1. WEEKLY SERVICES IN THE GLC (all on a walk-in basis; no appointment needed)
- Career services advising: Wednesdays, 1:30-5:00pm, GLC Study Room
- Counseling: Wednesdays and Thursdays, 1:00-5:00pm, Green Room (across from Room G)
- GLC Café: Thursdays, 3:30-5:00pm, Reading Room
- Statistical consulting by LISA: Wednesdays, 1:00-3:00pm, GLC Videoconference Room
- Writing support: Wednesdays (6-9pm) and Thursdays (6-9pm), GLC Videoconference Room
2. GSA RESERCH SYMPOSIUM 2012 COMMITTEE MTG
Tuesday, Sep 13, 5:00-7:00pm, GLC Student Lounge
The GSA Research Symposium, to be held on March 28, 2012, is an opportunity for graduate students to showcase their research. GSA invites all interested students to become a part of 2012 Graduate Research Symposium Committee. Subcommittees include website, sponsorship, judging, publicity, event organization, and keynote speaker. The first committee meeting will be this week. Contact Alireza Salmanzadeh, Research Symposium Chair, if you are interested in serving on the committee but cannot attend the meeting.
3. STAT SHORT COURSE FOR NON-STAT MAJORS: INTRO TO JMP
Tuesday & Thursday, Sep 13 & 15, 5:00-7:00pm, 3080 Torgersen
This short course is designed for beginners who are not yet familiar with JMP. The course will begin with basic data manipulation, demonstrate JMP’s summary and analysis capabilities, and move to some advanced features. Covered topics include importing data, graphing data, descriptive statistics, simple inferential tests such as t-tests, ANOVA, and regression. The same course is offered twice this week. The focus of these two-hour courses is on teaching practical statistical techniques for analyzing or collecting data. See LISA for instructions on how to register and to learn more.
4. GRADUATE HONOR SYSTEM PANELIST TRAINING SESSIONS
Wednesday, Sep 14, 9:00am, GLC Room C
Thursday, Sep 15, 7:00pm, GLC Room B
Friday, Sep 16, 12:00 noon, GLC Room B
Do you think upholding academic integrity at Virginia Tech is important? If so, then you may want to serve as a panelist for the Graduate Honor System. The GHS is looking for both faculty and students to join a volunteer team of panelists who serve on investigative and judicial panels and may hold information sessions/orientations to academic departments about the GHS. Learn more about the GHS. To become a panelist, you must attend one of the hour-long training sessions. Please complete this survey to indicate which training session you would attend.
5. HBCU ALUMNI CONNECT LUNCHEON
Wednesday, Sep 14, 11:30am-1:00pm (drop in any time), GLC Room F
The Graduate School’s office of recruitment and diversity initiatives presents the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Alumni Connect Luncheon. If+ you’re interested in attending, please register here. If you have any questions and/or are interested in recruiting at your HBCU Alma mater, please contact Dannette Gomez Beane.
6. GLC CAFÉ
Thursdays, 3:30-5:00pm, GLC Reading Room
Enjoy free coffee and tea in the GLC Reading Room on Thursday afternoons and socialize with your fellow grads. This week’s special: Panamanian coffee (thank you, Raul!) and cookies. Please contact us if you have any comments or suggestions about this event.
7. GRDP AND GSA-TFP FUNDING WORKSHOP
Thursday, Sep 15, 7:00-8:30pm
The Graduate Research Development Program (GRDP) and the Travel Fund Program are competitive funding programs managed by the Graduate Student Assembly to support grad student research and conference travel. Awards up to $600 for doctoral proposals and $400 for master’s proposals may be given for research; up to $500 for doctoral student travel and up to $350 for master’s student travel may be reimbursed for qualifying expenses. Applications go through a rigorous review process by a panel of graduate students and faculty. Visit the GSA-GRDP and GSA -TFP websites to learn more about these opportunities and deadlines. The workshop will cover program details and answer any questions you may have about the application process, eligibility criteria and evaluation forms.
8. KIDS NIGHT OUT
Thursdays during semester (except breaks & football nights), 6:00-8:30pm, VT Women’s Center
Take advantage of this free drop-in evening of childcare for 2 to 12-year-old kids of VT students, provided by the Women’s Center. Kids must be toilet trained. Fun, crafts, toys, games and new friends, plus a snack. No pre-registration required. For additional information contact Jessie Meltsner.
9. CHINESE MID-AUTUMN TALENT SHOW
Friday, Sep 16, 7:30pm, GLC Auditorium
The Chinese annual Mid-Autumn Festival is just around corner, and VT-ACSS (Association of Chinese Students and Scholars at Virginia Tech) is hosting a talent show to celebrate this great traditional festival with all Chinese students, scholars, families, friends and anyone who is interested in this festival. Join for lots of fun, mooncakes, and excellent performances! Learn more >>. Contact Carol (Yunzhou) at yunzhouzhang211@gmail.com, with questions or concerns.
