To see full descriptions for any item in the summary list please click on the continue reading link below the summary list.
0. Ongoing Services – updated May 2025
This Week’s Events:
1. FREE COMPUTING AND DATA WORKSHOPS – Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday
2. GRADUATE COMMENCEMENT – Wednesday
3. APIDA GRADUATION CELEBRATION SPRING 2025 – Thursday
4. GLC CAFE – Thursday
Administrative Announcements:
5. TEACHING-RELATED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES FROM THE CIRTL NETWORK – 1st posting
6. COMING SOON: CIRTL AT VIRGINIA TECH PRACTITIONER TEACHING PROGRAM – 1st posting – 1st posting
7. GRADUATE SCHOOL – SPECIAL CLOSURES AND SUMMER HOURS – 2nd posting
8. ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASSES FOR INTERNATIONAL SPOUSES – 2nd posting
9. LEADERSHIP THEORY COURSE AVAILABLE SUMMER 3 – REGISTER NOW – 2nd posting
10. IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT MICROSOFT STORAGE CHANGES – 2nd posting
11. GA POSITION FOR ONEOP GRANT – 2nd posting
12. TEMPORARY PART-TIME PROJECT ASSISTANT – 2nd posting
13. 2025-2026 GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENT SENATE GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP – 2nd posting
14. GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP – OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLIANCE AND PREVENTION EDUCATION – 3rd posting
Funding Opportunities:
15. VT TEACHING FELLOWS PROGRAM – FALL 2025 – 2nd posting
Volunteers and research participants sought:
16. MRI RESEARCH STUDY RECRUITING YOUNG ADULTS – 1st posting
17. LOOKING FOR FIRST AND FOURTH GRADERS TO FOR VIRGINIA TECH LEARNING STUDY (IRB PROTOCOL #24-1349) – 1st posting
18. PARTICIPANTS NEEDED – UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL MEDIA USE AND EATING BEHAVIORS STUDY – 2nd posting
19. FREE COMPUTING AND DATA WORKSHOPS – May 20
20. HANDS-ON DIGITIZING TEXTS WITH MACHINE LEARNING AND AI – May 21
21. PREPARING DATA FOR INPUT INTO GEOSPATIAL APPLICATIONS – May 21
22. 2025 SUMMER INSTITUTE – May 21
23. PREPARING FOR LAUNCH: HOW TO PREPARE YOURSELF AND YOUR SENIOR FOR COLLEGE – May 28
24. VIRTUAL GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH INTENSIVE JUNE 3-4
0. Ongoing Services – updated May 2025
- GRADUATE SCHOOL: Graduate School hours: In-person advising, drop-off or pick-up of documents and materials, and a space to study and take a break! Visit 120 GLC, walk-in hours Monday – Friday, 9am-4pm. June 2 – August 1, 2025, walk-in hours will be held on Monday and Thursday, 11am- 3pm. Phone 540 231-8636 or email grads@vt.edu. If you prefer Zoom advising: request one-on-one assistantship or academic advising by using our online request form to set-up a Zoom session.
- CAREER ADVISING: schedule career advising appointment via https://career.vt.edu/job-search/Handshake.html.
- COOK COUNSELING: Drop in hours for Cook Counseling: Fridays from 1 to 3pm. Students can call 540-231-6557 to schedule an appointment with the Embedded Counselor at the GLC or the embedded counselor with their program.
- WRITING CENTER SERVICES: Schedule an appointment at https://vt.mywconline.com/
- GRADUATE OMBUDSPERSON: contact for appointment at gradombud@vt.edu, 540-231-9573
This Week’s Events
1. FREE COMPUTING AND DATA WORKSHOPS
Monday, May 12, Tuesday, May 13, & Wednesday May 14, 9am-5pm, In-person at TLOS or remotely via Zoom
Interested in improving your research data and computing skills before undertaking summer research? Join us for a series of interactive, hands-on workshops in May 2025 in Blacksburg or online. These workshops are open to all VT community members and no experience with the software tools is necessary. Full-day workshops include Intro to R and RStudio (Mon, 12 May), Intro to Python and JupyterLab (Tue, 13 May), and Intro to Unix and Git (Wed, 14 May). Half-day workshops on Open Qualitative Data Analysis with QualCoder and Mixed Methods Data Analysis with NVivo are offered on Tue, 20 May. Full day workshops include lunch and refreshments for in-person participants. Register through the Professional Development Network or the Library Calendar. Register: https://calendar.lib.vt.edu or https://profdev.tlos.vt.edu/?category%5Bid%5D=154709&category%5Bname%5D=Research%20and%20Discovery
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2. GRADUATE COMMENCEMENT
Wednesday, May 14, 3-5pm, Cassell Coliseum
The Graduate School will celebrate graduating students in doctoral programs and master’s in interdisciplinary programs at commencement. Cheer on your fellow graduate students! Please note that the Graduate School offices will close at noon for commencement.
