April 13-19, 2015

1.  WEEKLY WALK-IN SERVICES IN THE GLC

  • Career Services advising: Wednesdays 2:00-5:00pm, GLC lobby
  • Cook Counseling: Thursdays and Fridays 1:00-5:00pm, Green Room 
  • GLC Café: 3:30-5:00 every Thursday, Reading Room
  • Statistical consulting by LISA: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays 10:00am-12:00pm, Room A
  • Writing assistance: Thursdays starting Jan 29 5:00-8:00pm, Room A

2. SHORT STATS COURSES FOR GRADS  – Solutions for Broken Linear Models
Tuesday, Apr 14, 4:00-6:00pm, GLC Room G

Researchers from many fields can benefit from applied knowledge of general linear models. This class of models includes the t-test (paired and two sample), regression, ANOVA, and ANCOVA. Like all statistical methods, certain assumptions must hold in order for these models to be successfully implemented. What happens when one or more of these assumptions are violated by the data? In this short course, we discuss the primary assumptions required for general linear models and present methods for assessing the validity of each one. We will discuss methods that address violations in these assumptions (e.g. Box-Cox transformations, weighted least squares). Alternative modeling strategies, such as semiparametric and nonparametric methods, may eliminate the need for some assumptions and will be briefly introduced.
  Prerequisite knowledge for this course is a familiarity with general linear models, including ANOVA and ANCOVA. A variety of datasets will be used to illustrate the testing of assumptions as well as alternative procedures. The data will be analyzed using R. See http://www.lisa.stat.vt.edu/?q=short_courses for instructions on how to REGISTER and to learn more. 

3. PARENT GROUP MONTHLY MEETING
Wednesday, Apr 15, 12:00-1:30pm, GLC Room C
The Parent Support Group is an opportunity for graduate students and their partners who have or are expecting children, designed to provide a place to connect and build community. The group will be meeting Wednesday, April 15 in the GLC. Lunch will be served and partners and children are welcome! Sign-up at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0e4fabaa28a1ff2-parent

4. GLC CAFÉ
Thursday, Apr 16, 3:30-5:00pm, GLC Reading Room
The GLC Café is offered throughout the year with free coffee, tea, and cookies in the company of your graduate-student and Grad-School colleagues. Bring your own mug if you can.

5. SPRING 30-AND-OVER SOCIAL
Thursday, Apr 16, 6:00-8:00pm, University Club
The Graduate School will host a spring social for the 30-and-over group. Food and adult beverages will be available. Please register at https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1426175364088 if you plan to attend. Childcare is also available for this event; contact Jessie Meltsner at the Women’s Center, jmelts@vt.edu  or 231-7806 if you want to confirm childcare.

6. WOMEN’S AND GENDER STUDEIS STUDENT CONFERENCE
Friday, Apr 17, 9:00am-5:00pm, Kelly Hall (ICTAS) Room 310

Come and witness some exciting and interesting feminist scholarship, poster presentations, and performances! A continental breakfast and light lunch will be provided! For more information, contact Jennifer Turner at jennlt8@vt.edu or visit our Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/800450123367848/

7. TACOS AND TIE DYE
Friday, Apr 17, 12:00-2:00pm, Graduate School Lawn
Join the GLC Fellows for tacos from Moe’s and tie-dye a shirt. Tacos and tie-dye materials will be provided but please bring your own shirt. If interested, please register at: https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1427910986241.

8. GRADUATION CAP AND GOWN RENTAL PROGRAM
The Graduate Student Assembly Graduation Gown Rental program will loan a limited number of graduation gowns and caps to graduate students participating in Spring 2015 graduation ceremonies. This rental program is free and only provides gown and (one size fits all) cap. The hood and tassel are not provided by GSA and should be purchased by the student. As this is rental program, students will be held fully responsible for returning the gown and cap in fair condition to the Graduate Student Assembly. Interested students who fill out the following survey completely will be entered in a lottery. https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1428079193290 This survey will be open until Monday, April 20 at 5:00 p.m. Please review complete guidelines and important dates and deadlines on the GSA website http://blogs.lt.vt.edu/graduatestudentassembly/gsa-graduation-gown-rental-program/> . Contact Richard Rodrigues richrr@vt.edu with questions.

