January 2019
You’re a Teaching Assistant: Congratulations! Now What?
THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE PRESENTS: You're a Teaching Assistant: Congratulations! Now What? Dr. Paul Buckley, Professor of Chemistry Teaching and managing a class is always a challenge, even for seasoned veterans of the classroom. This workshop provides strategies to help with the everyday challenges of presenting information to students, classroom management, and fostering student engagement, retention, and success. Discussions and scenarios will focus on common situations teaching assistants experience, modeling active learning, professional preparation, and the “nuts and bolts”…
Find out more »February 2019
Three Minute Thesis Information Session
THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE PRESENTS: Three Minute Thesis Information Session Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland. Ph.D. students have three minutes to present a compelling oration on their thesis and its significance. 3MT is not an exercise in trivialising or ‘dumbing-down’ research, but challenges students to consolidate their ideas and research discoveries so they can be presented concisely to a non-specialist audience. This workshop will explain more about the Three Minute…
Find out more »Hacking the Academic Job Market with Dr. Karen Kelsky
The Professional Development Initiative Presents: Hacking the Academic Job Market with Dr. Karen Kelsky In this three hour talk with Q and A, I walk you through the conditions of the current American job market, the most common mistakes made by job-seekers, and the ways you can prepare your record, applications, and interviews. We’ll cover: The big-picture conditions of the U.S. tenure track job market How to think like a search committee The four core qualities of a successful tenure…
Find out more »Writing Lock In
THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE PRESENTS: WRITING LOCK IN Are you writing your dissertation, thesis, a journal article, or other writing project? This event offers a quiet space for writers to work without distractions. Consultants from the Graduate Writing Center will be on hand to help with goal setting, accountability, writing habits, grammar, and structure in writing. Bring you laptop! Coffee, tea, and water will be available while you write. Lunch will be provided from 12:00 - 1:00 pm.…
Find out more »Data Literacy: Busting Myths of Big Data Part 2
THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE PRESENTS: DATA LITERACY: BUSTING MYTHS OF BIG DATA PART 2 Dr. Nairanjana Dasgupta, Boeing Science/Math Education Distinguished Professor in Mathematics and Statistics In this workshop we will focus on learning about the what, when, how and whys of data. Data is pervasive these days and like it or not we have to use data to make decisions or others will make them for us. In this workshop we will start from the basics and talk about…
Find out more »March 2019
Stress Relief and Mindfulness
THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE PRESENTS: STRESS RELIEF AND MINDFULNESS WORKSHOP Presentation by: Dr. Cecilia Richards, Professor School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering Graduate school can be stressful, competitive, and extremely demanding. Graduate students experience high rates of burnout and mental health problems from unrelenting workloads and pressure. It takes time and practice to learn to slow down, do less, and take care of yourself. Learn the basics of mindfulness and meditation training and how to realistically incorporate these practices into your…
Find out more »How a University Works
THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE PRESENTS: HOW A UNIVERSITY WORKS Dan Bernardo, Provost and Executive Vice President At times, graduate students and post-docs can find themselves somewhat insulated from the greater university in which they work and study. As a result, they can experience challenges navigating the university bureaucracy when they encounter a problem or if they move on to permanent employment at another higher education institution. This presentation and discussion will provide participants an inside look at how a university functions,…
Find out more »April 2019
Writing Lock In
THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE PRESENTS: WRITING LOCK IN Are you writing your dissertation, thesis, a journal article, or other writing project? This event offers a quiet space for writers to work without distractions. Consultants from the Graduate Writing Center will be on hand to help with goal setting, accountability, writing habits, grammar, and structure in writing. Bring you laptop! Coffee, tea, and water will be available while you write. Lunch will be provided from 12:00 - 1:00 pm.…
Find out more »Panel Discussion: Balance of Work, Life, and Family
The Professional Development Initiative Presents: Panel Discussion: Balance of Work, Life, and Family With Dr. Carmen R. Lugo-Lugo and Dr. Mary K. Bloodsworth-Lugo, Dr. Joanna Kelley and Dr. Omar Cornejo Moderator: Dr. Lisa Gloss, Dean of the Graduate School The panelists will share their lessons and advice learned over the last years as they have worked to integrate family and their careers as well as having fun. This session will discuss their best tips for maintaining work-life balance and setting boundaries…
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