3. APIDA GRADUATION CELEBRATION SPRING 2025
Thursday, May 15, 10:30am-12:30pm, Commonwealth Ballroom
This celebration is a chance for you to reflect on your accomplishments, connect with fellow graduates, faculty, and staff, and enjoy some fun as we mark this significant milestone in your life. All graduates are welcome to participate in this celebration and we invite anyone to join in the festivities. Participants will also receive a cord to acknowledge their accomplishments. Can’t make it to the event? Graduates can still receive their cord by picking it up from the APIDA + Center – please note this on the RSVP link below. Please RSVP by May 2, 2025, by 5:00 PM ET so we can ensure all arrangements are made for a memorable event. We look forward to celebrating with you and your loved ones! https://forms.office.com/r/wfUjkfDhdT
4. GLC CAFÉ (No Wednesday café this week!)
Thursday, May 15, 3:30-5:00pm, GLC Reading Room
Enjoy free coffee, tea, and cookies in the company of your grad student and Grad School colleagues. Relax, network, and load up on caffeine and/or carbs. Bring your own mug if you can. If you have any questions please, contact Lindsay Barron lbarron@vt.edu
Enjoy free coffee, tea, and cookies in the company of your grad student and Grad School colleagues. Relax, network, and load up on caffeine and/or carbs. Bring your own mug if you can. If you have any questions please, contact Lindsay Barron lbarron@vt.edu
Administrative Announcements
5. TEACHING-RELATED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES FROM THE CIRTL NETWORK – 1st posting
Virginia Tech is a member of the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL), a network of 45 research universities dedicated to preparing future faculty who are committed to the implementation and advancement of evidence-based teaching. Through this network, Virginia Tech graduate students and postdoctoral associates can access free online professional development opportunities led by experts across the CIRTL community. This summer, CIRTL will offer non-credit courses and workshops on evidence-based teaching fundamentals, teaching-as-research, and academic career development. The full summer schedule—including program descriptions, registration details, and any participant caps—is available at https://cirtl.net/events/. For more information about the CIRTL Network, visit https://www.cirtl.net/. To learn more about CIRTL at Virginia Tech, visit https://cirtl.vt.edu/ or contact cirtl@vt.edu.
6. COMING SOON: CIRTL AT VIRGINIA TECH PRACTITIONER TEACHING PROGRAM – 1st posting
Launching in fall 2025, the CIRTL at Virginia Tech Practitioner Teaching Program will offer a teaching-focused professional development experience within a cohort-based learning community. This year-long program is designed for graduate students and postdoctoral associates who want to deepen their understanding of evidence-based teaching, engage in reflective practice, and develop a Teaching-as-Research project. Program highlights include resources and activities to help you build a teaching portfolio, cohort meetings held approximately twice per month, opportunities to engage with the CIRTL Network (www.cirtl.net), an average commitment of 5 hours per month, and a digital badge awarded upon program completion. Current Virginia Tech graduate students and postdoctoral associates who have completed the Associate Teaching Program (https://cirtl.vt.edu/teaching-program.html) are eligible to apply. Program applications will open in late summer 2025. Questions? Email cirtl@vt.edu.
7. GRADUATE SCHOOL – SPECIAL CLOSURES AND SUMMER HOURS – 2nd posting
Wednesday, May 14 – The Graduate School will close at Noon for Graduate School Commencement.
Friday, May 16 – The entire Blacksburg campus is opening at 11am due to University Commencement.
Wednesday, May 21 – The Graduate School will be closed between 10 am and 2pm for the employee appreciation event.
Graduate School summer hours: In-person advising, drop-off or pick-up of documents and materials, and a space to study and take a break! Summer walk-in hours for 120 GLC, June 2nd – August 1st, will be held on Monday and Thursday, 11:00am-3:00pm. The Graduate School offices will be open from 9am until 4pm. for the summer. Staff will be available by phone 540 231-8636 or email grads@vt.edu, and in-person by appointment outside of stated summer walk-in hours. If you prefer Zoom advising: request one-on-one assistantship or academic advising by using our online request form to set-up a Zoom session.
8. ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASSES FOR INTERNATIONAL SPOUSES – 2nd posting
Are you an international spouse looking to improve your English language skills and connect with others in your community? Come study with us at the Language and Culture Institute. Boost your confidence in speaking, listening, reading and writing. Learn academic English that can help you in your everyday life and in future studies. Meet fellow international students and spouses and feel more connected to your community. We offer courses from intermediate to advanced at a very affordable rate exclusive to VT spouses. A recent English placement test is required. TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo accepted. All courses are on a space available basis. Please contact Beth Loar, admissions manager, at eloar@vt.edu.
9. LEADERSHIP THEORY COURSE AVAILABLE SUMMER 3 – REGISTER NOW – 2nd posting
All graduate students are invited to enroll in LDRS 5454 Leadership Diverse Contexts (CRN 64328). This is an online, asynchronous, 12-week course offered during Summer 3. The course explores the foundational leadership theories that inform the study and practice of leadership. Students will develop their own leadership philosophy based on course readings. Questions? Contact Dr Jerald Walz at jhwalz@vt.edu.
10. IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT MICROSOFT STORAGE CHANGES – 2nd posting
Virginia Tech is updating storage allocations for students within the Microsoft 365 Online (M365) environment. Beginning June 2, 2025, student OneDrive storage will be capped at 10 gigabytes (GB), and Exchange Online (email) storage will be capped at 5 GB. Student-owned shared resources (Teams, SharePoint sites, etc.) will be slated for deletion unless ownership is transferred to a department. It is highly recommended that you move any files/folders you wish to keep from shared Microsoft resources to another resource. If you are using a shared resource that a university department needs to retain, please contact the faculty or staff member most-closely connected to the contents of that resource to discuss how it should be managed. For more information, visit https://it.vt.edu/projects/microsoft/students.html.
Jobs
11. GA POSITION FOR ONEOP GRANT – 2nd posting
This part time position is for OneOp, a grant network for providers who serve military families. The professional filling this position will work closely with supervisors from the Military Community Advocacy (MCA) team on all aspects of adult online education development and delivery, program evaluation, event coordination support, content review/proofreading, and other staff support areas for a federal grant. We seek demonstrated proficiency in the following areas: social services; clinical and family support; conducting literature reviews; excellent written and oral communication skills; social media trends; writing, editing, and proofreading. Additional sought-after skills include proficiency in Qualtrics, working knowledge of military families, online education, and project management. This is a fully remote position. For more information about OneOp, visit, https://oneop.org/. For consideration, please email a cover letter and current resume/CV to Kalin Goble Mathis, OneOp Program Development Specialist, at kmgoble@vt.edu by June 5, 2025.
12. TEMPORARY PART-TIME PROJECT ASSISTANT – 2nd posting
OneOp is seeking a temporary, part-time Project Assistant to support our federally funded online education programming for professionals serving military families. This is a remote position with flexible hours and the opportunity to contribute to impactful programming that spans the full spectrum of family services, including family strengthening and addressing problematic sexual behavior in children and youth. This position will support various aspects of program development and delivery, including online education, evaluation, event coordination, content editing, and administrative support. The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong skills in social services, family and clinical support, academic research, content creation, and project coordination. Application deadline June 5, 2025. For more information about OneOp, visit, https://oneop.org/. For consideration, please email a cover letter and current resume/CV to Molly Herndon, OneOp Program Development Specialist & Co-Principal Investigator, at mollych@vt.edu by June 5, 2025.
13. 2025-2026 GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENT SENATE GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP – 2nd posting
The Graduate and Professional Student Senate seeks applications for a graduate assistant for the 2025-2026 academic year. Supervised by the Director of Student Services for the Graduate School, the GA supports the operations of the GPSS. Applicants must have an ability to take initiative, work well independently and with a team, and have strong interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and written. The GA will provide administrative support to GPSS, gather data and research special topics, coordinate events and meetings, and many other tasks. Note: there is an opportunity for the student chosen to start during the summer on a wage position. A full job description can be found here: https://gpss.vt.edu/content/dam/gpss_vt_edu/2025-2026%20GPSS%20GA%20Job%20description.pdf. Applications are due Sunday, May 18. Apply here: https://forms.office.com/r/6CA263kDxv. If you have questions, email Lauren Surface, GPSS advisor, lkeister@vt.edu or incoming GPSS President, Pooja Bhagawat, poojabhagawat@vt.edu.
14. GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP – OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLIANCE AND PREVENTION EDUCATION – 3rd posting
In collaboration with CRCPE leadership, this assistantship will primarily be responsible for assisting with data clean up and analysis for the Affirmative Action Plan. In addition, this assistantship will also focus on outreach efforts and coordinating the Title IX student advisory group. Required Qualifications include graduate student status at Virginia Tech, proven quantitative / data analytics research skills, experience with excel, and a significant interest in social justice / civil rights issues. For more information/to apply visit Handshake Job#9875579. Application deadline May 9.
In collaboration with CRCPE leadership, this assistantship will primarily be responsible for assisting with data clean up and analysis for the Affirmative Action Plan. In addition, this assistantship will also focus on outreach efforts and coordinating the Title IX student advisory group. Required Qualifications include graduate student status at Virginia Tech, proven quantitative / data analytics research skills, experience with excel, and a significant interest in social justice / civil rights issues. For more information/to apply visit Handshake Job#9875579. Application deadline May 9.
Funding Opportunities
Funding opportunities sponsored by the graduate school can be found here:
https://graduateschool.vt.edu/funding/funding-sponsored-by-the-graduate-school.html
All external funding opportunities that we are aware of can be found here: https://graduateschool.vt.edu/funding/scholarships-and-fellowships.html
15. VT TEACHING FELLOWS PROGRAM – FALL 2025 – DEADLINE JUNE 15, 2025 – 2nd posting
The VT Teaching Fellows adjunct faculty opportunities at Northern Virginia Community College are now posted! See the available positions at the included link, along with the slides from the information sessions. More positions will be posted as they become available, so please check back often! https://virginiatech.sharepoint.com/:f:/s/NVCGSSO/EgIkcX27nFNEq1AaOfuKx2QBUJExJ43UEZA1l35SGe2FuQ?e=2x0V35. This opportunity is open to domestic or international master’s or doctoral students with at least 18 graduate credit hours in the teaching discipline. Teaching will be either in-person or virtual, depending on the student’s location. Questions? Contact Dr. Barbara Hoopes at bhoopes@vt.edu.
Volunteers and Research Participants Sought
16. MRI RESEARCH STUDY RECRUITING YOUNG ADULTS – 1st posting
The MEM lab is recruiting participants for an fMRI study of young adult cognition. Participants are compensated for their time at approximately $30 per hour. If you are between the ages of 18 and 50 and interested in learning more, please contact vtmemorylab@gmail.com. Primary investigator: Rachel Diana, rdiana@vt.edu, 540-231-1913, Biomedical Research Alliance of New York Institutional Review Board (BRANY) Protocol #VT18-1077-568
17. LOOKING FOR FIRST AND FOURTH GRADERS TO FOR VIRGINIA TECH LEARNING STUDY (IRB PROTOCOL #24-1349) – 1st posting
Participants needed for Virginia Tech Human Development and Family Science study (IRB # 24-1349). This research is to learn more about first and fourth graders’ literacy, math, self-regulation, executive function skills, how those skills are related to each other, as well as the role stress plays in the development of those skills so educators and/or parents can better support children’s development and literacy and math learning. Eligible individuals will participate in one 60-minute in-person video recorded session either on the Virginia Tech Blacksburg campus, your home, your child’s school, after school, or summer program. Participant qualifications: Parent/guardians of a child in first grade (or a rising second grader during the 2025 summer) or fourth grade (or a rising fifth grader during the 2025 summer), both you and your child speak and read English. Compensation: $20 upon completion of the session and survey if it takes place in the Virginia Tech Blacksburg campus or your home, or $5 if the session takes place in your child’s school, after school, or summer program. Fill out the study interest form here: https://bit.ly/VTLearningStudy. Please contact Isabel Valdivia with any questions isabelvl@vt.edu.
18. PARTICIPANTS NEEDED – UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL MEDIA USE AND EATING BEHAVIORS STUDY – 2nd posting
IRB #: 24-1119.The SEED Lab is looking for volunteers for a qualitative research study examining the intersection between disordered eating and social media use. Participants will complete a short screener to determine eligibility (linked below). Eligible participants will then complete a brief survey and then a qualitative interview. The interview should take no longer than 2 hours. Please click on the REDCap link below to access the screening form. Participant qualifications: Must be ages 18-30, English speaking, social media use at or above 30 minutes per day experiencing disordered eating. Compensation $60 Amazon gift card or 2 SONA Credits. For more information or to complete eligibility screening: https://redcap.vtc.vt.edu/surveys/?s=PLRLTXDEXEPX3KXR.
