Grad student stories, funding opportunities, important dates
Incoming dean's message to graduate students
Dear Science Graduate Students,
With the fall semester well underway, I wanted to reach out to you and wish you a great semester, and thank you for making the best of less than ideal conditions. Soon I will begin my duties as the dean of the Eberly College of Science, but in some respects, the job has already begun. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been meeting with Dean Cavener and others in the College to get a handle on what needs to be done to keep us moving to greater excellence. Specifically, I’ve been focused on how we can safely continue our research and education during a global pandemic. I wanted to acknowledge the incredible role that our graduate students have been playing in ensuring that our research and educational mission can move forward as safely as possible.
I have appreciated the mentorship that Dean Cavener and others have provided me during this transition and will use their input and advice as I map a path forward for my leadership and for the college. I am a keen advocate of effective mentoring and I hope that you take advantage of mentors in the college and beyond to support you in your graduate school journey. Good mentors are more than subject matter experts; they are sources of personal support and help you build an important network of colleagues who will become an integral part of your career success.
As dean, it will be one of my priorities to cultivate a college community where efforts like mentoring are valued and we are seen for both our research and teaching excellence and for the collegial environment that we foster through efforts like mentoring. No matter what stage you are in your graduate school journey, I hope that you take full advantage of the support network that the college provides and seek opportunities to mentor others on their journey. This is an important process that will facilitate your own success in graduate school and beyond and allow you to pay it forward to those who come after you.
I hope that your semester is safe, and you are able to find your balance. I look forward to seeing you all on Zoom soon and in person eventually.
Sincerely,
Tracy Langkilde
Colosimo awarded NSTGRO fellowship
Joseph Colosimo, a graduate student in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, was awarded a NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunity (NSTGRO) Fellowship. NASA Space Technology Graduate Researchers perform innovative, space technology research at their respective campuses and at NASA Centers. Awards are made in the form of grants to accredited U.S. universities on behalf of individuals pursuing master’s or doctoral degrees, with the faculty advisor serving as the principal investigator. Congratulations Joseph!
Award applications
Graduate School Student Awards
The Graduate School has released the call for graduate student awards in InfoReady. The deadline for the awards is Monday, November 2nd. This is a HARD deadline, as time is needed for the graduate chairs and Dean Slavkovic to review and approve the awards on time. Please submit nominations via InfoReady. The college will submit the nominations to the Graduate School by Monday, Nov. 16th. The college is only allowed to put forward 4 nominations per award.
Graduate student awards include:
Alumni Association Dissertation Award
Distinguished Master's Thesis Award
Graduate Student Excellence in Mentoring Award
Graduate Student International Research Award
Harold F. Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award
Harold K. Schilling Dean's Graduate Scholarship
Intercollege Graduate Student Outreach Achievement Award
Penn State Alumni Association Scholarship for Penn State Alumni in the Graduate School
Professional Master’s Excellence Award
Thomas and June Beaver Fund Award
Graduate School Faculty Awards
The Graduate School has released the call for graduate faculty awards in InfoReady. The deadline for the awards is Friday, October 2nd. This is a HARD deadline, as time is needed for the graduate chairs and Dean Slavkovic to review and approve the awards on time. Please go ahead and submit any nominations via InfoReady. The College will submit the nominations to the Graduate School by Friday, Oct. 16th. Please note that each program can approve one nomination per award. If you would prefer you may do a down-select at the program level and submit only one nomination per award in InfoReady.
Graduate Faculty Teaching Award (GFTA)
Graduate School Alumni Society Graduate Program Chair Leadership Award (GPCLA)
The Howard B. Palmer Faculty Mentoring Award (PFMA)
Science outreach opportunities
The Office of Science Outreach (OSO) has several upcoming events for graduate students! These are great opportunities to showcase Eberly College of Science research and to encourage younger students and community members to explore STEM careers and topics.
- Virtual Science Fair: Help make the first Virtual Science Fair a success! This event, tentatively scheduled for October 27th, will replace in-person Exploration-U and Haunted-U events this year and will share research concepts with the public. Click here for more information, to express your level of interest, and to vote on a more exciting title!
- Lab Tour Videos: Would you like to show-off your lab space? Film a scientific demonstration? Or just tell people what a day in the life of a scientist is really like? The OSO and the Office of Communications are looking for lab groups interested in creating lab tour videos that can be used at future events or as educational tools! Video assistance and editing are available.
- Citizen Science Project Partners: If enlisting the help of citizens would benefit your research, contact the OSO to learn more about creating a Citizen Science Project. Several examples of projects that engage citizens for data collection or classification are available at Zooniverse.
