1. WEEKLY WALK-IN SERVICES IN THE GLC – updated 12/14/15
- Career Services advising: on hiatus until spring
- Cook Counseling: Thursday & Friday 1:00-5:00pm, Green Room
- Graduate School regular hours: 8:00am-5:00pm until 12/23
- Immigration advising hours: MWF 1:00-5:00pm, TTh 9:00am-12:00pm
- LISA Statistical Consulting: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 10am-12pm, GLC Room A
- Writing assistance: on hiatus until spring
2. GLC CAFÉ: BOOK SWAP EDITION WITH HOT CIDER AND CHOCOLATE
Thursday, Dec 17, 3:30-5:00pm, GLC Reading Room
Celebrate the end of the semester and the end of the year with the final café of 2015, combined with a book swap. Bring books and take some, or just take books to read during the break. Share your favorite titles with grad students and Grad School colleagues over coffee, tea, hot chocolate, hot cider, and cookies. And whipped cream. And marshmellows. The café will be on a break on Dec 24 and 31, but will return on Jan 7, 2016!
3. GRADUATE COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY
Friday, Dec 18, 3:00pm, Cassell Coliseum
Join in the celebration of our graduating master’s and doctoral students and certificate recipients. For details visit http://graduateschool.vt.edu/academics/commencement_info. This event will be live streamed.
4. CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR GRADUATE STUDENT REP TO BOARD OF VISITORS – 1st posting
Applications for Graduate Student Representative to the VT Board of Visitors are accepted until Feb 12, 2016. All currently enrolled graduate students in good standing are encouraged to consider this great leadership and service opportunity to represent graduate students’ voices, needs and interest on the VT Board of Visitors. Learn more at http://www.dsa.vt.edu/BOV/apply.php.
5. NOMINATIONS FOR GRADUATE STUDENT AWARDS NOW OPEN – 1st posting
A number of prestigious awards are granted to graduate students each year, carrying a monetary prize ($200-$1000 each) and award certificate. Discuss the possibility of your nomination with your advisor/department for any of the following awards:
- Outstanding Dissertation in (1) math, sciences and engineering, and (1) in social sciences, business and humanities
- Preston Society Master’s Thesis Award
- Graduate Student Teaching Excellence (1) for GTA instructor of record (1) GTA instructor assistant
- Graduate Student Service Excellence
- Graduate Student of the Year (up to three awards given)
- Outstanding master’s and doctoral student in each college and in interdisciplinary programs.
More information about criteria, forms, and process for nomination are at: http://graduateschool.vt.edu/academics/awards/2015_2016.
6. REGISTRATION OPEN FOR DATA MANAGEMENT BOOTCAMP IN JANUARY – 1st posting
Graduate students interested in learning more about data management issues and best practices are invited to participate in the forthcoming one-day Data Management Bootcamp sponsored by the University Libraries at Virginia Tech, on January 15, 2016, 9am-4:30pm. Registration required, spaces are limited. Learn more and register online at https://docs.google.com/a/vt.edu/forms/d/1N_5RSqiE2U7eJYjRdWAOExDoakozRr06h-MwUj4WrB8/viewform?c=0&w=1.
7. ASSOCIATION FOR INDIA’S DEVELOPMENT (AID) FLOOD RELIEF CAMPAIGN – 1st posting
Southern India is reeling from some of the heaviest and deadliest rains in decades. Indian students at Virginia Tech and AID-Blacksburg ask for your help in raising funds for the relief and rehabilitation of the victims. Please donate online at http://www.tinyurl.com/TNRelief. AID is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax-deductible. Visit AID on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AID.VT. For more information contact volunteers Wrik Mallik wrik@vt.edu or Shreya Roy Choudhury shreyarc@vt.edu.
8. GREEN GRADS OF VT – 1st posting
If you would like to participate in the Office of Sustainability’s program “Green Graduates of Virginia Tech,” send a quick blurb of how you pledge to support a sustainable world and a photo of yourself (think “Humans of New York” project or just your standard selfie) to https://www.facebook.com/Green-Graduates-of-Virginia-Tech-465341976985523/timeline OR to kshepard@vt.edu and the photo will be posted for you, along with your name, major(s), and college(s) and you will receive a free green sustainability cord for graduation! Submit your pledges by Wednesday, Dec 16 and the office will coordinate with you to deliver the green cord prior to commencement.
9. GRAD-UGRAD MENTORING PROGRAM SEEKING MENTORS – 2nd posting
The Graduate–Undergraduate Mentorship Program (GUMP) is seeking mentors from all fields! This program allows graduate students to mentor undergraduate students considering graduate school. Undergraduates and graduates are matched according to their area of study, allowing the undergraduate to get a taste for graduate school and to ask questions of current graduate students. Each mentor is matched with 1–2 mentees, who will shadow/meet with them at times convenient for the graduate mentor during the Spring semester. Mentoring can help build leadership skills and provide an experience to discuss with future employers. GUMP is sponsored by the Graduate Student Assembly(GSA). Email to gump@vt.edu with any questions. If interested, apply at https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1448905481133.
