Weekly PDA Newsletter - May 29, 2016
Kathrin Graetz
graetz at mit.edu
Sun May 29 17:43:46 EDT 2016
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Dear MIT Postdocs,
It is graduation week! I know that this is already old hat for all of us but we can still celebrate the Graduates in our groups and departments. Concerning our own career advancement, there are two opportunities to network this week (both Wednesday evening): a Postdoc Employer Networking Evening here at MIT and an Academic Career Panel and Speed Networking Event organized by the BPDA.
And besides of all that, there is also a last chance to celebrate MIT's 100 years in Cambridge on Saturday night with "Toast to Tech".
Wish you all a great week!
Best,
Kathrin
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Dr.-Ing. Kathrin Graetz
Corresponding Secretary
Postdoctoral Association of MIT (PDA)
pda.mit.edu<http://pda.mit.edu/> Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/groups/44093460815/> Twitter (@MITPDA)<https://twitter.com/MITPDA> Instagram (@mitpda)<https://www.instagram.com/mitpda/> LinkedIn<https://www.linkedin.com/grps/MIT-Postdoc-2506720/about?>
Boston PDA: http://bostonpostdocs.org/
Next PDA meeting: June 13, 12pm @E25-202 register here<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-vT1gzgyik3JHFWaRgQwAVeVoiaoQFK7iP2MO4dtKwo/viewform> Lunch will be provided!
This Week's Topics:
* Upcoming PDA Events
o Outdoor Volleyball, Soccer and Pizza @ Muddy's on Thursday, 5:30pm
o BPDA Meeting @MIT, May 31th
o Tango Introduction Class, June 11 New
* From the PDA Committees
o Call for Nominations: PDA Vice President
o PDA Conference Travel Grants - open for application until Tuesday!
o National Postdoc Survey
o Lunch Dates
* Postdoc Orientation Sessions
* Other Events at MIT
o Writing & Communication Center (MIT)
o Postdoc - Employer Networking Evening (Wednesday, 5pm)
o Academic Career Panel and Speed Networking Event (Wednesday, 5:30pm)
o Investiture of Doctoral Hoods (Thursday, 11am) New
o Commencement (Friday, 10am) New
o Toast to Tech (Friday, 9pm) New
o "distant future" events
Upcoming PDA Events:
Sports & Pizza Thursday - Outdoor
[cid:image007.png at 01D1B9D1.A2EDC550][cid:image010.png at 01D1B9D1.A2EDC550]PDA weekly sports event continues with 2 games this week! And we are moving outdoors so let's hope for great weather this Thursday. Join us for a friendly game of volleyball and/or soccer followed by pizza at Muddy's. Please, bring a valid ID and RSVP so we can order enough pizza
Date, Time and Location: Thursday, June 2nd
Sand volleyball: 5:30 - 7:00 pm, sand pit between Buildings 62 and 64 (https://whereis.mit.edu/?go=62)
Outdoor soccer: 7:00 - 8:30 pm, Briggs Field (http://whereis.mit.edu/?go=G15)
Pizza at Muddy's: 8:30 pm MIT Building 50, 142 Memorial Drive, Cambridge (http://whereis.mit.edu/?go=50)
For all questions regarding the events, email the Sports Committee of PDA at jelenas at mit.edu<mailto:jelenas at mit.edu>
https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=Sport%20Activities%20for%20MIT%20Postdocs
BPDA Meeting @ MIT, May 31th
The Boston Postdoctoral Association is a coalition of the PDAs from BCH, BU/BUMC, Brandeis, BWH, Broad, DFCI, HMS/HSDM, Chan, Harvard, Joslin, MGH, MIT, Tufts, and WIBR. Its aim is to foster a sense of community, encourage increased communication, and aid in creating a collaborative environment among postdocs by advocacy efforts and organizing social and career development events to bring together postdocs across the Greater Boston Area.
The next meeting will be held here at MIT and everyone is welcome to join!
