May 7-13, 2012

1. WEEKLY SERVICES IN THE GLC
Weekly services are on hiatus for the summer, except for GLC Café and Statistical Consulting:

  • GLC Café: AM 9-10 on first and last Thursdays; PM 3:30-5:00 every Thursday, Reading Room
  • Statistical consulting by LISA: Weekdays, 1:00-3:00pm, GLC Videoconference Room

2. SPECIAL STUDY-ROOM SCHEDULE IN THE GLC FOR READING DAY AND EXAMS
To help grad students study for exams, work on papers, and complete group projects, GLC meeting rooms will operate on a special schedule starting reading day:
Room B and C will be open 10am-10pm on Saturday, May 5
Room D will be open 24/7 on May 3,4,5, 6,7,8; 
Room G will be open 1:00-9:30pm on May 3,4,7,8, 9; and 10am-10pm on May 5
No reservations required; spaces are available on a first-come first-served basis. Look out for a refreshment cart coming through from time to time with treats to keep your spirits high and your body well sugared and caffeinated.

3A. GLC CAFÉ PM – WITH HOME-MADE TREATS!

Thursday, May 10, 9:00-10:00am and 3:30-5:00pm, GLC Reading Room   
Finish the semester with home-baked treats, coffee and tea in the wonderful company of your graduate-student and Grad-School colleagues, and share stories from the final week of the semester. Bring your own mug if you can.  Free coffee, tea and light snacks provided every week. The GLC Café will continue throughout the summer, although it may move from the Reading Room to a green space outside on some days.

3B. GRADUATE COMMENCEMENT
Friday, May 11, 8:30am, Cassell Coliseum
500+ graduating master’s and doctoral students will participate in the spring commencement ceremony, walking across the stage, getting hooded (doctoral students only), shaking hands with the president, Dean DePauw, and their college deans. Join the celebrations if you can! No tickets are needed for guests. For special instructions on attending the university commencement in Lane Stadium, visit http://graduateschool.vt.edu/academics/completion/commencement.html.

4. DIRECTIONS FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS WHO PLAN TO ATTEND UNDERGRADUATE CEREMONY

Graduate students who plan to process at the Undergraduate (University) Ceremony should arrive at 10:45 am at the Rector Field House. Please do not arrive earlier or later than the scheduled time. The visit of First Lady Michelle Obama will cause it to take longer for processors to be cleared through security to enter Lane Stadium. Additional security measures will include metal detection screening. Once screened, participants will not be permitted to leave the staging area. Robes should remain unzipped for security screening. Students and guests who wish to watch the university commencement from the stands should proceed directly to Lane Stadium for security check and seating. More details at: http://graduateschool.vt.edu/academics/completion/commencement.html

5. HONOR SYSTEM SEARCH FOR CHIEF JUSTICE NOW OPEN – 3rd posting
The Graduate Honor System is searching for a new chief justice due to the impending graduation of the current chief justice, Katelin Shugart-Schmidt. Applicants must meet the following criteria:
— must be a graduate student in good standing who has been in residence for a minimum of one semester
— be able to serve as Chief Justice for at least one year while enrolled full-time in the Blacksburg campus
Preferably applicants should have experience as a GHS investigator or panelist. Apply by May 25 by submitting a statement of purpose and a resume to gibsonm@vt.edu. The new Chief Justice will be selected by a committee and ratified by the Graduate Student Assembly and the Commission on Graduate Studies and Policies before final appointment by the president.

6. CALL FOR TEDxVT SPEAKER NOMINATIONS

TED is coming to Virginia Tech! On Saturday, Nov 10, 2012, the inaugural TEDxVirginiaTech event will take place; currently speaker nominations are invited from the VT community. Submit nominations by Friday, May 18. Nominees should be excellent presenters with amazing ideas… ideas worth spreading.  This year’s theme is "knowing." To learn more about TEDxVirginiaTech, the theme, the nomination process, and to nominate someone to speak at this event, please visit http://tedxvirginiatech.com. If you have any questions, please contact the TEDxVirginiaTech Steering Committee Chair, Dr. C. Edward Watson, Associate Director of the Center for Instructional Development and Educational Research (CIDER) at edwatson@vt.edu (540-231-7930).

7. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR STUDY ON DIET’S INFLUENCE OF MUSCLE METABOLISM – 1st posting
Participants must be: males between ages 18-40; not currently taking any medications; non-smokers; without any major medical problems; willing to eat a high fat diet for 4 weeks. Participants will receive extensive health information and may receive up to $200 for their time.  If you meet the above requirements and are interested in participating in this research study, please contact John Pownall at the Human Integrative Physiology Laboratory at Virginia Tech by email: heartlab@vt.edu  or call the Lab at (540) 231-8299.

