Weekly PDA Newsletter - October 30, 2016

[Meghan Huber]

Dear MIT Postdocs,

Thanks to everyone for coming out to the PDA coffee hour last week! Make
sure to check out this week’s events below, which range from financial
planning to playing with pups.

*Happy Halloween*, and enjoy your week!

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

November 14, 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

Joint Graduate Student Council and Postdoc Association Coffee Hour

Hosted by the MIT-PDA and MIT-GSC

Would you like to meet other postdocs and grad students over a cup of
coffee? Would you like to learn more about what the PDA can do for you? If
so, please join us for the first ever GSC-PDA joint coffee hour! We will
have fresh coffee, fruit, and snacks for you to enjoy!

Date and Time Tuesday, November 8, 3:30-5:30 pm

Location Twenty Chimneys Lounge (3rd floor, Student Center)

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 7, 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>.

Postdoc Jogging Club (PDA PInG Initiative)

Interested in meeting new people and experiencing the outdoors? Join the
postdoc jogging club. Email aklotz at mit.edu if interested. All speeds and
levels of experience welcome.

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

How to Improve Presidential Elections

Hosted by MIT Economics

Professor Eric Maskin will speak about different electoral rules and how
the mechanism design theory can help to improve the democratic process of
presidential elections. Professor Maskin was awarded the Nobel Memorial
Prize in Economic Sciences in 2007 (jointly with Leonid Hurwicz and Roger
Myerson) for "having laid the foundations of mechanism design theory".

Professor Maskin has a close connection to our department: he was a faculty
member here

from 1977 to 1985 and a Visiting Professor in 1999-2000.

Date and Time Tuesday, November 1, 4:30-6:00pm

Location 2-190

Making It All Add Up: How Life Decisions Impact Your Financial Well-Being

Hosted by the MIT Work-Life Center

Do you feel like your finances control you, instead of the other way
around? Do you ever wonder how you’ll manage to pay your loans, your rent,
and your bills, and live your life on your salary? If so, this seminar is
for you. In this future-focused workshop, we will delve into the realities
of the current economy and what that means for you; how to balance your
budget, pay off your debt, and save money; what factors to consider when
evaluating life choices; and how small decisions add up to make a big
impact. You will learn how to assess and make financially savvy personal
lifestyle decisions, looking toward a sound financial future. It’s never
too early to get a handle on your finances—why not start now?

Date and Time Tuesday, November 1, 5:00-7:00pm

Location 46-3189

Registration Register here
<https://www.eventbrite.com/e/making-it-all-add-up-how-life-decisions-impact-your-financial-well-being-registration-26849041205>

A Guide to Financial Planning

Hosted by de La Femme

Many people spend more time preparing for their dream vacations rather than
their dream retirement.  We all talk about what we want to do when we
retire, whether it be pursuing a hobby, volunteering for a worthy cause,
moving to a beachfront property, or the bucket list of vacations that we’ve
been dreaming of. But, do you have what you need to retire comfortably and
pursue these dreams? Our event in November will be a guide toward educating
yourself on financial planning. Scot and Briana will be on deck to answer
some of the following basic financial questions: What to prioritize first
savings vs. investments? What are 401K, IRA, Roth IRA? What is a financial
portfolio? How can you diversify your investments? How much should you set
aside each month toward saving? What are a couple of approaches you can do
daily to save more? Does it mean you need to cut down on your early morning
coffee run? What does it mean to invest in a tax efficient way? How can you
approach it? What are some available options to paying off your loans
(student, car payment, etc.)? These and many other topics which include
ways to save up for rainy days will be covered at the event. This will be
an interactive discussion about your questions on saving and achieving your
financial goals without overstretching your budget. With our guest speakers
Scot Reynolds and Briana Willander combined experiences in the financial
planning field, they will cover ways to plan for your retirement in a way
that not only fits your budgets, but also gives you knowledge you can take
away to start your financial planning.

Date and Time Tuesday, November 1, 6:00pm

Location The Broad Institute, Kendall Sq, Cambridge, MA

Registration Register here
<http://www.eventbrite.com/e/de-la-femmes-a-guide-to-financial-planning-tickets-28513072367>

Appetizers and wine will be provided.  Registration is required, sign-in
upon arrival.

Patent Searching Fundamentals

Hosted by MIT Libraries

This session will enable you to successfully find patent references from
all over the world, and obtain patent text and diagrams. This hands-on
session will help de-mystify the patent literature and show key resources
for finding patents.

Date and Time Wednesday, November 2, 12:00-1:00pm

Location 14N-132 DIRC

Registration <http://libcal.mit.edu/event/2822746>
http://libcal.mit.edu/event/2842909

MIT The Campus Guide - Book Talk and Signing

Hosted by MIT Museum

Join us for a book-talk and signing with Douglass Shand-Tucci, author of
MIT: The Campus Guide. MIT: The Campus Guide details the architectural
history of the institution, from its founding in Boston's Back Bay (and
subsequent move across the Charles River) to the present. With the school's
emphasis on science, engineering, and mathematics, MIT sheds light on how
the campus has played a role in the evolution of the school by highlighting
the many innovators (including William Barton Rogers, Steven Holl, Frank
Gehry, and more) that have transformed the campus. With stunning
photography by John Horner and eight featured walking tours, MIT is a
comprehensive, visual guide of this great institution.

