Posted on by lkeister

July 26-August 1

This Week’s Events:       
0. Ongoing Services – updated 7/12/21  
1. SCIENCE ON TAP OF THE NRV: THE ART AND SCIENCE OF STREAM BIODIVERSITY
2. GLC CAFÉ: COBBLERFEST 
3. SECL MOVIE NIGHT: SHREK

Administrative Announcements:    
4. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE GROUP SEEKS GRAD STUDENT MEMBERS – 1st posting
5. GLC FIRST FLOOR CLOSED – GRAD SCHOOL OPEN – 3rd posting

Jobs:   
6. VT CREW TEAM SEEKS COACH – 1st posting
7. COACH NEEDED FOR VT WOMEN’S CLUB BASKETBALL – 2nd posting
8. PART-TIME PROJECT ASSISTANT FOR SESQUICENTENNIAL ASSESSMENT – 2nd posting
9. RUSSIAN FLAGSHIP PROGRAM SEEKS THREE TUTORS FLUENT IN RUSSIAN – 2nd posting
10. 2021-2022 GRADUATE ASSISTANT POSITION – OFFICE OF ENGINEERING ONLINE – 3rd posting

Volunteers and research participants sought:  
11. LOW VISION PARTICIPANTS NEEDED FOR VIRTUAL REALITY STUDY – 3rd posting
12. PARTICIPANTS NEEDED FOR AUGMENTED REALITY AND VIRTUAL REALITY STUDY – 3rd posting
13. PARTICIPANTS WITH PERFECT/CORRECTED NORMAL VISION NEEDED FOR AUGMENTED REALITY STUDY – 3rd posting

Upcoming Events: 
14. SOFTWARE CARPENTRY WORKSHOPS – DEVELOP COMPUTING AND DATA SKILLS – Variety of dates in August
15. GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENT SENATE (GPSS) LISTENING SESSIONS – Variety of dates in August

0. Ongoing Services – updated 7/12/21       

1. SCIENCE ON TAP OF THE NRV: THE ART AND SCIENCE OF STREAM BIODIVERSITY
Wednesday, July 28, 5:30-7pm, Gateway Trailhead
Join fish ecologist Emmanuel Frimpong and artist Hiromi Okumura to see local fish up close, make nature art, eat ice cream, and share a fun time with friends and family. Sponsored by VT’s Center for Communicating Science and Sigma Xi chapter, Science on Tap brings researchers to the public. This event is free and will take place at Gateway Trailhead – 2801 Meadowbrook Drive, Blacksburg, VA. (Meadowbrook picnic shelter in Heritage Park)  Please RSVP to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/163390755147/ Contact: scienceontapnrv@gmail.com

2. GLC CAFÉ: COBBLERFEST
Thursday, July 29, 3:30-5:00pm, Graduate School Lobby/Patio
This week we are celebrating Cobblerfest! No, we aren’t talking about someone who mends shoes, we are talking about a delicious, fruity dessert. Enjoy a variety of cobblers made by Grad School staff, along with tea, coffee, cookies and conversation. Never had cobbler before? Learn more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobbler_(food) Bring your friends and your appetite!

3. SECL MOVIE NIGHT: SHREK
Friday, July 30, 9pm, Dietrick Lawn
Come out and enjoy the movie with free snacks and drinks! Be sure to bring your Hokie Passport and a blanket or chair to make yourself comfortable. RSVP on GobblerConnect here: https://gobblerconnect.vt.edu/event/7146194 Sponsored by Student Engagement and Campus Life (SECL).

4. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE GROUP SEEKS GRAD STUDENT MEMBERS – 1st posting
A group of grad students are seeking to promote environmental justice (EJ) in public policy, especially through robust evaluation methods and standards for infrastructure projects. Right now, we are writing recommendations to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission about how to improve an EJ screening tool used to evaluate the impacts of gas pipeline projects. We’d love more help from people interested in EJ, public health, policy, and modeling — no experience needed. Law students and economists are especially welcome. Get involved by emailing emilyplunkett@vt.edu or coming to our next meeting! We meet every Wednesday at 5:30pm ET over Zoom: https://virginia.zoom.us/j/9169600929?pwd=VGtXcVU3NG8wSjRUYzBTVVZBTU5XUT09 
Find out more about the Virginia Scientist-Community Interface on our website: https://virginiasci.org/ 

5. GLC FIRST FLOOR CLOSED – GRAD SCHOOL OPEN – 3rd posting 
The Graduate School offices are open and accessible through the entrance across from Squires, however the first floor (meeting rooms) of the GLC remains closed due to flooding. Check Graduate School and Graduate Life Center social media for updates.

