Dear Graduate School Community,
As this semester comes to a close, I have been reflecting on my interactions and conversations with many of you this fall. At each of the signature events we hosted—Convocation in August, the Career Colloquium in October, and Destress and Decompress in November—I enjoyed getting to gather and talk with you in person.
You have shared with me what is working well in graduate education at Vanderbilt and areas of opportunity for growth. I am deeply grateful for your feedback. As we train you, the next generation of scholars and leaders, I remain deeply committed to our mission of promoting excellence in personal development and research. I look forward to continuing these conversations this coming spring.
Your engagement matters as we continue to build connections and network with each other across the many disciplines we represent to strengthen our Graduate School community. I encourage you to attend events, develop relationships across disciplines, and continue to share your feedback with me.
I wish you all a restful winter break.
With gratitude,
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C. André Christie-Mizell Vice Provost for Graduate Education Dean of the Graduate School Centennial Professor of Sociology
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Graduate School Winter Break Hours
The Graduate School will be closed for winter break from Friday, December 24th to Monday, January 3rd. Regular office hours will resume on Tuesday, January 4th.
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COVID Boosters
The university is strongly encouraging Vanderbilt community members to get a booster shot if you have reached the eligibility period. Preliminary data indicate that those who have received a booster vaccination have far greater numbers of antibodies, and thus are less likely to get infected or have severe illness with either delta or omicron—particularly those with chronic health conditions.
If you need a booster, VUMC, Student Health, walk-in clinics, and pharmacies offer them at no charge. You can find options outside Vanderbilt Health at vaccinefinder.org.
For those who have already received the booster, thank you for stepping up to protect yourselves and others. All members of the Vanderbilt community are encouraged to report their booster record. Knowing how many in our community have received booster shots will help us to understand the risk level on our campus and inform our decisions moving forward.
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The Science of Beer
December 16 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Beer dates to the 5th millennium BC and is one of the oldest drinks humans have produced. The process of refining the fermentation and production of beer has been part of human history. But what is the science of beer and how does it connect to biomedical research? Join the Vanderbilt School of Medicine Basic Sciences’ for this monthly virtual Lab-to-Table Conversation. Register here!
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Spring ASPIRE Events: Hosted by the BRET Office of Career Development ASPIRE Program
Save the date! Ph.D. Career Stories: Finance/Equity Research February 4, 2022 at 10 a.m. via Zoom
Additionally, the BRET Office of Career Development ASPIRE Program is excited to bring back the very popular CV/Resume Drop-In Clinic starting Tuesday, January 11, 2022. VU and VUMC biomedical Ph.D. students and postdocs may bring documents into the Drop-In Clinic for edit and review, including resumes, CVs, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles. No appointment is needed for the Drop-In Clinic – just stop by 340 Light Hall on Tuesdays, 11 a.m.-Noon.
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Spring Writing Groups
During the spring semester, the Writing Studio will offer weekly writing groups for graduate students and postdocs on Monday afternoons from 2-5 p.m. and Friday mornings from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Students are welcome to attend one or both days and are encouraged to commit to attending each week. Each group meeting begins with a brief 10-minute check-in during which participants are invited to share their writing goals for the session. Participants then check in again at the end of the session to share their progress. A Writing Studio facilitator is available throughout to provide an additional sense of community and accountability. To participate, please complete a registration form.
Questions? Please email Simone McCarter, Academic Support Coordinator.
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Registration is open for spring 2022 English Language Center classes!
The English for Academics and Professionals (EAP) program offers courses in Academic Writing, Academic Speaking, and Pronunciation. EAP courses at the English Language Center (ELC) support academic written and oral communication for students who use English as an Additional Language (EAL). Students meet both as a group and individually with an instructor to work on their specific language needs. Click here to learn more or enroll.
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Professional Development Opportunities
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1:1 Academic Life Coaching
The Graduate School Academic Life Coaching program was created to support students and postdocs through individual coaching and group programming around effective time and stress management, resilience, conflict resolution, navigating academic relationships, and juggling work/life responsibilities. Learn more and schedule a 1:1.
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The Federation of American Scientists is launching an Early Career Science Policy Accelerator program with the National Science and Policy Network. This nine-week, part-time process will provide participants with guidance, feedback, and mentorship opportunities with policy veterans on how to transform a kernel of an idea into a compelling, actionable policy proposal that resonates with decision-makers in Washington. Applications are due today, December 15, 2021.
