BGS Career Development

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Science: Working Life

NINDS Diversity F31 Applicant Assistance Webinar

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“This webinar will explain the process of putting together an application for the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (Parent F31 -Diversity).

The first half of the webinar will go through each part of the application, including eligibility, the research training plan and research strategy, sponsor and co-sponsor information, letters of reference and support, and the certification letter. The second half of the webinar will be allotted for a question and answer session with attendees.” (Via NIH/ Unified Communications & Collaboration)

Date: Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Time: 2:00 pm 
Register here.

IHE: “Join Your Grad Student or Postdoc Association”

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In this article for Inside Higher Ed, Dr. Robert Pearson, director of professional development at the University of Texas at Dallas, encourages graduate students to become involved with their student associations. Dr. Pearson recalls his own feelings that becoming involved with a student association would distract from his research. Now, as director of professional development, he advises the Graduate Student Assembly at the University of Texas at Dallas. He shares the personal and professional benefits he has witnessed students gain and the relevant skills they have built. Read more here.

Interested students can learn how to get involved with the Biomedical Graduate Student Association (BGSA) or learn about the university-wide Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GAPSA).

Science: “You’ve accomplished more than you think”

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Image via Science

In this “Career Fable,” a fictional story meant to provide guidance to scientists on their real-life career journey, a postdoctoral researcher seeking a medical science liaison position worries that her four years of Ph.D. and two years of postdoctoral research make for an unimpressive resume. The story describes her thought-process as she studies the job description to identify key skills the company is looking for and creates a “mind map” of experiences she wouldn’t have thought were relevant, like teaching and science outreach.

The author summarizes:

The moral of the story is:

You are probably stronger than you think.

It is very common for Ph.D. students and postdocs to feel insecure about their achievements and their employability outside of academia. But in many cases, it’s just understatement or a lack of looking at things the way industry does that makes early-career researchers feel like they’re just one of many and have nothing to show for the years they put in—at least nothing that others don’t have.

But you are likely to have many skills that have significant value. To find these skills, dig deeper.

Read more here.

IHE: Harnessing the Power of Systematic Career Exploration

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In this article for Inside Higher Ed, Dr. Rebekah Layton, director of professional development programs in the Office of Graduate Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, gives tips on how to begin exploring career pathways early on in graduate training.

She describes her own feelings of panic when she realized the faculty track wasn’t the right fit, as well as the competing priorities that came to light in her search for a new path (financial and family needs, anxiety, and more.) Speaking from her experience, she encourages a, “systematic personalized career exploration plan ” and lays out detailed instructions to create such a plan.

Read more here.

Science Communication Webinar

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Science is offering a new complimentary webinar titled, “Selling without selling out: How to communicate your science.” The online educational webinar featuring a panel of experts will air live on May 29, 2019. See the description and register below:

About This Webinar

Science is relevant to every person—it is just that many people don’t realize it. The volume and complexity of modern science, and the speed at which nonsense (nonscience) is transmitted, make the dissemination of accurate scientific concepts a challenge. Add fake science to the mix and one can understand why the public is confused. This confusion can have dire consequences—mistrust of vaccinations resulting from discredited and retracted scientific publications has caused unnecessary suffering and thousands of deaths, while misrepresentation of climate science has devalued the impact of global warming and its perilous implications. The most attention-grabbing headlines in the media are often about scientists who have dubious motives or have committed ethical atrocities—whether it’s DNA editing of humans, a wholly unscientific chocolate diet, or debunked cold nuclear fusion. To counter such misinformation, scientists need to take the initiative and proactively communicate their science in an accurate and understandable manner. This webinar provides guidance on how to best communicate science to your peers and the public. Stand up and tell the world about what you do. Help everyone understand how science makes society better.

Participants:
Laura Lindenfeld, Ph.D.
Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science
Stony Brook, NY

Alexia Youknovsky
Agent Majeur
Paris, France

Laura Helmuth, Ph.D.
The Washington Post
Washington, DC

Matthew S. Savoca, Ph.D.
Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University
Pacific Grove, CA

Register at:
webinar.sciencemag.org

Questions? Email: webinar@aaas.org.

Produced by the Science/AAAS Custom Publishing Office and sponsored by Fondation IPSEN.

Via Science.

Immuno-Oncology Opportunity for Graduate Students

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Fred Hutch’s Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center invites students who are nearing completion of their PhD, MD, or MD/PhD graduate studies to apply for a 3-day, all-expenses paid symposium in Seattle.  

The program is designed for students interested in pursuing a postdoctoral training in immuno-oncology and will take place October 3-4, 2019 at Fred Hutch.  Activities around Seattle are planned for October 5, 2019.  Students either currently studying topics in immuno-oncology or those who are interested in switching fields are equally encouraged to apply. 

Application deadline: May 31st
Click here to apply or copy and paste this link in your browser: https://apply.interfolio.com/60848.  
Questions?  Email immuno_irc@fredhutch.org.