Contact the OSO at outreach@science.psu.edu to learn more about any of these events or activities!
Webinars and seminars
Self Care During the Career Search
October 5, 7:00-8:30 pm
Given the current global crisis, the career search can feel like an even more daunting process. Self-care strategies are essential to help navigate the career search so that job seekers can present themselves in the best light. This interactive presentation will help participants identify the thoughts and behaviors necessary to bring their best selves to the career search.
This webinar will be facilitated by Dr. Cicely Horsham-Brathwaite, a licensed psychologist and leadership coach. Her private practice specializes in helping individuals identify a career and advancement track that aligns with their passion and greater life purpose. Dr. Horsham-Brathwaite’s career counseling and leadership coaching draws from her own experiences as a higher education administrator, her time as a student affairs professional, previous executive leadership training, and professional theory. She has been featured in articles in Entrepreneur, CNBC Making It, SELF, and Best Life. Please register
NIH OITE virtual seminar on the mental health and well-being of biomedical researchers
October 5, 1:00 – 3:30 pm
The webinar and small group discussions are open to students, fellows, staff, and faculty at NIH, universities, and research institutions. The topic of the first program is suicide awareness and prevention. Register
PIVOT Webinar: From Postdoc to Industry...and sometimes back again.
October 6 & October 27, 2:30-3:30 pm
During two presentations by Pfizer, we will learn about how pharmaceutical research differs from traditional academic studies and how our speakers made the decision to transition from postdocs to industry positions.
Presented by:
Stefan McDonough, Executive Director of Emerging Science Genetics on October 6th
Janet Buhlmann, Senior Principal Scientist on October 27th
This webinar series is hosted by the Eberly College of Science’s Office for Innovation, but it is open to all Penn State graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Please contact Ashley Chan (alc39@psu.edu) with questions.
PSETI Center Journal Club
The new Penn State Extraterrestrial Intelligence (PSETI) Center has launched its Seminar/Journal Club series. The club meets via Zoom every Thursday at 12:00 pm. The series includes journal article discussions, presentations by PSETI members, presentations by other Penn State scholars in related fields, and seminars from external SETI researchers. All disciplines are welcome, especially those outside of astronomy who may have insight into extraterrestrial intelligence, such as anthropologists, biologists, and chemists. Anyone interested should email Macy Huston (mzh616@psu.edu) to get involved. You can also learn more at our website, pseti.psu.edu.
Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence workshops
Find registration links and detailed descriptions
Teaching So All Your Students Are Included
September 30 from 10:10-11:25 am register
Tuning in to Ourselves: A Screen-Free Conversation
October 6 from 3:35-4:50 pm register
Handling Challenging Situations in Class
October 7 from 10:10-11:25 am register
Important dates for graduate students
September 28, 6:00 pm The GPSA Town Hall. Registration required.
October 2 -- Graduate Faculty Recognition Awards deadline
October 5 -- Last day for a fall graduate to upload a draft of the doctoral dissertation for format review.
October 5 -- Last day for a fall graduate to upload a draft of the master’s thesis for format review.
October 5, 2:30 pm to 5:00 pm -- Postdoc workshop (Save the Date).
October 12 -- Last day for a fall graduate to pass final doctoral defense.
November 2 -- Graduate School Student Awards Nominations due
November 13 -- Last day for a fall graduate to upload a final thesis or dissertation for final review.
November 20 -- Residential instruction ends. All campus-based, residential instruction will end, and the remainder of the semester will be delivered remotely.
November 22-28 -- Thanksgiving Holiday.
December 11 -- Last day of classes.
December 11 -- Deadline for Fall 2020 graduating students to submit a request for a letter of certification to Graduate Enrollment Services.
December 14-18 -- Final Exams.
December 19 -- Graduate School Fall Commencement Ceremony.
Election day is Nov. 3
Registration deadlines for Pennsylvania residents
Online: Oct. 19
By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 19
In-person: Oct. 19
Absentee/mail-in ballot deadlines
Request: Oct. 27
Return by mail: Postmarked by Nov. 3
Return in person: Nov. 3 by 8:00 pm
Early voting (aka. absentee in-person voting)
Sep. 14 - Oct. 27, but dates and hours may vary based on where you live
Take the Census
University communities rely on Census data to fund programs like Pell Grants, nutrition assistance, Medicare/Medicaid, mental health services, and transportation, and it impacts communities for the next decade. All individuals should fill out the Census based on where they live for the majority of the year as of April 1, 2020. Learn more at 2020census.gov.
Office of Graduate Education
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