CRA-W Graduate Cohort 2009 Workshop Schedule

Friday, March 27

8:30-9:30—Welcome- Lori Clarke (UMass), Lori Pollock (UDel), and Mary Lou Soffa (UVA) - Convene Ballroom

9:30—Parallel Sessions:

1. First Year Cohort:
   What's Graduate School All About: Goals and Skills - Convene Ballroom
   (Slides)
   
   
   This session will address strategies for thriving in graduate school and
   developing the necessary knowledge, experience and skills for a
   successful career. Topics include setting realistic goals and
   expectations, the differences between getting a M.S. and Ph.D. degree,
   setting research goals, working as part of a research team, and tracking
   and maintaining your research and academic progress.
   
   
   
   Speakers:
   Prof. Margaret Martonosi, Princeton University
   
   Krasimiria Kapitanova, University of Virginia
   
   
   
2. Second Year Cohort:
   Presentation Skills - Engage Ballroom
   
   
   This session will focus on building your oral communication skills. Topics
   include strategies for high quality oral and poster presentations.
   
   
   
   Speaker:
   Prof. Sandhya Dwarkadas, University of Rochester
   
   
3. Third Year Cohort:
   Preparing your PhD Proposal - Synergy 4

   
   

   Perhaps the most stressful period of graduate school is the proposal writing
   period. In this session, we will discuss the goals of a proposal, an outline of
   what should be in the proposal, and strategies for completing the proposal
   and proposal defense.
   
   
   

   Speakers:
   Prof. Lori Pollock, University of Delaware
   
   
   

10:30—Break - Convene Lobby

11:00—Parallel Sessions:

1. First Year Cohort:
   
   Finding a Research Topic - Convene Ballroom
   
   
   This session will focus on strategies for actively identifying a viable research
   topic for your Ph.D. dissertation.
   
   
   

   Speakers:

   Prof. Kathy Yelick, University of California, Berkeley
   
   Tejinder Judge, Virginia Tech
   
   




2. Second Year Cohort:
   
   Networking - Engage Ballroom
   (Slides)
   
   
   This session addresses the skills that are needed for networking - a very
   important component of your professional life. The topics include strategies
   for finding a community, meeting people in the field, and promoting your
   research and yourself. This session will also address what you should prepare
   for, learn, and do when you attend conferences, workshops or any technical
   meeting, including meeting researchers and researchers visiting your
   department.
   
   
   

   Speakers:
   Prof. Maria Gini, University of Minnesota
   Tauhida Parveen, Florida Institute of Technology
   
   
   
3. Third Year Cohort:
   Ph.D. Academic Career Paths: Research, Teaching, Administration - Synergy 4
   
   
   This session will focus on the different career paths in academia. Topics
   include the roles of research, teaching, and service and how they differ in
   different academic institutions, the expectations at your institution and how
   to learn about the particulars, challenges and rewards of research/teaching;
   skills and experiences needed for success, and changing career paths and/or
   institutions during your graduate program.
   
   
   
   Speakers:
   Prof. Sheila Castaneda, Clarke College
   
   Prof. Mary Lou Soffa, University of Virginia
   
   
   

12:00—Lunch (Inspire Ballroom)

Break out by Research Area

1:30—Parallel Sessions:

1. First Year Cohort:
   
   Identifying and Benefiting from Advisors and Mentors - Convene Ballroom
   (Slides)
   
   
   This session will focus on the importance of carefully choosing advisors and
   mentors and the differences between the two, how to get the most out of your
   interactions with your advisor/mentor, responsibilities of both student and
   advisor/mentor in making the graduate research experience successful, and
   working through problems with the advisor/mentor relationships.
   
   
   
   Speakers:
   Prof. Lori Clarke, University of Massachusetts
   
   Audrey Girouard, Tufts University
   




2. Second Year Cohort:
   M.S. Career Opportunities - Engage Ballroom
   
   
   This session will be a discussion of the various career opportunities for
   Master’s graduates and how to find a position that is best for you. This
   session also discusses possible career paths and the role of mentors in
   industry.
   
   
   
   Speakers:
   Dr. A.J. Brush, Microsoft Research
   Dr. Kelly Poon, Google
   
   
   

   
   OR
   
   
   Interdisciplinary Research - Synergy 1
   (Slides PDF)
   
   

   This session will discuss the opportunities and challenges of engaging in
   interdisciplinary research. Topics include examples of interdisciplinary
   research projects, how to get involved in interdisciplinary research,
   preparation for interdisciplinary research, and strategies for facing challenges
   unique to interdisciplinary research.
   
   
   

   Speaker:
   Prof. Anne Condon, University of British Columbia
   
   
   
3. Third Year Cohort:
   Diverse Backgrounds in the Work Place - Synergy 4
   (Slides PPT)

   
   
   Computing brings together people from a wide range of backgrounds. This
   session will discuss issues in the workplace that might arise due to these
   diverse backgrounds. Included will be discussions about difference between
   graduate school and the work environment, cultural differences, handling
   biases, and the advantages and disadvantages of having a different
   background.
   
   
   

   Speakers:
   Dr. Patty Lopez, Intel Corporation
   
   Dr. Vidya Setlur, Nokia Research Center
   
   
   

2:30—Poster Session - Inspire Ballroom

3:30—Parallel Sessions:

1. First Year Cohort:
   
   Financially Supporting your Graduate Education - Convene Ballroom
   
   
   This session will focus on how to identify financial support for your
   academic studies beyond that initial teaching/research assistantship position
   including positioning yourself for research assistantships, tracking down
   fellowship opportunities, and how to put together a successful application.
   This session will also address how to survive temporary funding shortfalls/
   lapses.
   
