The CEILS and CIRTL@UCLA teams wish to honor the memory of an incredible woman, scientist, and equity champion, Samantha (Sammy) Theresa Mensah, who recently passed away. Samantha was a graduate student in the department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and was a Graduate Student Researcher with CEILS during part of her time at UCLA. Sammy contributed to our team in many ways, especially regarding development and assessment of our Becoming an Antiracist Educator workshops. We will always remember her for the way she lit up the room with both her personality and passion for equity and inclusion. In her free time, she enjoyed playing video games, playing banjo, and trapeze. Sammy was a unique and vibrant individual who accomplished many things during her life and we encourage all to read about her and the mark she left on the world here. She will be forever missed and we are holding her loved ones close in our hearts. If you or someone you know is struggling with feelings around grief and loss, please click here and review the list below for campus resources.

Campus resources for students:

1. CAPS: CAPS is available Monday through Friday 9am – 4pm for walk-in/triage appointments. If you are already receiving care at CAPS feel free to reach out to your CAPS clinician directly for support. 24/7 crisis support is always available by phone at 310-825-0768. https://counseling.ucla.edu/
2. RISE Center – Resilience In your Student Experience: https://risecenter.ucla.edu/
3. Campus resources for faculty and staff: https://chr.ucla.edu/employee-counseling

RSVP for the Teaching and Learning Winter Happy Hour here

We are excited to announce our first ever Teaching as Research Day held on April 26 from 12-5pm PST. TAR Day will include several events including a watch party luncheon for the CIRTL Network TAR Presentations from 12-1:30, a social, games, and conversation hour from 1:30-3, and a series of lightning talks followed by a poster session and happy hour reception from 3-5. You are welcome to come for some of the time or stay the whole day- whatever works with your schedule! RSVP here!

If you would like to present your TAR project, there are 3 possible ways you could do it (AND you can do all three if you want!)

• Sign up for the all-network presentations (12-1:30). You can learn more and sign up here.
• Present a poster at the CEILS Ed Talks Poster Session (4-5).  
• Present a lightning talk before the poster session (3-4). If you are presenting a poster, you also have the option to present a 5-10 minute talk before the session starts to garner interest in your project and invite folks to visit and engage with more questions. Ideally folks presenting a lightning talk will also present a poster, but if you are unable to make the poster session and still want to present to an audience at UCLA, you are welcome to give a lightning talk. Register to present a poster and/or lightning talk here.

Tuesday, March 14 Communicating to Learn: Incorporating Scientific Communication into STEM Courses

Register Here

Tuesdays, March 21 - April 11 

Be Your Own Driver: Imagining Post-PhD Career Versatility

Register Here

Thursdays, March 23 - April 13

How CIRTL has Impacted my Career: Hearing from CIRTL Alumni

Register Here

The Inclusive STEM Teaching Project, a NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education program, is hosting a six-week Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from March 6 - April 28, 2023 via edX. Join the community of nearly 8,000 faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and staff, and register for the online course this spring. By participating in this course, you will learn how to:

• Advance your awareness, self-efficacy, and ability to cultivate inclusive classroom environments;
• Support your development as a reflective, inclusive practitioner;
• Engage in reflection and discussion around topics of equity and inclusion across a variety of institutional contexts;
• Implement inclusive teaching methods in your classes which will remove common barriers and enhance learning in STEM for all students.

NOTE: This course counts towards CIRTL@UCLA Associate Level

Graduate Student Support Resources

To support your wellbeing, the Graduate Programs in Bioscience is launching a quarterly summary of key wellness and support resources. They hope you take advantage of these resources as needs arise during your time in graduate school. More Info

Additional recommended resources:

1. What I Wish My Instructor Knew: How Active Learning Influences the Classroom Experiences and Self-Advocacy of STEM Majors with ADHD and Specific Learning Disabilities
2. To What Extent Do Study Habits Relate to Performance
3. “No matter what your story is, there is a place for you in science”: Students’ Ability to Relate to Scientists Positively Shifts after Scientist Spotlight Assignments, Especially for First-Generation Students and Women

Campus-Wide Opportunities for Graduate Students and Postdocs

View the new webpage here

Career Development Workshops & Events for Postdoctoral Scholars and Graduate Students

• Career Conversation Series: Academic Q&A
• Career Conversation Series: Career Planning 101
• Resume + Cover Letter Workshop
• How to Prepare for Job Fairs & Networking Events: The Recruiter's Perspective
• Resume + Cover Letter Intensive (in-person)
• Meet the Employers: A Virtual Networking Event and Job Fair for STEM Graduate Students and Postdocs
• LinkedIn Workshop
• How to Find A Job or Internship
• What Can I Do with this Degree? Exploring Career Paths for STEM PhD and Postdoctoral Scholars
• Should I Postdoc? STEM Focus
• What Can I Do with this Degree? Exploring Career Paths (Humanities, Social Sciences, Arts, & Education)

Handshake: Access UCLA Professional Development Events, Internships, and Job Openings

Create an account to access all of the resources, job postings, & events.

