|
|
|
September 22, 2020In this issue: Virtual Trivia Night, Three Minute Thesis competition, and more.
| |
|
Tips for Grads: Connecting with Other Students
For many, if not most, of us, this semester has felt particularly lonely. Graduate school can be an isolating moment in our lives even without the pandemic further complicating the situation. If this is your first semester of coursework, you may find yourself surrounded by unfamiliar people in a completely new environment. On the other hand, if you have left the structure of coursework behind to navigate the sometimes solitary process of writing a dissertation, you may miss having regular contact with the people who once motivated you. Family and old friends are potentially far away, and you may be short on time for social and leisure activities.
Nevertheless, it is reassuring to know that others share your feelings of isolation. Mutual loneliness can, ironically, bring us together. By being honest about how we feel and by taking some proactive steps to meet other students, we can work toward alleviating feelings of loneliness. To meet other students this semester, give some of these ideas a try:
- Connect on social media to reach out to your peers in a less formal setting. If you use Zoom, WebEx, Teams, etc… for work and school, try using a different platform for socializing to mix up how you communicate with others.
- Use the communication resources available through your online courses. This fall, it might be worth spending some extra time on the class discussion page.
- Do not limit yourself to the people in your classes or program. You may meet wonderful friends through your other interests or hobbies, or even in unexpected places like on the bus or in the line at the coffee shop.
- Join a virtual club, student organization, or community group. The Wisconsin Involvement Network is a great place to look for opportunities. Likewise, if you have been kicking around an idea for a new group, now could be a great time to get it started virtually.
- While the weather cooperates, plan a small, outdoor, in-person meetup. You can wear your mask while joining new acquaintances for a walk, bike ride, outdoor yoga, recreational sports, or an outdoor movie night.
- Above all, try to stay positive. We’re in this together, and this won’t be forever.
GradConnections Weekly is looking for fresh perspectives on the graduate student experience.
If you have advice, counsel, or tips for UW grad students, you’re invited to write a guest column for “Tips for Grads.”
If you’re interested, check out our infographic for details and email gspd@grad.wisc.edu to let us know.
| |
|
DiscoverPD is an innovative tool for UW–Madison graduate students to advance their academic and professional goals. Review the nine facets of professional development, complete a self-assessment, and get a customized report and recommendations.
| |
|
Upcoming Professional Development EventsAll event times and deadlines are listed in Central Daylight Time (CDT).
| |
|
Join us for Virtual Trivia Night with Premier Trivia hosted by the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Funding and the Office of Professional Development in the Graduate School. Participants will need a stable internet connection and a laptop or desktop with a web camera and set up audio/captions. Take a break from your studies and spend the evening in friendly competition with fellow graduate students. The winning team will take home a prize!
| |
|
The first ever Academic Career Success Conference is for postdocs and graduate students seeking guidance in their early scholarly careers. Experts will help you:
- Advance your career, despite COVID-19
- Successfully navigate the publication process, from manuscript to journal article and/or book
- Discover proven time management strategies that fit your work, life, and career
- Confidently apply for grants, awards, fellowships, and postdocs that boost your research and CV
| |
|
In this workshop, we will take Fatimah Williams's advice from her presentation, How to Develop a Mentor Network for Academic and Career Success, about how to reach out to potential mentors and act on it. Eileen Callahan, Director of Professional Development, will help you prioritize your needs for mentoring and build confidence before approaching a potential mentor. Whether you are looking for your first mentor or thinking about expanding your “board of directors,” you will leave with a mentoring map and better prepared to reach out to a potential mentor. This workshop is for master’s and doctoral students and includes the following goals:
- Identify the roles of a mentor
- Know how to find a mentor and initiate a relationship
- Evaluate your strengths and goals and communicate them to a mentor.
Hear from graduate students from different corners of the campus on how they are advocating/leading/creating different initiatives/programs/committees to advance our diversity and inclusion goals in their department/programs. Learn different approaches and establish connections with other graduate student diversity and inclusion changemakers. Co-hosted by TAA and the Graduate School Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Funding.
| |
|
Can you explain your research in 3 minutes? Find out by participating in the 2020-21 3MT® competition! 3MT® is an international research communication competition in which graduate students explain their research to a general audience. Students in research-based master’s and PhD programs from all disciplines are eligible to compete, and cash prizes will be awarded to the winners. This year’s competition will be held virtually, and students will pre-record their presentations for judges.inalists will be selected in November and the finals will be held in February 2021. For more information about this year’s virtual format and how to enter the competition, please join the 3MT Canvas course. Competitors will be required to submit a title and brief description of their 3MT® talk through Canvas by Oct 6, 2020.
| |
|
R Basics
Sept 25 | 10 am - noon
Online | Registration full, Waitlist available
- HTML
- Python Intermediate
- CSS 1
| |
|
Special Events & Symposia
| |
|
BioForward is planning their largest annual event, the Biohealth Summit. FREE for students. Network with Wisconsin’s biohealth industry and hear amazing speakers through videos, booths, and discussions.
