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Survival Skills for Scientists
A Professional Development Seminar for Graduate Students & Postdocs
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Spring 2009
Wed 3-4pm
JILA
Tower
rm. 10th-B |
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Organizer:
Travis Metcalfe, High Altitude
Observatory / Office: CG1, rm.3626 /
Phone: 303-497-8326
Purpose:
Many Ph.D. scientists are now employed outside of academia, yet their
professional development during graduate school typically did not prepare
them for this reality. Academic careers are still one of the principal
goals of young scientists, but many face extended terms as postdocs and
an uncertain future. Making the transition to a "permanent" job, whether
academic or industrial, requires a set of skills that every good thesis
advisor should pass along. But even the best advisors may not cover
everything...
Format:
This seminar will be a weekly discussion of career issues, guided
by thought-provoking readings selected from two short books: (1) A
Ph.D. Is Not Enough! by Peter Feibelman, and (2) Put
Your Science to Work by Peter Fiske; additional readings will be
drawn from a variety of sources. An organizational meeting will be
held on January 14th, and then we will meet every Wednesday through
April 29.
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Schedule: | |
| Jan 14 – |
Organizational meeting (Advice to the Young Astronomer)
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| 21 – |
World of Opportunity (Fiske: Chp.2, How to Become a Velociraptor) |
| 28 – |
Long-term Success (Feibelman: Chp.2, astro-ph/9904229)
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| Feb 04 – |
Giving Good Talks (Feibelman: Chp.3, Giving Terrible Talks, Fifteen Ways)
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| 11 – |
Conference Strategies (Rosei & Tudor)
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| 18 – |
Scientific Writing & Peer Review (Feibelman: Chp.4, Science Writing,
Martial Art)
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| 25 – |
Citations & Impact (astro-ph/0503519,
arXiv:0712.1037, arXiv:0809.0692)
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| Mar 04 – |
Employment Trends (Fiske: Chp.1, Scope for Improvement,
arXiv:0712.2820)
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| 11 – |
Choosing a Career Path (Feibelman: Chp.5, Fiske: Chp.7, Freelancing)
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| 18 – |
Resumés, CVs, and self-promotion (Fiske: Chp.9, Self-Promotion, Job Rumor Sites)
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| 25 – |
*** SPRING BREAK *** (no discussion)
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| Apr 01 – |
Job Interviews (Feibelman: Chp.6, Fiske: Chp.12, Landing an Academic Job)
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| 08 – |
Scientific Integrity (Ethics and the Welfare of the Physics Profession,
An Ethical Brawl)
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| 15 – |
Balancing Career and Life (You and Your Research)
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| 22 – |
Grant/Fellowship Proposal Writing (Feibelman: Chp.7, Where are the Young Ones?)
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| 29 – |
Establishing a Research Program (Feibelman: Chp.8, Intellectual Entrepreneurs)
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Planning: If you plan to attend this weekly discussion,
or if you have any questions about it, please
send me an email.
This will allow me to organize a bulk purchase of the book(s), establish
an email announcement list for the seminar, and bring enough copies of
the handouts for everyone to our first meeting.
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