Mav Grad Blog

Office of Graduate Studies, Student Services

Posts Tagged research

RCR Workshop – Last One of the Academic Year!

May 8

Posted by Ashley Horn in Resources, Uncategorized | No Comments

Monday, May 13th 2013: RCR Workshop – Moral Dilemmas in Research
12:00 pm–1:30 pm
Room 303 Chem & Physics Bldg.

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.

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I-Engage

Mar 14

Posted by Ashley Horn in Resources | No Comments

Info meeting Tuesday March 19th -

Graduate students interested in the I-Engage Mentoring program should attend this workshop. 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. Register online through EDGE.

Find out more information on the I-Engage program and see if it is a good fit for you this summer!

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Career Research – How & Why

Feb 18

Posted by Ashley Horn in #altac, Career Services, Resources | No Comments

The “why” portion of this post: Warning! Blanket statement to follow: Research is important because knowledge is power.  If you are considering a job outside of academia, research is essential.

Tips for the “how” portion of this post: Jobs on Toast has a great post about researching jobs in your industry.  However, you need industries of interest in mind before starting.  Good thing there is a post for that too.

Some suggestions:

  • Read books, newspapers and magazines in your chosen industries.
  • Read blogs and listen to pod casts – there is a wealth of information that didn’t make it into the top journals.
  • Network, both in-person and online.  Email HR Reps, create a database of contacts you meet at events, and keep in touch with those people!

There is also an interesting post on creating a Career Roadmap that is broken into four steps: discovering potential, finding a niche, marketing yourself, and getting an offer.  Check it out.

On an unrelated note – LOOK!  It’s Steve Jobs on a piece of toast! Get it? Jobs on Toast? Like, Steve JOBS on Toast?

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Handling Rejection When It Hurts the Most

Jan 28

Posted by Ashley Horn in Resources | No Comments

Graduate students typically spend vast amounts of time focusing on a single aspect in their chosen field, researching and writing for professors, writing a thesis, and then completing a dissertation.  These efforts will hopefully be published in journals around the world, making a huge splash and creating discussions in classrooms everywhere.

Then that first letter arrives in the mail.Opening it with anticipation of  fame, the first line reads “We regret to inform you…” and emotions emerge like tidal waves.  Here is some SHOCKING news (and it was also very shocking to me; I had not a clue about these statistics):

“The top research journals reject fully 9 out of 10 of the papers they receive.” Douglas T. Kenrick, Ph.D. (Psychology Today, Jan 2013)

What comes to mind? Hmmm… Is this a joke?  Seriously? Nope, no joke.  Apparently we are all looking at nine straight-up “No” responses before there is even a “Maybe” letter (which also bluntly documents the editors liberal application of red ink all over our wonderful research papers). AGHHH!

I quote an interesting story from Dr. Kenrick:

“Many years back, when I was still a young professor, I recall a conversation between two of the most successful people in the field. These were two prominent professors (Charles S. Carver and David Kenny), whose articles had appeared in all the major journals, and gone on to have immense scientific impact (as judged by thousands of citations by other scientific researchers). But rather than basking in their great success, these two super-stars were discussing their strategies for coping with rejection letters. It quickly became clear that both of them had seen many, many rejection letters.  This was especially useful for me to hear at the time, because I had just received several rejection letters in a row, and I was beginning to wonder whether I should consider a different career, perhaps returning to New York City to drive a cab, or taking a 9-to-5 job with a more readily achievable job description,” (Psychology Today, Jan 2013).

Oh rejection – you can get me down, but you can’t keep me there!  And remember, the OGS  is only one email/call/short walk/facebook post/tweet away.

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Get on Board with NASA

Nov 20

Posted by Ashley Horn in External Grants, Research Resources, Resources | No Comments

NASA wants you! Log on to the “One Stop Shop” to apply for fellowships that include 12 months of funding and 10 weeks of research at one of NASA’s HQ locations.  Get a proposal together and have a professor review it to get the EDGE on your competition.

