Announcements

UConn’s PostDoc Seed Award Winners 2022

The Graduate School is delighted to announce this year’s Postdoc Seed Award Recipients.

Raquel Fleskes, from Anthropology, has been funded for the following project:

This pilot research project seeks to develop a new method to extract ancient DNA from clay tobacco pipestems from colonial archaeological sites in Connecticut. Pipestems are common artifacts in colonial period archaeological sites, and preserve the DNA of people who smoked from them. This project will use eight pipestems, with each divided into equal thirds, to test three different DNA extraction methods at UConn’s Ancient DNA Laboratory. The concentration and complexity (number of different DNA sequences) will be assessed to determine the most effective method of DNA extraction. This project provides a new method in DNA extraction from archaeological artifacts.

Jessie Turner, from Marine Sciences, has been funded for the following project:

What color is the ocean? Using satellites to measure the color of the ocean tells us about the productivity of phytoplankton, the base of the entire ocean food chain. To use data from satellites, we need extensive ground-truth measurements of ocean color at Earth’s surface. However, the sensors used to ground-truth ocean color satellites are expensive and difficult to build. I plan to build a set of do-it-yourself sensors to measure ocean color at low cost. I will also create instructional materials for adaptation into a course for students interested in building sensors for their research.

Deborah Good, from Physics, has been funded for the following project:

I am an expert in timing millisecond pulsars – modeling the dynamics of rapidly-spinning, small, dense leftovers from supernova explosions – to detect gravitational waves from supermassive black holes. When timing pulsars, we model and remove the effects of the interstellar medium (ISM), especially ionized gas between the pulsar and the observer. Though “trash” in the search for gravitational waves, these gas models can be “treasure” for ISM scientists. I propose to lead a task force to improve our models and bring together pulsar timers, ISM scientists, and experts in mathematical modeling, maximizing our scientific output for ISM science and pulsar timing.

Kristel Schoonderwoerd, from Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, has been funded for the following project:

A single tree can bear leaves with widely varying shapes and functions. Smaller and thicker leaves that photosynthesize rapidly occur in parts of the crown that receive ample sunlight. On shaded branches, larger, thinner leaves are borne that photosynthesize comparatively slowly. Little is known about when during development these genetically identical leaf types diverge. This project seeks to understand how leaf development of sun and shade leaves aligns with seasonal changes in light availability within deciduous canopies, from leaf loss in the fall through new leaf expansion in spring.

Faculty Affiliates for Inclusive Excellence

Colleagues,

The Graduate School is pleased to announce that we will host two Faculty Affiliates for Inclusive Excellence each academic year beginning in Fall 2022. One affiliate will focus on improving support for students from minoritized communities. The other will focus on improving faculty mentoring of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars with a particular focus on improving mentoring for those from minoritized groups. For both affiliates the goal in 2022/2023 is to develop resources and establish programs that future faculty affiliates can sustain with support from The Graduate School staff. The affiliates will work very closely with one another in addition to working with The Graduate School staff and with relevant faculty and staff throughout the University.

We anticipate that each affiliate will devote an average of 3-4 hours per week to their service for which they will receive a modest stipend. There will also be some funds available to support initiatives that the affiliates develop.

We invite both applications and nominations for the affiliate positions. Please contact Kent Holsinger (kent.holsinger@uconn.edu) if you would like more information about becoming an affiliate program or if you would like to nominate someone for one of the positions. To apply, email graduatedean@uconn.edu identifying which of the two affiliate positions you are interested in and including a brief statement (no more than 1-2 pages) describing why you are interested in the position, the experience you have that makes you a good candidate for the position, and an initial idea or two about what you would plan to accomplish if you were selected as an affiliate. We will begin considering applications and nominations on 8 August, and the review will continue until affiliates have been selected.

Affiliate for improving support

The affiliate who focuses on improving support for graduate students will develop and execute a program that contributes to an equitable and supportive educational environment and that fosters a sense of community. The program should include a particular focus on providing support for graduate students and postdocs from minoritized groups. We anticipate that this affiliate will collaborate extensively with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, including the cultural centers on the Storrs campus.

Affiliate for improving mentoring

The affiliate who focuses on improving mentoring of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars will design and develop a program to provide mentorship training for faculty. The program will place special emphasis on helping faculty understand the challenges faced by graduate students and postdocs from minoritized groups.  We anticipate that this affiliate will draw on resources provided through the Center for Improvement of Mentored Experience in Research (CIMER – University of Wisconsin) as well as other resources. This affiliate may also participate in a “train the trainer” workshop at CIMER.

Kent Holsinger

 

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Kent E. HolsingerBoard of Trustees Distinguished ProfessorVice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of The Graduate School

Fall 2022 Conference Participation Award Applications Open

The Graduate School is now accepting applications for the Conference Participation Award for a Fall 2022 Semester Award. The application period will be open from June 1, 2022 to June 30, 2022. Late applications will not be considered.

Review eligibility criteria, details, and the application form.

For questions, contact The Graduate School at gradschool@uconn.edu.

 

UConn’s 3MT Competition 2022

The Graduate School is pleased to announce this year’s three-minute thesis (3MT) competition, which will be held virtually on Monday, August 22nd 2022 from 12:00 to 1:30pm

First developed by the University of Queensland in 2008, the Three Minute Thesis competition challenges research students (who have completed at least one year in a doctoral program) to communicate the significance of their projects to a non-specialist audience in just three minutes. The winner of this year’s competition will have the opportunity to submit their presentation to the global competition (virtual) in September.

We will be running multiple training sessions during the summer to help you prepare. We are especially grateful to Dr. Rory McGloin who will be leading a transformational session entitled “Preparing for the Best Three Minute Presentation of Your Life” in July. This session is open to all graduate students.

