Weekly PDA Newsletter - November 20, 2016

[Meghan Huber]

​


Dear MIT Postdocs,

Thank you to everyone who came out our monthly meeting and the MICRORITMIA
concert last week! While the events are light this week, make sure to RSVP
for some of the upcoming events, such as the MIT Sloan-Postdoc Mixer and
the GSC ski trip.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving break!

Cheers,

Meghan

-----

Dr. Meghan Huber

Corresponding Secretary

Postdoctoral Association of MIT (PDA)

Follow the MIT-PDA on social media!

MIT-PDA

website <http://pda.mit.edu>

Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/groups/44093460815/>

Twitter <https://twitter.com/MITPDA>

Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/mitpda/>

LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2506720/profile>

Boston-PDA

website <http://bostonpostdocs.org/>


NEXT MIT-PDA MEETING

December 12, 2016

12:00pm

Rm E25-202

Lunch will be provided!

REGISTER HERE
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-vT1gzgyik3JHFWaRgQwAVeVoiaoQFK7iP2MO4dtKwo/viewform>

Please join us for our monthly MIT-PDA meeting! Get involved with any of
the various committees (e.g., sports, advocacy, committee, community
building) and have your voice heard. This is a great opportunity meet your
fellow postdocs on campus!


MIT-PDA NEWS AND EVENTS

Upcoming MIT-PDA Events


2nd Annual Sloan-Postdoc Mixer

Hosted by the MIT-PDA, MIT Sloan School of Management, and MIT Venture
Mentoring Service

Let's get to know some of our campus neighbors interested in
entrepreneurship! You are invited to attend the 2nd Annual MIT
Sloan-Postdoc Mixer on Thursday, December 1, at the Thirsty Ear Pub. While
enjoying light appetizers, you will have the opportunity to network with
future business leaders interested in entrepreneurship, leading to exchange
of expertise, and potential future collaborations!

Date and Time Thursday, December 1, 5:30-8:00 pm

Location Thirsty Ear Pub (Ashdown House, 235 Albany St., Cambridge)

Registration Space is limited, so please RSVP here
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSek8Di0yw9D8qxNFTMn9YPON94ZSCemihXynKGw-aQEr5Vltw/viewform?c=0&w=1>
to
attend.

BPDA Trivia Night

Hosted by the BPDA in collaboration with the MIT-PDA

Please join the Boston PDA another fun trivia night at the Lansdowne Pub in
Boston! Come compete for team pride and prizes! There will be prizes for
the top three scoring teams and snacks! Please plan on a maximum number of
six people per team, you can come with preformed teams, or come and form
new teams.

Date and Time Friday, December 2nd, Door open and teams form at 6pm, Trivia
starts at 6:30pm

Location The Lansdowne Pub, 9 Lansdowne Street, Boston, MA

Registration Please register here <https://bpda-trivia-night.eventbrite.com>

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 E49-5145. Lunch will be provided. The dates for the next six
months are as follows: November 21, December 5, December 19. If you are
interested in participating, you can register via Atlas or here
<http://web.mit.edu/training/course.html?course=CDT21061c>.

GLIMPSE (PDA PInG Initiative)

If you would like to be interviewed by GLIMPSE podcast or would like to
help with the podcast (music, logo, artwork), please contact us at
glimpse.podcast at gmail.com. For more information, please visit us at:
http://glimpse.mit.edu/

OTHER MIT AND LOCAL EVENTS

This Week

xTalk with Steven Hall, Lori Breslow & Jeff Gore: Active Learning

Hosted by xTalks: Digital Discourses and the MIT Office of Digital Learning

The xTalks series provides a forum to facilitate awareness, deep
understanding and transference of educational innovations at MIT and
elsewhere. We hope to foster a community of educators, researchers, and
technologists engaged in developing and supporting effective learning
experiences through online learning environments and other digital
technologies. MIT professors Steven Hall, Lori Breslow & Jeff Gore will
give a panel discussion on active learning and how they are implementing it
in their teaching.

Dates Tuesday, November 22, 4:15-5:15pm

Location 10-105, (Bush Room)

Yoga classes for postdocs

We are conducting yoga class series regularly and the next one is starting
on December 7th, and will be taking place on Wednesdays, 7:30 pm on campus.
A rate for postdocs and their spouses/partners is offered for a 10 class
session for $80. This is a gentle all-level relaxing yoga class and no
prior experience is required. The classes will take place on the following
10 dates:

December 7, 14, 21, Christmas/New Year's break; January 4, 11, 18, 25;
February 1, 8 and 15. If you are interested or have questions, please
reserve and/or contact our instructor, Hadassah Segal
<hadassahsegal at hotmail.com>.