   
   
   Speaker:
   Prof. Tiffani Williams, Texas A & M University
   
   




2. Second Year Cohort:
   Decision Points (M.S., Ph.D.) - Synergy 1
   
   
   This session focuses on the various decision points in graduate school
   and professional career, and strategies for making those decisions.
   Topics include choosing courses, a masters or PhD, between funding
   opportunities, research advisor, dissertation committee members,
   conferences to target or attend, when to start the job search process,
   which position to take, when to change advisors or institutions.
   
   
   
   Speakers:
   Prof. Lori Pollock, University of Delaware
   Dr. Telle Whitney, Anita Borg Institute
   
   

   
   OR
   
   
   M.S. Job Search & Resume Writing Clinic - Engage Ballroom
   
   
   This session will discuss the process of finding an industry position for M.S.
   graduates, how to prepare for the interview, what questions to ask and what
   you should expect during the interview, and what to do after the interview.
   Tips will be given on writing a cover letter and resume that attract attention.
   
   
   

   Speakers:
   Dr. Jane Prey, Microsoft Research
   
   Dr. Ellen Spertus, Google
   
   
3. Third Year Cohort:
   Strategies for Finishing - Synergy 4

   
   
   This session will concentrate on successfully completing the dissertation and
   the graduate degree. Topics include taking a lead role in your research group
   and publications, strategies for managing your dissertation writing process,
   promoting yourself, and balancing a job search with finishing the degree.
   
   
   

   Speaker:

   Prof. Padma Raghavan, Pennsylvania State University
   
   
   

4:30—All Cohorts

6:30—Google/Microsoft Reception - Inspire Ballroom

Saturday, March 28  

7:30 - 8:30—Continental Breakfast - Convene Lobby

8:30—Parallel Sessions:

1. First Year Cohort:
   
   Balancing Graduate School and Personal Life - Convene Ballroom
   (Slides)
   

   This session will address strategies for maintaining balance and good
   perspective in your life during graduate school and throughout your career.
   Topics will include achieving personal satisfaction in your career and family
   life, balancing your TA duties, your course work, and your research program,
   decision making strategies when career and family priorities seem to collide,
   the pros and cons of dating your fellow graduate students or faculty and
   reevaluating your personal and career goals and initiating changes.
   
   
   

   Speakers:
   Prof. Chandra Krintz, University of California, Santa Barbara
   
   Mirkeya Capellan, Pace University
   




2. Second Year Cohort:
   
   Summer Internships - Engage Ballroom
   (Slides)
   
   
   This session will focus on how to go about finding an industry or government
   lab internship for the summer, the advantages and disadvantages of doing so,
   and how to get the most out of a summer internship.
   
   
   

   Speakers:
   Dr. Dilma da Silva, IBM
   
   Maryam Ramezani, DePaul University
   
   

3. Third Year Cohort:
   
   Ph.D. Non-Academic Career Paths: Industrial Research and Development - Synergy 4
   
   
   This session will focus on the different career paths for new Ph.D.s in
   industry and government laboratories. Topics include the challenges and
   rewards of a non-academic career, skills and experiences needed for success,
   opportunities for advancement and taking the initiative, collaborating with
   researchers in academia or other organizations, and positioning yourself to
   make career changes between labs and academia.
   
   
   

   Speakers:
   Dr. Gilda Garreton, SUN Microsystems Lab
   
   Dr. Vidya Setlur, Nokia Research Center
   Dr. Telle Whitney, Anita Borg
   
   
   

9:30—Break - Convene Lobby

10:00—Parallel Sessions:

1. First Year Cohort:
   
   Transitioning to Graduate School - Convene Ballroom
   (Slides)
   
   

   This session will address the challenges in transitioning from different
   backgrounds to graduate school. Topics include the differences in
   expectations, schedules, and opportunities for students of different
   college environments (small vs. large), different college majors and
   experience, and different cultures.
   
   
   

   Speakers:
   Prof. Soha Hassoun, Tufts University
   
   Bobby Simidchieva, University of Massachusetts
   




2. Second Year Cohort:
   
   Publishing your Research - Engage Ballroom
   
   
   Publishing your research is a necessary activity for your future career. This
   session will discuss avenues for publication and what is required for the
   different types of publications. Also discussed will be ethical concerns of
   publishing such as plagiarism, dual submissions, and author ordering.
   
   
   

   Speaker:
   Prof. Holly Rushmeier, Yale

3. Third Year Cohort:
   
   Ph.D. Job Search - Synergy 4
   (Slides)
   
   
   This session focuses on how you should prepare for the job search process,
   preparing for the interview, what questions to ask and what questions will be
   asked of you during the interview, what to do after the interview, deciding
   between multiple offers. The session will also highlight what you should be
   doing now to plan for your career.
   
   
   

   Speaker:
   Dr. Kathleen Fisher, AT&T Research
   
   
   

11:00—All Cohorts:

This session will address the confidence crisis that 2nd (and 3rd) year graduate
students often face: how to recover from not doing as well in a course as you
are used to doing, from not passing the PhD candidacy exams at your first
try, from the frustration of not knowing what your specific research project
will be, from the feeling that you don’t know as much as your fellow
graduate students. The discussion will focus on issues and rewards of
persisting towards your goals and particular points in grad school where
persistence is needed.

1. 12:00 Lunch: Break out by Cohort - Inspire Ballroom
   

2:00—Wrap Up and Final Remarks