To view all the events, visit: grad.uconn.edu/graduate-students/three-minute-thesis/

To register for any of the events, visit: forms.gle/cECAy9SanA9dBzH76

 

Advanced Degree Outcomes Survey for May 2022 Graduates

Are You a May 2022 Graduate?

The Center for Career Development and The Graduate School value your input, helping us to better understand the diverse careers and further education that UConn graduates pursue. Please consider taking a few moments to complete the Advanced Degree Outcomes Survey and share your post-UConn career and education status. We value being able to make data-supported decisions about programs and services that support graduate student career development. Your data is important and only shared in aggregate.

Please take the survey at: https://career.uconn.edu/advanceddegreesurvey/.

2022 PostDoc Seed Award

The Graduate School is excited to announce the call for applications for 2022’s PostDoc Seed Award. These grants provide funds to support UConn postdoctoral research associates as they develop new research projects. This year, we are increasing the number of recipients of these awards to 4. We will also be dividing the awards into two separate pools to create more diversity in the fields awarded. If you’d like to know more, reserve next Thursday, May 5th, 12-1 EST, for our virtual info session. Also, check out last year’s awardees at: https://grad.uconn.edu/postdocs/

For further information on the application process, requirements, funding, eligibility, and other criteria, refer to your UConn email or contact Stuart Duncan at stuart.duncan@uconn.edu

KEY DATES 

  • “Preparing Your Application” – Virtual Info & Q&A Session
    • Thursday, May 5th | 12:00 – 1:00 PM (EST)
    • For information on joining the info session, refer to your email.
  • Application Deadline: June 26th, 2022
    • No late applications will be accepted. 
  • Applicants are notified of the award decision by the end of July
  • Award period: September 1st 2022 – August 31, 2023 

Graduate Student Appreciation Week

Monday, April 4th to Friday, April 8th is this year’s Graduate Student Appreciation Week, a week full of online and in-person activities and events designed to celebrate graduate students here at UConn. We have the following events happening next week:

Monday, April 4th – The Graduate School: Drinks & Refreshments

Wednesday, April 6th – Center for Career Development: LinkedIn Headshots and CV/Resume Reviews

Wednesday, April 6th – International Student & Scholar Services: Hot Cocoa, Cookies, and S’mores

Thursday, April 7th – The Graduate School & Off-Campus and Commuter Student Services: Pizza Party & Goodie Bag Giveaway

Thursday, April 7th – Women’s Center: Start Smart Salary Negotiation Workshop

Thursday, April 7th – Rainbow Center: Coffee and Donuts

Friday, April 8th – The Graduate School: Lunchtime Trivia

Other department-specific events hosted by various academic departments.

All events are free for graduate students to attend. For more information about the university-wide and departmental events, please visit the website below.

For more information: Graduate Student Appreciation Week

myUConn App – Graduate Student Persona

myUConn is the official app of the University of Connecticut designed for students, staff, faculty, and visitors to explore all UConn has to offer. For more information on the app, visit UConn Mobile.

The Graduate School has recently released a Persona specific to Graduate Students on this app. Designed to present students with the resources they need in the palms of their hands, this Persona gathers resources specific to the graduate student experience from across campus and centralizes them in one convenient location. Within this app, you can find tiles with resources related to Academics, Athletics, Bus Tracker, Campus Maps, Career Development, Dining, Events, and other areas that you may need during your time at UConn. In addition, you can receive important notifications related to campus closings, reminders for applications to graduate, and information on this year’s Graduate Student Appreciation Week from April 4th through April 8th.

The myUConn app can be downloaded via the iOS App Store or Google Play Store. To access the Graduate Student Persona, select “Storrs” as your location and “Graduate Student” as your Persona.

2022 Marth Award Recipient – David Knecht

Portrait image of Marsh Award recipient, David Knecht
David Knecht - Department of Molecular and Cell Biology

It is our pleasure to announce the recipient of this year’s Edward C. Marth Mentorship Award. This award recognizes a faculty member for outstanding leadership and dedication to excellence in mentoring graduate students. It was established by the UConn AAUP to honor Edward Marth, former Executive Director of the UConn AAUP Chapter.

This year’s recipient of the Marth Award is Professor David Knecht from the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. Professor Knecht joined the MCB faculty in 1987 and has been conducting research with graduate students here at UConn for the past 35 years. It is clear from the testimonials received that he has had a very significant impact on both the professional and personal lives of the students who have worked under his wing, many of whom continue to seek his advice well beyond graduation. His students and colleagues speak to how generous he is with his time and energy, and to his unwavering commitment to his students and to the training of the next generation of researchers. Known as a tough mentor, Professor Knecht sets high standards and expectations for both himself and for his students. He encourages students to develop a “gritty mindset” that he believes is a key to advancing scientific knowledge. Professor Knecht’s receipt of the Marth Award is a fitting recognition of his dedication over the past three decades to both his own students as well as to graduate education more generally.

Professor Knecht is also a very accomplished researcher. His research expertise is in microscopic cellular imaging and computational assessments of cellular movement. He has nearly 100 scholarly publications and in 2019 received the CLAS Research Excellence Award in Life and Behavioral Sciences. In honor of his contributions, Professor Knecht will be giving an address at The Graduate School commencement ceremonies.

Past recipients of the Marth Award include Crystal Park (2021), Preston Britner (2020), Sandra Chafouleas (2019), Maria-Luz Fernandez (2018), Elizabeth Jockusch (2015-2016), Shareen Hertel (2014-2015), John Mathieu (2013-2014), JC Beall (2012-2013) and Dipak Dey (2011-2012).