Conferences are useful for graduate students at any stage of their...
Conferences are useful for graduate students at any stage of their...
GradConnections Weekly

April 2, 2019

In this issue: Course Search & Enroll app, Conflict Resolution workshop, and more.
PHD comic

Tips for Grads: Disciplinary Expertise and Interdisciplinary Connections

By Matthew J. Zinsli, PhD student
Conferences are useful for graduate students at any stage of their career. New graduate students can learn what’s new in their field, get advice, and network. Students further along can scope out career opportunities and improve their public speaking skills ahead of job talks. Wherever you are, planning ahead to attend conferences will help you to get the most out of your time and effort.
  • Find a conference that suits your interests. Talk to colleagues, mentors, and your advisor about conferences they have attended. Research and join national or international professional associations that fit your field and plan to attend their conference(s).
  • Stay up-to-date with your field. Set up an RSS feed to get the latest research that others in your discipline are working on. Feedly is a great resource for organizing new information from the popular and scholarly presses. Browzine is an excellent app to browse, read, and monitor journals.
  • Get funds to travel. Whether you’re going to present or just to network, your department likely has funds available for conference travel. The Graduate School awards conference presentation funds on a rolling basis.
  • Know how to talk about your work. If you are planning to present, the Writing Center has a number of workshops to help you communicate effectively, including one on delivering conference presentations.
  • Stay connected afterwards. Building and maintaining a scholarly community around you is an important part of your career development. Reach out to your new connections on LinkedIn and make sure your online self is your best self by following these tips.
DiscoverPD: Your guide to professional development
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 Events

Karen Kelsky
Hacking the Academic Job Market
Tuesday, April 9 | 3 - 4:30 pm
Marquee Theater, Union South | Career Development Personal Effectiveness
In this live, interactive webinar exclusive to UW–Madison, Karen Kelsky (The Professor Is In) walks you through the conditions of the current academic job market, the most common mistakes made by job-seekers, and the ways you can maximize your chances of success while looking for a tenure-track job. You will leave this talk with a broad understanding of the real criteria that hiring committees use and how to tailor your record and application materials to maximize your chances of success. The session includes time for a Q&A with Dr. Kelsky.
Graduate students frequently describe long work hours and little sense of progress, a sense of isolation from limited mentoring and community, and feeling unsupported in their desire for work-life balance. This National Center for Faculty Diversity and Development webinar will provide participants with skills to successfully manage their time, align work time with institutional and personal priorities, create time for academic writing and research, and organize a network of support and accountability for writing productivity and balance.
We experience conflict every day. Ranging from small miscommunications to seemingly intractable values-based conflicts, we know how it feels to be in it, but how do we navigate conflict effectively and work towards resolutions? The group will explore the ways conflict shows up in our lives, and effective strategies and resolution practices to engage in. Participants will complete the Thomas-Kilmann conflict mode instrument to assess their personal conflict resolution style and work through scenarios with a variety of conflicts that graduate students may face, in order to workshop possible resolution strategies.
Graduate Student & Postdoc Info Session: Research in Germany
Monday, April 8 | 4:30 - 5:30 pm
206 Ingraham Hall

For Future Faculty

Preparing for success on the job market and beyond.
Find a full list of events on the For Future Faculty website.
Upcoming Events:
On the Academic Job Market: Writing an Effective Academic CV
Thursday, April 4 | 4 - 5:30 pm
6176 Helen C. White Hall
Active Teaching Lab - Engage Students in Lectures with Top Hat
Thursday, April 4 | 1 - 2 pm
120 Middleton Building
Active Teaching Lab - Making Learning Purposeful for Students
Friday, April 5 | 8:30 - 9:45 am
120 Middleton Building
How to Email Like a Professional
Friday, April 5 | 1 - 2:30 pm
6171 Helen C. White Hall
Developing and Delivering Conference Presentations
Friday, April 5 | 3 - 4:30 pm
6171 Helen C. White Hall
Grammar 2: Grammar and Editing for Style and Clarity
Monday, April 8 | 3:30 - 5:30 pm
6176 Helen C. White Hall
Writing Literature Reviews of Published Research
Tuesday, April 9 | noon - 1:30 pm
6176 Helen C. White Hall
Improving Style
Tuesday, April 9 | 3:30 - 5:30 pm
6176 Helen C. White Hall
This week's Software Training for Students (STS) courses:
  • Access 1
  • Photoshop 1
  • Illustrator 2
For dates and times of each class, and for more software classes, visit the STS website. 
MGN & DDEEA Present: Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Graduate Student Mixer
Thursday, April 4 | 4:30 - 6 pm
Latinx/APIDA Cultural Center, Red Gym
The Migrant Crypt: Cultural Translation Across Europe
Wednesday, April 3 | 6 pm
L140 Conrad A. Elvehjem Building
An Evening with Jamaica Kincaid
Monday, April 8 | 7:30 pm
Union South, Varsity Hall
Deadlines & Announcements

Complete all your enrollment tasks with one app: Course Search & Enroll

It’s never been easier to enroll! Use the Course Search and Enroll app to browse courses, check open seats, plan your schedule, and enroll from any device. Find it on your MyUW homepage now to begin reviewing courses and building schedules. Then use it to enroll during your enrollment appointment. After June 2019, the Course Search and Enroll app will be the only enrollment and degree planning tool. Course Guide and Student Center will no longer have those functions. For technical help, visit the Enrollment Help page or contact the DoIT Help Desk. Contact your advisor for course or degree path questions.
Wellness

Mental Health Resources for Grad Students

According 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.
YOU@WISC. This portal has tools, information, and resources to help you be well. YOU@WISC covers a variety of mental health topics including stress management, self-care and social support, anger management, suicidal thoughts, and mindfulness. It also includes physical, personal, and academic wellness topics. All UW–Madison students can access this resource.
SilverCloud. Like YOU@WISC, this resource is entirely online. SilverCloud is a self-guided mental health resource that provides treatment options 24 hours a day, no referral from a mental health or medical provider needed. It includes evidence-based learning modules on anxiety, depression, body image, and stress, designed to help students manage day-to-day stresses and improve resilience.
For more mental health resources, visit the UHS website on mental health.
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.
Funding Opportunities
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.

Campus Employment

Center for Leadership and Involvement Graduate Student Positions (Hourly):
Violence Prevention Peer Educator (Hourly), University Health Services
Qualifications: Experience facilitating large and small group discussions
Communication Specialist Project Assistant, Renk Agribusiness Institute
Qualifications: Experience managing social media and web content
Teaching Assistant in Writing, Pushkin Summer Institute
Qualifications: Prior experience teaching composition and literature

Fellowships & Grants

The Data Incubator is a Cornell-funded data science training organization that runs a free, advanced eight-week fellowship for master’s students, PhDs, and postdocs seeking industry careers as data scientists. A variety of innovative companies partner with The Data Incubator for their hiring and training needs, including LinkedIn, Genentech, Capital One, Pfizer, and many others. The program is free for admitted Fellows. Fellows have the option to participate in the program either in person in New York, the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, or Washington, D.C., or to participate online. Anyone who has already obtained a master's or PhD or who is within one year of graduating with a master's or PhD is welcome to apply.
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