Alice DeCoteau: Oxford Abroad

My time at Oxford has been full of incredible academic and social experiences. I have had the great fortune to live in a beautiful house with a group of young women who quickly became great friends. Before the term started, we had the opportunity to travel to Italy as a group, which was a rich cultural experience. We visited iconic architectural sites, saw world-renowned art, and ate (a lot) of excellent food!

Once the term started, most of my attention was on my coursework, and I have become well acquainted with the New College and Radcliffe Camera libraries. Although it has been a lot of work, I have learned so much, and I feel grateful to study in a place with such a rich history of academic excellence. I’ve built strong relationships with my tutors and have had the opportunity to engage in dynamic discussions with other OSAP and Oxford students. I also got to attend lectures by famous philosopher Slavoj Žižek and author Yanis Varoufakis.

I have also had the opportunity to swim with OUSC, Oxford’s swim club. The team has been so welcoming, and having a practice schedule has helped balance my work and take care of my mental health. I have attended team socials and race at dual meets, and I will enjoy a team Christmas dinner during week 7.

Overall, Oxford has been a fantastic experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life. But the work isn’t done yet. I’m motivated to finish the term strongly and look forward to sharing what I learned when I return to Tampa!

-Alice

Seaweed: a new tool in the cancer-fighting toolbox?

When you hear the words ‘brown seaweed’, you may have an image of a slimy and not particularly attractive plant in your mind. Perhaps you’ve heard of the usefulness of this marine plant as a dietary supplement. For University of Tampa organic chemist Dr. Richard Squitieri, padina gymnospora, found right here in Tampa Bay, may have the ability to combat the growth of cancerous cells.

Dr. Squitieri, alongside other UTampa faculty and students, conducted an experiment that showed that the seaweed was able to kill a significant percentage of the most treatment-resistant type of breast cancer cells, a promising finding to be sure.

Dr. Squitieri shared his team’s important findings with our Honors students so perhaps now, when students think of brown seaweed, they will see it through Dr. Squitieri’s eyes: as a plant full of cancer-fighting potential.

How to Get Travel/Research Funding

The University of Tampa offers several sources of funding for students who want to travel to present their scholarship or creative work or need research funding, and we have a new application process for funding requests.

The Student Travel Request Form in Workday allows students to complete a single application for funding, which will be routed automatically to the appropriate cost centers to determine which offices can support the student’s travel.

Step 1: Log in to Workday

Step 2: Type “create request” in the search bar at the top of the screen, hit enter/return, then click the resulting “create request” link.

Step 3: Type “Student travel request” in the popup window, then click “OK.”


Step 4: Complete the Student Travel Request Form. Make sure to complete all required fields and provide documentation (screenshots of flight costs or hotel rates, receipts for conference registration, etc.) for all budget expenses. Incomplete requests will not be funded.

Step 5: Review your entered information and click “Submit.”

Once all appropriate offices have noted their contributions to the travel request, the student will be notified of funding and receive instructions for reimbursement.