Agenda:
- update on nationalwide postdoc survey situation
- webpage (structure, access rights, updating)
- Budget details, system for taking minutes
- Budgeting for career development events
- FLSA overtime rule finalized
- Discussion: (the lack of) BPDA structure and its implications
Date and Time: Tuesday, May 31th, 5:30-7:00pm
Location: E25-401
Register here<http://goo.gl/forms/6ihyvE4syz>
Tango Introduction Class
In this introduction class, Eric Lindgren from the MIT Argentine Tango club<http://tango.mit.edu/> will get you from no dancing to Tango. No dance partner or experience needed. But due to limited spots (40 postdocs and guests), sign-up is required.
Date and Time: Saturday, June 11th, 2:00-4:00pm
Location: W20-201 (West lounge in the student center)
Register here<http://signup.mit.edu/710381250>
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>From the PDA Committees:
Call for Nominations: PDA Vice President
The MIT Postdoctoral Association (PDA) is seeking for nominations for the Vice President to serve in the 2016 term (until the end of September). This is a great chance to take on a leadership role and help shape the postdoctoral experience at MIT!
The vice president is part of the board of directors and his/her main duty is to assist the president.
Your responsibilities would include:
- Co-chair PDA meetings
- Support coordination of PDA activities
- Attend meetings of MIT presidential committees together with the PDA president
- Act as president in the absence of the president
If you are interested, or have further questions, please contact our president Wasifa (wjamal at mit.edu<mailto:wjamal at mit.edu>). The nominations close on June 8th and we will vote on the candidates during our next PDA monthly meeting (June 13, 12-2pm, E25-202).
Professional Development Committee: PDA Conference Travel Grants (Period July - December 2016) - Open For Application!
The grants will be in the amount of up to $1000 for international travel and up to $600 for domestic travel.
We encourage postdoc applicants from all disciplines to participate, as per the eligibility criteria specified below:
1. Applicant must be a current MIT post-doc.
2. Must be presenting a talk/poster at a conference scheduled between July 1st, 2016 to December 31, 2016.
3. Have not received a past travel grant from the MIT PDA.
4. Submit application only for a single conference.
5. At least, a part of the presented work MUST have been carried out at MIT, and the MIT PI should be a co-author.
6. Officers of the MIT PDA are not eligible.
To apply, please fill out properly every section of the following form: https://form.jotform.com/61286619202959
The deadline for the online application is May 31, 2016, and awardees will be announced by the end-of-June 2016.
Travel grants will be paid upon submission of all conference-related receipts to the Treasurer of the PDA (registration fee; travel, lodging, on site transportation, and food). If there are expenses that are being reimbursed by the department or other sources, please indicate this when submitting receipts. Travel grant funds will only cover amounts not already being reimbursed. PI's and departmental administrators will be notified of the award.
Evaluation will be based exclusively on the scientific merits and originality of the submitted work. Therefore, a compelling description of the significance and impact of the presented project is particularly important.
The PDA Travel Grant Program is made possible through funding from the MIT Postdoctoral Association. The MIT PDA is funded in part by the Office of the Vice President for Research.
Advocacy Committee: National Postdoc Survey
What are your thoughts and opinions on your postdoc experience so far? An unprecedented nationwide postdoc survey is currently underway to collect data on postdoc issues across the country. The results will be analyzed and compiled into a journal article by University of Chicago researchers later this year. They have asked for MIT postdocs to participate in the survey. Here is a link to the survey:
https://redcap.uchicago.edu/surveys/?s=W87XWMKHWE
This survey will take no longer than 15-20 minutes of your time and results will be completely anonymous.
Best of all: Enter into a drawing for $200 travel awards to a scientific meeting of your choice! Additionally, one participant from MIT will randomly be selected for a $50 Amazon gift card.
Human Affairs Committee: Lunch Dates
Interested in making friends with other postdocs over lunch or coffee? Connect is a great way to make friends in the MIT postdoc community who share your interests and schedule. An MIT graduate student created this extremely popular program last year, and now postdocs can join.
How it works:
Sign up at mitconnect.com<http://mitconnect.com> by answering a few questions about your interests and schedule. You will be matched with other interested postdocs and given a set of times when you are both available to meet one-on-one. Then, be your wonderful self and start making meaningful connections with your fellow postdocs.
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Postdoc Orientation Sessions:
The PDA offers Postdoc Orientation Sessions open to all postdocs at MIT. Topics covered include:
* Data on postdoc population at MIT
* MIT oversight of postdocs
* Defining postdoc expectations
* Differences between fellows and associates
* PDA structure and initiatives
* How to get involved
The sessions will be typically the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month at 12pm (45-60min) in E19-306. Lunch will be provided.
