May 20
Its summertime!! Ditch the books and hit the field!! 
(I hope I’m allowed to endorse this kind of behavior…) Come and cheer on your fellow GRADUATE STUDENTS or maybe RSVP to PLAY on the team. The warm-up and softball game is June 19th 2013, from 7 to 9 p.m. Five men and five women are needed to make a team so sign up ASAP.
“Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer.”
My fellow graduate students,
As many of you already know, a member of our UTA family has suffered a great loss this week during a time that was meant to be the ultimate celebration. Rebekah’s mother and three youngest siblings were involved in a car accident this past Saturday. Her two youngest sisters, AnnaLeah and Mary, died and her mother is still hospitalized. Rebekah and John have decided to go ahead with their wedding plans this coming Saturday as a tribute to her sisters’ love of life and excitement over the wedding.
Many of you have asked what you can do for Rebekah and Susanna during this unfortunate time. An account in Rebekah’s name has been set up with Wells Fargo to make contributions for the Karth Family. The Leadership Center is also taking donations and gift cards and will make a mass deposit on behalf of the UTA community. The Leadership Center is in the University Center Lower Level room B160 if you wish to contribute to the Family Fund.
In addition to the support for the family during this time, GSS would also like to honor the spirit of the Karth sisters and celebrate the new shared life of Rebekah and John. The majority of the wedding and reception arrangements have already been taken care of. As such, we felt it appropriate to get them a gift to help start their new life in Indiana. We will be collecting contributions in the GSS office tomorrow and Friday if you would like to participate. There will also be cards in the office if you would like to drop by and sign them.
Rebekah has been a role model to us all, excelling as an academician and truly participating in her community through countless acts of service. She has gone above and beyond her duty to represent the graduate student body. This is one way which we can say thank you and support a member of our family during her time of need.
Best regards,
Marianna Vallejo
President, GSS
Doctoral Student Progress Report Online (DS-PRO) is unrolling Mark II, a BRAND NEW version of the on-line tool that allows doctoral students and professors at UT Arlington to collaboratively set, monitor, and report on their progress toward goals. Some functions will be slightly different. The system prompts you with instructions each time you log in – no training necessary!!
This system is important for students and advisors alike! DS-PRO lets you improve accountability on all fronts and track your progress so there is a record of your performance. This is VERY VALUABLE for things like: applying for fellowships and GTA/GRA positions, getting extra time for papers,and getting approval on petitions. Log in to DS-Pro and set new goals! Read an overview of the new DS-PRO Mark II for more information!
Find out more about the conceptual frameworks used to examine moral dilemmas in the design and completion of research projects. Hear Dr. Maria Martinez-Cosio, Dr. Alexa Smith-Osborne, Dr. Ken Williford, and Dr. Tim Henry speak about their experiences with morality in past research. Then, join in on the discussion, share your opinion, and learn where your peers stand on issues regarding responsible research.
Find out more about UTA’s Responsible Conduct of Research Certification.
May 1
Massive Open Online Courses - most of which are free – are taking the internet by storm. (sounds like MMOG, no?)
According to The Chronicle – April, 2013, right now the main issues are -
Why take em’?
Major players include National Science Foundation (no-brainer), Mozilla (nice!), Harvard, MIT, University of Pennsylvania, Cal Tech, UT Austin (Go UT System!), Google, and the loved (but also hated by test-takers alike) Pearson.
The aggregator of my choice is edX – free classes from leading universities are all packaged nicely via subject, so I can avoid anything computer programming related and skip straight to artificial intelligence and quantitative methods in public health sections. All of the classes aren’t currently running, but many are open for self-paced study.
The top ten sites for MOOCs according to BDPA include UC Berkeley Free Courses and Standford Free Courses.
Join a webinar hosted by the Institute for Broadening Participation on Tuesday, April 30th at 6 p/m/ CENTRAL (7 p.m. Eastern time). An experienced panel (both current postdocs and faculty members) will share their perspectives on this topic, followed by a Question & Answer period. Preregistration is requested! Simply sign up for the event below, through EDGE and we’ll send you the information you need.
You can submit questions before the webinar, online at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VG86QR7
Thank you to all who voted! Below is the new line-up of GSS All-stars!
Be sure to meet and greet em’ at the Spring Social! Its at a brand new on-campus establishment:
JOIN GSS & Connect!
Apr 16
After a decent break to adjust to the new organizational flow of the Office of Graduate Studies (yes, we are still here!!) I came across a forum topic that has inspired this first post of our “new age.” UTA worked and worked and has now declared that the organizational flow of the Office of Graduate Studies is sustainable. This new work flow was officially implemented on tax day (April 15th – so it has been one day). Is it sustainable? I don’t know. This word, “sustainable,” really stuck with me.
When I think of sustainability, I think of the perplexing question, “How long can this be done?” This is particularly difficult to answer when one doesn’t actually know what one will be doing.
One reader posted to the wall of Versatile Ph.D (a great site, so definitely become a member, its free) a question much like the one posed above. She asks whether applying for an entry level position or networking would be a better way of getting a foot in the door. She does, after all, have various degrees and an entry level position is… ENTRY LEVEL! How long can she take it? How will her peers view her? Will she get stuck in that position?
Not one response was “No, don’t apply.” I agree – always apply.
Another response focused on honesty and making an agenda known from the start, which I completely agree with. Typically, the three-ring-circus that is the professional world consists of networking to get a job, the job then gets you a better job where you already work, then more networking gets you a better job at a better place, and the cycle continues until you are Master of the Universe. Some people hide this fact – others embrace it. If you are actively planning on a promotion in order to be happy at the company in which you are applying, you should definitely embrace the cycle and let them know that. If they understand where you are coming from, then you can both work together to ensure that a symbiotic relationship is created from the start. If the hiring manager scoffs and you see an eye roll – GOOD. Then you know that upper management probably doesn’t prioritize upward-bound futures for their employees (i.e. don’t work there).
Mar 28