6. VT CREW TEAM SEEKS COACH – 1st posting
The Virginia Tech Crew Team is seeking enthusiastic, dedicated coaches of any level (novice or varsity) to join its staff for the fall 2021 season. The VT Crew Team is a student organization based in Blacksburg, VA that has been operating for 26 years. After great recent success this spring and the promise for future excellence next year, VT Crew is looking for coaches to expand its rapidly growing program. Rowers at VT have experience ranging from novice to 8+ years. Responsibilities include planning and executing an effective training regimen in order to prepare rowers for a competitive racing season and collaborating with student executives to help ensure a well-run program. This program has a great tradition of creating a culture of hard work and dedication among the team. The team is looking to add someone who will strengthen the team in every aspect. The VT Crew Team will provide coaches with coaches’ pay, a travel stipend for regattas, and the opportunity to attend US Rowing coaching clinics. If interested at all, please reach out to Ryan Anderson at 302-519-6514 or rand101299@vt.edu we would love to talk more about this opportunity.

7. COACH NEEDED FOR VT WOMEN’S CLUB BASKETBALL – 2nd posting
Virginia Tech Women’s Club Basketball is looking for a coach for the upcoming season beginning in Fall of 2021! We are a competitive team that plays at the intercollegiate level against other schools, including UVA, UNC, NC State, JMU and UMD. We compete in about 3-4 tournaments per semester and practice 2-3 times a week. We are seeking someone who preferably has prior coaching experience, is well-versed and knowledgeable about the game of basketball, presents good communication and organization skills and is able to travel out of town for tournaments. Please reach out to Christina Green at greenc22@vt.edu if you are interested in learning more about this opportunity! Go Hokies! 

8. PART-TIME PROJECT ASSISTANT FOR SESQUICENTENNIAL ASSESSMENT – 2nd posting
Virginia Tech is celebrating its 150th anniversary from now until the end of 2022. The project assistant will join the core planning team, with responsibility for assessing the Sesquicentennial planning processes and programs, preparing documents for archiving at the Library, and compiling a final report. Required qualifications: experience with numerical and narrative data analysis; ability to work well independently and as a member of a team; strong oral and written communication skills; flexibility. Wage position available through March, 2023. Send inquiries and applications (cover letter addressing the qualifications, resume, contact information for two professional references) to Dr. Rosemary Blieszner, Chair of the Sesquicentennial Steering Committee, rmb@vt.edu.

9. RUSSIAN FLAGSHIP PROGRAM SEEKS THREE TUTORS FLUENT IN RUSSIAN – 2nd posting
The Russian Flagship Program is looking to hire three graduate students as tutors for our Flagship students. The tutors must be fluent in Russian and have previous tutoring experience. This is an hourly position that starts at $25.00/hour and goes up depending on your experience. You will need to be a US citizen, permanent resident or have a visa status that would allow you to work for the Flagship. If you are on an F1 visa and already have a 20h GA contract, you do not qualify for this position. If you are interested please contact Eni Ramaj at eramaj@vt.edu. 

10. 2021-2022 GRADUATE ASSISTANT POSITION – OFFICE OF ENGINEERING ONLINE – 3rd posting
The Engineering Online Office in the College of Engineering is seeking a graduate assistant to provide support for Engineering Online and Cardinal Education.  The position will support the development and design of online courses, along with Cardinal Education program management, and managing student communication. A full description of the opportunity and directions to apply can be found here: https://eng.vt.edu/academics/international-programs/vteo-ga.html.    We will begin reviewing applications immediately.

11. LOW VISION PARTICIPANTS NEEDED FOR VIRTUAL REALITY STUDY – 3rd posting
Researchers at Microsoft Research are looking for low-vision voluntary participants for our research study entitled “Virtual Reality for Low Vision”. The participants in the study will have a chance to experience the latest technology of Virtual Reality (VR). Come join our research study of a novel VR-based tool for interacting with computers and receive a $100 Amazon gift certificate for your time. This study is intended to explore how virtual reality and virtual monitors can be used to help improve the productivity of people with low vision. Eligible participants will come to the COgro Space at the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, VA and will be asked to perform a few tasks on a computer, which include reading, finding information, and filling out forms and questionnaires. The experiment is expected to take around 90 minutes (1h 30m). Free parking and accommodation for transportation is available for study participants. You may qualify for this research if you are at least 18 years old, have low vision, are able to read and write in English, and frequently use a desktop or laptop computer, including the ability to type using a keyboard. Your participation is entirely voluntary, and you can choose to terminate your participation in the experiment at any time for any reason. This study has been approved by Microsoft IRB (IRB #10028, RCT #4313). If you have any questions concerning the project, email the research team at: t-sdavari@microsoft.com and andrew.begel@microsoft.com
Click on this link to indicate your interest: http://aka.ms/VR4LVInterest Submitted by graduate student Shakiba Davari.