9. VT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES ON-CAMPUS OFFICE HOURS
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc. (VTIP) is hosting on-campus office hours to help anyone with innovative ideas get advice on how to develop and protect intellectual property, navigate the technology transfer process, refine your business strategy for rapid growth, tap into other entrepreneurial resources and build and finance a startup company. Office hours will begin on Wednesday, April 15 and will follow this schedule: Wednesdays & Thursdays, 1:00 – 5:00 PM in Port: Digital Research Commons, Room 3320 Torgersen Hall
and Fridays 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM at VTIP’s CRC office, 2200 Kraft Drive, Suite 1050. Walk-ins are welcome, or schedule an appointment at http://vtip.appointy.com/ to guarantee your time slot.

 

10. CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR LATINO LECTURE SYMPOSIUM – 2nd posting

This project aims to provide a space for mentoring relationships to flourish organically. Students who have turned in a paper, done research on, or can discuss topics specifically related to the Latino community can be nominated to present at this symposium. Nomination process: please submit students’ first name, last name, email address, major, and a title for the project, paper, or research to Miguel Martinez at miguelam@vt.edu by Apr 20, 2015.

11. GA OPENING IN WOMEN AND GENDER IN INT’L DEVELOPMENT IN OIRED – 1st posting
OIRED Is looking for a Graduate Assistant to help ensure a gender-sensitive approach to all OIRED (www.oired.vt.edu) projects and raise awareness about gender and international development issues at Virginia Tech. For a full position description and application instructions, see http://www.oired.vt.edu/job-listings/GraduateAsst-WGD-JobListing2015.html or email Maria Elisa Christie at mechristie@vt.edu. The application deadline is April 24.

12. GRAD STUDENTS SOUGHT FOR ONLINE SURVEY ON OPEN ACCESS – 1st posting
Calling all grad students! How do you feel about Open Access? Graduate students from all disciplines are sought to complete an anonymous, 10 min. online survey about their awareness and attitudes toward Open Access Journals. Participants must be at least 18 years old. Results from the survey will be used by Communication grad students for a research project. Please complete the survey through the following link: https://virginiatech.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_agfCpicR2mrUKuF. For more information, contact Kayla Hastrup, khastrup@vt.edu, or Maureen Lawrence-Kuether, mlawre04@vt.edu.

13. GA OPENING IN THE OFFICE OF INTL RESEARCH, EDUCATION & DEVELOPMENT – 2nd posting
OIRED is looking for a Graduate Assistant to begin in Aug 2015 as a Peace Corps Recruiter. The GA must be a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV). The GA will serve as the main university and Southwest Virginia point of contact for students and others interested in joining the Peace Corps.  For full position description, or to apply, email Emily Van Houweling at evh@vt.edu by May 1.

14. PARTICIPANTS SOUGHT FOR ONLINE EDUCATIONAL CONTENT STUDY – 2nd posting
Doctoral student seeks student participants for a voluntary and confidential research study about online educational content. Students who participate in the study will receive pizza and beverages at the conclusion of the study. If you are interested in participating in a 45-60-minute lab study about online educational content, follow the link below to provide your contact information and select your preferred study session(s). During the study, participants will be asked to review two sets of online course materials for the same content and answer a short survey providing response to and preferences for each. Finally, students will be asked to participate in a group discussion to provide additional feedback to the researchers while enjoying pizza, snacks, and soft drinks. All components of the lab study will be audio recorded for later review. https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1427496470025. The time commitment for this research is low, but it could provide useful insight into the way instructors should compose instructional materials for online and hybrid courses.

15. PARTICIPANTS SOUGHT FOR MILK-TASTING STUDY – 3rd posting
Can you identify different samples? Come every day if you can, even if you have already participated. Must be 18 or older and not allergic to milk. Need 128 panelists for each day. Take a friend with you and make it date!

  • Day 1:  Wednesday 4/8, 1 pm- 6:00 pm
  • Day 2:  Thursday 4/9, 1 pm- 6:00 pm
  • Day 3:  Friday 4/10, 10 am- 5:00 pm
  • Day 4:  Monday 4/13, 10 am- 5:00 pm
  • Day 5:  Wednesday 4/15, 10 am- 5:00 pm
  • Day 6:  Thursday 4/16 10 am- 5:00 pm

HABB1 Building, Rm 205 (corner of Duck Pond Dr. and Washington, St. MAP: https://goo.gl/maps/sIsyn). Each tasting lasts about 15 minutes. With questions contact Kemia Amin at kamin2@vt.edu.

