2012-2013
GWISE Winter Book Club–Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
Date and Time: Tuesday, Jan. 28, noon
Location: 44 Cummington St., Room 401
In this “artful, informative, and delightful” (William H. McNeill, New York Review of Books) book, Jared Diamond convincingly argues that geographical and environmental factors shaped the modern world. Societies that had had a head start in food production advanced beyond the hunter-gatherer stage, and then developed religion –as well as nasty germs and potent weapons of war –and adventured on sea and land to conquer and decimate preliterate cultures. A major advance in our understanding of human societies, Guns, Germs, and Steel chronicles the way that the modern world came to be and stunningly dismantles racially based theories of human history. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science, the Rhone-Poulenc Prize, and the Commonwealth club of California’s Gold Medal.
GWISE Trivia Night!
Date and Time: Thursday, Jan 23rd, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Location: LSEB 103
Please RSVP by January 13th
Welcome back! Time to kick start your brain for the new semester, and GWISE knows just how to do it. Join us for a night of grad-student style team trivia. If you’re new to BU this spring, Trivia Night is a perfect opportunity to get to know some friendly faces! Come with a prospective team or as an individual, final teams will be assembled at the start of the event. We will have food and drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and an utterly fantastic mystery prize for the winning team. Hope to see you there!
Girl Science Club at the West End House
Date and time: Tuesdays, from 5:30-6:30 pm
Location: West End House Boys and Girls Club
Tuesday October 8th is our first session of the season!
Share your love for science with elementary school girls! Volunteer as a science club mentor and inspire 3rd-5th grade girls by illustrating basic scientific concepts with fun activities that will focus on a variety of topics, ranging from biology to mechanics and electronics! The club will take place weekly, but the mentor’s commitment is flexible. You can volunteer for one session or as many as you’d like!
Contact Gracia at gracia@bu.edu for more details.
GWISE CV workshop
When: Nov 19th, 6:30-7:30 pm
Where: LSEB 103 (24 Cummington Mall)
Want to know when you should use a CV, instead of a resume? Do you want to make your CV stand out? Want to know what the proper guidelines for making a CV? Join us during our one-hour CV workshop and let’s figure it out! GWISE is bringing professional career counselors from BU Center of Career Development to give us important tips on CV writing. Drinks and light dinner will be provided!
GWISE Restaurant Social at The Vault
Date and Time: Thursday, November 21, 6-8 pm
Location: The Vault, 105 Water St., Boston MA
It’s about time we got away from campus and explored this vibrant city! Come take a break from lab and class, enjoy some appetizers and drinks on GWISE, and mingle with your fellow graduate students! The Vault is a modern Boston bar & restaurant located just a short walk from the Government Center T stop. We hope to see you all there!
Annual Fall Luncheon Featuring Meg Urry
Date and Time: Thursday, October 17, 12:00-1:30pm
Location: 901 Photonics, Colloquium Room
This year, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Meg Urry as our luncheon speaker. Dr. Urry has been a vocal spokesperson for increasing the number of women in the sciences. We are excited to have her share some of her thoughts with us. After the talk, we will adjourn to dessert and discussion. This round-table luncheon is an opportunity for all of our members to enjoy lunch, network, hear from community leaders, discuss issues related to women in science, and provide feedback to how GWISE can better serve the community. We would love to see you there!
Meg Urry is Chair of the Physics Department at Yale, as well as Israel Munson Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Director of the Yale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics. She currently serves as President-Elect of the American Astronomical Society. Professor Urry received her Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University in 1984 and her B.S. in Physics and Mathematics summa cum laude from Tufts University in 1977. Her scientific research focuses on active galaxies, which host accreting supermassive black holes in their centers. She has published over 200 refereed research articles on supermassive black holes and galaxies and is a Thomson Reuters “Highly Cited Author.” Prof. Urry is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Physical Society and American Women in Science, and received an honorary doctorate from Tufts University, and was awarded the American Astronomical Society’s Annie Jump Cannon and George van Biesbroeck prizes. Prior to moving to Yale in 2001, Prof. Urry was a senior scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which runs the Hubble Space Telescope for NASA. Professor Urry is also known for her efforts to increase the number of women in the physical sciences, for which she won the 2010 Women in Space Science Award from the Adler Planetarium.
