Weekly PDA Newsletter - February 5, 2017

Sun Feb 5 12:04:00 EST 2017



*Dear MIT Postdocs,Please join the MIT PDA, Graduate Student Council, and
Undergraduate Association at our first ever joint event, Calling Congress
Phone Bank Event, on Monday, February 6 to oppose the Executive Order
restricting the entry of students and scholars to the United States (See
details below).Also, the MIT Work-Life Center has created a new flyer
summarizing all of the resources they offer to postdocs (See attached).
Make sure to take a look and review all of the services offered.And
finally, go Patriots!!!!Enjoy your week!Cheers,Meghan-----Dr. Meghan
HuberCorresponding SecretaryPostdoctoral Association of MIT (PDA)Follow the
MIT-PDA on social media!MIT-PDAwebsite <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-PDAwebsite
<http://bostonpostdocs.org/>NEXT MIT-PDA MEETINGMonday, February 13,
201712:00pm Rm E25-101Lunch 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 EVENTSEventsCalling Congress Phone
Bank EventHosted by MIT-PDA, GSC, and UAJoin the MIT Posdoctoral
Association, Graduate Student Council, and Undergraduate Association in
making calls to Congress to oppose the Executive Order restricting the
entry of students and scholars to the United States. This is a non-partisan
phonebanking event to get members of the MIT community to communicate with
their representative specifically on the immigration ban Executive Order
and its impact on MIT, the broader academic community, and American
innovation. Please bring your laptop and phone. Call scripts, pizza, and
snacks will be provided.Date and Time Monday, February 6, 12-4pmLocation
26-314Postdoc SoccerHosted by the MIT-PDAInterested in playing soccer with
your fellow postdocs? Join the soccer mailing list
<https://groups.mit.edu/webmoira/list/soccer-pda> and the sports facebook
group <https://www.facebook.com/groups/1499342643696472/> to stay
up-to-date with playing times! For soccer, it is critical that you check
the Facebook book group and note your availability on the poll. Events are
subject to cancellation if there is insufficient attendance.Date and Time
Tuesday February 7, 5:30-7 PMLocation Zesiger Mac CourtPostdoc
VolleyballHosted by the MIT-PDAPlease join the PDA this Friday for soccer!!
Enter through the Vassar street entrance and the attendees at the gate
should let you through if you say you are with the PDA and present MIT ID.
There are bathrooms in the facility where you can change or come with
someone with a membership who can give you access to the locker rooms.
Spouses and significant others of postdocs are welcome free of charge.
Friends and colleagues may join only if they have an athletics membership
(otherwise you may need to pay a 1 time entrance fee that is around $15).
Anyone can join for the Muddy afterwards (you just need to be with someone
who has MIT ID) providing you are 21 or over. Note the Muddy is cash only
if you want to buy drinks. Please also add yourself to our sports Facebook
group <https://www.facebook.com/groups/1499342643696472/>!Date and Time
Friday, February 10, 7:30-9:00 PM, followed by pizza at the Muddy at 9:30
PM.Location Zesiger Rockwell North CourtWeekly Board Game NightsHosted by
the MIT-PDA, MIT-GSC, and CSAILMIT-PDA, along with GSC and the CSAIL
departments, are happy to announce that we will be having weekly board game
nights on Friday evenings. Please contact Jon Gjengset
(jon at thesquareplanet.com) if you have any questions regarding the venue or
the time.Date  Friday, February 10, 6 PMLocation Stata Center, 32-D463 Data
Science, Informatics, and Data Science Career PanelHosted by the MIT-PDA in
collaboration with the Boston Postdoctoral AssociationJoin us for a panel
discussion on career in data science, informatics and computer science.
Panelists includes Regina Barseli (MIT), Aman Bhandari (Merck), Amir
Handzel (AstraZeneca), Francesca Lazzeri (Microsoft), Burt LaFountain
(BCG), and Wang Chao (Amazon). Come and ask questions during the one-hour
panel, and stay for a fun reception and speed networking event with
industry professionals.Date and Time Wednesday, February 15,
5:00-7:00pmLocation 6-120Registration Please register at
https://bpdadatacs.eventbrite.com
<https://bpdadatacs.eventbrite.com/>Postdoc Valentine SocialHosted by the
MIT-PDA in collaboration with Harvard Medical Postdoc Association, and
Faculty of Arts and Sciences, HarvardMIT-PDA, in collaboration with Harvard
Medical Postdoc Association, and Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard, is
happy to announce a Valentine Social on  February 16th. It's a great
opportunity for all of you to to meet fellow postdocs from HMS, FAS and
MIT, enjoy beverages and chocolates, make new friends and collaborations,
and win prizes! Date and Time Thursday, February 16, 5:30-8:30pmLocation
Room 1031 (10th floor), New Research Building (NRB), 77 Avenue Louis
Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115 (Harvard/Hospital/MIT ID required for building
entry)Registration Please register here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/joint-harvard-hms-fas-mit-post-doc-social-tickets-30907764957
<https://www.eventbrite.com/e/joint-harvard-hms-fas-mit-post-doc-social-tickets-30907764957>2017
MIT Postdoctoral Association Vendor FairHosted by the MIT-PDAMark your
calendars! On Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 the PDA will host a vendor fair in
the "student street" of the Ray and Maria Stata Center. This is a great
opportunity to meet sales representatives of a wide range of companies
(start-ups as well as the big players) where you typically order goods and
equipment for the laboratory. This is the chance to meet the real people
behind the products and not only the checkout webpage of the eCatalog. Join
us and get in touch with companies and your fellow PostDocs. More details
to come!Date and Time  Tuesday, March 14, Time TBALocation  Stata
CenterBattle of the Bands -- Call for ApplicationsHosted by MIT-PDA and
MIT-GSCApplications for the prestigious MIT Battle of Bands is now open.