Ski Trip

Hosted by the MIT-GSC

The Ski Trip is open to all MIT graduate students and post-docs. The trip
includes 3 days of skiing, boarding and frolicking. Smugglers’ Notch
consists of three mountains (Morse, Sterling, and Madonna), and ranks among
the finest ski resorts in New England with plenty of trails for all levels
of skiing and boarding. A system of 8 lifts will take skiers and boarders
from The Village and lodging area to 78 trails along the three mountains.
With forecasts of a snowy winter, we're super excited to bring MIT up to
Smugglers’ Notch this year. So, save the date! All the details are on the
dedicated ski trip website, https://gsc.mit.edu/skitrip/.

Dates January 20-23

Location Smugglers’ Notch Resort

Ticket sales on December 1st!

Next Week

Increasing Student Motivation through Instructional Practices

Hosted by the Office of the Dean for Undergraduate Education and the
Teaching and Learning Laboratory

This session will address two types of instructional practices for
increasing student motivation. The first type involves fostering students'
"growth mindsets"; that is, helping them to think about intelligence and
ability as something that can be improved over time with effort. The second
type aims to enhance the perceived utility or relevance of course content.
We'll review theory and discuss empirical research examining the efficacy
of these practices in different learning contexts and for diverse groups of
students. Professor Miele received his Ph.D. in Psychology from
Northwestern University, where he worked primarily with Dan Molden and
Wendi Gardner. He completed a postdoc with Janet Metcalfe at Columbia
University, where he also worked with Tory Higgins. His primary research
interests are in the area of self-regulated learning. His work in this area
has focused on cognitive and motivational differences in how people
metacognitively assess their own learning and then use these assessments to
control their study.

Date and Time Wednesday, November 30, 4:00-5:30pm

Location 3-442

Student Loan Repayment Strategies

Hosted by the MIT Work-Life Center

The MIT Work-Life Center is pleased to announce an upcoming free seminar
presented by Jeanne Mahan, M.S.; Senior Manager, College Finance, College
Coach, called, “Student Loan Repayment Strategies.” This seminar explores
the strategies that you can use to help successfully transition to
debt-repayment responsibilities. You will learn: how to identify repayment
responsibilities for each loan, methods for reducing monthly payments,
strategies for identifying cash flow that can be used to prepay education
debt, and ways to avoid becoming delinquent and defaulting on education
debt, even during times of personal economic hardship.

Date and Time Wednesday, November 30, 12:00 – 1:30 pm

Location 76-156

Registration Register for the seminar here
<https://www.eventbrite.com/e/student-loan-repayment-strategies-registration-26848993061>

On-Site Consultations

On Friday, December 2 and Monday, December 5, an expert will be onsite at
the Work-Life Center (NE49-5000) to provide individual consultations on
your unique student loan situation.

​Register for an on-site consultation on December 2
<https://www.eventbrite.com/e/college-coach-consultations-student-loan-repayment-strategies-tickets-27198861527>

​Register for an on-site consultation on December 5
<https://www.eventbrite.com/e/college-coach-consultations-student-loan-repayment-strategies-tickets-29052236020>

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

Hosted by MIT Lecture Series Committee

Join for a viewing of the movie, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping. This
mockumentary satire of the music business and modern celebrity centers on
self-absorbed pop rapper Conner4Real (Andy Samberg). Once a member of a
popular rap trio called the Style Boyz, Conner is now a solo artist about
to drop his second album. Unfortunately, the release gets abysmal reviews,
and his career begins to melt down when his attempts at rehabing his image
lead to such disasters as a global blackout and a proposal to his
girlfriend interrupted by a wolf attack. Eventually, Conner considers
burying the hatchet with former colleagues Owen (Jorma Taccone) and
Lawrence (Akiva Schaffer) in order to reunite the Style Boyz. (from
allmovie.net)

Date and Times

Friday, December 2, 2016 at 8:00 pm

Saturday, December 3, 2016 8:00 pm

Location 26-100

Tickets can be purchased at the door, see
http://lsc.mit.edu/info/tickets.shtml for more details

Connected: The Future of MedTech

Hosted by Tufts MedStart

Tufts MedStart is a healthcare conference with a mission of helping
attendees turn ideas into action. This year's conference, themed
“Connected: The Future of MedTech,” will focus on the various ways digital
medical technologies are changing healthcare in the community and at the
bedside. The goal of MedStart is to help foster ideas in entrepreneurship
through various themes including healthcare policy, technology startups,
innovation, biotechnology, and patient interaction with technology. This
year's keynote speaker is Dr. Tom Lee, CMO of Press Ganey. Additional
speakers will be representing Tufts Medical Center, the BWH Innovation Hub,
AthenaHealth, Genzyme, and Boston Millennia Partners, among other local
organizations. MedStart is a student-run organization from Tufts University
School of Medicine and School of Public Health. Visit here
<http://tuftsmedstart.com/> for more information.

