Research Career Development What Happens in Grad School Actually Being There

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Research Career Development What Happens
inGrad School Actually Being There!

• Gail P. Taylor, Ph.D.
• Spring 2006

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• Acknowledgements

• Beyond the Beakers SMART Advice for Entering
  Graduate Programs in the Sciences and
  Engineering. Gayle R. Slaughter, Ph.D. Baylor
  College of Medicine/National Science Foundation.
  2005
• Survival Skills and Ethics Program
• Beth Fischer
• Michael Zigmond
• www.pitt.edu/survival
• The Leadership Alliance
• Graduate School Guidehttp//www.theleadershipall
  iance.org/pdf/grad_guide.pdf
• Tips on Preparing for and Applying to Graduate
  School
• http//www.theleadershipalliance.org/pdf/tips.pdf
  
• Careers in Science and Engineering A Student
  Planning Guide to Grad School and Beyond (1996).
  Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public
  Policy (COSEPUP) http//books.nap.edu/books/03090
  53935/html/11.html

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What is Graduate School?

• A graduate school is the school that a college
  student may attend after completion of his
  undergraduate education in order to obtain a
  degree higher than a bachelor's degree. Degrees
  range from master's degrees (M.A., M.S./M.Sc.,
  M.Ed., etc.), doctorate (Ph.D., Ed.D., D.A.,
  D.Sc., D.M.A., Th.D., etc.) or other postgraduate
  qualification (MBA), such as a graduate
  certificate, as well as some professional
  degrees.
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduate_school

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What is a doctorate?

• A doctorate is
• An academic degree of the highest level.
• Recognition of the candidate as an equal by the
  university faculty under which he studied.
• Usually research doctorates are awarded in
  recognition of academic research
• Is of a publishable standard (even if not
  actually published)
• Represents at least a modest contribution to
  human knowledge
• Is usually assessed by submission and defense of
  a doctoral thesis or dissertation, though in some
  cases a coherent body of published literature can
  be accepted instead.
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduate_school

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Highs and Lows of Grad School

• HIGHS
• Can be fun!
• All new field
• Get to play in lab
• Learning critical skills
• Great colleagues
• Find new things
• Become an expert

• LOWS
• Can be Stressful!
• Tedium can set in
• Apprenticeship
• Learn by doing
• Fish out of water
• Feel Incompetent
• Mentor Issues
• Money issues
• Balancing family
• Will I find a job I want??

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Grad School Timeline/Activities

• First year
• Coursework
• Lab rotations
• Select lab
• Second year
• Finish coursework
• Continue to work in lab
• Take examinations
• Comprehensive
• Defend Thesis Proposal
• Advance to candidacy
• Apply for personal funding

• Years 3 - ? (av. 5)
• Set up/meet w Committee
• Finish up research
• Develop your credentials
• Pubs
• Presentations
• Teaching
• Mentoring
• Techniques
• Special skills
• Network
• Set up future Postdoc positions
• Write and Defend Dissertation!

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What is a Dissertation Committee?

• Varies slightly w institution
• Chair generally your research P.I.
• 5 faculty with possibly one external
• Okay a contract for work/proposal
• Meet annually or more to assess progress
• Assess presentation/content of thesis, and confer
  Ph.D.

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Choosing a Committee

• Always in collaboration with your mentor
• Good reputations
• Letters
• Assistance
• Mentoring or advice
• Reasonable people

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Opportunities

• Always look for opportunities
• Extra training
• Networking
• Travel
• Funding
• Independence

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Doctoral School Funding

• What You Need Money For
• Paying for School - Tuition/Fees
• Do not worry about out-of-state!
• Living Expenses Stipend
• Travel to conferences
• Health Insurance

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What Not to Do

• Pay for it yourself
• Take out loans
• Freak and worry about Funding
• Generally, if youre in and prior to your 7th
  year, you will be funded.

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How Ph.D. Students are Funded

• Financial Aid through the School
• Existing fellowships (possible service)
• Scholarships
• Teaching assistantships (service required)
• Research assistantships/associate-ships
• Special programs/funds
• MBRS-RISE or training grant
• Through your Research Advisor
• Research Assistantships
• Through outside sources
• Special programs/funds
• Pre-doctoral Fellowships, Scholarships

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Evolution of Dr Ts Funding

• State Fellowship through School 15K
• State Fellowship through School 15K
• State Fellowship through School 15K
• State Fellowship through School 15K
• Teaching Assistantship 13.5K
• Had to TA
• Research Assistantship 20K (1/2 year)
• My Own Research.

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Grants

• Money awarded to a person or organization to
  carry out a specific task or meet a particular
  goal
• Does not have to be paid back
• From private or government donors or organizations

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Why Get Own Funding?

• Benefits you
• Great professional experience
• Career progression/Prestige
• Greater independence
• Proven performer/Demonstrates initiative
• Shows that your ideas are marketable
• Benefits your school
• Frees up slots
• Prestige
• free hands in lab

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Receiving a grant

• It is an honor to receive a grant
• Great CV Builder
• You become more marketable and competitive to
  grad schools
• Success is self-perpetuating

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Identify Funding

• Work with your Mentor!
• Identify Source
• Match objectives
• research interests
• personal characteristics
• career phase
• gender, race, ethnicity
• Select agency
• Communicate with program staff

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Funding Sources

• Private Funding (Paul and Daisy Soros, GEM, etc.)
• Government Funding (NIH, NSF, US Homeland
  Security, etc.)
• Various Scholarships (HACU, university-based,
  etc.)

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Seeking Funding Sources

• Internet (Google, MSN)
• University Libraries offer books on grants
• University databases
• Conferences
• Mentors
• Fellowship program officers
• University Recruitment Programs

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Program Announcement

• NIH Predoctoral PA
• http//grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-04-
  032.html

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Application Forms

• Are generally online!
• http//grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm
• Directions also included