March 8-14

1. WEEKLY SERVICES IN THE GLC
Please note that there will not be career services walk-in advising, and writing support in the GLC during spring break. All weekly services will resume next week.

2. GRADUATE STUDENT PHOTO & ART CONTEST 2010 – enter by March 10
The Graduate School seeks submissions of photographs and artwork by graduate students for display in the Graduate Life Center. All selected entries will be displayed in the GLC on a temporary, rotating basis. Enter by March 10. This year’s theme: The NRV through Graduate Students’ Eyes. The new set of photos and artwork will be unveiled during Graduate Education Week, March 22-26; winners will receive a prize! More information.

3. SPRING AFTERNOON BREAK
Wednesday, Mar 10, 2:00-3:00pm, GLC Lobby
If you can’t take spring break, take an afternoon break! Instead of feeling sorry for yourself in your lab, office or at home, commiserate with fellow graduate students over some home-made baked goods, coffee and other refreshments.  Please help us estimate the amount of food needed by letting us know if you are planning to come. Remember that you can enter the GLC with your valid Hokie Passport any time.

4. JOIN OUR ETHICAL PURSUITS IN ACADEME FAN PAGE
Join the Graduate School’s Facebook fan page for ethics, where we post articles, stories, and media on ethics in scholarship, teaching, service, and life. oin, you do have to get back to work.

5. NEED INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR HONORS/AWARDS/SCHOLARSHIPS for 2009-10
Every year the Graduate School publishes Graduate Students of Distinction, an online document listing awards, honors, fellowships and scholarships received by graduate students. Please let us know of any honors, awards, etc. that you have received since April 2009 by completing a quick, simple survey by April 15.

6. GLOBAL HOKIE ESSAY CONTEST
The Gamma Omega chapter of the PBD International Honor Society invites you to participate in their annual essay contest: submit your essay by Monday, Mar 22, 5:00pm. All VT faculty, staff, and students are eligible to enter. Topic: ‘What does it mean to be a Global Hokie?’ Word limit: 500. Cash prizes of $200, $100, $50 will be awarded. Winners will be announced at Phi Beta Delta’s Spring Induction Ceremony on Tuesday, Apr 13. For more information contact Betty Watts, 1-6452. Please submit hardcopy to: Betty Watts, International Affairs Office, 526 Prices Fork Road (MRC 0378), Blacksburg, VA 24060.

7. MOVIE MANIA – SURVEY OF INTEREST – 2nd posting

The GLC Fellows are working on bringing a series of movies to the GLC that would interest graduate students. The Fellows would appreciate your assistance in selecting the kind of movies you would like to see. Please complete this survey. If you have any questions, contact Josey Chacko.

8. INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN ArtsFusion 2010
VT’s School of Performing Arts and Cinema is facilitating ArtsFusion 2010, April 17-25, and they would love to have graduate students be part of it. Dor Cosby Atkinson, graduate student in Theatre Arts, invites you to join if you’ve planned or will plan an arts event (including music, dance, visual arts, theater arts, film and much more) for that week. By partnering with ArtsFusion, your organization will be paired with an established event. Your event would be included in the ArtsFusion marketing campaign at no cost to you. Contact them as soon as possible if you are interested. Contact 231-5200 or e-mail  if you are interested in participating.

9. GRAD RESEARCH ASST POSITION IN OIRED FOR 2010-11
The Office of Int’l Research, Education and Development is seeking a 12-m GRA to conduct research on gendered knowledge, beliefs and perceptions supporting conservation agriculture production systems (CAPS). Strong writing and analytic skills and experience in database management and/or statistical analysis, report and journal article development, and searching library databases required. Cross-disciplinary experience in agricultural technology studies, human geography, sociology (or related discipline), and outreach and communication with a special interest in international development issues expected. Demonstrated interest in gender studies. French, Spanish (or other) language capability desired. Experience with Scholar and teaching a plus. Send cover letter describing your interests and experience, resume, two examples of your disciplinary writing, and a copy of academic transcript (photocopy/ PDF is OK) to Betty Watts, bettyw@vt.edu; use “SANREM Gender GRA” in the subject heading of your email. SANREM CRSP.

10. HELP BRING GOOGLE FTTH PROJECT TO BLACKSBURG
Blacksburg and Virginia Tech have teamed up to submit a joint application for Google’s project to build ultra-high speed fiber networks in a number of locations across the country. If selected, Blacksburg would be the recipient of Internet speeds 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today. The local project team is calling on the community for their help. There are two steps to completing the Google Request for Information (RFI): (1) the government response, and (2) the community response, due by Mar 26, 2010. Residents are asked to fill out a short online form and clicking on “Nominate Your Community.” The form requires a name, city and state, and a paragraph or more explaining why you would like to have Google locate in Blacksburg. Reasons could include the need for increased broadband access for business, education, arts, entertainment, etc. Google is particularly interested in creative thinking and next generation ideas. See a sample template response. For additional information please contact Brenda van Gelder.

11. UPCOMING EVENTS:

EVENING WITH THE INDUSTRIES
Wednesday, Mar 17, 6:30pm, Old Dominion Ballroom in Squires
Sponsored by the Society of Women Engineers, Evening with the Industries can help you meet potential employers from all backgrounds of engineering. This is a sit down dinner prior to CAMEO’s Careerfest in March. Cost: $10. Pre-registration and payment are required. Contact Coco McBride to register.

EVENING OF POETRY AND SPOKEN WORD
Thursday, Mar 18, time and location TBA
March 15-19 is Delta Week!  During this week the Blacksburg Alumnae Chapter of
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc will hold several events in the Blacksburg community, among them a special evening of poetry and spoken word on Thursday, Mar 18. If you are a graduate student or professional who would like to share some of your work with a crowd of your peers, please contact doctoral student Alicia Feagins.

FREE FUNDRAISER YOGA CLASSES AT IN BALANCE YOGA STUDIO
Thursdays, Mar 18, 25, 4:00pm, In Balance Yoga Studio, downtown Blacksburg Suggested donation $10/class (donations over $10 will be entered to win raffles!) Money raised will be donated to Bike the US for MS as they collect funds to donate to a Multiple Sclerosis Clinic in Charlottesville, VA. Bike the US for MS organizes yearly cross-country bike trips during the summer to fundraise and volunteer to raise awareness and money for Multiple Sclerosis clinics and research. To sign up for the yoga classes, please call In Balance Yoga Studio, 961-1030. Find out more about Bike the US for MS. This message is posted on behalf of vet med student Carmen Ledesma.