Date and Time Saturday, December 3rd, 9:00am - 7:00pm

Location Tufts University School of Medicine, 145 Harrison Avenue, Boston,
MA

Registration Register here
<https://www.eventbrite.com/e/medstart-connected-the-future-of-medtech-tickets-28748794418?aff=eac2>
.

CHECK OUT THESE SITES FOR ADDITIONAL EVENTS

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/>

Boston PDA Events <http://bostonpostdocs.org/events-calendar/>

Mass-AWIS Events <http://mass-awis.org/category/events-calendar/>*

*NOTE: Association of Women in Science Massachusetts Chapter (
http://mass-awis.org/): Since MIT is a Collegiate Rep of AWIS, the MIT
community can attend Mass AWIS 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.

MIT RESOURCES FOR POSTDOCS

FREE Mindfulness and Meditation Classes from MIT Medical

Find Some Om Under the Dome

MIT Libraries is offering drop-in meditation and relaxation sessions.
Please join us for silent meditation in the Barker reading room. Sit for a
minute, or 30. Beginners welcome - no experience necessary. Every Monday at
noon in the Barker Dome of Barker Engineering Library (10-500). Please
arrive promptly. Registration is required.
<https://medical.mit.edu/community/wellness/classes/mindfulness-meditation>

Meditation for your Wellbeing

Community Wellness at MIT Medical offers drop-in meditation and relaxation
sessions. Sit back and relax - no experience necessary. Please arrive
promptly. A short talk and guided meditation begins at 12:10 pm. This class
is held every 2nd Wednesday of the month, 12:10 pm-12:40 pm. Led by Seth
Monk. Registration is required.
<https://medical.mit.edu/community/wellness/classes/mindfulness-meditation>

MIT Writing & Communication Center

The Center provides free professional advice about all types of writing and
speaking/oral presentations, including specialized help for non-native
English speakers. See. http://cmsw.mit.edu/writing-and-communication-center/

MyLife Services

MyLife Services
<http://o6os.mj.am/link/o6os/xlkt8jnnqpg8/1/-kBne3WjUT8Ww6LEA98gxw/aHR0cDovL2hyd2ViLm1pdC5lZHUvd29ya2xpZmUvbWl0bXlsaWZlc2VydmljZXM>
is
a free, confidential, 24/7 counseling, consultation, and work-life referral
service provided by KGA, Inc., a trusted external provider of employee
assistance programs. Postdoc Associates and Fellows are eligible for
services provided by KGA, Inc. through the MIT Work-Life Center and MyLife
Services. You can now access a network of experts who can help with the
challenges of life and work, such as:

   -

   Financial planning, debt management, and legal issues
   -

   Personal and work relationships
   -

   Sleep and nutrition
   -

   Stress, anxiety, depression, and other emotional concerns
   -

   Child and elder care

This includes 5 FREE confidential mental health counseling sessions, as
well as access to 24/7 confidential counseling services. We encourage you
to learn more about MyLife Services by calling 1-844-405-LIFE
(1-844-405-5433) or going online
<http://o6os.mj.am/link/o6os/xlkt8jnnqpg8/2/y46EmaQ0aMF6d85vixaLTg/aHR0cDovL2hyd2ViLm1pdC5lZHUvd29ya2xpZmUvbWl0bXlsaWZlc2VydmljZXM>.
For more information or to provide feedback, please contact the MIT
Work-Life Center.

MIT Spouses&Partners Connect

Offers social and career-related groups and events for your
spouse/partner/family. For more information and event listings, visit
http://spouses.mit.edu/.

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

OTHER RESOURCES

Save Science

Please take 30 seconds of your time right now to help ensure science
funding and prevent government shutdown using our super easy online email
tool at http://save-science.org/.  The fate of next year's science budget
is your hands during this critical week. You can read more about the
federal budget and 2017 science funding on our blog
http://goo.gl/CDFRxZ. Please
also forward this email to any list serves that might help get the word out
particularly at institutions in other states. Your voice really does count.

Thanks for doing your part for science funding.

Free Membership for the National Postdoctoral Association

The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) is a member-driven organization
that provides a unique, national voice for postdoctoral scholars. Since
2003, we have taken on the ambitious agenda to enhance the quality of the
postdoctoral experience in the United States. We have assumed a leadership
role in addressing the many issues confronting the postdoctoral community
that are national in scope and requiring action beyond the local level. Get
your free affiliate membership with the National Postdoctoral Association
here: http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/?page=individual_members
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