Graduate School Announcements
July 24, 
2017
Contents
News:
Graduate Students Explore Best Practices in Intergroup Dialogue Conference

Students, faculty and staff from various institutions shared experiences and research in the growing field of intergroup dialogue at a conference hosted in June by Cornell's  Intergroup Dialogue Project  (IDP).

One conference session highlighted student experiences from Cornell's first graduate-level intergroup dialogue courses in July and December 2016, reprised in two sessions this summer. (IDP also offers peer-led programs for faculty and staff, and facilitators have contributed to academic research and social movements on campus and beyond.)

 

The grad-level courses seek to provide "a meaningful process for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars to explore their identities, practice communication across difference and to think together about authentic diversity in academia," Grabiner-Keinan said.




Graduate Student Research Featured in TIME Video

 

PhD candidate Borja Cantero-Trubilla is researching how to convert waste to fuel through hydrothermal processing and has shortened the processing period from a few days or weeks to a few minutes.  

 

Watch the video...

Graduate Student Conference Teaches Science Communications

 

For the third year, Cornell is holding ComSciCon-Cornell, a science communication workshop organized by graduate students, for graduate students and postdocs. During the two-day event, participants interacted with science communicators across STEM disciplines. The aim of the workshop is to equip young researchers with tools to communicate scientific ideas more effectively to their colleagues and, especially, to nontechnical audiences.

 

Read more...

 

Graduate Student Contributes to Caribbean Drought Atlas

Cornell atmospheric scientists, including doctoral student Dimitris Herrera, have developed the first-of-its-kind, high-resolution  Caribbean drought atlas, with data going back to 1950. Concurrently, the researchers confirmed the region's 2013-16 drought was the most severe in 66 years due to consistently higher temperatures - a hint that climate change is to blame.

Because of its topographic complexity, the new atlas delivers critical research data by providing a historical climate backdrop.


Ask a Dean


Question


Hello,

I recently read your response to the the Fitness-Conscious PhD Student and had some comments and questions.  

 Is there any data that would suggest that there would be potential for a larger number students to participate in the smoking cessation program? 

Personally I only know of 1 person who smokes in my department.  On the other hand, I see many people take the fitness classes some of which go frequently enough to apply for the reimbursement.  The number of people who could get the fitness reimbursement seems vastly larger than the people who could participate in a smoking cessation program.

You also mentioned the fitness reimbursement program was not widely used.  I think a strong reason would be the lack of advertising of the program. After finding out about the program, I passed on the information to many friends who also attended classes and most of them did not know about it. If I had know about the program when I first started grad school I would have joined right away, but I didn't find out until a couple semester later. 
 
Cheers,



Question

Dear Deans,

There seems to be no way for PhD students to provide feedback to departments and the graduate school regarding the strengths and weaknesses of their advisors. 

Is it not a good idea to have an evaluation, similar to those for courses, to help with improving the advising? 

Thanks,

Improvement-focused Graduate Student



Question

Dear Deans,

I'm a PhD student in my final year and I'll be taking a leave of absence for the Fall semester to finish writing my thesis due to funding issues.

After reading your answer to a previous question about student health insurance for August graduates, I contacted the office of student health benefits to extend the coverage to the end of August. However,I was told that there is no extension for students taking a leave of absence.My GRA appointment ends on Aug 15th and I'm surprised that I'm forced to seek external insurance on my own for the half-month period I'm a registered student on official assistantship appointment. 

Is there any way to extend the insurance coverage until my GRA appointment ends?

Thank you,
Another concerned student


Question

Hello,

I'm wondering if you can provide some advice for next semester. 

I will be defending my PhD at the end of August, so I will be conferred in December. However, my post doc doesn't start until the end of October so I'm trying to figure out what to do about health insurance for September and October. My department is able to cover me through August, but the health insurance is cut off on 8/31.  

Is there any way I can extend my health insurance through Cornell even if involves paying a monthly fee until I start my new job? 

Thanks, 

Future Uninsured PhD Student


Question
Hello,

Thank you in advance for your help. 

I read online in the dissertation guide the following:

"If you choose the papers option, your dissertation or thesis is organized as a series of relatively independent chapters or papers that you have submitted or will be submitting to journals in the field. You must be the only author or the first author of the papers to be used in the dissertation."

Can I be co-first author on a paper I'm including? I assume that counts given that it only says I must be first author (and not the only first author), but I wanted to double check.

Thank you,
Dissertation Writer


Email us your question, and a dean will answer within three business days. Some responses will be made anonymous and published. 


View the complete Ask a Dean archive with most recent questions on top. 