8. PARTICIPANTS NEEDED FOR STUDY ON BIOMARKERS IN OBESE & OLDER PEOPLE – 1st posting
A VT study investigates the effect of age and obesity on changes of biomarkers.  The investigation will take place over a 24-hr period, consisting of multiple blood draws. Researchers are looking for: obese individuals (BMI = 30-40); older people (40-65 years old); obese & older people (both categories from above). Compensation will be $15 for each blood draw + $10 for completion of the study.  If you are interested please contact Marc Christian, 536F Whittemore Hall, (234) 788-3939, marcc88@vt.edu. The protocols used in this study have been approved by the Virginia Tech IRB (IRB #12-259).

9. PARTICIPANTS SOUGHT FOR ANKLE INSTABILITY STUDY – 1st posting
Healthy, young adults *with* and *without* a history of ankle sprains are sought for participation in a research project on ankle sprain risk factors.  The project consists of three (3) studies of which participants may complete one or a combination as desired. Participants have to perform a series of static and dynamic athletic tasks to assess the effects of running speed on motor control (STUDY 1), perform single leg drop landings before and after fatigue (STUDY 2), and complete ankle stiffness and position sense evaluations under fatigued and braced conditions (STUDY 3). All procedures have been approved by the VT IRB.  Participants must be 18-35 years old, active (exercise 2-3 times/week), have no existing joint problems or chronic joint pain, and must not be participating in physical rehab or regularly using ankle tape or bracing. Participants will be compensated for their time at a rate of $10/hr. If interested, please contact Courtney Haynes at chaynes7@vt.edu.

10. PARTICIPANTS SOUGHT FOR STUDY ON MOTHERS AND CHILDREN – 1st posting

Are you a mother who sometimes worries or has fears? Do you have a child between 7 and 12 years of age? A new study is investigating how mothers and children interpret situations in their day-to-day lives. The study is being conducted at the Child Study Center at 460 Turner Street, Suite 207, Blacksburg. For more information please contact Kristy Benoit at benoit@vt.edu or call 540-231-3514. Compensation: $50.

11. SURVEY PARTICIPANTS SOUGHT FOR INFO MANAGEMENT STUDY – 1st posting

Participants are needed for an online survey to study people’s email-management habits and frustrations. The survey takes 15-20 minutes to complete. Must be 18 or older to participate. There are no more than minimal risks involved and you can stop at any time and for any reason by leaving the webpage. Your participation will give VT’s Personal Information Management research group more insight into people’s information-management needs. The aggregated, confidential data from this survey may be used in a future publication. If you have any questions or comments about this study feel free to contact Daniel Shanahan at dshan88@vt.edu

12. STUDY SEEKS CHILDREN WITH ASD OR CONCERNS OF ASD – 3rd posting
A new study at the VT Autism Clinic is examining mother-child interactions in children with a diagnosis or concerns of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Children ages 4-11 with an ASD (Autism, Asperger’s, or PDD-NOS) or concerns of an ASD are sought for age-appropriate play-based tasks involving mother and child (1 visit) at the VT Autism Clinic in Blacksburg, VA or Roanoke Higher Education Center in Roanoke, VA. Flexible scheduling – daytime, evening, or weekend appointments available. A brief summary of the autism and cognitive assessments is available upon request. If you are interested in participating, please contact Tyler Hassenfeldt at thassen@vt.edu or call 412-600-8304.

13. TOUR GUIDES NEEDED FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL – 1st posting
The Graduate School is seeking tour guides for Summer 2012. The position pays $15/hour and is on an as-needed basis. Please contact Dannette Beane at dannette@vt.edu by May 15 if interested. Tour training will take place May 17 & 18.  

14. SUMMER INSTRUCTOR NEEDED FOR UPWARD BOUND, ALGEBRA 2 – 2nd posting

The VT Upward Bound Program is looking for someone to teach high-school-age participants this summer in the Summer Residence Program on campus Jun 25 – Jul 26. Instructor(s) needed for Geometry and higher. Classes meet Mon–Thu except  (Jul 4 week, classes will be M, T, Th, F). Pay:  $800 per section (2 sections likely). If interested, call and/or forward a resume and reference letter to: Tom Wilson, director of Upward Bound, tom.wilson@vt.edu, 540-231-6911; fax  540-231-1266, ub.ts@vt.edu. Upward Bound is designed to prepare first generation and/or low-income high school students to pursue a college education. 

15. GSA CALL FOR PROGRAM CHAIRS – 2nd posting
The GSA is still accepting applications for the following positions: Website Director and GSA Events Chair.  If you are looking to get involved and gain valuable leadership experience, consider serving the graduate student community as a GSA Program Chair. As program chair, you will have the opportunity to be creative, work with a diverse group of students, and actively participate in an assortment of events.  Please view the GSA website at http://www.gsa.graduateschool.vt.edu/ for a full description of each position. Contact the current chairs with any position-specific questions. Application deadline: until position is filled. Submit letter of interest, resume/CV, and goals for 2012-2013. Interviews will be conducted shortly after applications are received. Direct general questions and send resumes to Elaine Mathis, efm28@vt.edu.