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November 5, 2019In this issue: 3MT® competition, code-breaking, and more.
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Tips for Grads: Don't code-switch, code-break
By Chris Castillo and Ann Meejung Kim, PhD candidates
As multilingual speakers in the academic system, we were told “you can’t speak [insert: home language] at school.” Teachers encouraged code-switching. They said, “I want you to learn ‘proper’ English because it’ll make things easier for you.” So we had to learn how to check our language, identity, and day-to-day habits at the academic door. By the time we got to graduate school we were pretty good at code-switching, but gradually, we developed a dissonance: Why couldn’t we be ourselves in our speech, writing, and daily habits and still be the serious scholars we knew ourselves to be?
Rather than code-switching, we developed a theoretical approach to navigating institutional norms called code-breaking. Code-breaking is the ability to take the codes of academic communication and break them, play with them, and rebuild them for one’s own purposes and projects. As graduate students, spend time to learn the codes that organize the conventions of effective communication in your discipline and break from them. Here are some ways you can start to code-break.
- If academic writing means writing exclusively in English, infuse that paper with your home language.
- If academic writing means representing your work with words on paper, use iMovie, Audacity, or Instagram to represent your research in other modes and to larger audiences.
- If communicating in academic spaces means checking a piece of your identity at the door, take back that piece of identity and wear it proudly.
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.
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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 intellectual property (IP) experts and early-career inventors for an introduction to IP and invention disclosure. This event focuses on what graduate students need to know about IP to determine if they have an invention and how to disclose. You will have the opportunity to ask individual questions of IP experts and inventors in small groups, learning important process information, expanding your network, and meeting potential mentors. Lunch will be provided with gluten-free and vegetarian options.
Three Minute Thesis® is an international competition in which PhD students explain their thesis research to a general audience. Graduate students in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math) are eligible to compete. Cash prizes are awarded to the top 3 contestants, and the "people's choice" award winner. The 1st place winner will have the opportunity for a fully funded trip to represent UW–Madison at the MAGS regional 3MT® competition. The event and reception are free and open to the public. No registration is needed for spectators. Three Minute Thesis® is presented by The Madison Chapter of Graduate Women in Science (GWIS), the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, and the Graduate School Office of Professional Development, with prizes and reception sponsored by Gilson, the Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy, and Science is Fun in the Lab of Shakhashiri, and additional prizes sponsored by Promega.
Networking is commonly thought to be a trait someone is born with rather than a strategy one can learn. More than simply schmoozing a stranger, networking develops your relationships with your peers and colleagues for long-term success. In this interactive workshop, you will learn about the basics of networking, a variety of techniques and strategies for meaningful networking, and how to play to your personal and professional strengths in the process. You will also have a chance to practice, so be prepared to talk about your work and career with a stranger. Torsheika Maddox, PhD, from the Office of the Vice Provost and Chief Diversity Officer will present.
Academics are notoriously conflict avoidant and the inability to manage conflict can result in negative physical, emotional, and relational consequences for tenure-track faculty. So why not learn early in your career to master the SKILL of healthy conflict so that you can effectively manage conflicts as they arise and avoid carrying around all of the negative energy, anger and resentment in your mind and body. To sign up, first activate your National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity account through the UW–Madison institutional membership.
A robust LinkedIn presence is key to positioning yourself to secure your ideal job - or having it find you! Career Consultant Gina Jenkins will share proven strategies and best practices to help you optimize your LinkedIn profile and grow your professional network strategically. Following the presentation, you will have the opportunity to have a professional head shot taken. Food will be provided.
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| This week's Software Training for Students (STS) courses:
- HTML
- Photoshop 1
- Premiere Pro
- MATLAB 1
- Drop-in Sessions at DesignLab
This week's Social Science Computing Cooperative (SSCC) courses:
- Data Wrangling in Python (Full)
- Matrix Math in R
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Special Events & Symposia
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Startup UW-Madison Week
Monday, Nov. 11 - Sunday, Nov. 17
Includes office hours for Discover to Product, the Law & Entrepreneurship Clinic, and the Investigational New Drug and Investigational Device Exemption Consultation Service.
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Cap and gown rental
Bouchet Graduate Honor Society to host symposium
The UW–Madison chapter of the Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society will host a symposium Nov. 15 celebrating its 10th anniversary on campus. A national organization, the Bouchet Society seeks to develop a network of scholars who exemplify academic and personal excellence, foster environments of support, and serve as examples of scholarship, leadership, character, service, and advocacy for students who have been traditionally underrepresented in the academy. The symposium will feature a keynote by Dr. Pero Dagbovie, a scholar of African American studies and black intellectual history at Michigan State University, as well as poster presentations, networking, and a reception. Self-nominations to the Bouchet Society are open for dissertators and postdoctoral scholars now through Jan. 27, 2020.
