Future Faculty Fellowship Professional Development Opportunity

During the 2012 – 2013 academic year, the King-Chavez-Parks Initiative is piloting a partnership with the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity, an independent faculty development center that is 100% dedicated to supporting graduate students, post-docs, and faculty members in making successful transitions throughout their academic careers.

The NCFDD provides the following opportunities for Fellows:

DISCUSSION FORUM

Provides Fellows with access to private, moderated discussion forums. This is the online community where members gather to discuss skills and strategies that will increase productivity and work/life balance, as well as problem-solve, exchange support, and experience peer-mentoring. The NCFDD’s most popular forum is the Monthly Writing Challenge. It’s a great place to go if Fellows want support in establishing a daily writing practice.

MONTHLY TELE-WORKSHOPS

Each month, the NCFFD hosts a tele-workshop that digs into one of the 10 Keys to Thriving in the Academy. Additionally, each month they host a guest expert on the topics that members have requested. If Fellows are unable to attend the workshops live, don’t worry. The NCFDD records each one and provides access to the audio, slides and transcripts. That way, Fellows can enjoy the materials at their convenience.

MONDAY MOTIVATOR

Fellows will receive a weekly email that includes a productivity tip as well as a little electronic support and encouragement.

MONTHLY BUDDY MATCH

For Fellows who would like a writing buddy, the NCFFD will match members at the beginning of each month.

Please consider joining this online community where you can share, connect, exchange, and grow in the skills that will help you to truly thrive in your academic career.

Contact Michelle Snitgen of the Lansing, MI, KCP Intiative, with any questions (517-373-0273)  or snitgenm@michigan.gov.

Facebook Graduate Fellowships

Since we started awarding graduate fellowships four years ago, we have worked closely with students and professors to identify and solve challenging problems in areas such as data science, machine learning, and systems.

Today, we are excited to announce the 2013-2014 Facebook Graduate Fellowship program. Our fellowships support emerging research leaders who demonstrate potential to advance our mission of making the world more open and connected. Facebook Graduate Fellows can take advantage of their connection with Facebook to guide their research while also retaining the freedom to explore their own interests. Previous recipients have pursued a variety of topics, including security, privacy, distributed storage, machine learning for big data, and mobile computing.

Fellowships cover tuition and fees and provide a $30,000 stipend in addition to conference travel and other benefits. We are seeking a diverse set of applicants to represent the global community we serve. We welcome applications from qualified students and strongly encourage underrepresented groups to apply.

Applications are due January 7, 2013.

Winners will be announced February 25, 2013.

For more details on the fellowship and to apply, please visit the application site: https://www.facebook.com/careers/begin_fellowship.php

BRC Graduate Travel Grants Awarded for Fall 2012

The Biotechnology Research Center Announces the Recipients for its Fall 2012 Travel Grants

Graduate Recipients include:

  • Tayloria Adams (ECM); 2012 AIChE Annual Meeting (poster)
  • Felix Adom (ECM); 2012 AIChE Annual Meeting (podium)
  • Zainab I. Alshoug (ECM); 2012 AIChE Annual Meeting (poster)
  • Ran An (ECM); 2012 AIChE Annual Meeting (poster)
  • Xiaochu Ding (SCH); POLY-ACS 9th Excellence in Graduate Polymer Research Symposium (poster)
  • Stephanie Hamilton (EBE); American Society of Biomechanics Annual Meeting (poster)
  • Sean Hopkins (EBE); BMES 2012 Annual Conference (poster)
  • Robert Larson (SBL); SLEEP 2012 26th Annual Meeting (poster)
  • Venkata Ramana R. Pidatala (SBL); ASA, CSSA and SSSA Annual Meetings (poster)
  • Aparupa Sengupta (SBL); Society for Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology (poster)
  • Maria Tafur Agudelo (ECM); 2012 AIChE Annual Meeting (podium)
  • Khrupa S. Vijayaragavan (ECM); 2012 AIChE Annual Meeting (podium)
  • Shuaicheng Wang (SMAG); The Genetic Analysis Workshops (podium and poster)
  • Xu Xiang (SCH); 245th ACS National Meeting (poster)
  • Chungja Yang (ECM); 2012 AIChE Annual Meeting (poster)
  • Huan Yang (SBL); SLEEP 2012 26th Annual Meeting (poster)
  • Jingtuo Zhang (SCH); 244th ACS National Meeting (poster)

Published in TechToday

Tour Silicon Valley During Spring Break 2013

Do you know any students looking for a great experience?  On Thursday, Dec. 6, at 5 p.m., they can interview for the chance to join a special Spring Break trip. The Silicon Valley Experience 2013 will take 15 lucky students to visit California’s technology and innovation hub from March 10 to 15.

To win a spot at the significantly reduced cost of $300, all they have to do is answer one question in 90 seconds: “Why would I like to work and live in Silicon Valley?”  Their answer will be given to the trip coordinators, and final trip participants will be selected and notified before the end of the semester.

This year, the participants will tour of some of the most innovative companies on the west coast. Last year, the group visited Google, Brocade, Cisco, Kyocera, Plug and Play, and other companies.

This event is open to both undergrad and graduate students of all majors. They should email Professor Russ Louks (SBE) at rwlouks@mtu.edu with your name, major and year by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 5, to participate. A schedule will be sent out early on Dec. 6 with the time you will be interviewed in AOB 101.

For more information, see Silicon Valley, or contact Louks at rwlouks@mtu.edu or Assistant Professor Andre Laplume (SBE) at aolaplum@mtu.edu .

Printed in TechToday

Point Foundation

Point Foundation, established in 2001, was initially funded by a grant from Bruce C. Lindstrom & Carl T. Strickland. Point Foundation is what it is today—the premier national LGBTQ non-profit organization designed to nurture the LGBTQ leaders of the next generation – because of the generous support of others. Point Foundation empowers promising LGBTQ students to achieve their full academic and leadership potential – despite the obstacles often put before them – to make a significant impact on society.

For more information, please visit: http://www.pointfoundation.org/apply.html

US Teaching Assistantships at Austrian Secondary Schools

Living and teaching in Austria! For decades this program has provided college and university graduates from the United States with unique opportunities to work as teaching assistants in secondary schools in communities all over Austria. US teaching assistants not only enhance the instruction of English in the classroom from a linguistic and cultural perspective; they also are valuable resources for first-hand information about the “American way of life” and representatives of the United States. In this capacity, they contribute substantially to the promotion of mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States of America and the Republic of Austria. To learn more about this exciting opportunity please consult the Program Description.

Simons Foundation in Theoretical Computer Science

The Simons Foundation Division for Mathematics and the Physical Sciences invites applications for the Simons Award for Graduate Students in Theoretical Computer Science program. These awards will be made to graduate students with an outstanding track record of research accomplishments.

Previous AwardeesFAQApplication InstructionsMPS Policies and Procedures

Rationale: Theoretical computer science is unique in that graduate students working independently produce some of the best results in the field. After two or three years, one can identify many of the emerging stars, and the Simons Award for Graduate Students will identify and support these students. The award will allow such students further collaborations with peers and more senior researchers.

Eligibility: To be eligible the applicant must be a graduate student who has completed two, three or four years at a U.S. or Canadian institution of higher education. A track record of outstanding results in theoretical computer science is the key criterion.

There is a limit of two applications per university. Please contact Jodi Lehman (jglehman@mtu.edu) if you are interested in applying.

There are no citizenship requirements. For-profit organizations may not apply.