‘Communication Skills’
Guest Blog Post: So you want to be a science writer?
Jan. 13, 2015—While moving away from the bench toward a science-writing career can feel daunting, it is possible (and as this collection of science writer origin stories shows, lots of folks have done it). When you’re interested in any career, whether it’s one at the bench or not, the best way to eventually get the job that...
Display presentations online with Postdoc Proceedings
Jan. 9, 2015—Postdoc Journal is happy to introduce a new segment, Postdoc Proceedings. This feature is very similar to the way we present our data at conferences, except these proceedings will be assigned a DOI for a permanent record that can be cited/referenced as 'unpublished' data. If you could share the attached flyer with fellow postdocs, and PIs, its much...
2015 Lindau Meeting, Nominations accepted for 5 VU students
Oct. 1, 2014—Vanderbilt is again invited to nominate students to participate in the 2015 Lindau Meeting of Nobel Laureates (June 28-July 3, 2015, in Lindau, Germany). Next year’s meeting is focused on Physics, Physiology or Medicine, and Chemistry. We may nominate a total of 5 graduate students; details are available at the website. Please share this with all interested faculty and students,...
Internship Opportunity: BenchFly
Sep. 26, 2014—Internship Opportunity: BenchFly — Reinventing Science Communication Using Video This internship provides an opportunity for a Vanderbilt biomedical sciences graduate student or postdoc to apply their scientific expertise away from the bench, while developing their creativity, collaboration, and marketing skills. At BenchFly, we think the most exciting opportunities for innovation occur at the interface of two...
Online Webinar: “Freelance Medical Writing: How to Use Your Scientific Background to Make a 6-Figure, Work-At-Home”
Sep. 26, 2014—This webinar will describe some of the basics you need to know to get your freelance medical writing business up and running, and will answer some general questions, including the following: • What is the scope of medical writing? • How do I get work if I have no samples or experience?• How feasible/realistic is it...
Tips on How to Improve Email Communication
Jun. 24, 2014—For goodness sake, please stop with the subject line of “Question.” A majority of our communication is done over email, but surprisingly, we’re not that great at it! The GradHacker blog through Inside Higher Ed gives, “7 Tips for Writing Better Emails.” The tips are good reminders as well as new insights on how to make email communication concise,...
How to Get the Most out of a Scientific Conference
Jun. 24, 2014—During your scientific conference or the BRET Career Symposium you wrote a bunch of notes in the program, heard some interesting advice, and maybe even made some connections. But now what? This is a great time to make some plans! Write out four different goals that you hope to achieve and when you hope to achieve...
Journal Editors Get Twitter-Savy
Jun. 21, 2014—Journal editors… on Twitter? Check out this interesting article onScienceCareers that discusses the challenges and changing roles of science journal editors aligning with social media, specifically an unlikely source: Twitter.
15 Tips from Keith Ferrazzi: Conference Commando
May. 16, 2014—A conference is a huge opportunity to build relationships with extraordinary people, people who might have significant impact on your professional or personal success. To make sure that you maximize the return on your (and your organization’s) investment of time and money to attend, you can’t afford to be a conference commoner. You have to be a Conference Commando. This Conference...
How do I tell my PI?
Apr. 21, 2014—Grad students and postdocs are often apprehensive about talking to their faculty adviser about their career interests, especially if their interests lie outside the “traditional” career path of becoming a tenure-track professor at a university. But did you know that only ~15% of biomedical sciences PhDs go on to become tenure-track professors? That’s right… 85%...
Vanderbilt Center for Teaching: Certificate in College Teaching
Apr. 17, 2014—The purpose of the Certificate in College Teaching, co-sponsored by the Center for Teaching and the Graduate School, is to assist graduate students and post doctoral fellows who wish to gain a clearer, deeper, more active approach to teaching and learning in higher education. The certificate focuses on the research on how people learn and best...
Vanderbilt Center for Teaching: SoTL Scholars Program
Apr. 17, 2014—The SoTL Scholars Program introduces participants to the principles and practices of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, an international, multidisciplinary field of disciplinary specialists studying student learning. SoTL is a synthesis of teaching, learning, and research in higher education that aims to bring a scholarly lens—the curiosity, the inquiry, the rigor, the disciplinary variety—to what happens...
Vanderbilt Center for Teaching: Blended & Online Learning Design (BOLD) Fellows
Apr. 17, 2014—The BOLD Fellows program is designed to help graduate student/faculty teams build expertise in developing online instructional modules grounded in good course design principles and our understanding of how people learn. STEM faculty members partner with graduate students or postdocs to design and develop online modules for integration into a course, either as a tool to promote...
Dissertation Writers’ Retreat
Apr. 4, 2014—Dissertation Writers’ RetreatMay 12-16, 20149:00am-4:00pm Sponsored by the Writing Studio, the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School, and the Graduate Development Network PhD students often use their summers to make significant headway on their dissertations. This May, the Writing Studio will help to start the summer off right for a select group of...
Teaching Opportunity: Scientist in the Classroom Partnership
Feb. 25, 2014—The Scientist in the Classroom Partnership (SCP) program, sponsored by the Vanderbilt Center for Science Outreach, connects science teaching fellows (Fellows) with Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools teachers in K-12 classrooms. Fellows are graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in science, math, technology, or engineering (STEM) who collaborate with K-12 teachers one day per week throughout the...
TAing to Thousands, February 24th
Feb. 21, 2014—What is it like to serve as a teaching assistant in a course with thousands of students? A panel of graduate students will share their experiences serving as teaching staff in Vanderbilt’s massive open online courses (MOOCs) hosted on Coursera. Panelists include Ruth Herrin (Student Thinking at the Core), Don Rodriquez and Blaine Smith (Online Games: Literature, New Media, and Narrative), and Ben...
Interviewing Skills for Graduate Students
Feb. 21, 2014—Interviewing Skills for Graduate Students Tues., Feb. 25, 4:30 – 5:30 pm 201 Alumni Hall Not sure what to expect from job interviews in business/industry, non-profits or government? We’ll go over ways to prepare, types of interviews, and questions you might expect. –No RSVP needed Sponsored by Graduate School Career Development
ASPIRE to Connect: Building Professional Relationships
Feb. 17, 2014—ASPIRE to Connect: Building Professional RelationshipsTuesday, March 181:00-5:30pm, Student Life Center Gain practical tips and learn techniques to meet new people and cultivate authentic professional connections. ***REGISTER TODAY!*** You will learn:• Strategies and etiquette for professional communication• How to confidently describe yourself and what you do• Ways to network effectively at professional conferences• The power...
Writing and Publishing Research Manuscripts with Dr. Vivian Siegel
Jan. 24, 2014—Thursday, February 20, 2014 9am-10:30am Light Hall, Room 411 ABCD Dr. Vivian Siegel will discuss how understanding the audience is key to the success of writing and publishing papers. By considering the perspective of the reader(s), which include both scientists in the same field (including reviewers), scientists in other fields, and others (including editors), different...
Developing and Maintaining Effective Communication Skills in the Research Environment (for School of Medicine Postdocs only)
Jan. 14, 2014—WHAT: Developing and Maintaining Effective Communication Skills in the Research Environment (for School of Medicine Postdocs only) WHEN: March 4th OR March 6th from 1:30-3:00 WHERE: Light Hall (specific location will be determined later this month) Hello! My name is Mistie Germek and I am the BRET psychologist. This spring, I am going to be facilitating a seminar for School of...