News & Events: Week of May 21

Shape Ophthalmics receives Colorado Tech Commercialization Grant
Dean’s Office needs students to profile in new college promotional materials
New Tashiro Tutoring Award available to juniors, seniors and graduate students
Benefits open enrollment through May 25; everyone must take action

Have news or an event you’d like to share with the college? Contact Erica Lefeave.

Shape Ophthalmics receives Colorado Tech Commercialization Grant

Shape Ophthalmics, a company co-founded by Bioengineering Chair Robin Shandas, is one of five CU-based companies to receive a state of Colorado Tech Commercialization Grant. The company develops shape memory polymer (SMP)-based devices for the delivery of medication to the surface of the eye for the treatment of eye diseases.

The grant, offered through Colorado’s Bioscience Discovery Evaluation Grant Program, provides early-stage matching “seed” grants to enable the development and commercial validation of technologies that are licensed from Colorado research institutions by Colorado based start-up companies (as well as proof-of-concept grants to move promising CU biotechnologies closer to market readiness).

Read the full press release here.

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Dean’s Office needs students to profile in new college promotional materials

The Dean’s Office is looking for students to feature in new college promotional materials. The ideal student is an undergraduate who is passionate about their studies and the field of engineering; they must also be available this summer.

If you have a student in mind, please send their contact information to Erica Lefeave and include a brief summary of what makes them stand out.

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New Tashiro Tutoring Award available to juniors, seniors and graduate students; applications due July 1

The College of Engineering and Applied Science is looking for responsible individuals with excellent communication and interpersonal skills who are committed to students’ learning progress for the new Tashiro Tutoring Award.

Each academic year, up to four awards in the amount of $4,000 each will be awarded to highly qualified undergraduate and/or graduate students to tutor engineering and pre-engineering undergraduate students in calculus, physics, chemistry and/or lower-division engineering courses. Tutors will also assist students with study strategies, organization of materials, critical thinking skills and course content comprehension.

Who’s eligible for the award?

Undergraduate students in junior or senior standing or graduate students who are actively enrolled in an engineering degree program in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado Denver are eligible for this award*.

What are the benefits?

• Learning to teach in a group setting
• Learning to develop lesson plans and effectively implement them
• Development in study skills
• Opportunities to work with a diverse student population
• Potential to transition into a Supplemental Instruction position through the Learning Resource Center

What’s required?

• An overall GPA of at least 3.0 and a GPA of at least 3.5 in the subject area(s) intended for tutoring
• Recommendations from two full-time CU Denver faculty members teaching in the subject area in which you wish to tutor (reference forms are included in the application packet)
• Tutors must be available for 5 hours of tutoring per week
• Tutors must be available from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on the first Friday of each month for tutor trainings/meetings and available to attend an all-day training session, which typically occurs on the Wednesday or Thursday prior to the start of the fall semester.

For additional details and to apply, pick up the Tashiro Tutoring Award application packet from the College of Engineering and Applied Science Dean’s Office (North Classroom 3024). Submit all of the required documents by July 1.

Need more information? Contact Paul Rakowski, Director of Student Services, College of Engineering and Applied Science: paul.rakowski@ucdenver.edu| 303-556-6771

*juniors must have completed at least 60 credit hours; seniors and graduate-level students must have at least two semesters remaining for degree completion.

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Benefits open enrollment through May 25; everyone must take action

This year’s Employee Benefits Open Enrollment is a ‘positive’ enrollment, meaning employees must take action even if coverage was waived previously.

The deadline is this Friday, May 25 at 5 p.m.

Items to keep in mind:

• Final rates and plan descriptions are available online <http://www.cu.edu/openenrollment>
• Dependent Eligibility Verification – If you are adding new dependents for coverage effective July 1, 2012, you must verify their eligibility with PBS during the open enrollment period and have required documents submitted by 5 p.m. May 25. There is no guarantee of dependent coverage if required documents are not received by the due date.
• Cafeteria Plans – You must re-enroll and actively elect your annual contributions for Health Care and Dependent Care flexible spending accounts each year at open enrollment.
• University Optional Term Life Insurance – If you and/or your spouse, common law spouse or SGDP are non-tobacco users, meaning that you have not used tobacco products within the past 12 months, you are eligible for a discounted rate in the Optional Term Life/AD&D Insurance Plan. Complete the appropriate section on the Benefits Enrollment/Change Form or online web application to receive the discounted rate. Enrollment in the discounted rate is allowed only during the OE period.

For more information about plans and plan changes, final rates, how to enroll and what happens if you choose to take no action during open enrollment, go to http://www.cu.edu/openenrollment.

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