Dr. Arturo Casadevall will be giving a presentation on reproducibility and rigor to the Ethics and Research Career Development class. Dr. Casadevall is a professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He holds a joint appointment in molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and serves as chair of the department. Dr. Casadevall is highly accomplished, having published over 800 refereed publications and edited highly respected journals.
| |
| Chancellor’s update on COVID-19 response
Chancellor Rebecca Blank shared an update on UW’s COVID-19 response last week, acknowledging that the numbers of positive COVID-19 tests on campus have been higher and increased more quickly than anticipated at this point in the semester – and gone up faster than among most of UW–Madison’s peer schools. The message details actions that the university has taken in response, such as working with local health officials and ordering a two-week shift to virtual learning, as well as plans to further expand campus testing capability. Read the chancellor’s full message.
Spring academic calendar changed
The Faculty Senate voted last week to alter the spring 2021 academic calendar due to concerns about travel over spring break and uncertainty about the containment of COVID-19. Under the revised calendar, spring instruction will begin on Jan 25, six days later than had been previously scheduled. Under the previous calendar, spring break had been scheduled for March 27 through April 3. The revised calendar instead includes a long weekend from Friday, April 2 through Sunday, April 4. There will also be no classes on Passover (Saturday, March 27). The last day of instruction will remain April 30, and finals week and commencement dates will remain as scheduled. See the UW–Madison academic calendar.
| |
|
Help prevent the spread of COVID-19
With your help, we can help limit the spread of the disease by following campus, local, state and federal guidelines for COVID-19. This includes maintaining at least six feet of distance from people you don’t live with, wearing face coverings, and getting tested for the virus if you have symptoms or have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19. COVID-19 Testing Information >>
| |
|
Get you free flu shot
Schedule your flu shot, or drop in at an upcoming flu shot clinic:- Tuesday, Sept 22, 9 am - 7 pm, Nicholas Recreation Center
- Wednesday, Sept 23, 9 am - 7 pm, Nicholas Recreation Center
- Thursday, Sept 24, 9 am - 7 pm, Nicholas Recreation Center
Virtual Care Package
University Health Services’ Badger Virtual Care Package highlights ways to stay connected and healthy. Though it was made with people who are quarantined due to a positive COVID-19 test in mind, the resources listed here can be beneficial for anyone looking for some self-care ideas.
Mental Health Resources for Grad StudentsAccording to the 2019 Healthy Minds Survey, 93% of UW–Madison graduate students do not think any less of a peer who seeks mental health care, and 89% of UW–Madison graduate students who used mental health care found it helpful.
- SilverCloud. This online, self-guided resource provides treatment options 24 hours a day through evidence-based modules on anxiety, depression, body image, and stress. SilverCloud is designed to help students manage day-to-day stresses and improve resilience.
- YOU@WISC. This portal has tools and information to help you be well, with modules on stress management, self-care, social support, suicidal thoughts, mindfulness, academic wellness, and more.
| |
|
The Dean of Students Office provides resources to students struggling with a variety of issues, and can be your go-to spot for assistance as a graduate student. To contact the Graduate and Professional Student Assistance Specialist Elaine Goetz-Berman directly, email egoetz2@wisc.edu.
| |
|
Please note: Some graduate students may be ineligible to hold graduate assistantship appointments. Be sure to check with your graduate program coordinator about your eligibility before applying.
| |
|
Graduate students in the sciences who are interested in science writing are eligible for The Open Notebook/Burroughs Wellcome Fund fellowship for early-career science writers. During the eight-month fellowship period, fellows will report and write six articles for publication at The Open Notebook (TON) with the guidance of a mentor who will help shape story ideas, provide reporting and writing guidance, edit final copy, and offer career-development mentoring. Fellows and mentors will also be part of a professional discussion group composed of former fellowship participants and TON editors. The fellowship will be remote and will be part-time. Thanks to a generous grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, each fellow will receive a stipend of $4,200.
The Mellon International Dissertation Research Fellowship (IDRF) offers six to 12 months of support to graduate students in the humanities and humanistic social sciences who are enrolled in PhD programs in the U.S and conducting dissertation research on Native American or non-U.S. topics. Fellowship amounts vary depending on the research plan, with a per-fellowship average of $23,000. The fellowship includes participation in an SSRC-funded interdisciplinary workshop upon the completion of IDRF-funded research.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) is a community of more than 1,100 scientific, academic, administrative and support staff working together to fulfill their research and educaiton missions. Various postdoctoral fellow and fellowship positions are available. Visit the CSHL careers webpage to see what opportunities are open.
| |
|
|
|
|