The dates for the next six months are as follows: June 6, June 20
If you are interested in participating, you can register via Atlas or using this link<http://web.mit.edu/training/course.html?course=CDT21061c>.
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Other Events at MIT:
Writing & Communication Center (MIT)
Schedule one-on-one consulting sessions with professional writers<http://cmsw.mit.edu/writing-and-communication-center/>. The Center provides free professional advice from communication experts about all types of writing and speaking/oral presentations. Specialized help is available to non-native English speakers. It closes for part of the summer and reopens in the fall; see the note below. (Eligible: MIT undergraduate students, graduate students, postdocs, faculty, lecturers and staff members.)
Note from the Center: MIT's Writing and Communication Center's (WCC) scheduler for July is now open. [Once you have registered for an account ] Go to our scheduler, move it forward to July 6, and you can sign up for appointments. The WCC is only open for the month of July.
This Week:
Postdoc - Employer Networking Evening (sponsored by MIT GECD with support from MIT VPR and PDA)
Please join us for an evening to learn about Jobs and Opportunities for Postdocs outside of Academia.
Come hear what the following companies have to say about their industry, company, and roles for PhD/Postdocs:
Saint Gobain
QPID Health
Phillips
John Hopkins Applied Physics Lab
SSGX State Street Associates
Scientific Systems
5:00 - 6:00 Pizza
6:00 - 7:00 Company Information - Panel Format
7:00 - 8:00 Casual Networking with Employers
Date and Time: Wednesday, June 1st, 5:00-8:00pm
Location: 34-101
Register here<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1hstaHyk-LBo4NwKTDwZI0thIpcsMUyR7UTfVKK_LIRI/viewform>
Academic Career Panel and Speed Networking Event (organized by Boston PDA)
Meet junior faculty and tenured professors and learn about their path to the tenure track. Listen to a panel discussion where faculty members discuss their time on the job market, interviewing, negotiating their starting packet, hiring and managing lab members, getting funding and getting tenure. We currently have 15 (!) faculty members joining us to discuss their experiences on the tenure track and post-tenure. These faculty members range from young, pre-tenure faculty to senior faculty who have decades of experience in their field. Many of these faculty members have experience on hiring committees and will be able to discuss their views on constructing a successful job packet. These faculty members come from a variety of institutions including: teaching intensive PUI institutions, R1 institutions and medical schools.
We will have a brief 30-45 minute panel discussion where faculty can introduce themselves and their backgrounds. Following the panel discussion, we will take a short break and then begin coordinated speed networking with the faculty. Attendees will have the opportunity to speak to faculty members for 10 minutes each for a total of an hour.
5:15pm Arrival and registration, light refreshments served
5:30 Panel discussion begins promptly
6pm End of panel discussion, light dinner served
6:15pm Beginning of speed networking
7:30pm End of speed networking
8pm Free networking
8:30pm Concluding remarks
Date and Time: Wednesday, June 1st, 5:30-7:30pm
Location: Tosteson Medical Education Center (260 Longwood Avenue Atrium, Boston)
Sold Out
Investiture of Doctoral Hoods New
At MIT, advanced degree candidates receive their Doctoral hoods in a separate ceremony held the day before Commencement. It is MIT's honor to welcome Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala MCP '78 PhD '81, former Minister of Finance of Nigeria, as the guest speaker at the 2016 Investiture of Doctoral Hoods.
Family, friends, and mentors of PhD and ScD candidates are well aware of the long journey to earning a Doctoral degree: the Investiture of Doctoral Hoods is a very happy occasion for all!
Date and Time: Thursday, June 2nd, 11:00am
Location: Johnson Athletics Center
Commencement New
MIT is honored to welcome actor, filmmaker, co-founder of Water.org<http://water.org/>, and native Cantabrigian Matt Damon as the guest speaker for the 2016 Commencement Exercises. Viewing centers<http://commencement.mit.edu/plan/viewing-centers> around campus will show a live video feed, with captions, of the Commencement Exercises. These locations, which are open to all, will be posted at the end of May.
