Monthly eNewsletter
April 2007
In This Issue
Everyday Excellence
Meet new GSA president, Brian Gatten
Featured Graduate School Resource
Writing and Publishing
Spotlight on Faculty
Meet Professor Andrea Gore
Out in the Real World
Prototype Space Probe Prepares to Explore Earth's Deepest Sinkhole
Tips and Tools for Success and Survival: DIIA
Getting a Life
The New Works Festival
Important Graduate Links
Graduate School Home Page
Graduate
Student Assembly
Dean of Students
Office
Libraries
DIIA
ITS
UHS
OSFS
.................................................
Suggestions
If you have opinions on other topics that you would like to see offered
in these newsletters, we would love to hear them. Please send ideas
to
emcketta@mail.utexas.edu or
kmabley@mail.utexas.edu
Key Graduate Dates and Events
More Dates and Events for Spring 2007
Planning to participate in the Graduate School Convocation this spring? Students
can find instructions for attending and registering online to attend at:
Doctoral
students
Master's
students
Dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| April 20 | Deadline to rent doctoral regalia at the Co-op |
| April 23 | Graduating doctoral students can begin making appointments to meet with the doctoral degree evaluator prior to the last class day to have their dissertation evaluated and submit their final paperwork. |
Workshops
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| April 2 | What's It Really Like Being an Assistant Professor |
| April 4 | Workshop for Graduating doctoral students, PHR 2.116, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. |
| April 12 | Informational Interviewing |
| April 18 | How to Find a Good Idea and Do Something With It |
| April 23 | How to Start and Run a Writing Group |
Events
Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation
Week |
Congratulations to these members of the UT graduate community:
Lucas Cieza (Astronomy), who is graduating in August, has received a Spitzer Fellowship for his post-doc work.
Brian C. Gatten (English) has been elected president of the Graduate Student Assembly (GSA). Bradley Carpenter was elected VP External and Travis Witherspoon VP Internal of the GSA.
Julie K. Milligan (Psychology) has been awarded the Department of Psychology's Janet T. Spence Teaching Award, an award to Graduate Students for Excellence as the Instructor of an undergraduate course.
Sarah K. Angulo and Russell E. Jackson received certificates of commendation for the Janet T. Spence Teaching Award
Vince C. Holmberg (Chemical Engineering) is the winner of the Hertz Fellowship for his work in nanotechnology.
MacuCLEAR, the technology commercialization team of graduate students from the MSSTC program at the IC2 Institute, won the Big XII New Venture Championship in Oklahoma City in March.
Dr. Francisco Gonzalez-Lima received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Puerto Rico Medical School, San Juan, P.R. Dr. Gonzalez-Lima is a Professor in the Departments of Psychology, Pharmacology & Toxicology, Institute for Neuroscience, and Center for Molecular and Cellular Toxicology.
Garry "Buster" Graybill (Studio Art), second-year sculpture student, was one of 40 students chosen from among 1685 applicants to attend Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture for the summer.
Tyler Summers (Aerospace Engineering) received a 2007 US Postgraduate Fulbright Scholarship to Australia. He was also designated the US Fulbright Alumni Scholar.
Message from the Dean
Dear Graduate Students,
As many of you are deep in your studies, research, and writing, you may not be aware that April 2-6 is National Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week. Sponsored by the National Association of Graduate and Professional Students, this week is intended to celebrate and raise awareness of the role of graduate and professional students within America's colleges and universities.
As a graduate student, you play an integral role at The University of Texas at Austin and make significant contributions to the university community. By supplying your time and talent, you advance our research programs, enhance the undergraduate experience, and improve our society. Graduate students are true partners in the enterprise of building knowledge. I want to take this opportunity to thank you for all that you do for the university.
The Graduate School is pleased to support the Graduate Student Assembly in its efforts to provide opportunities for graduate students to share their work, connect socially and enhance their professional skills throughout this week. Please visit http://www.utexas.edu/studentgov/gsa/index.php for all the details about the events of this week. We hope to see you at the Open House and Coffee Hour on Wednesday, April 4 from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. in the Graduate Student Lounge (MAI 101).
Warm Regards,
Victoria E. Rodríguez
Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies
Everyday Excellence
Excellence occurs every day in graduate education at UT Austin. Everyday Excellence highlights a UT graduate student and features his or her thoughts on various aspects of life and academia.
The Graduate Student Assembly (GSA) recently elected new officers for the coming year. The GSA is the official means of communication between graduate students and the administration of the University. Brian Gatten, a fourth-year grad student in the English PhD program, has been elected President of the GSA for 2007-2008. Read more….
Featured Graduate School Resource
Writing and Publishing. This resource offers useful information on many areas of the dissertation and publishing process, including format guidelines, links for style manuals, places to find writing help on campus and the required intellectual property tutorial.
Whether the dissertation is a remote possibility, a reality which is due
next week, or a finished product waiting for the next step, there is a good
chance this resource will prove useful:
http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/gradlife/academics/writing/
Spotlight on Faculty
Dr. Andrea Gore is a UT Austin Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology researching how the brain controls reproductive function. Her lab is staffed by talented and dedicated graduate students. Learn more about her work and her students.
Out in the Real World
Progress in Geosciences Undersea Exploration:
Technology used by UT researchers in the exploration of an over 1000-foot deep sinkhole in Mexico may lead to enhanced technology for exploring outer space. Two researchers from UT's Jackson School of Geosciences, doctoral student Marcus Gary and hydrogeology professor Jack Sharp, have discovered that the world's deepest known sinkhole, the 1000 foot deep Cenote Zacatón in Mexico, has qualities that are similar to the liquid oceans under Jupiter's moon Europa. To explore the sinkhole, Gary and Sharp are using a NASA-funded robot called DEPTHX, which is designed to look for life in the extremes of the ocean and, potentially, in outer space. This March, Gary and Sharp returned for a round of testing in Cenote Zacatón, and they plan to return in May for a full-scale exploration. For the full article: http://www.utexas.edu/opa/news/2007/03/jsg07.html.
Getting a Life
The New Works Festival, featuring dozens of new plays written and directed
by UT students and faculty, is held at UT every two years. This year
it will include 98 performances of 29 new works, as well as 11 theatre and
dance workshops hosted by guest artists. The work is fresh and multi-disciplinary,
and often plays debut at New Works and then go onto have stage lives in larger
theatres and other cities. (In 2003, "Nightswim," written by Michener
fellow Steve Moore, caught the attention of the artistic director of Austin's
celebrated State Theater Company and was performed there the following year.) The
New Works Festival begins on Tuesday, April 10 and lasts through Sunday,
April 15. All plays are free and open to the public.
http://www.coopnwf.org/
Tips and Tools for Success and Survival
Hone your teaching and classroom skills through The Division of Instructional
Innovation and Assessment (DIIA). The Graduate Student Instructor Program
offers free teaching and learning-oriented skill development opportunities
to all graduate students.
http://www.utexas.edu/academic/diia/gsi/
ASPECTS—Encourages growth in areas such
as developing lecturing skills or facilitating discussion.
Promising Practices—An online venue where
TAs and AIs share success strategies.
398T Workshops—DIIA professionals present
on a wide-range of subjects for 398T courses.
Individual Consultations—DIIA staff provide
support and tips on syllabus and activity design, effective classroom management,
and strategies to inspire.
Graduate Student Colloquium— Graduate student
peer-to-peer sessions to hone 21st century teaching and learning skills from
incubation to delivery. Call for proposals (http://www.utexas.edu/academic/diia/gsi/seminars/)
deadline June 15.