Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

We are pleased to share the following opportunities, including events for Black History Month. As always, keep an eye on our website and Twitter account for more information and updates, and feel free to reach out to the Graduate Studies Team.

Curious about graduate programs and careers in the arts and social sciences?

During a virtual panel session on Tuesday, February 28, from 4 to 5 p.m., Pitt faculty members will share insights into their own career paths and the graduate and professional programs offered by the Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences. Register to attend, and please share with your colleagues and interested undergraduate students.

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition is an academic competition that challenges students to describe their research within three minutes to a general audience.

The 2023 Pitt 3MT Competition is now open to ALL eligible PhD and SJD students. You will first participate in your school's competition or—if your school is not hosting its own—the online division. Individual schools' competitions dates and times have been posted to the 3MT webpage. Winners from these events will advance to the University-wide contest to be held on Monday, April 3. Four winners, including one first-place, two runners-up, and one People's Choice Award, will be chosen during the April event to receive travel grants of $500 or $1,000.

The Pitt 3MT is co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost, University of Pittsburgh Library System, and the University Center for Teaching and Learning.

Join the This or That February Photo Competition and Giveaway! There is $200 on the line and two ways to win.

Submit a picture of your favorite spot on campus by February 20 to enter it into the community voting process on the Graduate Studies Twitter page. The person whose picture wins first place will receive $100 and second place will receive $50.

Don’t have a photo to submit? Then enter the raffle starting on February 20 by following @PittGradStudies on Twitter and voting for your favorite picture. Two winners will be drawn at random from @PittGradStudies followers to receive $50 each. 

Black History Month is celebrated annually during the month of February to acknowledge and celebrate the most important contributions of people of African descent to our nation's life and culture. The nationwide theme for this year's commemoration of Black History Month is "Black Resistance," and Pitt has adopted as its theme "Black Resistance: Agency and Power of the Lived Experience.” In-person and virtual events highlighting positive change agents in the Black community will take place throughout the month. Some hightlights include:

• Join the Frederick Honors College on February 13 at 7 p.m. for In Conversation, featuring Pittsburgh's own Damon Young (author of What Doesn’t Kill You Makes you Blacker: A Memoir in Essays) talking with Dr. Michael Sawyer, Associate Professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh. Please register in advance.
   
• Check out August Wilson's Seven Guitars at the Charity Randall Theatre with performances from February 17 through 26. Seven Guitars is "part bawdy comedy, part dark elegy, and part mystery" and highlights a blues guitarist and singer who passes away as his career was on the verge of taking off.
   
• The Center for Creativity and Center for African American Poetry and Poetics are teaming up to celebrate Black experiences, joy and resistance with an open mic night on February 23 from 8:30 to 10 p.m. at the Cathedral of Learning. The stage is open to Pitt students, faculty and staff; all community members are also invited to attend. Learn more including how to perform.

Carla Gómez Briones (MID '23) is leading conversations about clean energy on global stages. As a Global Shaper, she presented her ideas for a sustainable future at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January.

Free tax preparation help from the David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership in the Katz Graduate School of Business is now available for qualified graduate and professional students and includes free international tax assistance services through Sprintax. Appointments will be available every Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Request an appointment. 

First-generation graduate and professional students are invited to join a free, virtual national symposium on February 24 from 1 to 5 p.m. EST. 

Participants will have the opportunity to network with other first-generation students at institutions across the country, attend workshop sessions, and more! View the conference agenda and register.

The sixth annual symposium is sponsored by the Boston University Newbury Center, Duke University First-Generation Graduate Student Network, and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Carolina Grad Student F1RSTS, along with their new Cooperating Sponsor, the Center for First-generation Student Success. They define a first-generation graduate/professional student as someone whose parents/guardians/caregivers have not completed a master’s, doctoral, or professional degree.

The Survivor Support Network was developed to provide support to faculty, staff and graduate students who are survivors of sexual misconduct on Pitt’s campus. This network is a community of trained and caring leaders who are knowledgeable about campus and community resources and are committed to supporting survivors. Becoming a member requires participation in two workshops that will provide basic information about the effects of trauma, how to respectfully respond to disclosures, and how to provide referrals to support resources. Learn more, including how to join. 

If you are in need of support, you may reach out to any one of the Pitt community members who have completed all training necessary to join the Survivor Support Network. Find additional resources and support services.

If your graduate program requires that you write and submit an Electronic Thesis or Dissertation (ETD), be sure to check out the ETD Website. The site contains many helpful resources, including information about formatting and submitting your ETD, contact information for support, and online workshop opportunities.

Call for Candidates for 2023-2024 GPSG Executive Board

GPSG is calling for candidates for its 2023 Election NOW! The call for candidates window is open from January 30 through March 3, 2023. All graduate and professional students who are accepted to begin or who are enrolled during the Fall 2023 semester are eligible to apply.

Available positions include President, Vice President of Committees, Vice President of Communications, Vice President of Finance, and Vice President of Programming. This opportunity is open to all University of Pittsburgh graduate and professional students regardless of prior experience in student government or graduate student organizations. Officer positions receive a stipend.

The 2022-2023 Executive Board will be holding virtual information sessions to discuss their roles, responsibilities and answer any questions.

• Tuesday, February 14 from 11 a.m. to noon via Zoom
• Wednesday, February 15 from 1 to 2 p.m. via Zoom

For more information or questions, please contact GPSG at gpsg@pitt.edu or check out www.pittgpsg.com.

Furthermore, you can follow GPSG on Facebook and Instagram @pittgpsg for details and updates.