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The Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (VINSE) Short Courses for Summer 2022
Transmission and Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM/STEM) for Materials Science June 6-7, 2022 This two-day short course will blend accessible lectures with hands-on experience operating both the Zeiss Merlin SEM and the Tecnai Osiris advanced analytical TEM/STEM. After completing this course, users will know how best to operate both instruments to get the most information and achieve the best possible images. Specific techniques include secondary electron vs. backscattered electron imaging, bright field/dark field TEM, STEM and analytical SEM and STEM using energy dispersive spectroscopy. Cost: $75 for Vanderbilt Users
Microfluidic Device Fabrication June 16-17, 2022 This short course will introduce the techniques behind the fabrication of microfluidic devices. It will be structured to assume no prior knowledge of the technologies by the participants. It will include an overview of microfabrication and microfluidics, photolithography, soft lithography, polymers, microfluidic device design, and microfluidic device applications. Students will fabricate a PDMS-glass microfluidic device inside the VINSE cleanroom with sessions broken down into SU-8 mold fabrication, PDMS mixing and pouring, and device cutting, bonding and testing. Cost: $150 for Vanderbilt Users
Email vinse@vanderbilt.edu to register.
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The Programs for Talented Youth, a department within Peabody College at Vanderbilt is recruiting instructors for the summer of 2022. During a typical summer, they operate academic-focused pre-college day and residential programs and virtual mentorship programs for K-12 grade students. The middle and high school students in the program generally score in the top 10% of standardized tests and can take an advanced course taught by a Ph.D. student, faculty member, or content expert as part of the program. All positions are compensated.
If interested, sign up for a Zoom meeting or email Mark Shivers, the Assistant Director of the Program for Talented Youth.
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The Center for Teaching (CFT) has several positions available for graduate students for the 2022-2023 academic year and is now accepting applications. Graduate Teaching Fellows (GTFs) engage in a variety of activities focused on the development of graduate students as teachers, including facilitation of the CFT’s Certificate in College Teaching (CiCT) Program and graduate student consultations. This is a 12-month position carrying a $30,000 stipend and graduate health insurance; 4 open positions.
Teaching Affiliates prepare and lead sessions at our annual Teaching Assistant Orientation (TAO) in August 2022, working about 70 hours total (mostly in August), and are paid a $1,000 total stipend; 8 open positions.
CiCT Facilitators will, alongside the GTFs, each lead a section of the CiCT program. Facilitators will read and prepare lesson plans, lead class sessions, and attend weekly meetings with the GTFs. When the CiCT program is in session (8 weeks per semester), the approximate workload will be 5-10 hours/week. The CiCT Program Facilitator position carries a $3,000 total stipend, 2 open positions.
These positions can provide valuable professional development experience for graduate students interested in careers that involve teaching. The application deadline is Friday, February 11, 2022. Learn more and apply here. Questions? Email Ransford Pinto, Assistant Director at the CFT.
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Graduate Leadership Institute Student Programming Grants
Applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. This grant was established to support student-organized programs and events that will enhance the graduate student experience at Vanderbilt. Awards up to $2,000 will be granted through this funding opportunity; learn more on the GLI website.
Ford Foundation
Ford Fellowships fund students pursuing Ph.D. and Sc.D. Predissertation Awards. Applications are due December 16th.
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Postdoctoral Research Opportunities
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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is offering postdoctoral fellowships for their Visiting Scientist Program cohort at the Transportation Security Laboratory (TSL). The program is seeking senior-level graduate students and early-stage postdocs that have experience in mathematical modeling and large data sets and have a foundational knowledge of the physics or engineering applicable in learning to create high-fidelity synthetic data. Learn more and apply.
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Join the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for the fourth MSKVIEW, designed to provide senior-level graduate students and early-stage postdocs from underrepresented groups insights about training as a postdoc at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK). They are accepting applications from traditionally underrepresented minority trainees in biology/biomedicine, chemistry, engineering, physics and computational sciences who are Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. students within 2 years of defending their thesis. Applications are due January 5, 2022.
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Darwin Baluran Sociology graduate student Darwin Baluran was featured in Vanderbilt News for his groundbreaking study examining different Asian ethnic groups’ life expectancy by geographic region. The study challenges how researchers look at the Asian American population and was published on October 1 in Demography. Congratulations, Darwin!
Mariia Gorchichko Mariia received a Paul Phelps Grant for the 2021 IEEE Nuclear and Space Radiation Effects Conference and a 2021 IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Graduate Scholarship Award, in recognition of her work on the low-frequency noise and radiation response of MOS devices with advanced architectures. She graduated with her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering this month. Congratulations, Mariia!
Chuchuan Hong Chuchuan Hong, a Ph.D. Student in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering, was awarded 2021 C.F. Chen Best Paper Awards by the School of Engineering. The C.F. Chen Best Paper Awards recognize top journal articles in which a graduate student is first author. Congratulations Chuchuan!
Riqiang Gao Riqiang Gao, a Ph.D. student in Computer Science, was awarded 2021 C.F. Chen Best Paper Awards by the School of Engineering. The C.F. Chen Best Paper Awards recognize top journal articles in which a graduate student is first author. Congratulations Riqiang!
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Newsletter SubmissionsTo submit content for this newsletter or to subscribe, please email all relevant information to gradschoolnews@vanderbilt.edu by the 7th day of each month. The newsletter will be published on the 15th day of each month.
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