GradNews

September 2019

Welcome to GradNews!
In the Know: What's Happening on Campus
Resource Spotlight
Research Corner
Beyond the Degree
Engage & Lead
Cougar Pride: Student & Alumni Highlights

Welcome to GradNews!

Welcome to the September 2019 edition of GradNews!  This monthly newsletter will include key information and resources to support your success as a graduate student at SIUE.  Each month we will bring you news about upcoming events, campus resources, research funding, professional development, campus engagement, and graduate student success stories.  Watch for GradNews coming to your email inbox each month!

In the Know: What's Happening on Campus

Graduate Student Welcome Reception - Sept. 5th, 4:00pm-6:00pm
Join your peers and faculty for appetizers & a cash bar in the MUC Meridian Ballroom!  FREE drink ticket for the first 50 students!

Welcome Reception 2019

STEM Journal Club - Sept. 10th, Noon -1pm
STEM Journal Club is presented by Lovejoy Library and the STEM Center - students & faculty join together to discuss STEM journal articles & research.

Thesis Workshop - Sept. 25th, 2:30pm 
Mark your calendars to attend our fall 2019 Thesis Workshop being held on Wednesday, Sept. 25th at 2:30pm, for tips and tricks on formatting your thesis correctly.  RSVP here
Can't make the workshop?  Access the resources on the Graduate School Theses & Dissertations website as you begin the process.  You'll find an overview of the process, writing resources, formatting templates, and all relevant deadlines for each semester.

Graduating this December? 
Apply for graduation by the deadline of October 1st!  Find all of the information you need to know about applying for graduation on the Graduation Requirements website.

Resource Spotlight

Online Orientation for Graduate Assistants

Did you miss the in-person GA orientation sessions held in August?  There is an online option automatically available to all current GAs within Blackboard.  Login, find "GA Orientation" under your Organizations, and browse through the topics to ensure you have the information you need to start your GA position off on the right foot!

Workforce Recruitment Program for Students/Grads with Disabilities
Each year, SIUE participates in the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) to give students with disabilities the opportunity to apply for internships or permanent positions at federal agencies. If you are a current, full-time graduate student or have graduated within the past year, and are a U.S. citizen, you may be eligible.  Registration is open now until October 11th.  To learn more, contact the Career Development Center at 618-650-3708 to schedule a WRP appointment with Jamie Doss.

Research Corner

Research Grants for Graduate Students (RGGS)
Are you a master's level student seeking funding to support your research endeavors?  The fall application period for RGGS will open on October 1st, and the deadline to submit a proposal is November 1st.  Students may request up to $500 in funding, and must meet all eligiblility and proposal requirements.  Read all of the details about how to apply on the RGGS website.
Prepare to submit a successful proposal by attending the RGGS Workshop offered by Dr. Caroline Pryor on Thursday, October 3rd from 3:00pm-4:00pm in the Graduate School Conference Room (Rendleman Hall, Room 2215).  In this session Dr. Pryor will provide you with all of the info you need to submit a successful proposal.  You must RSVP for this session. 

Visualizing Research Impacts (VRI) Competition
The Graduate School is now seeking applications for the Visualizing Research Impacts (VRI) competition. The VRI is designed to encourage SIUE scholars to show the results and impacts of their research to the public through images.  The image can be a photo, drawing, painting, collage, etc.  Scholars can create the image themselves or collaborate with someone to create the image. Contest is open to SIUE faculty, staff, and students who are currently involved in a research project or creative activity at SIUE.
Prizes will be awarded for:  (1) Best Representation of Research Impact and (2) Most Creative Representation of Research Impact.  The first place winners will receive a $1,500 award to be used toward their scholarly activities at SIUE or professional development.
Entry process information can be found on the VRI website.   All entries must be submitted by the first business day of October.

Beyond the Degree

Time & Stress Management
It's not always easy to keep yourself on task, get it all done on time, and stay sane in the process.  The below quick reads provide concrete tips to manage your time and stress level!
Where do the Hours Go?  Graduate students and procrastination experts share their best time management tips.
5 Tips for Grad School Stress  Managing the demands of grad school in healthy, effective ways.

Engage & Lead

Fun On-Campus Volunteer Opportunity!
Do you remember all of the questions you had as you were beginning the application process for graduate school?  Now YOU have the chance to help answer some of those questions for new prospective graduate students during this year's Graduate School Open House.  We are looking for current students to volunteer for the "Ask a Grad" area where Open House visitors can stop by to chat with current students about their experiences as a graduate student.  The Open House will take place on Wednesday, October 16th.  You can volunteer for any of the one hour blocks of time between 11:00am-1:00pm and 4:30pm-6:30pm. 

Please complete our Volunteer Form to sign up to help at the "Ask a Grad" table today!

Interested in Being a Mentor to Local Youth?
Check out the Give 30 program, where mentors spend 30 minutes per week visiting with local adolescents who have been through a disciplinary process or are facing other struggles.  Learn more about the program by attending an informational meeting on Thursday, Sept. 5th at 4:00pm or Friday, Sept. 6th at 1:00pm at Lovejoy Library Friends' Corner on the main floor.

Cougar Pride: Student & Alumni Highlights

Meet Kaitlyn Stanton, graduate student in Biological Sciences

Whether she is teaching, conducting her own research, or serving others abroad, Kaitlyn Stanton is striving for excellence in all of her endeavors and making the most of her graduate education at SIUE.  

Kaitlyn, who completed her BS in Biological Sciences from SIUE in May 2018, immediately began pursuing her MS in the same field in the fall of 2018.  During her first year of her master's program, Kaitlyn maintained a 4.0 GPA while expanding her skill set as a Teaching Assistant for undergraduate Genetics coursework.  In that role she supervises all activities of the laboratory compenent of the course.  Kaitlyn's educational goals go beyond the completion of the master's degree that she will complete in May 2020, though.  "My career goal is to become a dentist," Kaitlyn explains, as she is currently applying to several dental schools. 

Her commitment to volunteer service and research align seamlessly with her pursuit of dental medicine, as she has completed two mission trips to Guatemala to provide free dental care to underserved children in the third world country.  She also has committed herself to research in the field, as she currently works with faculty mentor Dr. Barb McCracken in the School of Dental Medicine conducting research on a new zinc mouth rinse to treat patients with periodontal disease. Kaitlyn was awarded funding to support her research through the spring 2019 Research Grants for Graduate Students program offered by the Graduate School.

Kaitlyn Stanton

Know a deserving student or alum that we should highlight in Cougar Pride?  Contact us at graduateschool@siue.edu to let us know!