You are a band? You have at least 50% members that are at MIT? You know how
to get a crowd going? All styles are welcome, as long as they are not
pre-recorded and can be performed live. The Battle of Bands takes place on
March 10th in Morss Hall. Professional judges will elect and announce the
winners, which can win great prices. Musicians, apply!Apply online here
<http://gsc.mit.edu/bands/> by February 19!  Postdoc Orientation
SessionsThe 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
involvedThe 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
semester are as follows: February 6, February 27, March 6, March 20, April
3, April 24, May 22. 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
<glimpse.podcast at gmail.com>. For more information, please visit us at:
http://glimpse.mit.edu/ <http://glimpse.mit.edu/>OTHER MIT AND LOCAL
EVENTSThis WeekMIT IDEAS: Generator Dinner Hosted by the MIT Public Service
Center and IDEAS Global ChallengeWith the last chance to enter the IDEAS
Global Challenge coming up on March 2, meet your team at this event! IDEAS
is an annual innovation, service, and social entrepreneurship competition
run by the Priscilla King Gray Public Service Center. During the event, we
will have openings for ~20 sixty-second pitches from attendees.You must
sign up in advance to request a slot. Sign up to pitch an idea or your
skills when you register for this event. Those selected to pitch will be
contacted before the event with instructions on the process. Note: Pitching
is optional! If you don't want to pitch, just attend to mix and mingle,
meet potential teammates, or hear about some of the exciting projects
already underway. See the eventbrite page for full details.Date and Time
Thursday, February 9, 6:45-9:00pmLocation W20-208, LobdellRegistration
Please register at http://bit.ly/ideas17dinner
<http://bit.ly/ideas17dinner>MIT Robocon 2017Hosted by the Robocon
Organizing CommitteePlease join us at the second annual MIT RoboCon, which
will be held on MIT campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts on February 10 and
11, 2017. The MIT RoboCon is a student-organized, student-run conference
intended to foster technical cross-disciplinary interactions between
students, postdocs, and other academic and industry roboticists in the
community. Date and Time Friday and Saturday, February 10-11Location MIT
Media LabRegistration Please register at
https://mitrobocon2017.eventbrite.com/
<https://mitrobocon2017.eventbrite.com/>. Next WeekEvaluating, Negotiating,
and AcceptingHosted by MIT Global Education & Career DevelopmentEvaluating,
Negotiating & Accepting Internship/Job Offers - Sometimes making a decision
and committing to an internship or job opportunity is hard. How can you be
sure the offer is the best one for you? How can you convey an interest in
the position and ask for more time? How do you balance multiple interview
processes and offer deadlines that do no align? In this session we will
cover: - Recruiting expectations for students and employers. - How to
effectively communicate with employers if you have questions or need more
time to make a decision. - Evaluating offers and the decision making
process. - Making a commitment and what is expected. Participants are
encouraged to send their specific questions in advance to Tamara Menghi at
trmenghi at mit.edu to be incorporated in this workshop content and
activities. Date and Time Monday, February 13, 5:00pm-6:00pmLocation
56-115Small Teaching: From Minor Changes to Major LearningHosted by the MIT
Teaching and Learning Laboratory and Office of the Dean for Undergraduate
EducationSpeaker: James Lang, Associate Professor of English and Director
of the Center for Teaching Excellence, Assumption College. Research from
the learning sciences and from a variety of educational settings suggests
that a small number of key principles can improve learning in almost any
type of college or university course, from traditional lectures to flipped
classrooms. During this interactive talk, Professor Lang will introduce
some of the principles, offer practical suggestions for how they might
foster positive change in higher education teaching and learning, and
encourage instructors/participants to consider how they might adopt the
principles in their current and upcoming courses.Date and Time Tuesday,
February 14, 3:30pm – 5:00pmLocation 4-321Upcoming DeadlinesDe Florez Fund
for Humor Spring Comedy Show: Leslie Jones    Hosted by the MIT School of
Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences and The de Florez Fund for
HumorLeslie Jones (from "Saturday Night Live" and the 2016 Ghostbusters
movie) will be coming to the MIT campus for a comedy performance on Sunday,
February 19, 2017 at 7pm in Kresge Auditorium. The event is open to all MIT
students, faculty, and staff. The event is free, but tickets are required.