10. GSA ARKANSAS STATE Tailgate!
Saturday, Sep 17, 12:00–3:00pm; Prices Fork Parking Lot
Celebrate with your fellow grad students before the Hokies take on Arkansas State. The GSA will provide lunch and games. BYOB. Please help the GSA estimate food needs by registering here. A map to the tailgate can be found on the GSA website. Contact Amanda Shea at ashea04@vt.edu with any questions.
11. GRADUATE SCHOLARS SOCIETY (GSS) REGISTER NOW!
GSS is a society of graduate students who form into discussion groups of 5-8 students to meet 5+ times during the semester in relaxed environments on or off campus. Each group’s discussions are lead by a faculty leader and graduate student leader knowledgeable on the group’s topic. Topics this fall are: (1) Taking an Oath for Ethical Research and Scholarly Integrity led by Ishwar Puri (2) University Emergency Preparedness – Are we ready for disaster? led by Michael J. Mulhare (3) The World’s Energy Demand – Go Nuclear? led by Mark Pierson (4) Through the Looking Glass – The Influence of Measurement Technology on Scientific Research led by Joe Pitt and (5) Shaping Music Through Technology: Linux Laptop Orchestra(L2Ork) led by Ivica Ico Bukvic. Please register for a discussion group here.
12. CALL FOR PAPERS FOR “OUTSIDE AUTHORITY” STUDENT CONFERENCE
VT’s Science and Technology in Society Graduate Student Organization invites paper proposals for its upcoming graduate student conference, Outside Authority, to be held on Saturday, Oct 15. Proposals for papers that investigate questions of authority, legitimacy and expertise from across disciplines, and in a range of contexts, including (but not limited to) history, communication/media, education and pedagogy, environment, public policy, politics and activism, science, and technology are welcome. Submit your 300-word abstract, along with your name, institutional affiliation, email and phone number, as a Word or PDF attachment to vtsts@outsideauthority.org by Sep 16, 2011. The conference will feature a keynote and plenary paper sessions, and will conclude with a collegial, interactive debate among participants. The keynote speaker is Dr. Zachary Schrag, author of Ethical Imperialism: Institutional Review Boards and the Social Sciences, 1965-2009. More information >>>.
13. STUDENT COMPETITION ANNOUNCED
The Center for Innovation-based Manufacturing(CIbM) is announcing a new competition at VT geared toward student entrepreneurs and innovators.
• Participants must develop and submit a business concept to market a tangible, manufacturable product
• Finalists will be selected in late October 2011
• Final presentations will take place at the 2nd annual CIbM Innovation Workshop on Nov 8
• Winners will receive $5000 to put toward development of their product concept
More info will be available shortly – stay tuned for important dates and announcements. Interested students should sign up for the mailing list.
14. FREE GRAD STUDENT HANDBOOK & PLANNER WHILE SUPPLIES LAST
Pick up your free copy of the 2011-12 Graduate Student Handbook and Planner (courtesy of the Graduate School) in the GLC while supplies last. Planners are available in the student services area (120 GLC), at the information desk and in the Reading Room.
15. STUDY PARTICIPANTS SOUGHT – 1st posting
Participants are needed for a study investigating endurance for the arm, shoulder, and low back. The study consists of 1 session lasting approximately 2 hours. Participants will be compensated $15/hour. Requirements: not involved in any regular aerobic or resistance training, age 18-29, and no recent history of musculoskeletal or metabolic disorders. Overweight individuals are especially needed. If interested, please complete a brief survey. Contact Lora Cavuoto (email: lcavuoto@vt.edu) with any questions.
16. RESEARCH STUDY PARTICIPANTS NEEDED – 2nd posting
Participants are sought for a study about loads on the knees while performing industrial tasks. Participants must be males or females between 18-30, and (1) should not have any current or recent history of ankle, knee and hip joint injury (2) should not experience pain or discomfort while squatting or kneeling on the floor (3) should exercise regularly (4) should have no abnormal health condition. Participants will perform simulated industrial tasks and will be expected to attend just one session lasting for about 2.5 hours. No compensation will be provided. Experimental protocols have been approved by VT IRB Interested individuals should contact Navaneeta.
17. PAID PARTICIPANTS SOUGHT FOR STUDY OF 2-WAY COMMUNICATION – 2nd posting
Researchers are looking for couples to participate in a study about two-way telecommunication using remote touch and audio channels. Participating couples must be: (1) over 18 years old; (2) have been dating over 1 year or married w/o kids; (3) speak English as the main language with each other; (4) at least one member affiliated with Virginia Tech. This IRB-approved study examines the effects of remote touch and audio channel on communication particularly in instances where the couple has feelings about a topic and when they may disagree. Couple will be situated in two study rooms and asked to have three discussion sessions through audio or remote touch and audio channels. The whole experiment will take 2 hours. Each dyad will be compensated with $30 for a complete participation. To begin, please complete this survey. Contact Rongrong Wang, with questions.