Upcoming Events
19. FREE COMPUTING AND DATA WORKSHOPS
Tuesday, May 20, In-person at TLOS or remotely via Zoom
Interested in improving your research data and computing skills before undertaking summer research? Join us for a series of interactive, hands-on workshops in May 2025 in Blacksburg or online. Half-day workshops on Open Qualitative Data Analysis with QualCoder and Mixed Methods Data Analysis with NVivo are offered on Tue, 20 May. Register through the Professional Development Network or the Library Calendar. In-person at TLOS or remotely via Zoom. Register: https://calendar.lib.vt.edu or https://profdev.tlos.vt.edu/?category%5Bid%5D=154709&category%5Bname%5D=Research%20and%20Discovery
20. HANDS-ON DIGITIZING TEXTS WITH MACHINE LEARNING AND AI
Wednesday, May 21, 9am-12pm, Newman Library room 207A
Are you interested in extracting text from scanned images—even poor quality images—and learning more about new advances in optical character recognition (OCR)? Join us for a 3-hour workshop on utilizing machine learning and large language models to programmatically OCR images of text. The workshop will take participants through running Python code in collaborative notebooks to access a variety of tools used to OCR texts, including texts that might be poorly scanned or otherwise difficult to read. This is a participatory workshop and you will have the opportunity to practice along with the instructors, as well as applying skills in exercises on your own. The workshop is open to all VT community members. Some experience with Python is recommended. https://calendar.lib.vt.edu/event/14553557
21. PREPARING DATA FOR INPUT INTO GEOSPATIAL APPLICATIONS
Wednesday, May 21, 2-3:30pm, Zoom
Designed for students, faculty, and researchers new to geospatial mapping (GIS) or working with tabular data, this workshop provides a practical foundation for integrating spreadsheet-based data into spatial analysis workflows. By the end, participants will understand how to prepare and format spreadsheet and CSV format datasets so they can be effectively imported, visualized, and symbolized in a geospatial mapping environment. No prior experience is required. Participants will learn how to identify and clean location data—such as latitude and longitude columns—to ensure proper formatting and structure for correct input into geospatial software like ArcGIS or QGIS. https://profdev.tlos.vt.edu/browse/teachingandlearning/courses/lib187-052125. Contact Imma Mwanja imma@vt.edu with any questions.
22. 2025 SUMMER INSTITUTE
Wednesday, May 21, 2pm through Friday, May 23, Moss Art Center, New Classroom Building
The Summer Institute is a 2 1/2 day event for anyone who teaches undergraduates (include graduate students). With more than 50 sessions between May 21- 23, the two-and-a-half-day event will offer discussions and workshops that both early-career instructors and seasoned faculty will find valuable.
Topics will include an overview of the incoming class of first-year students, integrating peer support in your curriculum, technology-enhanced learning, growth-based grading, student motivation, and tackling controversial topics with confidence. It’s free, lunch and refreshments are included, and participants will be eligible to receive up to 12 PDN credits! Registration closes on May 15 at 5 p.m. Attendance will be limited to 350. https://www.provost.vt.edu/who_we_are/undergraduate_affairs/ue/summer-institute.html
23. PREPARING FOR LAUNCH: HOW TO PREPARE YOURSELF AND YOUR SENIOR FOR COLLEGE –
Wednesday, May 28, 12-1pm, Zoom
The Early Childhood Education Initiatives team is partnering with Samantha Buchanan, M.Ed., Associate Director in New Student and Family Programs here at Virginia Tech, to offer this session. Samantha will lead a discussion about the transition from high school to higher education student, and some of the biggest topics, celebrations, and struggles that many higher education students deal with in the first year. Contact Isabel Valdivia with any questions isabelvl@vt.edu. Register here: https://forms.gle/Ee77hHYGUjLcLitA8
24. VIRTUAL GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH INTENSIVE
Tuesday, June 3, 1-4pm & Wednesday, June 4, 10am-12pm, Zoom
Are you a graduate student planning to start or continue working on your research project over the summer? If so, join the University Libraries for a virtual research intensive workshop led by VT librarians and designed with graduate students in mind. In this workshop, you’ll learn more about searching for library resources for literature reviews, using citation managers, writing conference proposals and abstracts, and AI tools that can help your research process. This interactive Zoom workshop will build in time for discussion and questions. It will be held June 3 from 1-4 pm and June 4 from 10 am-12pm. Researchers at all stages of the process and from any discipline are welcome. To view the full schedule and register, visit https://calendar.lib.vt.edu/event/14484913.