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February 19, 2019In this issue: AAU Climate Survey, Job Search Strategies workshop, and more.
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Tips for Grads: Managing Projects and People
By Matthew J. Zinsli, PhD student A project is a temporary activity aimed at creating something unique, whether a product, service, or other desired result. To that end, anything can be a project and anyone a project manager. As a grad student, you manage many projects – the biggest may be your thesis, but you will probably have other projects throughout your graduate career. Projects are necessarily limited by scope, time, and resources. Scope defines what is and is not part of the project. Time is obvious – you need to finish eventually. Resources can include financial, physical, or human factors that help you along the way. Most project are constrained by one of these three – for example, an expansive project with many resources will probably be time-sensitive. As projects begin, it is vital to engage the people who will define whether the project is successful – stakeholders. For your thesis, for instance, these are likely your committee members – but remember that others have a stake in your project’s success, including you. Good communication helps to balance your definition of success with others’. Once a project is underway, it is easy to confuse activity with progress, but they are not the same thing. You may be very active without making progress towards success, and purposeless activity can distract you from the real goals of your project. Progress entails working towards clear objectives and having well-defined outcomes. Be aware that as your proceed through your project, the scope may change. This is not in itself a bad thing, because it means that the focus of your project becomes clearer as your work on it. Beware scope creep – adding things to your project that don’t help you towards completion.
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| 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.
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| | Upcoming Professional Development Events
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| Join us for workshops, Funding for Graduate School and Budgeting 101. In the first hour (1 - 2 pm), staff from the Office of Fellowships and Funding Resources and the UW Libraries' Grants Information Collection will help you find and manage funding for graduate school. In the second hour (2 - 3 pm), a representative from UW Credit Union will help you manage your money and introduce you to tools for tracking spending and reaching your budgeting goals. Searching for a professional position needs to be approached like undertaking a very challenging project. Learn about the process, tools, and steps that can lead to success with this critical project. It should be focused, organized, and disciplined – with weekly plans and accountability on your progress. Drawing from over 20 years helping thousands of professionals and executives with job searches, Donna Beestman will share tips on crafting your resume and other marketing documents, developing your verbal talking points, creating an effective online presence, expanding your professional network, and preparing for interviewing.
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| This week's Software Training for Students (STS) courses: - MATLAB 1
- Illustrator 1
- Photoshop 1
This week's Social Science Computing Cooperative (SSCC) courses:
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Special Events & Symposia
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Apply now for January 2019 Dissertation Writing CampSupported by the Graduate School and facilitated by Writing Center senior staff, the Camp is May 13 - 17 and offers an opportunity for dissertators to make significant progress on their dissertations by drafting a substantial amount of writing in a structured, collegial environment. Develop writing strategies, receive feedback, build peer support, and get uninterrupted time to focus on your dissertation. Applications open today and are due March 8. Please note that the application requires an advisor endorsement. Visit the Graduate School Dissertation Help webpage for detailed descriptions and application information. Participate in the Innovation Roadmap: The Workshop SeriesGain the skills you need to create a company or drive change inside an existing organization. Topics include identifying a value proposition, building a financial model, crafting a pitch deck and more. This series is open to UW–Madison faculty, staff and students. Attendees should have a project concept to workshop and can register for all or select sessions. Advanced registration is required and the deadline to apply is Feb. 18.
Help shape policies and programs by taking the AAU Climate SurveyAn email invitation to participate in the Association of American Universities (AAU) Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Assault Climate Survey to gauge UW–Madison’s environment of sexual violence has been sent to students and staff. Participation is confidential and voluntary, and any experience disclosed will not be considered a report to the university. Responses will be compiled and shared in aggregate only, and will never be shared in a way that identifies a student. The results of this year’s survey will be communicated with the campus community during the fall 2019 semester. Students’ involvement in this survey is invaluable and will help shape campus policies and programs, allowing UW–Madison to continue to respond, prevent, support, and improve. University Health Services offers no-cost confidential support and resources to victims and survivors of sexual violence. Submit an essay to the Lasker Foundation 2019 Student Essay ContestThe Lasker Essay Contest engages young scientists and clinicians from the U.S. and around the globe in a discussion about big questions in biology and medicine to build skills in communicating important medical and scientific issues to broad audiences. Medical school students, interns, residents, and fellows; doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows in biomedical research; graduate students in public health programs; and graduate students in other health professions programs are eligible to apply. Applicants are asked to outline an educational strategy that will increase interest in biomedical sciences among young persons. Essays must be 800 words or less, written in English, and submitted by April 11. Other guidelines and information on prizes are listed on the contest website. Submit your work for the 10th Annual Digital SalonThe 10th Annual Digital Salon is now accepting submissions from students to showcase on April 19-28. The Digital Salon brings together students, faculty, and staff to showcase artistic and research-based projects that take digital form or rely heavily on information technology in the production process. The Digital Salon is a curated exhibition of media projects (videos, animations, graphic novels and essays, websites, blogs, infographics, posters, digital imagery, and other new media). It is open to all UW–Madison students. Awards for Best in Show and Honorable Mentions will be given. Apply online by March 15.
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Mental Health Resources for Grad StudentsAccording to the 2016 UW–Madison Healthy Minds Study, 94% of UW–Madison students do not think any less of a peer who seeks mental health care, and 90% of students who used mental health care found it helpful. As a student, there are a variety of mental health resources available to you at no cost. A few of these resources are listed here. Group Counseling for Graduate Students: Includes groups for all graduate students; dissertators; graduate women; and graduate students of color. This supportive environment is a great way to share experiences around the challenges of grad school with other grad students. Individual counseling sessions are also available through University Health Services (UHS). Individual Counseling. University Health Services (UHS) offers individual counseling in a confidential, caring space. Individual sessions are typically 45-50 minutes, and most students attend anywhere from one to four sessions to address their concerns. Counseling topics can be any issue that causes distress – emotional, psychological, interpersonal, or academic, for instance. UHS also has a bilingual mental health provider for students who are more comfortable speaking in Mandarin.
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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 Dean of Students Office's Graduate Student Assistance Specialist Elaine Goetz-Berman directly, email egoetz2@wisc.edu.
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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.
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| The Microsoft Research Dissertation Grant aims to recognize, support, and mentor diverse doctoral students as they complete their dissertation research in computing-related fields. This grant is open to doctoral students in their fourth year or beyond, studying computing topics at universities in the United States, Canada and Mexico, who are underrepresented in the field of computing. The program allows students to submit a grant proposal of up to $25,000 to support their dissertation research. Grant recipients will also get to take part in a two-day career workshop at Microsoft Research Redmond this fall. For questions, please contact msrgrant@microsoft.com. The goal of the Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program is to prepare graduate students for science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) careers critically important to the DOE Office of Science mission, by providing graduate thesis research opportunities at DOE laboratories. The SCGSR program provides supplemental awards to outstanding U.S. graduate students to pursue part of their graduate thesis research at a DOE laboratory/facility in areas that address scientific challenges central to the Office of Science mission. The research opportunity is expected to advance the graduate students’ overall doctoral thesis while providing access to the expertise, resources, and capabilities available at the DOE laboratories/facilities. The award period for the proposed research project at DOE laboratories/facilities may range from 3 to 12 consecutive months.
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