How to Find and Win a Fellowship
Date and Time: Thursday, Sept. 19th, 6-8pm
Location: LSEB B01 (24 Cummington Mall)
Looking for funding? Join us on Sept. 19th at 6:00pm in LSE B01! GWISE is bringing together previous winners of major fellowships, along with professors who have experience reviewing fellowship applications. Together, they will give you their tips on how to put together a competitive application. We’ll cover what types of fellowships are available, how to decide which ones you should apply for, and how to maximize your chances of actually winning one! You are also welcome to stay for the after-panel discussion (7-8 pm). Snacks and drinks will be provided during the discussion!
RSVP here!
Monthly Peer Editing
Date and Time: Thursday, Sept. 26th, 6-8pm
Location: LSEB 103
Looking to have someone read through your paper? Finished a proposal that would appreciate a new set of eyes to look through? Interested in receiving some constructive criticism on your work? Struggling to finish off homeworks for your classes because English is not your first language? Bring them all on the 26th and critique each other’s work while munching on some snacks.
GWISE October Book Club – You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation by Deborah Tennan
Date and Time: Tuesday, October 8th at 12pm
Location: TBD
Women and men live in different worlds…made of different words.
Spending nearly four years on the New York Times bestseller list, You Just Don’t Understand is the book that brought gender differences in ways of speaking to the forefront of public awareness. With a rare combination of scientific insight and delightful, humorous writing, Tannen shows why women and men can walk away from the same conversation with completely different impressions of what was said. Studded with lively and entertaining examples of real conversations, this book gives you the tools to understand what went wrong — and to find a common language in which to strengthen relationships at work and at home.
*GWISE has several copies of the book to loan. Please contact Junzi at junzid@bu.edu to borrow one.
GWISE First Year Welcome: Surviving Graduate School Panel & Welcome Reception
Panel Discussion: Sept. 4th, 5:30 – 6:30pm, LSEB B01 (1st years)
Welcome Reception: Sept. 4th, 6:30 – 7:30pm, LSEB 103 (Everyone)
We all remember our first year of grad school and how overwhelming things could be. The GWISE First Year Welcome is an opportunity for first-years to ask an experienced panel of graduate students questions they may not answer in orientation. This is also an opportunity for the GWISE community to reach out and welcome the incoming class! Get to know your future colleagues and students. This event is open to all graduate students, postdocs, faculty and staff! Swing by for lots of food and drink!
GWISE Accountability Groups
Application Deadline: Sept. 6th (11:59pm)
Kick-Off Event: Sept. 12th, 7:00pm, LSEB 103
Trying to write a paper? Thinking about applying for a fellowship? Stressing out about qualifying exams? Join an accountability group to help keep you on track! GWISE will be starting goal oriented mentoring groups based on year, interests and career goals. Applications are due by Sept. 6th, and groups will begin with a kickoff event on Thursday, Sept. 12th at 7:00pm in the LSEB 103.
Tea & Talk with Associate Provost for Graduate Affairs, Tim Barbari
Date and Time: Tuesday August 27th, 2pm – 3pm
Location: One Silber Way, 9th Floor, Room 938
Take a break from research and join GWISE for tea/coffee, refreshments, and casual conversation with Dr. Tim Barbari. Take this opportunity to meet the recently appointed Associate Provost and discuss graduate affairs in a casual setting.
“Timothy Alan Barbari is Associate Provost for Graduate Affairs in the Office of the Provost. He provides leadership for the University’s graduate education initiatives, working closely with the Provost and the Deans to articulate an institutional voice and promote continued excellence in graduate education. Central to these efforts are supporting interdisciplinary and co-curricular education and research, working to increase interdisciplinary and professional development opportunities for BU’s 13,000 graduate students, and nurturing new collaborations between the Charles River campus and Medical Center campus graduate programs” ‒ BU Office of the Provost Website
GWISE Movie Night
Date and Time: Wednesday August 28th, 6:15pm
Location: LSEB B01
You’ve worked hard, now take a break! GWISE will be watching “PHD: The Movie” an independent film based on the famous comic “Piled Higher and Deeper.” Grab your lab mates and have a laugh!
