In this Nature article, Dr. Crystal Upperman discusses her own career path and provides tips for diversifying one’s CV as a doctoral candidate. Briefly outlined, the seven steps for making the leap to industry include:
Read the specifics on each step here.
BGS students are invited to attend, “Inclusion and Diversity: Perspectives from Business,” the next installment in the BGS Professional Skills Series. The workshop will take place February 27, 2019 from 4 – 5:30 PM in Smilow 12-146AB. It is co-hosted by SACNAS and EE Just.
Light refreshments will be served.
Dr. Laura Roberts, Teaching Professor of Management (McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University) will present an interactive lecture that includes illustrative cases and large group discussion. Dr. Roberts will tackle the question, “How can leaders facilitate generative dialogue that harnesses the power of inquiry, encourages learning from diverse experiences and fuels positive organizing?” Specific strategies for building an asset-based (potential-focused) perspective and an action plan for inclusive leadership will be addressed.
Key topics of discussion will include:
Please register by February 22, 2019. To register, click here or copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser:
https://goo.gl/forms/pwDUqSqM2ChOsfaj1
If you have any questions, please contact Rebecca Lopez. .
The NIH Office of Intramural Training and Education (OITE) Careers blog emphasizes four core competencies for trainees:
They include useful descriptions of these skills sets, as well as a listing of blog posts relevant to each. These include topics such as difficult work conversations (communication), overcoming a fear of informational interviews (career readiness), good mentoring guidelines (leadership), and more.
See the full list of resources here.
In this brief article, eight students and professors share concrete time management tips to avoid distractions and hold oneself accountable. Their advice includes both individual and lab techniques to stay on task.
Read more here.
Many BGS students have expressed interest in learning about aspects of business as part of their preparation for various careers. Wharton conducts a series of Coursera courses in business foundations.
https://www.coursera.org/specializations/wharton-business-foundations
The courses are free for people who don’t want or need any course credit and simply want exposure to business principles and practices. However, some people may wish to receive credit for individual courses or for a certificate (6 courses including a capstone project). Coursera estimates it takes 4-5 weeks to complete each course.
The cost per month of Coursera is $79. BGS can reimburse students for up to 7 months of Coursera who show proof of completion (*details below).
If you take any of the courses (whether for credit or not), we’d be interested to hear what you think of them.
*Tiffany Brooks (brookst@upenn.edu) can help with reimbursement. Reimbursement will be processed via Concur and require the following documentation:
Request for reimbursement must be submitted within 60 days of course completion/credit received. Approval of submissions past the deadline is at the discretion of the program.
BGS presents the next installment in the Professional Skills Series, “Mentoring 101: Think Globally, Act Locally.”
Each of us at every point in our professional development is both mentor and mentee; it’s the balance between the two that can change with time. Case in point: many PhD students, while identified as mentees within the context of training, already serve as incredibly important mentors to undergraduate or new graduate students and are in fact critical to the career decisions those students make.
Please join us as our own Dr. Michael Nusbaum discusses the dynamics of mentorship from all its perspectives, both within and beyond academia. Please register by November 30, 2018. To register, click here or copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser:
https://goo.gl/forms/hM32Z3OX0LHoJUNX2
If you have any questions, please contact Rebecca Lopez.
The American Society for Cell Biology has posted this insightful article about mentorship. It details the learning potential involved in mentoring undergraduates in the lab. Of course, it’s no secret that graduate students juggle numerous responsibilities. Still, they would be wise to view the opportunity to mentor as a teaching opportunity, rather than an additional task. The author emphasizes graduate students’ potential to strengthen undergraduates’ “scientific identity,” the extent to which they see themselves as scientists. Fostering scientific identity is crucial, especially for members of underrepresented minorities. The author makes a number of suggestions – allowing students to attend meetings with your PI, involving them in lower-stakes side projects, and more.
BGS is pleased to announce the first workshop in this year’s Professional Skills Series for PhD students – “Time Management.” The workshop will cover a variety of strategies that can be used to manage time effectively. Light refreshments will be served. The workshop will be led by Julie A. Blendy and feature insights from Scott Hensley and Montserrat Anguera.
When: Tuesday, October 9, 2018, 4:00-5:30PM
Where: Smilow 10-146AB
Please register by October 5, 2018 to guarantee your spot!
To register, click here or copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser:
https://goo.gl/forms/8tCM7NX8jaVPtIgN2
If you have any questions, please contact Rebecca Lopez.
This Inside Higher Ed article addresses a tricky topic for graduate students and postdocs searching for a faculty position – determining how much time to dedicate to the search. Of course, temporary positions such as adjunct teaching or visiting professorships are valuable opportunities in their own right and can serve as stepping stones on the track to a faculty position. At the same time, the article suggests, setting a clear limit on these temporary positions is one way to remain open to other career possibilities.
iBiology has two free, self-paced courses designed for trainees. The objective of “Planning your Scientific Journey” is to teach students “how to choose a good scientific problem and plan their journey ahead.” “Business Concepts for Life Scientists,” created in collaboration with the UCSF Office of Career and Professional Development and the WUSTL Graduate School, helps graduate students, postdocs and junior faculty who wish to gain a basic understanding of business fundamentals for both academic and industry career sectors. iBiology also has a new course coming out later this year, called “Designing Killer Experiments.” (Via the AAMC)