Events
1. WEEKLY WALK-IN SERVICES IN THE GLC – last updated 9/25/2017
– Career Advising: Wednesday, 2:00-5:00pm, Info kiosk in lobby
– Ask the Academy: GTA Walk-In Advising: Tuesday and Wednesday, GLC Room A, 4:00-6:00pm
– Cook Counseling: Thursdays and Fridays, 1:00-5:00pm, Green Room
– Graduate School hours: MTThF 8:00-5:00pm, W 9:30-5:00
– Immigration advising hours: MWF 1:00-4:00pm, TTh 9:00am-12:00pm Room 120
– Writing assistance: reserve appointment at https://www.lib.vt.edu/spaces/writing-center.html
2. ASK THE ACADEMY: GTA WALK-IN ADVISING
Tuesday & Wednesday, Dec 5 & 6, GLC Room A, 4:00-6:00pm
Do you have questions about teaching or grading? Are you experiencing a challenge in the classroom that you don’t know how to resolve? Drop by to chat, share experiences, and get advice from Fellows of the Graduate Academy for Teaching Excellence. Light refreshments will be provided; bring your own mug if you can. Can’t make it in person? Send your questions and comments to Ask a Fellow.
3. FREE ADMISSION FILM NIGHT AT THE LYRIC!
Dec 5, 2017, 6:30-9:00pm, The Lyric Theater
Showing “A Separation.” Sponsored by The College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences, the English Department, and Mozaiko: A Global Living Learning Community. The event is open to the public and refreshments will be provided.
4. GRAD MINDFULNESS
Wednesday, Dec 6, 11:00-11:30am, 5071 Derring Hall
Meets every Wednesday. At each meeting there will be a short guided mindfulness exercise followed by time to practice on your own. You don’t need to stay for the whole time. Feel free to just drop in, just take care to not disturb others. Here is a link to a cool free mindfulness app! Email lashley@vt.edu with any questions.
5. GLC CAFÉ
Thursday, Dec 7, 3:30-5:00pm, GLC Reading Room
Enjoy free coffee, tea, and snacks. Join your fellow graduate students and GLC staff. Socialize and relax! Bring your own mug if you can.
6. PANEL DISCUSSION: CLASSROOM CHALLENGES FOR INTERNATIONAL GTAs
Thursday, Dec 7, 4:00-5:00pm, GLC Room C
The Academy for Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) Excellence (VTGrATE) invites GTAs to a panel discussion on challenges that international GTAs/instructors-of-record may face in the classroom. Panelists will share personal experiences and strategies on how they managed some of the challenges and how they use language and background differences as a tool for enhancing diversity in the classroom. Although the workshop is primarily directed at international students interested in teaching, all GTAs and instructors are welcome to attend. For questions, may contact Julio Roa (julioroa@vt.edu).
7. KIDS’ NIGHT OUT – FREE WEEKLY DROP IN CHILD CARE (REGISTRATION NOW REQUIRED)
Thursday, Dec 7, 6:00-8:30pm, Women’s Center, 206 Washington St., Bburg
On a trial basis Kids’ Night Out (KNO) is going to try a system of preregistering. Each week there will be a link on the home page (www.womenscenter.vt.edu) where parents can sign kids up. The aim is to have the link posted to the website by Monday afternoon each week. There will a “Doodle Poll” with a limited number of spots and when that is full, additional children for that week will no longer be accepted. Because of this, the following is requested: 1) Please only register if you are sure you are going to be able to make it; 2) so that everyone can have a chance to utilize KNO, if you have been coming regularly, perhaps wait until later in the week to see if there are still spots available. For more information, contact Jessie Meltsner at jmelts@vt.edu or 231-7806.
8. INTERNATIONAL CAFÉ HOUR: ISRAEL
Friday, Dec 8, 4:00-5:30pm, Deet’s Place, Dietrick Dining Center
The International Café Hour is an opportunity for all to engage in conversations, create friendships, share their culture, and to connect with the VT community in a casual and comfortable environment. The program is designed to be both social and educational so join us. This program is a wonderful opportunity for students to connect and learn across cultures! This month’s café hour is sponsored by Hillel at Virginia Tech. For more info, see our webpage: International Café Hour.
