In This Issue...

Post-Orientation Programming: Professional Development Opportunities for New & Continuing Grads
Funding Update
Responsible Conduct of Research Training
Overcoming Roadblocks Workshop for Doctoral Students
Volunteer Opportunity: 99 Tartans Alumni Angels
Graduate Student Resources
Campus Partner Spotlight: Office of Disability Resources
Graduate Student Spotlights: Emerson Uhlig (College of Engineering) and Mukesh Bastola (Heinz College)

POST-ORIENTATION PROGRAMMING: OCTOBER

Post-Orientation Onboarding: For New & Returning Grad Students!

Both new and continuing graduate students are invited to explore a range of post-orientation programming throughout October. These sessions are designed to support your success in graduate studies, whether you're just beginning your program or continuing your academic journey. Attendance is not mandatory but encouraged, especially for sessions that align with your interests or goals. We hope you’ll join us for these opportunities! The full details, including information on how to register, are available on the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs website.

Highlights of the October schedule:

Building Your Online Scholarly Identity & Visibility

Monday, October 20, 12:00 - 1:30 p.m., Pake Room (CUC)

Presented by Nicky Agate, Ph.D, Associate Dean for Academic Engagement at the University Libraries, this 90‑minute session introduces audiences to essential tools for establishing a strategic, credible identity online. Participants audit current social profiles (ORCID, Google Scholar, LinkedIn); are introduced to Scholars at CMU, the institutional researcher portal; and learn to manage consistent branding across platforms. They will also explore how to share research via social media to reach public, policy, and interdisciplinary audiences. The session includes peer review and planning time to set participants up for success in mapping a personalized visibility strategy.

Workshop: Turning a Good Team into a High-Performance One

Tuesday, October 28, 12:00 - 12:45 p.m., Connan Room (CUC)

Much of graduate education involves group work—whether in research labs, class projects, or interdisciplinary collaborations–so it’s vital to learn skills for building trust, communicating effectively, and leveraging diverse strengths. This interactive workshop led by Maryia Rakach, a Certified Team Coach and Director of Graduate Programs in Biomedical Engineering, will equip you to lead projects in labs and classrooms, adapt to diverse working styles, and stand out as collaborative leaders who can deliver results in high-stakes environments.

FUNDING UPDATE

Fall Application Cycle Update & Future Opportunities

The Fall 2025 application cycle for Conference Funding, Professional Engagement Funding, and Scholarly Project Funding has closed. Conference and Professional Engagement applicants will be notified of the results soon. Scholarly Project proposals are currently being reviewed by an interdisciplinary review committee, and applicants will be notified of the results after Fall Break.

The next application cycle for Conference Funding and Professional Engagement Funding will be November 10 - 21, 2025. More information is available on our website.

NEWS & EVENTS

Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training Sessions

Are you supported by NIH funding? NIH requires 8 hours of primarily in-person RCR training for all graduate students and postdocs during each career stage. You can meet this requirement through CMU’s centrally hosted, interactive RCR workshops this fall.

Fall 2025 Sessions (attendance at both is required):

Day 1: Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 9:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m., Hunt Library
Day 2: Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 9:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m., Hunt Library

Questions? Contact Anne Doring at atalaric@andrew.cmu.edu

Doctoral Student Workshop: Overcoming Roadblocks & How to Get Unstuck

Are you feeling overwhelmed by endless to-do lists or stuck on a challenging part of your research? As a PhD student, managing your time effectively and staying motivated can make all the difference in achieving your goals. Whether you’re navigating writer’s block, struggling to meet deadlines, or just need a better plan, this session will equip you with tools to stay on track and move forward confidently in your PhD journey.

Tuesday, October 21, 6:00 p.m.

Click here to register and receive the location of the workshop

Seeking Volunteers: 99 Tartans Alumni Angels

99 Tartans Alumni Angels is CMU’s alumni angel investor syndicate that exclusively backs CMU startups. Operated by graduate-student volunteers, 99 Angels offers grad students hands-on experience in the investment and entrepreneurial ecosystem. 99 Angels is currently recruiting new student partners interested in venture capital (deal sourcing, diligence, investor relations, and operations).

Mark Your Calendars

Explore these calendars to stay up to date on upcoming and ongoing events on campus!

For a full list of student organizations and events of all kinds, be sure to explore TartanConnect, CMU's official campus engagement platform.

RESOURCES

Graduate Student Handbook Suite

All programs at Carnegie Mellon are required to provide handbooks to their students. The Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs is pleased to offer the Graduate Student Handbook Suite, which encompasses the following:

--Your program and/or college handbook (distributed by your department)

--The University-Wide Graduate Student Handbook

--The Word Student Handbook

Each of these handbooks provides important information about policies, procedures, expectations, and resources that are available to holistically support your graduate experience. Be sure to take some time to read through them and familiarize yourself with the content. They will be an important resource throughout your time at Carnegie Mellon.

Individual Development Plan (IDP) for Doctoral Students

Individual Development Plans (IDPs) are meant to promote academic, professional, and personal growth by formally documenting goals and facilitating dialogue, collaboration, and accountability between advisors and advisees. You can access the doctoral IDP template here.

Need More Resources?

Visit the website for the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs to learn more about career resources, family care resources, and more.

September Issue: The Graduate Student News

Miss the September issue? You can find it on our website!

CAMPUS PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

Office of Disability Resources

Location: Posner Hall Floor 1, Student Academic Success Center

Contact: access@andrew.cmu.edu, www.cmu.edu/disability-resources

Briefly describe what your office does.

Provide accommodations for students with physical, cognitive, emotional, chronic health, sensory, and other disabilities, to allow them to have equal access to their CMU education

What services and support do you offer to graduate students?

We meet individually with students to discuss their specific disability needs. Based on that, we collaboratively create an accommodation plan for the student and walk them through how to get their accommodations implemented for classes. Accommodations may be in areas such as testing/exam-taking, participating in class, taking notes, assignment completion, getting textbooks and other materials in an accessible format, and other needs.

Can you suggest some resources (within or beyond your office) that might be of interest to graduate students?

University Health Services (UHS), Counseling & Psychological Services (CaPS), other Student Academic Success Center resources such as Communication and Language Support and tutoring

Are you offering any upcoming events or programs of interest to graduate students?

We have open office hours for students to ask general questions about our office, how everything works, and next steps. These are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 2:00 to 3:00PM in Posner Rm. 278. Anyone can stop by, whether they're registered with our office or not.

Is there anything else graduate students should know about your office?

If you think you may have a disability and are encountering barriers to your educational experience, please get in touch with us or apply via our website. Even if you don't have documentation of your disability yet, we may be able to provide provisional accommodations for you while you're in the process of getting documentation, and we can help you form a plan for how to get evaluated/diagnosed.

GRADUATE STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Emerson Uhlig (he/him)

Program: PhD in Chemical Engineering

Click here to read the full Spotlight!

Mukesh Bastola (he/him)

Program: Master of Science in Public Policy & Management

Click here to read the full Spotlight!