Registrar :
In Absentia Fall 2017

 

Submit In Absentia Request Now if You'll be Away for Fall 2017
 
If you plan to be engaged in full-time study at least 100 miles from campus during the fall semester you may apply for in absentia status. Please review the In Absentia form for general Information, requirements and checklist items. Requests received after June 15th are subject to finance charges and additional fees.

 

Graduate School Programs :

Academic Writing Retreat

 

Just a few open slots remain for Summer 2017 Academic Writing Retreat.
 

Want to jumpstart a writing project, such as a proposal, thesis, or dissertation? Have an upcoming deadline for a fellowship application or manuscript that you need to finish?  Join us for an Academic Writing Retreat (formerly Dissertation Writing Boot Camp).

 

You may participate in-person on campus with a writing community of other graduate students. Or you may participate remotely (webinar and online). Your choice. The dates are August 14-18, 2017.

 

This retreat will advance your writing, especially your productivity and help you manage your schedule, energy, and one or more writing projects. We'll address obstacles to productive writing, such as procrastination, perfectionistic tendencies, time management, binge writing, and writer's block. (Good news: There's no such thing as writer's block. Writer's block is simply not writing. "It's like alien abduction. Have you ever noticed that only people who believe in aliens are ever abducted." Paul Silvia, 2007)

 

If you are interested, email jan.allen@cornell.edu to reserve your spot and begin to receive materials (in June). Please indicate which option you prefer:

  1.  Meet on campus Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 2:00pm. (Meals and materials included.) Three spaces remaining.
  2. Meet on campus Monday through Thursday from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. (Meals and materials included.) Six spaces remaining.
  3. Join us on-line and participate remotely in meetings and check-ins; write on your own schedule at your own location. (Materials online.)

 

 

Summer Book Club Events

Join us for a discussion of how to perform best under pressure based on the research in the book Choke! (And join the author in discussion of her research on high performance when it matters most, on October 26-27.)
 
Email jan.allen@cornell.edu to indicate your interest and to get a copy of the book
  • Wednesday, August 9 5:00-6:00pm over supper
  • Thursday, August 10 noon to 1:00 over lunch
  • Tuesday, August 29 noon to 1:00 over lunch
  • Tuesday August 29 5:00-6:00pm over supper

English Language Support Office Moves to Caldwell Hall

The English Language Support Office has moved to 260 Caldwell Hall. They are holding an Open House on August 25 from 10:00 - 11:30. Everyone is Welcome. 


Help Welcome New Students at Graduate School Orientation
 
Do you want to help new graduate and professional students learn about Cornell and the Ithaca area? Do you want to be a part of the welcoming experience for our incoming students this August? If you have been at Cornell for at least one year, we hope you will join us as a volunteer for one of our events on Monday, August 21 - Friday, August 25. Volunteers will be needed for a variety of events, including the following:
  • Graduate School's Orientation for New Graduate and Professional Students (Monday, August 21)
  • ID Distribution
  • Resource Fair Set-Up
  • Resource Fair Help and Clean-Up
  • Ice Cream Social Event (Friday, August 25)
  • Ithaca By Night (Current students take a small group of new students out to dinner. The Graduate School pays for your dinner; new students pay for their own.) (Tuesday, August 22)
  • Mix and Mingle (networking opportunity for new students prior to TGIF, hosted by current students) (Friday, August 25)
If you are interested in learning more about these opportunities or want to sign up, please click here and complete the form.

We  will have an informational meeting on Monday, August 14 from 12:00 - 1:00 pm for all those who sign up. Here we will thank you, go over the details of your volunteer assignment, and make sure that everyone is all set for Orientation 2017.  If you can't attend, that is okay - we can communicate via email. For planning purposes, please RSVP .   
 
If you have questions, please contact Janna Lamey.

Save the Date for the Student Family Swap Shop

Saturday, August 19 at the Big Red Barn

9:00 - 10:00 am - Drop Off Items

10:00 - 2:00 pm - Swap Takes Place

 

Do you and your family have slightly used items that you would like to donate to student-parents and their families?  Join us on August 19 for our first-ever Family Swap Shop.  We are looking for items such as infant-children clothes, toys, books, diapers, furniture, baby/kid-friendly household items and even maternity items to help support our families.  All items will be free!

 

As you are looking at your things this summer, keep this in mind.  Right now, we are looking to take inventory of items that families are willing to donate to our Family Swap Shop.  All you need to do is save the items and plan to bring them to the Big Red Barn on Saturday, August 19 from 9-10 am.  Of course, the students with families community is welcome to stay and do some swapping; that begins at 10 am.

 

If you have items, please sign up today!