Administrative Announcements
9. GRADUATE STUDENT PHOTOS ON DISPLAY
The photographs submitted by your fellow graduate students under the theme, " A Changing World," are now up in the GLC meeting rooms hallway. Come on by!
10. THOUGHTSWAP – A TEACHING RESOURCE FOR GTAS / INSTRUCTORS
We are looking for a small cadre of enterprising graduate student instructors and faculty to work with ThoughtSwap by using it as part of their teaching/pedagogy during the Spring 2018 semester. ThoughtSwap is a tool that can be used to change and deepen the infrastructure of face-to-face classroom interaction. Up to 10 graduate students will be selected for this opportunity in the spring. The ThoughtSwap tool is used to support the distribution of a prompt for writing 5-8 minute draft responses and for the gathering and redistribution (“Swapping”) of drafts for the depiction component. To be eligible for participation in this pilot study, a graduate student must: (1) be in a doctoral program or equivalent, (2) be the instructor of record, (3) have taught at least two years. In addition to helping class instruction and learning, benefits of participation include the support and structure of the focus group and the potential to add this to the C.V. and Teaching Statements. To learn more about ThoughtSwap go to http://thoughtswap.cs.vt.edu/ or contact: Prof. Deborah Tatar at dtatar@cs.vt.edu.
11. GRADUATE STUDENTS SOUGHT AS TUTORS FOR RECENT IMMIGRANTS / REFUGEES
Tutors sought by The Blacksburg Refugee Partnership (BRP), a group founded in the summer of 2016 to partner with former refugees in our community. The organization seeks to provide tutoring for 16 students, ranging from elementary to high school. To do this requires the regular and energetic commitment of many volunteer tutors. Tutors work with the students for one hour, two to three times per week, throughout the semester, either in-home or in-school. In some cases they help with homework, at other times the focus is on the development of skills in speaking and reading English. We provide a training session and ongoing support, including feedback from teachers. Applicants will be requested to supply 1) a recent background check, 2) a commitment to tutoring at least two hours each week through the end of the semester, 3) a promise to maintain confidentiality about the students’ educational matters, and about the families in general, 4) a positive attitude. Please follow this link to indicate your interest. Contact Prof. Brett Shadle at shadle@vt.edu with any questions.
12. LITTLE HOKE HANGOUT – LIMITED SPACES AVAILABLE FOR SPRING ‘18
Little Hokie Hangout has limited spaces available for Spring ’18 semester. These spots will be assigned on a first-come-first-served basis, so don’t wait! Students may apply through Friday 12/8, then enrollment will open to faculty and staff. Please email childcare@vt.edu for information, an application or to schedule a visit.
13. INVITATION TO SUBMIT WRITING – 1st posting
The Institute for Policy and Governance (IPG) invites graduate students to submit to the student blog RE: Reflections and Explorations, offered through the Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance. All VT graduate students are eligible to offer essays as long as they address a policy, politics or governance issue or concern, but we particularly encourage those in Agricultural Leadership and Community Education, ASPECT, Government and International Affairs, Human Development, P G and G, Natural Resources, Public Administration and Public Policy, Political Science, Rhetoric and Writing, Sociology and Urban Affairs and Planning to submit essays. For examples of past topics, please read the archived essays. The RE column appears weekly and everyone who signs up is responsible for writing one article during the Spring 2018 semester. Your entry will be a topic of your choosing and total approximately 1,000 words. At your earliest convenience, please complete this Schedule to sign up for a week. Slots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Send questions to mneda14@vt.edu or regina50@vt.edu .
14. ROAD TO ZERO FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM – 1st posting
The National Safety Council (NSC) seeks a student interested in motor vehicle injury prevention for the Road to Zero fellowship program. Fellows work with the NSC government affairs team on its leadership of the Road to Zero coalition, which aims to eliminate traffic fatalities by 2050. The selected student will receive a full fellowship and tuition waiver for spring semester. When travel is required, student will be reimbursed for cost of travel and meals. For more information, please contact Jane Terry, Senior Director of Government Affairs at jane.terry@nsc.org. To apply, send a cover letter and resume and writing sample to Jane Terry no later than December 8, 2017.