12. PARTICIPANTS NEEDED FOR AUGMENTED REALITY AND VIRTUAL REALITY STUDY – 3rd posting
The 3D Interaction (3DI) group is seeking participants for an Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) paid study, conducted in the Sandbox, Moss Art Center. The study is on comparing the two mixed reality methods in the performance of a historical analysis task. The study is performed in 2 separate 90 minute sessions and participants will be compensated $50 for their time. Participants will get the chance to interact with state-of-the-art virtual/augmented reality equipment and experience futuristic methods of interacting with digital content. For more information please contact Lee Lisle (llisle@vt.edu).

13. PARTICIPANTS WITH PERFECT/CORRECTED NORMAL VISION NEEDED FOR AUGMENTED REALITY STUDY – 3rd posting
3D Interaction group in the Sandbox, Moss Art Center, is looking for participants to take part in a user study.  We invite you to take part in this research study if you are an English speaker of age 18 years or older with perfect or corrected normal vision (contact lenses are supported). In this experiment, the participants will be asked to access digital information in one of our two contexts: a) a solo context where they are reading a piece of paper, b) a social context where they are talking to someone else (the investigator, in this experiment). The participants will be asked to use one of our three interfaces (a smartphone interface and two Interfaces designed for wearable AR eyeglasses) to access information from a set of mobile applications.  The study will be recorded for further analysis. We anticipate that completion of this study will take approximately 75 minutes. Participants who complete the task will be compensated $15 for their work. This study has been approved by Virginia Tech IRB (IRB #21-258). To find more details about the study, please contact Shakiba Davari (sdavari@vt.edu). 

14. SOFTWARE CARPENTRY WORKSHOPS – DEVELOP COMPUTING AND DATA SKILLS
Variety of dates in August, Newman Library 207A/Zoom
Students, faculty, staff and community members are invited to join us for two-day workshops on the Unix Shell, Version Control with Git, and Programming in R or Python hosted by the University Libraries. All workshops are introductory-level, cover a range of fundamental skills so you can start working with tools right away, and open to anyone! To learn more about the curriculum, visit Software Carpentry or contact Data Education Coordinator Nathaniel Porter. Visit the Library Calendar to sign up: Unix, Git and R (Zoom, August 3-4, 9:00-5:00); Unix, Git and Python (Zoom, August 3-4, 9:00-5:00); R for Reproducible Scientific Analysis (Newman Library 207A, August 9-10, 9:00-5:00); Plotting and Programming in Python (Newman Library 207A, August 11-12, 9:00-5:00)

15. GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENT SENATE (GPSS) LISTENING SESSIONS
Variety of dates in August, Zoom: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/87372022918
The GPSS Executive Board is holding listening sessions during the first two weeks of August! For new graduate students, this is a great way to meet others in your college and hear about the E-Board’s plans for the new school year. For returning students, this is a place to pitch us ideas for events and new policies, and brainstorm together about how we can make the VT grad student experience better, more engaging, and more inclusive. The person with the best idea suggested in each meeting (as voted on by other attendees) will win a $10 gift card to Southpaw Cafe in downtown Blacksburg. Listening sessions:
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences  – 8/2, 11am; College of Architecture and Urban Studies  – 8/2, 3pm; Pamplin College of Business – 8/3, 11am; College of Veterinary Medicine and Carilion School of Medicine – 8/3, 1pm; College of Science – 8/3, 3pm; College of Natural Resources and Environment – 8/4, 10am; Career and Technical Education, Counselor Education, Curriculum and Instruction, Education Leadership & Policy Studies, Educational Research and Evaluation, Higher Education, and Higher Education and Student Affairs – 8/4, 3pm; Rest of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences – 8/10, 11am; Information Technology  – 8/11, 11am; Rest of Inter-College – 8/11, 3pm;  Electrical and Computer Engineering – 8/12, 11am; Computer Science – 8/12, 1pm; Industrial Systems & Mechanical Engineering – 8/12, 3pm; Rest of Engineering – 8/13, 1pm. For more information, email Amanda Burroughs at aburroughs1@vt.edu. If you cannot attend the session for your department but have an idea you’d like to share, email Jack Leff at leffjr@vt.edu.