Weekly PDA Newsletter - May 14, 2017

Sun May 14 20:17:10 EDT 2017

Dear MIT Postdocs,

The Faculty Postdoc Advisory Committee (FPAC) is currently working on
putting together a short guide for interactions between Postdocs and their
Advisors. The guide will take the form of a brochure that gets handed to
both Postdocs and Advisors for them to go over together during their first
meeting in addition to discussing career goals and research plans. The goal
of this guide is to help improve the postdoc/advisor relationship by
setting proper expectations from the start, establishing guidelines for
professional interactions, and improving communication.

Select officers from the MIT PDA sit in the FPAC Committee, but we would
like to request feedback regarding the content of this guide from the
broader postdoc community. Please fill out the very brief form here
<https://goo.gl/forms/cPXBuWJnAL6rrW6u1>. It should take you less than 1
min.

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

Monday, May 15, 2017

12:00pm

Rm E25-101

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

PDA Boda Borg Event

Hosted by MIT-PDA Community Building Committee

The PDA is going out to conquer Boda Borg! Join us! Boda Borg is Questing.
Guests are transported into a real-world gaming environment; an experience
we call Questing. Teams of 3-5 guests literally move through our Quests
tackling a variety of mental and physical challenges. Success in the first
challenge means entry into the next challenge and so on… Failure in any
challenge means starting over or selecting another Quest. No video games,
no virtual reality, no special clothing or equipment....real people, real
Questing, real adrenaline and heart-pumping excitement.

Date and Time Saturday, May 20, 10:00  AM - 12:00 PM. Remember: Be there 15
minutes early so that we can get everyone sign the waivers and get the
instructions.

Location Boda Borg Boston, 90 Pleasant Street, Malden 02148

Registration Tickets are available on a first come, first serve basis for
$5 here <https://mit.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=657&cid=60&p=1>.

PDA and Strategic Games Society (SGS) Partnership

Hosted by MIT-PDA Community Building Committee

MIT-PDA is happy to announce a new partnership for the board games nights
with the MIT Strategic Games Society (MIT-SGS). It is now free for Postdocs
to join the weekly board games nights hosted by the MIT-SGS. Moreover, you
can bring your non-MIT friends for a small fee of $5 per year. SGS meets
every Friday at 7PM in MIT Building 50-316 (Walker Memorial Hall, Floor 3,
Room 16) for  board games and card games. Gaming sessions typically go
until around 12-2 AM. For more information about 1the board game branch of
SGS, contact the officers <sgs-officers at mit.edu>.

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 semester
are as follows: May 22, June 5, June 19, July 3, July 17, July 31, August
14, September 11, and September 25. 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

Now that spring has sprung, consider joining the Postdoc Jogging Club!
Those interested in joining club can sign up for the email list here
<https://mailman.mit.edu:444/mailman/listinfo/postdoc-jogging>.

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

The Science of Happiness: Bring More Happiness to Your Personal and
Professional Life (Webinar)

Hosted by the MIT Human Resources Department

Research supports that happy people feel better, do better, and live
better. While this is great news, it still begs the question: Why? And,
more importantly, how? During this session, we will explore the history and
research behind the concept of happiness, how it relates to the various
facets of your life, and what intentional activities you can do to increase
your life satisfaction and fulfillment. There are many pathways to
happiness, so let's get your journey started! Speaker: Delvina
Miremadi-Baldino, Ph.D.; Founder and Chief Resilience Officer, Realize Your
Resilience

Date and Time Tuesday, May 16, 12:00 - 1:00 PM

Location Online

Registration Register here
<https://kgaeap.personaladvantage.com/gateway.jsp?SingleSignIn:refid=MYMIT&SingleSignIn:target=/content.jsp?module=section_060&subtopic=10004420&category=10003233&resource=10104215>

MIT Bike Day

Hosted by MIT Parking and Transportation

Join the MIT Parking and Transportation Office for MIT Bike Day! Cambridge
Bike will do minor repairs, Charles River TMA, and Hubway will also be
present. Give-a-ways for pledging miles as part of the Mass Commuter Bike
Challenge Week!

Date and Time Wednesday, May 17, 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Location W20, Student Center Steps

Science and Democracy in the Age of Trump - Andrew A. Rosenberg

Hosted by the organizers of the “Challenges and Solutions in the Biomedical
Sciences” seminar series

Science and science policy are facing unprecedented challenges from this
new administration and congress.  From the rollback of science-based
policies, to the potential targeted reductions of funding for science the
near-term impacts of this change in direction for government programs are
profound.  But there are longer term impacts of changing the role of
science in policy-making should also concern the science community. It is a
critical time for scientists to be heard in our democracy.  This is not a
matter of self interest alone, but of exercising our role in this
country. Speaker
info: Andrew A. Rosenberg is director of the Center for Science and
Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists. He has more than 25 years
of experience in government service and academic and non-profit leadership.
He is the author of scores of peer-reviewed studies and reports on
fisheries and ocean management and has published on the intersection
between science and policy making. He was a professor of natural resources
and the environment at the University of New Hampshire, where he served as
Dean of the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture from 2000-2005.

Date and Time Wednesday, May 17, 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Location McGovern Auditorium, Whitehead Institute, 9 Cambridge Center,
Cambridge

Choose to Reuse

Hosted by Working Green Committee, Staff for Sustainability, MIT Recycling
Program

Reduce, reuse, recycle! Drop off starting at 8:00 AM. Take five free items
from 11:00 AM to 12:20 PM. No limit from 12:20-1:00 PM. You don't have to
give to get. You just have to want to save the planet! MIT ID required. For
more details, check out this website:

http://web.mit.edu/facilities/ChoosetoReuse_FAQ_oct2016.pdf

Date and Time Thursday, May 18, 8:00 AM-1:00 PM

Location 32-first floor, Lobby with big mirror

Next Week

MIT Endicott Spring Plant Sale

Hosted by MIT Endicott House

The Annual Plant Sale, sponsored by the MIT Endicott House, will be held on
May 24 & 25, 2017.A selection of flowering plants, perennials, herbs,
vegetables,and planters will be offered for sale. All items are reasonably
priced and nurtured at our greenhouse. Members of our Staff will be
available to answer your gardening questions. We hope to see you there!

Date and Time Wednesday, May 24, and Thursday, May 25,  9:00 AM-2:00 PM

Location W20, Student Center Steps

Upcoming Deadlines

New England Future Faculty Workshop at Northeastern University

Hosted by the NE-FWW Planning Committee

We would like to invite them to participate in the New England Future
Faculty Workshop for Women in STEM Fields (NE-FFW) on the Northeastern
University campus in Boston, Massachusetts on August 10, 2017.  The NE-FFW
is designed specifically for women in STEM fields who are late-stage PhD
students and postdoctoral scholars and interested in an academic career.
The NE-FFW is focused on the academic job search.  The format of the
one-day workshop includes faculty-led interactive discussions and
peer-to-peer interactions.  Workshop topics include:  Finding Your
Institutional Fit, Standing Out in the Interview, Reviewing CVs, Developing
a Research Statement, Negotiating the Job Offer, and more.  To learn more
about the New England Future Faculty Workshop for Women in STEM Fields, go
to: http://www.northeastern.edu/advance/recruitment/future-faculty-workshop/
. To participate in the NE-FFW, Apply by May 26th online here.
<http://www.northeastern.edu/advance/recruitment/future-faculty-workshop/>

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/>

MIT RESOURCES FOR POSTDOCS

MBTA Access

As 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 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 their website for more details:
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

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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