To stay up-to-date and explore other opportunities from the Graduate Student Career Center, Graduate Writing Center, and Graduate Programs in Bioscience, visit their websites!

Professional Development Planning for Postdoctoral Scholars: How to Maximize Your UCLA Training 

Wednesday, March 15, 2023 | 9:00 - 10:30AM

BSRB 154 

Register here

Learn about a 3-step process to create your personalized professional development plan for your time at UCLA. This workshop is ideal for participants who are able to work on their plan during the workshop with the use of a laptop/computer and printed materials.



Facilitated by:

• Lynn Talton, Ph.D., Director of Biosciences Postdoctoral Affairs
• Francesca Gacho, Ph.D., Professional Development Coordinator, Division of Graduate Education

Co-sponsored by UCLA Bioscience Postdoctoral Affairs and UCLA Division of Graduate Education

Managing Up! Workshop for Postdocs and Grads

Thursday, March 16 from 2:00 - 3:30 PM

MRL 1-441 (MacDonald Research Laboratories)

REGISTER HERE

The relationship you build with your PI is important for your future career development, and postdocs benefit from shaping a mutually beneficial working relationship.

The Postdoctoral Association at UCLA wants to help you achieve your common goals with your supervisor, ensuring you make your voice heard and safeguarding your individual wellness.

Please join this interactive workshop taught by Dr. Daniel Wong, Assistant Dean for Graduate & Postdoctoral Success at UCLA. Pizza and refreshments will be available.

StEm PEER Academy

Apply Here

Are you an education professional engaged or driven to improve the preparation, participation, and contributions of those underrepresented in engineering? Would you like to join a community of like-minded professionals committed to and equipped with the resources to change the face of our national engineering landscape? The Engineering PLUS Alliance is training, empowering, resourcing, and supporting a national network of change agents. 

UCLA TA Training 

Program (TATP)

The TATP is dedicated to providing support to graduate student teaching assistants across campus. 

Check out the TATP Newsletter here

EPIC Program

The EPIC Program is dedicated to innovating and strengthening humanities pedagogy for both faculty and graduate students at UCLA. 

Check out the EPIC Website here

UCLA Graduate Certificate in Writing Pedagogy

This program addresses the need of graduate students for more specialized training in teaching. Learn more here

Looking for a job? 

For the most current job openings, please visit this link: Job Opportunities

Check Out the CEILS Curated Calendar of Events

Check out the CEILS calendar of events for a curated list of local and national workshops, webinars, and conferences! We update it regularly so check back often.

View the calendar here

Upcoming Events & Trainings

Live Trainings: 

Topics include:  

• Quickstart: Preparing to Teach in Bruin Learn 
• Set Up Your Bruin Learn Site with Migrated CCLE Content 
• End-of-Term Grading in Bruin Learn & MyUCLA 
• Build Your Bruin Learn Site from Scratch Using a Template 

Office Hours are also available for individuals to drop-in to discuss advanced topics or design considerations. 

Check out these resources to review at your own pace:

• Recorded Webinars
• Self-Paced Training

Reminders:

• 24/7 Help is available through live chat and via phone.
• Once logged in click on "Help" from the global navigation to view all of the instructional support resources and to connect to a live person.
• Bruin Learn Support Site

CIRTL LEVELS OF ENGAGEMENT AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

There are three levels of certification for the CIRTL program, each level has unique learning outcomes:

1. CIRTL Associate: recognizes the role of the CIRTL core ideas in effective teaching and learning
2. CIRTL Practitioner: addresses scholarly teaching using the CIRTL core ideas to demonstrably improve learning of students by completing a teaching-as-research (TAR) project
3. CIRTL Scholar: advances teaching and learning, and makes the results from TAR project public. 

Visit Our Website for More Information about the CIRTL@UCLA Certification Program!

Please feel free to share this newsletter! Subscribe Here

The Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) is a national network providing graduate students and postdoctoral scholars with online training on evidence based teaching and professional development. UCLA is a member of CIRTL giving you access to all CIRTL online programing across the network. 

To register for the National network please visit CIRTL.net. Visit our website cirtl.ceils.ucla.edu. If you have any questions, please contact our program coordinator at cirtl@ceils.ucla.edu.