GWISE Spring Keynote Event with Guest Speaker Connie Chow
“Be WISE and Do Good: Claiming a seat at the table via Science, Technology, and Engineering”
Day and Time: Thursday April 11, 5:30-7pm
Location: Photonics 206 (8 St. Mary’s St)
Dr. Connie Chow, first Executive Director of the Science Club for Girls, and co-founder of the Boston Area Girls STEM Collaborative, will be our guest speaker for this event. During her talk, Dr. Chow will share with us her experiences and insights on using a background in the STEM disciplines to make a real difference in the community and in the world. The talk will be followed by a reception where we will have the opportunity to discuss Dr. Chow’s insights and network with each other in a relaxed and informal atmosphere! Refreshments will be served.
GWISE at the Cambridge Science Festival
Date and Time: Saturday, April 13, 12:00 – 4:00pm
Location: Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge
Join GWISE at the Science Carnival as we explore the science behind strange liquids with this hands-on experience. We will be making our own quicksand, and we’ll explore the effects of vibration on non-Newtonian fluids.
Volunteers are needed. If you are interested contact Gracia at gracia@bu.edu
GWISE Tea and Talk: How Would You Describe it to Your Grandma?
Marjorie M. Montemayor-Quellenberg
Senior Research Communications Specialist, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Unless your grandmother is a scientist, she may not understand exactly what you do for a living. Join GWISE for a presentation by Marjorie M. Montemayor-Quellenberg on communicating scientific work to non-scientists. Montemayor-Quellenberg will go over basic tips on how to describe science to a lay audience. The presentation will be followed by an open discussion. Also, members from the audience will have the opportunity to explain their work and have their explanation critiqued by their fellow audience members based on tips they learned from the presentation.
Biography
Marjorie M. Montemayor-Quellenberg is a senior research communications specialist in the Department of Communication and Public Affairs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston. Prior to working in public affairs, Montemayor-Quellenberg worked in publishing and clinical trials. She has a bachelor of science degree in general biology from the University of California, San Diego and a master of arts degree in health communications from Emerson College, Boston.
Hope to you see you there!!
GWISE Sponsoring Students at AWIS and Cambridge Science Festival Alternative Careers Networking Event
Date and Time: Tuesday, April 16, 6:00-8:30 pm
Location: 43 Vassar St, Cambridge, MA 02139 (MIT building 46), 3rd Floor Atrium
GWISE Sponsorship: GWISE will cover the registration fees for up to 20 students. You will pay registration fees and be reimbursed if you attend the event. Please apply below for sponsorship and you will receive more information on how to register for the event.
This event is for men and women within the scientific community (from undergrads to early career levels) who are interested in exploring diverse career options within science. Participants will have the opportunity to interact with 10-15 experienced individuals who will give insight into their chosen professions. The event will be held in a speed-networking fashion with participants switching tables every 15 minutes for a total of 5 sessions. Please note this is a networking event and not a
career fair.
Career areas: Consulting, Patent Law, Research & Development, Technology
Transfer, Publishing/Medical Writing, Academia, Business Development,
Competitive Intelligence, Technical Support Specialist, Teaching, Medical Science
Liaison, Human Resources.
Career Workshop Series: How to Find a Position in Tough Times
Date and Time: Tuesdays at 12:30pm,
March 5, March 26 and April 9
Location: ERB 203
Lunch will be served
Please feel welcome to attend as many of the workshops as you can!
Through a series of exercises and discussion, attendees will move through the creation of a value proposition, learn how to communicate their career story and understand how to develop a marketing plan. Additionally, there will be an introduction on how to develop networks and a deeper look at the process of informational interviewing and interviewing for a position.
Attendees will also acquire networking skills and gain an understanding of how to approach the market to obtain their next position.
Utilizing the techniques of active discussion, role playing, critique of personal materials and practice sessions, participants will have a set of personally-tailored tools to ensure success. These tools are immediately useful in the career development process and can be utilized today and in the future – wherever participants happen to be in their career.