CIRTL Online Coffee Hour is an opportunity for STEM graduate students, post docs and faculty to get together and talk about STEM, careers and teaching

This month:

Alternative academic careers: Using your teaching and research skills outside the classroom
Tuesday April 17 at 1pm CT (11am PT/12 noon MT/2pm ET)

While tenured academic faculty positions are a great place to take those STEM doctorates, there are lots of alternative academic careers (alt-ac) that appear to be increasing in both number and prominence. Where are these positions? What industry alt-ac options still allow you to use your teaching skills? What alternative career options exist in academia? How does one pursue these positions in a job search? Hear from three panelists who are using their STEM expertise in alternative academic careers within and outside of the academy.

Join the discussion, hear what others have to say, and share your insights!

Facilitated by:
Katie Moynihan, Office of Technology Transfer, University of Michigan
Hillary Hager Carter, AAAS Fellow, U.S. Department of State
Mark Urban-Lurain, Associate Professor, Center for Engineering Education Research, College of Engineering, Michigan State University

The new IM Networks program provides small grants to support projects which build mentoring networks. One-time support of $1000 will be awarded for mentoring projects cultivating mentoring networks with UT Arlington faculty, faculty from other colleges or universities, retired faculty, industry leaders, advanced graduate students, or peers. All doctoral and doctoral-bound students and students earning a Master of Fine Arts or Master of Architecture are eligible to apply.

The popular I-Engage Mentoring Program is beginning its third year. This program provides doctoral and doctoral-bound students who have completed 30 hours of graduate study an opportunity to gain teaching and mentoring experience by serving as a research mentor to a UT Arlington undergraduate. The program is open to all junior-senior level undergraduate students but minority and underrepresented and first generation undergraduates are particularly encouraged to participate. Graduate students will receive a $400 stipend during the term in which they participate in the project. Undergraduates will receive a scholarship for 3 semester credit hours of independent study in the term in which they participate in the project.

Please attend one of the following sessions to learn about the programs.

I-Engage Mentoring Networks come-and-go information session:

Wednesday, February 15, B-17 Davis Hall, 12-1:00pm

I-Engage Mentoring Networks come-and-go information session:

Wednesday, February 22, B-17 Davis Hall, 12-1:00pm

I-Engage Mentoring Program come-and-go information session:

Wednesday, February 29, B-17 Davis Hall, 12-1:00pm

I-Engage Mentoring Program “Meet your Mentor Match” information session:

Friday, February 24, 5-6:30pm, 303 CPB (Chemistry & Physics Building).

An online information session for both programs will be available to students on Friday, February 17, 5-6:00pm. Use the following link and login as guest anytime during the session. http://univoftexas.acrobat.com/mtto

Graduate and undergraduate students interested in the program are strongly encouraged to attend the “Meet your Mentor Match” meeting. This is a very competitive program and the graduate student mentor-undergraduate mentee pair must self-identify at the time of application. The information session provides graduate and undergraduate students an opportunity to learn more about the program, meet potential mentors and mentees, and get tips on writing a competitive application.

Please visit the I-Engage website to get the complete program description, eligibility rules, and deadlines for applications. You may contact Lisa Berry, lberry@uta.edu, if you have any questions about the IM Programs.

This workshop will provide participants with insights as to what makes some conference abstracts successful and others less so. Examples from actual conference abstracts will be presented and analyzed for clarity, audience-awareness, and potential red flags. In addition, participants will have an opportunity to have one of their own abstracts peer-reviewed. (For this exercise, participants must come to the workshop with two copies of a one-page abstract, approximately 250-400 words.)

Practical Advice on Writing Conference Abstracts
January 25, 2012
12:00-12:50pm
Chemistry and Physics Building – Room 303

Student must register to attend.

The Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) scholarship-for-service Program fully funds undergraduate and graduate degrees in a wide range of technical areas, including all fields of engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, and Mathematics.

Additional information is available on their website – www.asee.org/SMART. The application deadline is December 1, 2011 for the 2012 school year.

SMART provides:

• Full Tuition – to any accredited U.S. University
• A very generous stipend while in school
- $25,000 for undergraduates
- $33,000 for masters candidates
- $36,300 to $41,800 for doctoral candidates
• Book allowance – $1,000
• Health Insurance
• Paid Summer internships
• All required student fees
• Travel for internships

The ISC for Doctoral Students Program was developed jointly by the Office of Graduate Studies and the Curriculum, Research and Community Engagement workgroup of the University Sustainability Committee. The award includes a $1,500 fellowship to support the applicant and up to $1,500 of additional funds for other costs associated with the project (as specified in the Allowable Use of Funds section of the Call for Applications). Up to 3 grants will be awarded during the funding cycle. The funds will be used to support the development and/or implementation of a course component that allows students in the course use their disciplinary training and intellectual capital to address problems in the community, region or nation related to sustainability. Sustainability represents societal efforts to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

The deadline to apply for this funding opportunity is November 21, 2011.