15. GRAD 5214: DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION FOR A GLOBAL SOCIETY—SPRING 2018 – 1st posting
Tuesdays 5:30-8:30pm in GLC, Room C—CRN 19601 – 3 Credits Instructors: Christian Matheis and Tami Amos. The world is increasingly more complex and diverse with emerging cultures and trends that impact global higher education. As a part of their graduate education, it is important that graduate students prepare themselves for the diverse global society of the future. This course is offered through the Transformative Graduate Education (TGE) framework with the intention to allow for the content to reach beyond a single disciplinary perspective to allow many points of views and across multi disciplines. This course fulfills part of the requirements for the Future Professoriate Graduate Certificate. Contact: Christian Matheis at cmatheisc@vt.edu.
17. UH3004: IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS FOR ART, DATA, AND RESEARCH – 3rd posting
This winter semester class in the Cube at the Moss Arts Center, hosted by the Honors College and the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology, is now open to Graduate Students. This class provides students with a unique Wintermester experience in Blacksburg to receive hands on experience learning about immersive environments in the Cube, a facility like no other in the world. By the end of this class, you will create a project that includes: motion capture, virtual reality, immersive projection, and spatial audio. e course will demonstrate the applicability of virtual environments across a wide range of disciplines. Course meets Jan 2-13, 2018 on MTWHF from 9:00am – 12:45pm and is instructed by Zachary Duer, School of Visual Arts (zachduer@vt.edu) and Tanner Upthegrove, Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (tannerupthegrove@vt.edu). For more info, go to http://icat.vt.edu/uh3004/. To register, visit www.winter.edm.vt.edu
18. FEDERAL FINANCIAL AID APPLICATION NOW OPEN – 3rd posting
The 2018-2019 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is open now for US citizens and permanent resident. The 18-19 FAFSA will determine your federal aid eligibility for Fall 2018, Spring 2019 and Summer 2019. While there is not a specific deadline for graduate students, it is recommended that you submit the FAFSA by early spring semester so that the financial aid office has time to process the application and prepare your aid for the new academic year. The FAFSA is available at http://www.fafsa.gov. If you need help with your FAFSA, stop by the financial aid office during one of their FAFSA Friday events on Dec 1 from 3:00-7:00pm. Staff will be available to help you submit the FAFSA as well as answer any questions you may have. Posted on behalf of Stephanie Breeding, sbreed@vt.edu.
Jobs:
19. GA (WEB DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT) IN ACADEMIC DECISION SUPPORT – 2nd posting
VT’s Office of Academic Decision Support is looking for a full-time (20 hrs/wk) Graduate Assistant for Spring 2018. GA’s primary responsibilities include designing and creating web site/web-application. Must have strong and verifiable UI/UX and web programming skills. Other requirements include UI/UX design and development skills; knowledge of web markup and scripting languages (HTML5, CSS3, Javascript and jQuery) with an understanding translating mockups to code; demonstrated evidence in UI/UX design and development; evidence of creativity and innovation; ability to work in collaborative environment and excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Preferred skills include knowledge of server-side CSS pre-processing platforms, such as LESS and SASS; experience with web frameworks/CMS; experience in Javascript/jQuery; experience in Django; and web app design and/or development experience. Interested students can email their CV with links to supplementary materials such as sample websites/applications and code repositories along names and contact information of two to three references to Daniel Hung at chung@vt.edu.
Volunteers and research participants sought
20. PARTICIPANTS NEEDED FOR TRANSPORT SATISFACTION STUDY – 2nd posting
(Dis)satisfied with your commute? We are seeking participants for a study on neighborhood and transport satisfaction. Participants will (1) install an Android GPS app called Daynamica, (2) answer a 10-minute entry survey, and (3) use the app to track transportation mode, route, and distance of your daily travel. Upon completing each trip, you will report your satisfaction with a 1-minute survey. Must be 18 or older. A $25 Amazon gift card will be awarded to each participant who completes an entrance survey and at least 5 trip surveys, and upload all trip data in one week. If interested, visit the study website at http://uap.vt.edu/travelmood or contact Steve Hankey at hankey@vt.edu, (540) 231-7508.
21. VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT FOR OSTEOPATHIC ASSESSMENT AND MANIPULATION – 2nd posting
The Kevin P. Granata Lab is seeking volunteers for a study examining osteopathic assessment and manipulation. Participation in the study would include an osteopathic assessment and a biomechanical assessment; osteopathic manipulation and a second biomechanical assessment may also be included in participation. Volunteers must be 1) between 18 and 35 years of age, 2) have no history of lower limb musculoskeletal surgery or disease, 3) and have no lower limb musculoskeletal injuries in the past 3 months that restricted physical activity for more than 1-2 days. If you meet these requirements and are interested in participating, please contact Cherice Hughes-Oliver at granata-lab-g@vt.edu or (540) 231-4294.
22. FACIAL EMOTION RECOGNITION INTERVENTION FOR CHILDREN WITH ASD – 3rd posting
The goal of this study is to assess the feasibility of an attention modification intervention to attenuate deficits in facial emotion recognition and expression in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). We are enrolling children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 9 to 12 years of age, who may show difficulties recognizing facial expressions for 5 week, 10 session computer treatment. Parent and child will also be asked to complete three assessment sessions during the course of the treatment. Participants will receive $20 per assessment session, in addition to $20 for completing all treatment sessions, for up to $80 total.
Study will take place at the Child Study Center at Virginia Tech. If interested, contact Andrea Trubanova Wieckowski at atruban@vt.edu or call (540) 231-2024.
23. PARTICIPANTS NEEDED FOR BETTER UNDERSTAND CAUSES OF FEAR – 3rd posting
Yes, Halloween is gone but our study is still here. We are looking for participants over 18 years old to measure their physiological changes while they watching video clips that cause fear, as defined in entertainment industry. We are exploring ways to build a stimulus that arose fear. If you are interested, please email rtasooji@vt.edu.
Upcoming events:
WELLNESS CONNECT LUNCH
Tuesday, Dec 12, 11:00am-1:00pm, GLC, Multipurpose Room
Take a lunch break and join us to learn about campus resources for graduate students! Meet representatives from Rec sports, Hokie Wellness, Cook Counseling and many more while enjoying some free food. All are welcome to attend! Questions? Contact Luisa at luisab93@vt.edu.
READING DAY DONUTS
Thursday, Dec 14, 6:00pm – until out of donuts, GLC Reading Room
The GLC Fellows are sponsoring donuts in the GLC Reading Room on Reading Day. Come take a break and enjoy a free donut!
YOGA AND MEDITATION
Friday Dec 15, 3:00-4:00pm; Monday, Dec 18, 8:00-9:00am, GLC Wellness Room
Take a study break and unwind with yoga and meditation in the new GLC Wellness Room. Open to all graduate students – no need to register. Sponsored by Recreational Sports.
YALDA NIGHT
Dec 21, 6:00-10:30 pm, Commonwealth Ballroom, Squires Student Center
Yalda, the longest night of the year, one of the most important traditional Iranian festivals since thousands of years ago, is a night in which friends and families come together and stay up until after midnight. Playing traditional music, singing traditional Persian dance, and reading poems such as Divan-e-Hafez are some of the major activities in this event. Moreover, eating pomegranates as a sign of rebirth and revival of generations, and watermelons as summer fruit to prevent getting ill during the winter comprise the essential customs of Yalda. Tickets are available at https://tickets.artscenter.vt.edu/studentcenters/online/default.asp, Come enjoy traditional Persian Music and Dance performance, Persian soup (Aash Reshteh) and more!
HEALTHY ANALYTICS SUMMIT KICKOFF EVENT – REGISTRATION ENDS DEC 21, 2017
Wednesday, Jan 10, 2018, 8:00am-4:00pm, Newman Library Multipurpose Room
Working with health data? Interested in learning how health data is used on campus? Hosted by the University Libraries’ Health Analytics Team, this unique event is for any students, faculty, and staff who want to learn about or are exploring the use and impact of health data on research. Using real data, multiple breakout sessions will showcase skills and tools needed to manage, share, and visualize health data across the humanities and sciences. This one-day symposium will include breakfast and lunch as well as a keynote by Dr. Irene Eckstrand, a former NIH Program Director and current faculty in the Biocomplexity Institute. Anyone with an interest in health is welcome and encouraged to attend. Please RSVP by Dec 21, 2017. For current information and schedule: http://tinyurl.com/healthsummit2018.