Date and Time Wednesday, November 2, 12:00-1:00pm

Location MIT Museum, 265 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge

Registration
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mit-the-campus-guide-book-talk-and-signing-tickets-28295478538

Manage Your PDFs and Citations: Zotero & Mendeley

Hosted by MIT Libraries

Using citation management software to create and maintain a collection of
references or PDFs is common and important in today’s academic world. These
tools will help you to save citations from your favorite databases and
websites, store related PDFs or attachments, and quickly build a
bibliography for your papers and publications. We’ll review Zotero and
Mendeley and show how to use them together to help your manage your PDF's
and citations.

Date and Time Thursday, November 3, 11:00am-12:00pm

Location 14N-132 DIRC

Registration <http://libcal.mit.edu/event/2822746>
http://libcal.mit.edu/event/2824058

Negotiating Job Offers

Hosted by MIT Global Education & Career Development

Examine the many variables that exist during the evaluation and negotiation
process of job offers. Knowing how, when and why you should negotiate will
be reviewed. Salary vs. Total Compensation will be examined. Strategies on
the negotiation process will be discussed along with "Should You
Negotiate?" and "What Can" and "What Can Not" be negotiated. These
strategies can be used throughout your career.

Date and Time Thursday, November 3, 2:00 - 3:30 pm

Location E39-040

Registration Advanced registration requested via CareerBridge
<http://www.myinterfase.com/mit/student>

Furry First Fridays

Hosted by MIT Libraries

Stop by Hayden Library to spend some time with furry friends from Dog
BONES: Therapy Dogs of Massachusetts. Dogs and their handlers will be
outside the library in the area near Killian Hall. No lines and no waiting!

Date and Time Friday, November 4, 2:00 - 3:30 pm

Location 14S-100

Captain America: Civil War

Hosted by MIT Lecture Series Committee

Join for a viewing of the movie, Captain America: Civil War. In this
superhero epic, the denizens of the Marvel Universe are forced to pick
sides when Captain America (Chris Evans) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.)
come to blows over ideological differences. After a mission involving a new
Avengers squad led by Cap ends with several civilian casualties in Lagos,
the team are asked to sign an agreement that would force them to take
orders from a United Nations panel. Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) pressures Cap
to accept this new arrangement, in part because he feels deeply guilty
about his own past recklessness; Captain America, however, fears that the
Avengers will only be corrupted by bureaucracy. Their disagreement
eventually escalates into all-out war when Cap's old friend Bucky Barnes
(Sebastian Stan), now a brainwashed assassin known as the Winter Soldier,
reenters the picture.

Date and Times

Friday, November 4 at 8:00 pm

Saturday, November 5 at 8:00 pm

Location 26-100

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

Next Week

LinkedIn Lab

Hosted by MIT Global Education & Career Development

Bring your laptop to explore the many ways LinkedIn can help you in your
career exploration and job or internship search. We will begin with an
overview of LinkedIn and some of the key areas of a complete LinkedIn
profile. We'll also cover some ways LinkedIn can be used as job search
tool. This will be followed by individual work on your profile, with Career
Services staff available to answer your questions.

Date and Time Tuesday, November 8, 2:00 - 3:30 pm

Location 5-234

Registration Advanced registration requested via CareerBridge
<http://www.myinterfase.com/mit/student>

Data Management Planning & the DMPTool

Hosted by MIT Libraries

Are you required to submit a data management plan (DMP) to a funder? Are
you looking to create a data management plan and aren’t sure where to start
or what to include? This session will run through the components of a good
data management plan and introduce the DMPTool, an online (and
MIT-customized) tool for crafting funder-specific data management plans.

Date and Time Tuesday, November 8, 3:00pm-4:00pm

Location 14N-132 DIRC

Registration <http://libcal.mit.edu/event/2822746>
http://libcal.mit.edu/event/2822752

How to Succeed as a Woman in Academia

Hosted by MASS-AWIS with the Boston Children’s Hospital Postdoctoral
Association

It is increasingly difficult to obtain a faculty position, and women are
still severely under-represented in STEM professorships. Come hear insight
and advice from a panel of female professors who are successfully
navigating the world of academics.

Date and Time Wednesday, November 9, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Location Boston Children's Hospital Auditorium, 1 Autumn St, Boston, MA
02215

Registration <http://libcal.mit.edu/event/2822746>Register here
<https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-to-succeed-as-a-woman-in-academia-tickets-27418388137>

Beers and Gears

Hosted by MIT Museum

Grab a friend, and a beer, and enjoy an evening of tinkering and building a
Rube Goldberg device. Whether you are a novice or master builder we'll have
the supplies you need to construct your link. At the end of the evening we
will connect all of the devices together and set off one giant chain
reaction. Throughout the evening you will have the opportunity to sample
beverages from local breweries while working on your link. This event is
for builders 21+.

Date and Time Saturday, November 12, 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Location N51

Registration <http://libcal.mit.edu/event/2822746>Tickets available here
<https://www.eventbrite.com/e/beers-and-gears-tickets-28738532725>


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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