 

Fellowships, Postdocs, and Awards:
Gates Cambridge Scholarships

 

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship supports one to three years of post-baccalaureate study in any field at the University of Cambridge.  Students must first apply directly for admission to Cambridge and make a separate application for the scholarship.  

 

Applicants must demonstrate exceptional academic achievement, potential for scholarly development, and a commitment to use their education for the common good.  Citizens from any country other than the United Kingdom are eligible.  Foundation Deadline for U.S. citizens:  October 11, 2017.  Foundation Deadline for non-U.S. citizens:  December 6, 2017, or January 4, 2018, dependent on course selection; see Web site for further instructions.

ASSIST Travel Grants Provide Funding to Attend  LEVERAGE Workshops 

 

Available for diverse engineering Early-Career Faculty, Post-Docs, and Ph.D. Candidates to support their success in academic careers.  Host organizations include:

  • American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES),
  • Gread Minds in STEM (GMiS),
  • MAES, Latinos in Science and Engineering (MAES),
  • National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE),
  • Society for Advancement of Hispanics/Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS),
  • Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), and
  • Society of Women Engineers (SWE).

Applications are now being accepted for the 2017-2018 Workshops held in conjunction with their conferences. 

 

Learn more 

 
George Mitchell Scholarship 

The George J. Mitchell Scholarship supports one year of graduate study in any field at one of the eight institutions of higher learning in the Republic of Ireland.  Applicants must be U.S. citizens under the age of 30 with a record of intellectual distinction, leadership, extracurricular activity, and service to others.  Cornell endorsement is required. Campus application deadline: August 15, 2017. Campus Contact:  BTF1@cornell.edu

More information on the Mitchell Scholarship is available at the Foundation's Website.

Luce Scholarship

The Luce Scholarship program provides a stipend and an individually arranged job for one year to increase awareness of Asia among future leaders in American society.  Applicants must be U.S. citizens under 30 years of age a nd have demonstrated leadership in a chosen field.  

Applicants may NOT have a professed career interest in Asian affairs or have had significant exposure to Asia.  Otherwise all fields are welcome, including fine arts, environmental studies, public policy, engineering, architecture, veterinary medicine, agriculture, law, non-profit management, international relations, et al.

Cornell endorsement is required.  Campus Application Deadline:  October 5, 2017.  Campus contact:  BTF1@cornell.edu

Detailed information on the Luce is available at the Foundation's Website.

Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans

The fellowship supports up to two years of graduate study in any field at an institution in the U.S. "New Americans" - immigrants or children of immigrants - must be 30 or younger as of the application deadline and pursuing a graduate degree full-time in the U.S. in the academic year 2018-19.  

Applicants may apply to the fellowship at the same time that they are applying for graduate school, or after they are already enrolled in graduate school.  If an applicant was born abro ad as a non-U.S. citizen, they must have been naturalized, be a green card holder, be adopted, or be a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient.  If an applicant was born in the U.S., or was born abroad as a U.S. citizen, both parents must have been born abroad as non-U.S. citizens.  

Application deadline: November 1, 2017. More information is available at the Soros's Website.

Schwarzman Scholarship

 

The Schwarzman Scholarship supports a one-year master's degree at Tsinghua University in Beijing in one of three fields: public policy, international studies, or economics and business. Instruction will be in English. Applicants must have an excellent academic record and demonstrate leadership.  

 

Citizens of all countries are eligible.  Candidates must be under 29 years of age.  English proficiency test scores must be submitted if English is not the applicant's native language.  Applicants who hold passports from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao must apply via the China application system; this application deadline was May 31, 2017.  Applicants who hold passports from the US and all other countries must apply before September 28, 2017

 

NOTE:  Currently enrolled undergraduates need institutional endorsement from Cornell; alumni and graduate students do not need this endorsement.  Undergraduates must list Beth Fiori, Fellowship Coordinator, as their fourth recommender and submit their application to her (BTF1@cornell.edu) by September 14, 2017, in order to receive the institutional endorsement.  

 

More information can be found on the Schwarzman Scholarship Website.  

 

Career:
Three Postdoc Positions in Ronald Lab at UC Davis

Professor Pamela Ronald at the University of California, Davis has several post-doctoral positions available to work on plant innate immune signaling and root development.
 
The successful candidates must have a Ph.D., a strong record of accomplishment in plant or microbial genetics, molecular biology or protein biochemistry as well as the ability to design and conduct experiments independently; experience in supervising and training students; and excellent communication and writing skills.
 
