UT Shield

Bridging Disciplines Programs Opportunities

Sharing connecting experience opportunities with BDP students.

Archives for September 2014

, Filed Under: Event

3 Day Startup Workshop at UT campus on Oct 24-26

3 Day Startup is a non-profit that runs 72-hour learning-by-doing campus workshop that teach entrepreneurial skills to university students in an extreme hands-on environment. They’ve ran over 130 programs on 5 continents at schools such as MIT, NYU, Harvard, and Technion Israel.

There’s an upcoming 3DS Austin program Oct. 24-26. More info can be found at austin.3daystartup.org.

3DS teaches entrepreneurial skills to university students in an extreme hands-on environment. We recruit 45 students with a wide range of backgrounds, cater food and drinks, invite top-notch entrepreneurs and investors, pick the best idea for startup during the Friday brainstorming session, and release a minimal prototype by Sunday night. The goal is to build enough momentum among a network of motivated people to sustain the company beyond the three days.

Who?

Passionate students with an entrepreneurial drive, including Computer Science (PhD, MS, undergraduate), MBAs, law students, graphic designers, PR, business undergraduates, etc. We are looking for strong candidates that can fill the following roles:

  • Software Engineer
  • Business (Finance, Marketing, Biz Dev)
  • Graphic Design (Web, Print)
  • Other: Wildcards, Raw Passion

When?

3 Day Startup Austin, Fall 2014

When: Friday, October 24, 2014 – Sunday, October 26, 2014

Where?

Austin Technology Incubator
3925 West Braker Lane
Austin, Texas 78759

Why?

We know many people with great ideas, but they never pursue them for a variety of reasons: lack of time or money, no access to the right people, or not enough confidence to make the plunge. We provide all the resources for anyone to offer their idea and bring it to life with the help of 39 other highly skilled and motivated individuals.

We believe 3 Day Startup is a great way to get the community excited about entrepreneurship and to spend an intense weekend with creative people who want to actually bring an idea to life as opposed to sitting back and listening to YATAE (“yet another talk about entrepreneurship”). It’s also a social and business experiment to see how much a group of passionate people can accomplish over the course of 60 hours.

, Filed Under: Internship

Internships with Project Vote Smart

Project Vote Smart considers applications on a rolling basis- so, if you are interested in a spring 2015 internship you can Apply Now!

Project Vote Smart’s Legislative Research Internship Program at the University of Texas at Austin provides a unique lesson in the study of American and state politics. Interns will research bills and compile legislators’ voting records while gaining experience in political research, the U.S. political system, and the legislative process. Project Vote Smart is an independent, nonpartisan source of accurate information about candidates, elected officials, and legislation. By expanding access to factual information, Project Vote Smart helps citizens defend themselves from the negative rhetoric and misrepresentation that is characteristic of present-day political campaigns.

Job Description

Interns will monitor local media in all 50 states, as well as the national media, in order to identify critical pieces of legislation that are important to residents in each state. Once bills have been selected for inclusion on the Project’s website, interns will compile legislators’ voting records for publication.  Interns will also read and summarize each bill in order to provide voters with a clear and concise synopsis of the legislation.  Other projects may be assigned, such as researching candidate biographies, compiling interest group ratings, or tracking the progress of ballot measures and initiatives.  All interns perform substantive and meaningful work and will never be asked to answer the phone or make coffee.  By the end of the semester, interns will have gained valuable experience conducting legislative research, as well as in-depth knowledge of important political issues and how such issues have been addressed by policymakers.  The internship is ideal for those considering law school, or who are interested in pursuing a career in a policy-related field.

The minimum time commitment is 10 hours per week.  Scheduling is flexible.  Although the internship is unpaid, students may choose to earn course credit for their experience.

Qualifications

Required:

  • Excellent written communication skills
  • Strong desire to learn more about politics, policy, and the legislative process
  • Enthusiasm for Project Vote Smart’s mission
  • Ability to remain nonpartisan
  • Ability to commit to at least 10 hours per week for the entire semester

Preferred:

  • Research experience
  • Prior knowledge of the legislative process

How to Apply

To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to: projectvotesmart@austin.utexas.edu.  Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Contact Information

Project Vote Smart
Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life
2504 A Whitis Ave
R2000
Austin, TX 78712-1538
512-471-9428

, Filed Under: Internship

Kiva Seeks Spring 2015 Fellows

Kiva, the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website, is seeking Spring 2015 Kiva Fellows. If you are curious about economic development, community engagement, and social enterprise, this could be a great opportunity (and a potential Connecting Experience). Read below for more info. Applications are due September 28th.

The Kiva Fellows Program is an exciting opportunity to become part of Kiva, the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending organization. With opportunities spanning from Nairobi to New York City, Kiva is in the midst of expansion. Recently, Kiva launched a new program,Kiva Zip, that supports entrepreneurs in the United States. This initiative is on the cutting edge of microfinance impact in the United States, with the goal of expanding financial inclusion, supporting local job creation, and increasing the connectedness between borrowers and lenders through crowdfunded microloans.

Kiva Fellows are the direct connection to local communities, immersing themselves within communities, working with non-profits, government officials, community development corporations and financial institutions, chambers of commerce, and other community leaders to scale Kiva Zip. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity for students to be at the forefront of helping to revitalize their communities and local economies, gain experience in a startup environment, build a local community, and capitalize on technology solutions for economic development.

The application deadline is September 28, 2014 (with deployment to the field in late January to early February, 2015). Apply at https://www.kiva.org/register?doneUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kiva.org%2Ffellows%2Fapply.