The application deadline is March 16, 2012.

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Paid Summer Research Experiences

Nov 19

Posted by Ashley Horn in Research Resources, Resources | No Comments

Join our free webinar: Tips on Finding and Applying to Programs

When: Wednesday November 28th at 7 p.m. Eastern time (6 p.m. central  for UT Arlington peeps)

What: Short presentation + Q&A

Why: Learn how to search for and apply to paid summer research experiences, hear from recent summer research participants about their experience and advice.

Where: Register and receive log in info at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5XYTFHR

**Brought to you by  The Institute for Broadening Participation (IBP)**

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Uh, yeah I know all about Halloween.

Oct 31

Posted by Ashley Horn in Resources, Technology | No Comments

Just kidding.  But if I wanted, I could know everything about Halloween.

Digital Humanities is the most awesome, excellent, all encompassing thing to ever happen to earth.  I can learn the common traits of serial killers (they kill people), whether or not pumpkin seeds will grow in your stomach (you know they will), and WHAT EXACTLY those strange, orange and black wrapped chewy things are called (I still have no clue).

I am going to nerd out all night, typing random words of horror into EBSCO.  And yes, I will be doing this while sitting on my couch eating candy, trying to get the Trick-or-Treaters to take the Whoppers from my mixed bag of chocolates. (Ha! Trick on them, Whoppers are awful.)

As a student of history, librarian, and writer, I return again and again. Even when I’m not researching, I often visit [insert your fave database] for the sheer fun of what I might learn and discover.”

- Blaney & Webster, 2010

The above is an excerpt from Meyer, E.T. (2011). Splashes and Ripples Synthesizingthe Evidence on the Impact of Digital Resources London JISC.)  That is some serious reading.  You should check it out.

The digitization of Humanities has completely revolutionized the human approach to accessing information.  I want to hear from you!  Email AshleyH@uta.edu or post a comment with your favorite blogs, websites, primary resources, and other digital musings that document the daily life of humans.

One of my faves? Urban Dictionary.  But hey, that’s just me – you may hate digital humanities and secretly wish that your Sim would just die already.  Now that is evil.  Pure evil.

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Wisconson Anyone?

Oct 31

Posted by Ashley Horn in Resources | No Comments

I heard they have good cheese and an open Assistant Director position.

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#Alt-ac – Why You Need to Know About It

Oct 18

Posted by Ashley Horn in Career Services, Resources | No Comments

Want to teach?  Want  tenured-track position?  Want to do your research at a top tier university?  Post-docs are applying by the droves (900 applications per position is apparently not uncommon) to get their foot, hand, leg, whatever, in the proverbial door of the house that research built.  Don’t freak.  You can still get a satisfying position at a university. 

The recent emergence of Alternative Academic positions allows the best and brightest to use their teaching and research skills in specialist positions.  The term ”specialist” at the university level often gets a bad wrap for being strictly administrative.  WRONG! In today’s university culture, that is not always so.  Specialist positions encompass diverse tasks, including researching, assisting students, teaching and hosting workshops, and even fancy award dinners here and there.  Learn a lesson from a pro:

“#Alt-ac scholars interested in pursuing intellectual work that incorporates academic and professional citizenship is a positive trend.
                       - Tanya Clement Assoc. Director, DCC @ U of Maryland-College Park

So please remember to relax if you don’t make the cut for the associate professor position you and your 20 colleagues will all apply for the same day mechanical checks come back error free.  And, don’t feel like you need to hide the fact that traditional academia is only ONE of your MANY options. 

Get out. Explore.  Its OK.  You can even document your adventures via abstract form and submit them to Brian Croxall, one of the the brains behind the #Alt-Ac movement.  There are lots of positions that require an overdeveloped, super smart, highly intellectual brain in (and outside of) the university system.  How do I know this?  I happened to get one of those positions.

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