There are abundant intellectual and training opportunities for postdoctoral fellows in the Ronald lab and at UC Davis in all aspects of agricultural science, modern genomics, proteomics, crystallography and bioinformatics. In addition to the facilities available in the UC Davis Department of Plant Pathology and at the UC Davis Genome Center, the postdoctoral fellow will have access to a wide range of facilities, resources and world-class expertize at the Joint Bioenergy Institute and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
 
The salary is commensurate with experience. Benefits are included. The position is available for 1 year, renewable annually.
 
Interested individuals should submit a letter of interest, a curriculum vitae and three letters of reference before August 1 to Shannon Albers.
 

Academic Job Search Series

Interested in learning more about the academic job search process, and the materials you will need to gather for an application? Come to our lunch workshops on Wednesdays to learn more through presentations and activities. All of the below sessions are held in B51 Warren Hall and are brown bag events - bring your lunch and we'll provide drinks and dessert. Co-spons ored by the  Office of Postdoctoral Studies  and  CU-CIRTL .

  • Wednesday, July 26 from 12 to 1:30 pm - RSVP
  • Presenter: Marvin Pritts (Professor of Horticulture)
  • Wednesday, August 2 from 12 to 1:30 pm - RSVP
  • Presenter: Kim Holloway (Sponsored Programs)
See more Academic Job Search Series workshops and events

Wellness:
Let's Talk Drop-In Consultation - Summer 2017 Hours

"Let's Talk" is a drop-in service that offers informal, no-commitment consultation with a Cornell Health counselor.  Let's Talk is FREE for Cornell students, offered first-come, first-served (no appointment necessary), and confidential.  Open to all graduate and professional students, you can speak with a counselor about concerns, get help problem-solving, and learn more about counseling services at Cornell Health and other resources available to you at Cornell.
 
Mondays (June 12th - August 7th):
  • 2:30-4:30 pm - Willard Straight Hall
  • Office of Student and Community Support, 211 Willard Straight Hall  (one floor down from the Ivy Room)
Thursdays (June 15th - August 10th):
  • 2:30-4:30 pm - Willard Straight Hall
  • Office of Student and Community Support, 211 Willard Straight Hall  (one floor down from the Ivy Room)
Around Campus:
Free Events - July 28-30

July 28-29 - Newfield Fair
July 28 - Jurassic Park screens in Stewart Park @ 8:00 pm.
July 29 - Bring your dog to the Dog Days of Summer



You have a free day this weekend and the weather looks great.  You hate crowds, and you're on a tight budget... so the state parks are not an option.  All you really need is peace and quiet, a place to launch a kayak, and a trail that's suitable for a city bike.  Where can you go?

Until a few weeks ago, it wasn't easy for Finger Lakes residents to find new places to paddle, cycle, or hike.  

But a new website, GoFingerLakes.org, changes the game.  Check the appropriate boxes and you'll learn about places like the 6,315-acre High Tor Wildlife Area at the south end of Canandaigua Lake, where you can paddle along the West River, ride on the Lehigh Valley Rail Trail, get lost in an expansive upland plateau, or wade up mysterious Clark Gully which, according to a Seneca Indian legend, contains a crevice from which their ancestors emerged to populate the earth. The website has everything you need - maps, campsite locations, trail descriptions, and gorgeous photos - and, like High Tor, it's free.  


Safe Swimming in Ithaca
Cornell International Fair 2017

Wednesday, August 30, 2017 at 11:30am 
to 2:00pm 
Uris Hall, First Floor Terrace

The Cornell International Fair showcases the many options for students to internationalize their Cornell experience. It invites undergraduate and graduate students to explore international and global study on campus and abroad. Students will be able to talk with faculty and staff about study abroad, exchanges, language study, international majors/minors, fellowships, internships, courses with international travel components, and service-learning.

Free Music

CFCU Summer Concert Series - Ithaca Commons - Free
Cornell Summer Events - Tuesday performances, Wednesday lectures, Friday concerts - Free
Lansing Summer Concert Series - Myers Point - Donation accepted

Cinema Under the Stars at Cornell

Cornell Cinema's "Cinema Under the Stars" summer series, now in its 18th year, features another great audience-selected line-up. The four films will be shown outdoors on the Willard Straight Terrace, all with a cash bar, complimentary snacks and a great view! Patrons are also welcome to bring picnic dinners. Doors will open at 8:15pm and films will start at 9:30pm, after dark. In the event of rain, screenings will be held in Willard Straight Theatre. 

Double Indemnity - July 26

Tickets are $13 general/$11 students & seniors and can be purchased in advance online at CornellCinemaTickets.com.

Do you have kudos to share with the Graduate School community?  Submit Kudos here

 


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