Date and Time: Friday, June 3rd, 10:00am
Location: Kilian Court
http://commencement.mit.edu/
Toast to Tech New
Raise a glass to MIT's first century in Cambridge-and the century ahead-during the closing event of MIT2016: Celebrating a Century in Cambridge.
MIT alumni, faculty, students, and staff are invited to a festive evening of celebration that will include fireworks, dancing and live music, and desserts by The Sweet Lobby and Winnette McIntosh Ambrose '98 (winner of Cupcake Wars 2011).
Date and Time: Saturday, June 4th, 9:00pm-12:00am
Location: Kilian Court
In the "Distant" Future:
How to Make a Powerful First Impression (organized by MASS AWIS*)
How you present yourself to prospective employers or clients makes a powerful statement about who you are and what you have to offer. In this session, Doreen will reveal valuable information about what your public image communicates about you, and tips to up-level your style and confidence opening more doors and career opportunities.
Speaker: Doreen Dove is an award-winning image consultant, speaker and author of "Confidence is Always in Style." She coaches women to use style to take strategic control of their image, personal and professional brand, and fully engage in the possibilities of their future.
Agenda:
5:30 - 6:00 pm: Registration & Networking
6:00 - 7:00 pm: Workshop & Makeover Prize Awarded!
7:00 - 8:00 pm: Refreshments & Networking
To Register: Early bird special: MASS AWIS members $10 * Non-members $15; Register after May 23rd for $12 or $18, respectively!
Date and Time: Wednesday, June 8th, 5:30pm-8:30pm
Location: The Harvard MCB Auditorium (16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA)
Register here<http://mass-awis.org/how-to-make-a-powerful-first-impression-wednesday-june-8th/>
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Free affiliate membership with the National Postdoctoral Association: http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/?page=individual_members
*NOTE: MIT is a Collegiate Rep of AWIS, so the MIT community can attend Mass AWIS (http://mass-awis.org/) events at the member price.
First, apply for your free membership through the national AWIS website http://www.awis.org/ as a Collegiate Rep and select the Massachusetts Chapter. Do this prior to registering for any events.
Other helpful sites:
postdocs.mit.edu (Office VPR)
MIT GECD Events<https://gecd.mit.edu/mit-events>
MIT Spouses&Partners Events<http://spouses.mit.edu/mit-events>
MIT Events<http://events.mit.edu/>
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MIT Employee Resource Groups
Join an Employee Resource Group (ERG) at MIT!
ERGs are employee-led groups formed around common interests, issues and/or a common bond or background. ERGs host activities such as lectures, socials, dinners, etc. Both Postdoctoral Fellows and Associates are invited to join.
Current ERGs include:
African, Black, American, Caribbean @MIT (ABAC at MIT) ERG
Asian Pacific American ERG
Latino ERG,
Lesbian, Gay, ,Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) ERG
Millennials ERG
Women in IT ERG
Check out the link for more information and upcoming events: http://hrweb.mit.edu/diversity/ergs/current
MIT+K12 Videos
MIT+K12 Videos<http://www.k12videos.mit.edu/> is an educational outreach media program. We produce original web series like Science Out Loud<https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzMhsCgGKd1hoofiKuifwy6qRXZs7NG6a> and #askMIT<https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzMhsCgGKd1j87LQK6UHs_YGiurvnvwXG> to spark curiosity about STEM among middle-high schoolers by showcasing the research and people of MIT. We are always looking for post-docs (of all disciplines) to be filmed for #askMIT (a video pen-pal/Q&A series), show visiting middle schoolers around labs, or serve as script content reviewers.
Please contact Elizabeth Choe (echoe) for more information or if you're interested in getting involved.
[cid:3EBF0234-8914-458A-B02B-6442DD6CB77E]MIT Sailing
Are you interested in sailing? The MIT sailing program offers you both dinghy sailing on the Charles, as well as bluewater sailing on X-Dimension, a 43-foot ocean racer-cruiser. X-Dimension offers trips to everyone in the MIT community (meaning you), including day trips around Boston harbor and longer trips to Provincetown, Martha's Vineyard, and summer cruises in Maine. No experience necessary, just an interest and the ability to swim. For more information visit http://sailing.mit.edu/bluewater/ and sign up for the mailing list at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/bluewater.
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