Fall 2019 degree warrant request deadlineGraduate program coordinators should request all degree warrants by Friday, Nov. 29 to ensure consideration for Fall 2019.
Peer-to-Peer Support Group for Graduate and Professional Students with DisabilitiesGraduate and Professional Students with Disabilities (GPSD) initiative is hosting a weekly peer support group, open to all graduate and professional students with disabilities seeking a safe, non-judgmental space to voice their concerns, struggles, and triumphs with their fellow peers. Students do not have to be receiving services from McBurney to attend, nor do they need to disclose their disability to the group. The group is open and attendance is optional week to week. Meetings will be held on Wednesdays from noon to 1:30 pm in room 448 in the Teacher Education Building. If you have any questions or need accommodations to attend, please reach out to the group facilitator, Tracy Tittelbach. UW–Madison increases minimum TA, PA, LSA stipendsThe university has announced that the minimum teaching assistant (TA) and project assistantship (PA) stipend rates will increase to $20,500 for 9-month, 50% appointment levels, representing an increase of 2.5% for TAs and 11.7% for PAs. Lecturer student assistants (LSAs) will see a 20.8% increase, from $18,622 to $22,500 for 9-month, 50% appointments. These changes go into effect July 1, 2020, for annual appointments and August 17, 2020, for academic appointments. Many departments/programs set stipend rates above these minima.
This latest increase demonstrates a continued commitment from the university to support graduate students. Stipends are up 45.5% for TAs, 44.9% for PAs, and 21.6% for research assistants since 2013. Graduate assistants also receive full tuition remission, valued at approximately $15,000 annually (for a full-time, in-state, non-dissertator), and eligibility for benefits like State Group Health Insurance, dental and vision coverage, and 403(b) retirement program.
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Wellness Spotlight: Food AssistanceBy Elaine Goetz-Berman, Graduate and Professional Student Assistance Specialist
Being a graduate student can be a financially draining period of life, and many times it can be very difficult to make ends meet. This oftentimes can have an impact on the ability to afford groceries and a healthy meal. Below are options to connect you as graduate students to the free food resources available on campus, and in the Madison community. - The Open Seat is a food pantry located on the UW–Madison campus (Room 4209 in the Student Activity Center) run by students, for students. Any student with a valid Wiscard is welcome to come and take part in the pantry weekly.
- The Campus Food Shed student organization houses fresh, free produce around campus for all UW–Madison students, faculty and staff.
- The Food Recovery Network at UW–Madison is an organization of student volunteers who work to increase food sustainability and equity by recovering surplus foods from UW dining halls and delivering it to organizations in need.
- Slow Food UW hosts Family Dinner Nights on Mondays and the Slow Food Café on Wednesdays during lunch.
- The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) offers nutrition assistance to eligible, low-income individuals and families. Students can use SNAP at markets and dining halls on campus. To determine eligibility, contact Megan Vander Wyst at Second Harvest.
- More food assistance resources can be found on the University Health Services website and through the United Way of Dane County website.
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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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| Get your free flu shotUniversity Health Services will offer free flu shots to all students. Students can significantly reduce their chance of contracting the flu by getting vaccinated and keep the campus community healthy. The last flu shot clinic will be held today:
- Tuesday, Nov. 5, 10 am - 2 pm, Memorial Union
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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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Ford Foundation fellowships seek to increase the diversity of the nation’s college and university faculties by increasing ethnic and racial diversity, maximizing the educational benefits of diversity, and increasing the number of professors who use diversity to enrich students’ education. Predoctoral, dissertation, and postdoctoral fellowships are awarded in this national competition administered by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. U.S. citizens as well as individuals granted deferred action status under the DACA program are eligible for these fellowships. Applicants must be pursuing a research-based PhD.
Have you been invited to present at a conference or do you need travel funds to conduct research towards your dissertation? The Graduate School’s Student Research Grants Competition (SRGC) is accepting applications for both conference and research travel support for the current academic year. Awards of up to $1,500 are available to all eligible UW–Madison graduate students in programs supported by the Graduate School. Award levels vary depending on the demonstrated need.
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Follow us on social media to connect with more opportunities and resources:
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