10. ACADEMY FOR GTA EXCELLENCE APPLICATIONS NOW ACCEPTED – 2nd posting
The Academy for GTA Excellence (https://blogs.lt.vt.edu/jwrgrad/academy-for-advanced-teaching-and-transforming-learning-aattl/) invites applications for Academy member, Associate, and Fellow in its Learning Community. The Academy provides opportunities for graduate students to receive advanced education and training in innovative teaching and learning strategies. It also provides a space to recognize excellence in teaching by graduate students. Membership is open to graduate students at all VT campuses. Applications are available at https://virginiatech.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_3Vsd1V1nnizMkqp; and nominations or recommendation form at https://virginiatech.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_4PzjmrgAFGhBQUt; both are due Saturday, Jan 30. For questions about the Academy, contact VP and Dean for Graduate Education Karen P. DePauw (kpdepauw@vt.edu) or Nicole J. Johnson (nicj712@vt.edu).
11. GSA RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM ABSTRACT SUBMISSION OPEN THROUGH JANUARY 1 – 2nd posting
The 32nd Annual Graduate Student Assembly (GSA) Research Symposium and Exposition will take place on March 23, 2016 in the Graduate Life Center. Graduate and advanced undergraduate students are invited to submit an abstract for this event between November 8, 2015 and January 1, 2016 at 11:59pm (EST). Visit the Research Symposium website at http://blogs.lt.vt.edu/graduatestudentassembly/graduate-research-symposium/ for details and to submit an abstract. Please read all information and see resources available for tailoring your abstract to this event in order to communicate your research to a broad audience. Contact the Research Symposium and Exposition Chairs (Anthony Carno and Yesim Keskin) at gsa.syposium16@gmail.com with any questions.
12. GSA WEEKLY UPDATES AVAILABLE ONLINE – 2nd posting
The Graduate Student Assembly (GSA) is the governing body representing all graduate students. GSA strives to improve campus life, support scholarly pursuits, and encourage graduate student community. Every week, GSA sends out announcements about upcoming events and opportunities. Check out http://blogs.lt.vt.edu/graduatestudentassembly/blog/ for weekly updates. Email gsa@vt.edu with any questions.
13. WAGE POSITION AS NEWS ANALYST AVAILABLE – 2nd posting
The Discovery Analytics Center of the VT Department of Computer Science in Arlington is looking to fill 3 wage positions for News Analysts. This is a 20-hrs/week, online, work from home position paying $20/hr. News Analysts will be responsible for reading news articles in Arabic, Portuguese and Spanish and extracting information from them. Analysts are trained on how to record the extracted information. Requirements: proficiency with at least one of these three languages; knowledge of and interest in world and regional politics; excellent written and spoken communication skills. Email application by EOD Dec 9 to parang@cs.vt.edu with a subject line: Application for News Analyst, including detailed CV; list of languages you know, along with your proficiency level; brief note (300 words max) on why are you interested in this opportunity. Complete info at http://dac.cs.vt.edu/job-opening/6-month-onlinework-from-home-wage-position-at-discovery-analytics-center-department-of-computer-science-vt/. Some restrictions may apply for employment of international students.
14. PARTICIPANTS SOUGHT FOR BEHAVIORAL AND NEURO-IMAGING STUDY ON SOCIAL ATTITUDES – 1st posting
VTCRI researchers are recruiting subjects for a behavioral and neuroimaging study on social attitudes. Participants will: Answer questionnaires and complete assessments; Play simple computer games during an MRI scan; Receive $30-50 for their participation; Receive a CD of their brain images from the MRI scan. Must be: 18-30 years old; Caucasian (White American) born citizen of the United States; free of metal implants; not claustrophobic. If you meet these requirements and are interested in participating, email participate@vtc.vt.edu or call Lauren at 540-526-2120 or Riley at 540-526-2068.
15. PARTICIPANTS SOUGHT FOR RESEARCH STUDY ON HARDWARE DESIGN – 1st posting
The VT Configurable Computing Machinery Lab is looking for participants for a research study on a new tool being developed for automatic suggestion of reusable designs. Participants will be asked to design two simple circuits in Verilog to test the effectiveness of such a tool. Email Kevin Zeng at kaiwen@vt.edu to set up a time or if there are any questions.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
GRADUATE SCHOOL WINTER BREAK CLOSING
The Graduate School will be closed from 5:00pm Dec 23, through Jan 3, 2016. We will reopen with regular business hours at 8:00am on Monday, Jan 4.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE: CONTINUING THE FIGHT FOR INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE
Monday, Jan 18, 10:00am – 2:00pm, GLC Multipurpose Room, GLC
Participate in an interactive session using case studies to learn, discuss, and craft the next steps in the struggle for graduate student success. Hear a briefing by Vice President and Dean Dr. Karen DePauw about InclusiveVT and responses to last year’s MLK Day forum. Students are highly encouraged to participate in the process and work with university administrators in Creating an Affirming Environment: Eradicating academic bullying in graduate education. Lunch provided.