Student Government Association (SGA) elections are currently in progress. For the first time graduate students will have seven (7) senate seats. Here are some of this year's student profiles for senate seats.
Vinit Todi
My name is Vinit Todi and I am contending for Senate seat number 1 from College of Graduate Studies. I am currently pursuing my Phd in Electrical Engineering with specialization in Microelectronics. I joined UCF in Fall 2006 and got my masters in Electrical Engineering in Summer of 2008 and plan to graduate with Phd in Fall 2010. I have been actively involved with various organizations on campus. I am the current chair for Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) UCF Student branch and vice chair for American Vacuum Society (AVS) at UCF. IEEE is the largest technical organization in states and IEEE UCF Student branch has over 350 members on campus. With the help of my board members, I was able to increase the funding available for IEEE and AVS from SGA by more then $5000 in last two years. I have worked closely with SGA and is well versed with all their activities, available sources of funding and also the paperwork needed for the same which at times can be tricky. We from IEEE always attend one conference in a year and in past we have got our travel funded from SGA by writing a Senate Bill. Also, I have attended various conferences for my own research and was able to get a part of my travel funded from SGA resources. Yeah.. SGA has good resources but you need to know how to get them. Also, I was recently elected as a Vice chair of Student Panel for Engineering and Computer Science Students (SPECS). SPECS is an organization that serves the needs for various clubs/organizations under College of Engineering and Computer Science. I am also a member of Electrochemical Society (ECS) and Materials Research Society (MRS) UCF Student Chapter. Apart from on campus involvement, I am also involved with IEEE Orlando section and currently serving as a chair for IEEE GOLD (Graduates of Last Decade) and IEEE-USA PACE (Professional Activities Committee for Engineers) of Orlando Section. Considering my vast involvement with organizations on campus and specifically serving college of engineering and computer science, I strongly believe that if given an opportunity, I can definitely bring some much needed awareness and serve for the betterment of graduate students at UCF. I will try to serve as a direct link between graduate students and SGA and make sure our voice is being heard at the top level..GO GRADS!!!!
Sergio Tafur
PhD. Candidate, Physics
I am currently running for seat #6 of the College of Graduate Studies in the SGA Student Senate at the University of Central Florida. I need your vote to help me continue to promote graduate affairs such as Graduate Student Health, Tuition, Housing, and Travel at UCF with the help and support of the SGA Student Senate. During my time as a graduate student I have maintained an active profile assisting my fellow students by working and volunteering to promote graduate student affairs in the Graduate Student Association. Through our joint efforts we have been able to start a healthcare program and promote better housing and tuition wavers for graduate students at UCF. In addition to working with other students to achieve these goals I have also been involved in founding, funding, and supporting various academic symposia to help increase exposure of graduate student excellence at our university. Among these symposia are the Origins of Life Symposium, the Origin of the Cosmos Syposium, the NanoFlorida Symposium, and the Society of Physics Students Zone 6 Meeting for the South East United States; all held in the Student Union of UCF. As my most recent activities to promote graduate student development at UCF I am serving in the advisory board of the Graduate Student Association and act as the graduate student representative appointed to the Faculty Senate Graduate Curriculum Committee. I am also initiating the NanoScience Technology Society in UCF which is an interdisciplinary society incorporating Education, Materials Science Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Biomedical Sciences, Biomolecular Science, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and others. It is my sincere hope that you will vote for Sergio Tafur for Seat #6 in the SGA Student Senate and help me help our graduate students and you promote graduate student affairs at the University of Central Florida
Rafiq Chowdhury
Rafiq Chowdhury began his career at the University of Central Florida in the summer of 2004. Every day he grew more and more amazed as to what UCF had to offer its students and inspired to be a part of the progress. In attempt to better himself and his civil engineering peers, he became a Director of the American Society of Civil Engineers at the sophomore level; the most populated engineering student organization at the time. By March of 2008, he directed the largest civil engineering student-oriented conference in the nation here at UCF. Utilizing the success of the conference as leverage, he immediately ran for President of the student chapter. Directly before the school year began, the Florida Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers named him the 2008 Outstanding Service Student of the Year due to his efforts within the community and the university. Determined to continue the succession within the year elected, ASCE collectively accumulated over 900 community service hours, peaked at the second-highest funded student organization on campus, and for the first time ever, placed 1st in the nationally renowned Steel Bridge Competition and 3rd Place Overall in our annual Southeast Student Conference. Mr. Chowdhury hopes to employ the knowledge from countless hours spent with SGA to provide funding and the leadership skills he has attained at a student organization level to greatly assist the Knights of UCF. More specifically, he would like to aid students trying to find their very own purpose on campus as he feels he has done.
