BGS Career Development

Making It Count!

Rebecca Lopez

“Where Does Science Fit On Capitol Hill?” by Sam Sander Effron

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The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) held their Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. this past February 14-18, 2019.

Sam Effron (CAMB) attended, and he shares his personal reflections on some of the meeting’s main themes (such as, “the collectivity of science, the intersection of science and policy, and the complexity of science communication”) via a series of blog posts.

The latest installment in Effron’s 3-part series explores the question, “Where Does Science Fit on Capitol Hill?” Though scientists may understand the need to contribute their expertise within the political sphere, many may not know where to begin. Effron describes the important connections one must forge in order to navigate bureaucratic red tape, such as with staffers, and delves into concepts such as “activated science” that are key for prompting action.

Read the entire article as well as the rest of the series on the PSPDG blog.

Career Services – Handshake Job Lists

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Handshake is Penn Career Services’ primary tool for communicating with students. All students have been pre-assigned a Handshake account, but you will need to activate it by logging in with your PennKey and password.

When you first log in, you will be prompted to fill out your career interests. This is a critical part of the process, because these selections will dictate what you hear from Career Services in terms of specific emails about jobs, workshops, employer events, and so on. For people who already have activated their accounts, they can (and should) keep their career interests updated. This is how:

Click on your picture in the top right hand corner and select “career interests”:

Students should fill out as much as possible on the next page. You can always come back and change, add, or delete selections. The monthly newsletter sent to the “Current PhDs in STEM fields” contains a wide range of information for this population, including job postings:

The next two sections are the most important ones for the job postings Career Services sends. You should select “Biotech & Life Sciences” and “pharmaceuticals” if you are interested in industry opportunities. You can select “higher education” if you want to follow the faculty path, and you should select any other field of interest.

Once you complete these selections and begin exploring events, jobs, and employers, you will see recommended jobs on the main student log-in page based on your activity. If you “favorite”an employer, you will receive an email when they post a job or register for an upcoming career fair.

Finally, students who are actively seeking opportunities should upload a resume to Handshake and make it public. (Be sure to have a Career Services adviser review it first!) Employers can search public resumes and reach out to students directly. Here’s how students can do this: https://vimeo.com/294839748

NEW! Career Path Alumni Videos

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As a reminder, the BGS Career Development Site extends beyond this Career Blog and features a wide variety of resources, from a description of the Core Competencies developed through predoctoral training to websites for career exploration. Noteworthy among the site’s resources is the ‘Career Paths’ section, which provides a description of the profession, advantages of an advanced degree, key competencies, on-campus student organizations, first steps, alumni videos, and resources.

Two new alumni videos have been uploaded to the site. Aaron Gitler, Professor at Stanford University, and Josh Friedman, Director and Lead at Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., share insights on their respective fields of academic and industry research. The BGS alumni describe their typical day, the things they like most and least about their chosen career, the typical traits and skills required, and much more.

BGS Professional Skills Series: ‘Philanthropy & Fundaising’

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And now for something different! The next session in the BGS Professional Skills Series is, ‘Philanthropy & Fundraising.’ It will be led by Torren Blair, Senior Director of Development, Basic Science and Translational Science Programs, and Megan Osvath, Associate Director of Development for Biomedical Research on March 26, 2019 from 4-5 PM in the Barchi Library (140 John Morgan Building.)

For most, the talk will be a revelation, and certainly useful. Philanthropy and other forms of fundraising are central to the growth of institutions such as Penn, but they are relevant as well to numerous, smaller spheres of nonprofit activity. Importantly, these activities embrace a number of skills relevant to a variety of pursuits:  valuation of what we do, how to communicate with the public, creating win-win situations, and teamwork. Please join Torren and Megan as they describe the objectives and skills required in a behind-the-scenes look at how these activities are conducted at Penn.

Light refreshments will be served!

Please register here by March 22, 2019: https://goo.gl/forms/CAxW3SlWz1aVS1Zl1

If you have any questions, please contact Rebecca Lopez.

New iBioSeminar: Visual Communication in Biology

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“Scientists commonly use visual representation of data to show their results and ideas. In this seminar, Dr. Janet Iwasa provides an introduction to the field of molecular animation, and walks us through the process of using visualization tools to communicate scientific information. In her first video, Iwasa summarizes the common types of visualizations used in biology, explains the steps you should take to create a model figure, and summarizes key elements you should consider when creating your figures and models.

In her second and third videos, Iwasa provides an overview of the animation process. She shows different software that can be used to create molecular models (e.g. UCSF chimera), and illustrates the process of creating an animation and finalizing the video using software like Maya and Adobe After Effects. These videos will familiarize you with the process of creating an animation and show best practice techniques when using visual communication in biology.” (Via iBiology)

Watch Janet Iwasa’s iBioSeminar: Visual Communication in Biology