18. RESEARCH SUBJECTS NEEDED FOR HNFE STUDY – 2nd posting
Research subjects are wanted for a study to determine whether daily consumption of corn oil/omega-3 fat will influence muscle soreness, damage and inflammation that occurs after weight training. Must consume supplement for 45 days, perform strenuous weight training bout, go through several weeks of weight training program developed by the researchers, and provide seven blood samples over 45 days. Must be healthy males (non-smokers, no orthopedic limitations to exercise; no chronic health conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, bleeding, or inflammatory diseases); 18-28; schedule compatible with testing and training. Benefits: development of personal weight training program by experienced professionals, financial compensation up to $175. If interested, contact vthnfe@gmail.com for more information.
19. PARTICIPANTS NEEDED FOR BIOMECHANICS STUDY – 2nd posting
Participants are sought for a study investigating the effects of prolonged flexion on the biomechanics of the human torso. The study consists of five separate experimental sessions (each lasting approximately 1 hour) and participants will be compensated $10/hour. To qualify you must be 18-29 and regularly exercise at least 2-3 times per week. For more information or to inquire about participation, please contact Neema. Please include your age, gender, and general availability when responding.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
SHORT STAT COURSES FOR NON-STAT MAJORS
LISA (Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Statistical Analysis) is providing a series of evening short courses to help graduate students use statistics in their research. The focus of these 2-hr courses is on teaching practical statistical techniques for analyzing or collecting data. Instructions on how to register and to learn more. Short courses will be held from 5-7PM.
Remaining Fall 2011 Schedule:
Tuesday, Sep 20: Introduction to Design and Analysis of Experiments;
Tuesday, Sep 27 & Thursday, Sep 29: Introduction to R; *
Tuesday, Oct 4: Applying Statistics in Research: Case Studies;
*These courses will be held in 3080 Torgersen, all other courses are held in Fralin Auditorium. They are one-session courses offered twice so that more students can attend. For more information, please visit www.lisa.stat.vt.edu.
ADVANCE-VT GRAD STUDENT LUNCH SEMINAR: ACADEMIC JOB INTERVIEWS
Wednesday, Sep 21, 12:00–1:30pm, GLC Room F
Interviewing for faculty positions is a unique process. Whether you are hoping to interview for faculty positions this year or are considering applying for faculty positions in the future, join Dr. Roseanne Foti from the Department of Psychology to learn more about presenting yourself successfully in an academic job interview. These seminars are designed to help graduate students prepare for careers in academe. All graduate students and postdocs are welcome, and lunch is provided. Register by Friday, Sep 16.
AEL LAST LECTURE SERIES: DR. MICHAEL HOCHELLA
Wednesday, Sep 28, 5:00-6:00pm, Jamestown Room, Squires
Alpha Epsilon Lambda (AEL) grad honor society presents the last lecture series, featuring world-renowned faculty from Virginia Tech who will share with the audience anecdotes from their personal and professional experiences, interspersed with pearls of wisdom, as though this were their very last lecture. The first presenter is Michael Hochella, Jr., University Distinguished Professor and fellow of six international scientific societies, and current VP of the Mineralogical Society of America.
DINNER FUNDRAISER
Thursday, Sep 29, 5:00-8:00pm, Moe’s (239 North Main, Bburg)
The Blacksburg Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a non-profit community service organization, invites you to have dinner at Moe’s as part of a fundraiser. Fifteen percent (15%) of all pre-taxed food sales will be donated to the organization for the implementation of on campus and community programs throughout the New River Valley. Look out for the group passing out 20% off coupons around campus or for flyers posted in campus buildings. Present your coupon on the day of the event to receive the discount. This messages is posted on behalf of doctoral student Kacie Allen. Contact her for more information at kaciea1@vt.edu.
OUTDOOR CLUB WHITEWATER RAFTING – SIGN UP NOW
Sunday, Oct 2, 6:00am-10:00pm.
The Outdoor Club at Virginia Tech (OCVT) is organizing a whitewater rafting trip to raft the entire Gauley, upper and lower; 23 miles of river, over a 100 rapids, in 1 day. Take part in one of the best whitewater rafting experiences in the world. Rafters have to be at base camp in WV at 6:00am and will finish rafting at 6:30 pm. There will be an orientation/safety briefing before rafting. Details and registration. Contact Nimal with questions at nlobo@vt.edu. Sign up by Sep 28. Must know how to swim.