A ticket lottery will be open between Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 9am to Sunday,
Feb. 12 at 11:59pm: http://shass.mit.edu/resources/jones
<http://shass.mit.edu/resources/jones>. Entrants will be able to select up
to two tickets each.Postdoc YogaHosted by  Instructor Hadassah SegalYoga
for postdocs (and spouses/partners) is being offered on an ongoing basis
and the new session begins February 22, 2017. This open level, gentle yoga
class is on Wednesdays, 7:30pm-8:30pm, on the MIT campus (location tba).
The rate for the 10 class session is $90 (no makeups or single classes).
The dates are: Feb. 22, March 1, March 8, March 15, March 22, March 29,
April 5, No class April 12, April 19, April 26, May 3. If you are
interested in joining, please email hadassahsegal at hotmail.com to reserve
your spot!21st MIT European Career Fair (ECF)Hosted by the European Career
Fair Organizing CommitteeLooking for a career in Europe? — Academia or
Industry? Come and join the 21st MIT European Career Fair (ECF), February
25, 2017. Registration is now open:
<https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fecf.fairsey.com%2F&h=ATP9p5RwYwuaBd4frSC-wsfZ7I9TL0-jZkw7Prj8i_aNZVtd32kCtgAOT71jkQsiiBoYGZa_gQHbuCy3QDun0JmbDwUloLS3awk8s4KI6XZLmHwy_3FYvKi3jOFWs4AaHIHipd8EWw&enc=AZN75pFeo5Kylqsl2sNXhAypYNGLDSr7a5iLLLAb3ZJ9bDDMK8o2T7CDKSo4ec2bzMESyV5HrWp-Us2n2oTNkixj8vaf6g5nl2AQNu4KG6WgGmjNIgVIxojrMIjtuRoXJU-xm_Vb3DzaUF45jv8TbPj_&s=1>https://ecf.fairsey.com/
<https://ecf.fairsey.com/>. Registration and résumé upload are for free –
we invite everyone to sign up! Students, Postdocs, young professionals from
all over the US are welcome at the fair and can submit their résumé prior
to the fair to be selected for interviews. Meet company representatives,
schedule interviews, listen to information sessions, and improve your job
application in our CV workshop! These are just a few of the many exciting
companies that will be present at the fair: Boston Consulting Group, ETH
Zurich, ASML, Fraunhofer Institute, Bayer, Roche, Philips Healthcare,
Daimler, TU Munich, Swiss Re, Confederation of Danish Industry, European
Research Council, PSL Research University Paris, and High Tech NL.CHECK OUT
THESE SITES FOR ADDITIONAL EVENTS postdocs.mit.edu
<http://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/
<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/ <http://www.awis.org/> as a Collegiate Rep and select
the Massachusetts Chapter. Do this prior to registering for any events.MIT
RESOURCES FOR POSTDOCSMBTA AccessAs a reminder, all postdoctoral fellows
and postdoctoral associates on MIT’s Cambridge campus are eligible for
free, unrestricted subway and local bus access. MIT is providing ID cards
with a special MBTA* chip inside that will provide this access.
(*Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority). If you received a new MIT ID
card on or after June 21 (or after August 9, in the case of many
postdoctoral fellows), check the back of your ID card. If “Charlie INSIDE!”
is written on it, you are all set, and already have access. If not, you can
visit the Card Office (W20-020) with your current MIT ID card to swap it
for one with the MBTA chip inside it. The Card Office is open between 8:30
a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday.FREE Mindfulness and Meditation Classes
from MIT MedicalFind Some Om Under the DomeMIT 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 WellbeingCommunity 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 CenterThe Center provides free professional advice
about all types of writing and speaking/oral presentations, including
specialized help for non-native English speakers. See their website for
more details: http://cmsw.mit.edu/writing-and-communication-center/
<http://cmsw.mit.edu/writing-and-communication-center/>MyLife
ServicesMyLife 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 careThis 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/
<http://spouses.mit.edu/>. MIT Employee Resource GroupsJoin 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 ERGCheck out the link for more information and
upcoming events: http://hrweb.mit.edu/diversity/ergs/current
<http://hrweb.mit.edu/diversity/ergs/current>OTHER RESOURCESFree Membership
for the National Postdoctoral AssociationThe 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
<http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/?page=individual_members>*
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