16. FIRST-GENERATION GRAD STUDENTS SOUGHT FOR SURVEY – 3rd posting
If you identify as first generation and Appalachian, you are invited to complete a survey at https://virginiatech.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9ERHMcTK5R4gISN. "First generation" means you are the first person in your family to attend college. "Appalachian" means that you or your parents graduated from a high school in the region as defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission. If you are from outside of the ARCs definition but identify as an Appalachian person, you may complete the survey. This survey is confidential and voluntary and should take about ten minutes. Results may be published. For more information contact diversity scholar Jordan Laney at jlaney@vt.edu.

17. SURVEY PARTICIPANTS SOUGHT – 3rd posting
Participants are sought for a survey on user behavior related to mirror usage and seeking feedback on appearance from others. The results of the survey will be used to guide a project for Usability Engineering. http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/2073715/SmartMirrors. Please contact Shiwani Dewal at shiwanid@vt.edu with questions.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

2016-2017 FULBRIGHT INFORMATION SESSIONS
Monday, Apr 20, 7:00-8:00pm; Tuesday, Apr 21, 11:00am-12:00pm, and Wednesday, Apr 22, 2:00-3:00pm, GLC Room B
The 2016-2017 Fulbright U.S. Student competition is now open. Scholarships for research/study grants include round-trip transportation, tuition, and living expenses; other types of grants are also available. Eligible applicants include graduating seniors and master’s and doctoral candidates. Virginia Tech has established a priority candidate application process with a deadline of July 1.  For more information contact Betty Watts (bettyw@vt.edu; 231-7220).

SHORT STATS COURSES FOR GRADS – SPRING 2015 SCHEDULE
LISA (Virginia Tech’s Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Statistical Analysis) provides a series of evening short courses to help graduate students use statistics in their research. The focus of these two-hour courses is on teaching practical statistical techniques for analyzing or collecting data. Registration is required, but all courses are free. Remaining spring 2015 Schedule:

  • Tuesday, Apr 21: Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) & Categorical Data Analysis (CDA);

Visit the LISA website at http://www.lisa.stat.vt.edu/?q=short_courses for more information about these courses and to register.

VT BEST MINI-INTERNSHIP: COMMUNICATING SCIENCE – NEWSPAPERS, NEWS BLOGS, AND PUBLIC RADIO
Thursday, Apr 23, 1:00-4:00pm, Roanoke

Virginia Tech’s BEST program offers a variety of professional development opportunities for doctoral students and postdocs in the biomedical and health sciences throughout the year.  Register now for one or both of the upcoming “mini-internship” workshops, where PhD’s from a variety of professions give trainees a sense for a day on the job in their profession. Presenter: Dr. Michaeleen Doucleff, Editor and Scientific Reporter, National Public Radio (NPR). Space is limited so apply now at http://info.vtc.vt.edu/best/communicating-science-newspapers-news-blogs-and-public-radio/.

GLC MOVIE NIGHT: THE LEGO MOVIE
Thursday, Apr 23, 7pm, GLC Room F
Come join fellow graduate students for a screening of The LEGO Movie.  Although an animated film, it is wonderful for adults.  Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.  This event is sponsored by the GLC Fellows.  For more information, contact lkkoehle@vt.edu;

VT BEST MINI-INTERNSHIP: SCIENTIFIC EDITING AND ACADEMIC PUBLISHING
Thursday, Apr 30, 1:00-4:00pm, Roanoke
Virginia Tech’s BEST program offers a variety of professional development opportunities for doctoral students and postdocs in the biomedical and health sciences throughout the year.  Register now for one or both of the upcoming “mini-internship” workshops, where PhD’s from a variety of professions give trainees a sense for a day on the job in their profession. Presenter: Dr. Meredith LeMasurier, Chief Editor, Nature Neuroscience.  Space is limited so apply now at http://info.vtc.vt.edu/best/scientific-editing-and-academic-publishing/.

HISPANIC-LATINO ACHIEVEMENT CEREMONY – register now!
Thursday, May 14, 4:30pm, Recital Salon in Squires
The 11th annual VT Hispanic-Latino Achievement Ceremony for students graduating in Spring 2015 will be held on Thursday, May 14 at 4:30pm in the Recital Salon of Squires Student Center, immediately followed by a dinner reception in the Old Dominion Ballroom. If you are a Hispanic/Latino 2015 graduate and would like to participate, please sign up by April 24 at https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1427209132170. Contact Veronica Montes at vmontes@vt.edu with questions.