For more information including a detailed program description, the proposal guidelines and template, please visit http://grad.uta.edu/isc

For questions contact Joslyn Krismer, Assistant Director of Graduate Student Services, krismer@uta.edu, 817-272-0298.

This award is intended for faculty members who have a strong record of excellence in mentoring graduate students. Effective mentoring is a crucial determinant of the academic and professional success of a graduate student and this award is intended to provide the UT Arlington community the opportunity to publicly acknowledge and reward outstanding mentors. Each year the Office of Graduate Studies will solicit nominations for the Award and a panel consisting of faculty, students and OGS leadership will select one graduate faculty member who excels as a mentor to graduate students. The selected individual will receive $3000 and will be recognized at the Annual Celebration of Excellence by Students Awards Ceremony and at the Spring Meeting of the University Faculty and Associates. The recipient’s essay on his/her mentoring philosophy and a brief biographical sketch describing his/her work and career will be featured on the OGS website. Winners will also be asked to serve on the following year’s selection committee.

Last year’s recipients were Dr. Sajal Das and Dr. Robert Gatchel.

Deadline for nominations is November 28, 2011.

Please contact Lisa Berry lberry@uta.edu with any questions about this award.

Round-table Discussions: Admissions, Funding, Graduate Student Services, Career Services, and Veterans Affairs
Time: 11:00am to 11:45am
Location: San Saba & Palo Pinto Rooms, University Center
Meet representatives to discuss various resources available to prospective and current graduate students at UT Arlington.

Panel Discussion: Expectations, Opportunities and Tips for Success
Graduate students and alumni discuss the reality of life as a graduate student.
A live stream broadcast will be available.
Time: Noon to 1:30pm
Location: Red River Room, University Center
*Understanding graduate academic expectations
*Developing mentoring relationships
*Balancing it all – school, work, family, and life in general
*What will happen in your first year of graduate studies?
*What are you expected to do if you want to be successful?
*What do you need to know about being a new graduate student?

Panel Discussion: The Importance and Value of Undergraduate Mentored Research Experiences
Time: 2:00pm to 3:00pm
Location: Red River Room, University Center
As one of Texas’ Emerging Research Universities (ERUs,) UT Arlington is an ideal environment to engage in research. A student panel will discuss how they have benefited from their undergraduate research experiences.

Free GMAT Practice Tests and Workshop
Sponsored by Kaplan Test Prep
Time: 2:00pm to 5:00pm
Location: GMAT Workshop: Room 336 (3rd Floor,) Business Building

Free GRE Practice Tests and Workshop
Sponsored by Princeton Review
Time: 2:00pm to 5:00pm
Location: Room 004 (Basement Level,) University Hall

Faculty/Graduate Student Mixer
Hosted by the Graduate Student Senate (GSS)
Time: 5:00pm to 7:00pm
Location: University Club (Basement Level,) Davis Hall

Register Now!

The UT Arlington Career Center is hosting an ALL MAJORS JOB FAIR on Wednesday, September 21, 2011 from 10:00am-3:00pm in the Maverick Activities Center. You will have the opportunity to network with over 130 companies from various industries. Even if you’re not currently seeking a part-time, full-time, or internship opportunity, this is your chance to talk face to face with recruiters and get info on their company and what types of jobs they have available.

The Job Fair is for UT Arlington students and those who have graduated from UT Arlington. You should bring plenty of resumes and dress professionally.

If you’d like more information about who is coming to the Job Fair, visit our website at: http://hireamaverick.uta.edu/jobfairs.html

If you have any questions, please contact 817.272.2932.

His comic strip, Piled Higher and Deeper, satirizes life (or lack thereof) in academia and has appeared in The Stanford Daily since 2002. You can meet Cecilia, the perfect grad student and chocoholic; Mike, the brilliant, wily grad student who is often napping; Tajel, the Social Science grad student who is constantly finding causes for which to rally protests; and the nameless hero of Cham’s strip who is constantly wondering why nobody bothers to call him by his name!

The witty, satiric strip has been featured in numerous collegiate newspapers and has been linked to by USA Today, The New York Times, and The Washington Post websites. Dr. Cham received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University and was a full-time instructor and researcher at the California Institute of Technology from 2003-2005.

Piled Higher and Deeper movie trailer:

Jorge Cham’s Piled Higher and Deeper website

Please email Mike Saenz at saenz@uta.edu if you would like to attend. Write “Cham 3:15″ in the subject line! If you are attending the Graduate Student Orientation, save an email, you are already registered for the event!