Semester

Happy New Year and welcome to 2010! Things are quiet on the ESF campus this week, as most students have yet to return to campus. Spring classes begin on January 19th this semester, so only those with research to do or other obligations have returned so far.

Things aren't entirely quiet. Construction continues on the pass-through road behind Bray Hall, which will turn on-campus road access from a dead-end into a loop.

Upcoming events on campus include a graduate student TGIF party and snowman-building contest on Friday, January 22nd. Hopefully the snow will stick around!

Here's wishing everyone a happy and productive Spring semester.