January 5-11, 2015

1.  WEEKLY WALK-IN SERVICES IN THE GLC – updated 1/5

  • No walk-in services during winter break. Services will resume after Jan 20, 2015
  • GLC Café: 3:30-5:00 every Thursday, Reading Room – returns Jan 8, 2015

2. GLC CAFÉ 2015
Thursday, Jan 8, 3:30-5:00pm, GLC Reading Room
The first event of the year in the GLC: enjoy coffee, tea, and cookies in the company of your graduate student and Grad School colleagues. The GLC is still closed to the public, so enter through the Grad School entrance (facing Squires) or use your Hokie Passport to swipe in at the Otey Street or Bookstore side entrances.

3. NEW INTERDISCIPLINARY COURSE FOR SPRING 2015: WATER FOR HEALTH SEMINAR
GRAD 4514 Water for Health Seminar (1 cr; CRN 20121) is offered Spring 2015, as part of the Water INTERface IGEP and is open to any graduate students with interests in health, nutrition, environment, and water. Taught by Susan Duncan (FST) and Water INTERface faculty, the course will explore emerging nterdisciplinary issues related to the chemistry, biology, and engineering of drinking water; nutritional and aesthetic values of water and its role in controlling disease and promoting good health; methods of processing poor quality water to drinking water standards; subsequent changes in chemical, biological, nutritional, and palatability characteristics; implications for food preparation, processing, and safety and other consumer uses of water, and more.

4. SPRING ENROLLMENT IN AETNA HEALTH INSURANCE – 2nd posting
Spring open enrollment period for the university-sponsored plan by Aetna is Dec 19-Jan 31. Visit the Student Medical Insurance Office website at http://www.co.vt.edu/Risk/studenthealthinsr/ for instructions on enrollment, plan details and more. If you have questions, please contact SMI at 231-6226.

5. GSA RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM ABSTRACT SUBMISSION RE-OPEN JAN 26-Feb 6
The 31st Annual Graduate Student Assembly (GSA) Research Symposium will take place on Mar 25, 2015 in the Graduate Life Center. Graduate and advanced undergraduate students are invited to submit an abstract for this event between 12:01am Jan 26 and 11:59pm Feb 6. Visit the Research Symposium website at http://blogs.lt.vt.edu/graduatestudentassembly/graduate-research-symposium/ for details and to submit an abstract. Read all information and see resources available for tailoring your abstract to this event in order to communicate your research to a broad audience (Resources for Communicating Research). If you submitted in the fall and did not receive a confirmation email that your abstract was accepted or rejected, please contact us. Contact the Research Symposium Chairs (Alex Hyler and Joyce Zhu) at atgsa.syposium.2015@gmail.com with any questions.

6. REGISTRATION OPEN FOR PAYROLL DEDUCTION OF COMP FEES FOR GRAD ASSISTANTS – 2nd  posting
The registration system for paying comprehensive fees through payroll deduction for spring 2015 is now open.  Graduate students on an assistantship must either pay their comprehensive fees or enroll for payroll deductions by the payment deadline set by the Bursar’s Office.  To enroll in payroll deductions, login to Hokie SPA, choose University Account Information menu, and click on Graduate Students on Assistantship, enroll in Payroll Deduction. You must enroll in payroll deduction each semester in which you wish to take advantage of this opportunity. 

7. CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR GRADUATE STUDENT REP TO BOARD OF VISITORS – 2nd posting
Applications for Graduate Student Representative to the VT Board of Visitors are accepted until Feb 13, 2015. All currently enrolled graduate students in good standing are encouraged to consider this great leadership and service opportunity to represent graduate students’ voices, needs and interest on the VT Board of Visitors. Learn more at http://www.dsa.vt.edu/BOV/apply.php.

8. CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR EXCELLENCE IN GRADUATE ACADEMIC ADVISING – deadline Jan 9
Virginia Tech sponsors three Exemplary Academic Advising awards annually in an effort to recognize the outstanding efforts of faculty and the role they play in retaining students and developing an advising partnership. More information is available at http://www.advising.vt.edu/index.php/advising-awards . At this time the nomination form is the only item being accepted. After the deadline, the nominee’s department head will be notified in order to solicit their support in submitting a complete dossier to be reviewed by the selection committee. For the Alumni Award for Excellence in Graduate Academic Advising, the nominee must be a full-time faculty member and must hold the rank of professor, associate professor, assistant professor or instructor. The Advising Award committee reviews nominations made by students, alumni, faculty, departments, or self-nominations, and selects a recipient. Send any questions regarding the nomination submission process to advising@vt.edu.

9. CALL FOR ABSTRACTS FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH DAY POSTER SESSION – 3rd posting
The Interdisciplinary Research Honor Society (IDR) invites you to submit an abstract for the poster session during the Annual Interdisciplinary Research Day, to be held at The Inn at Virginia Tech on Feb, 26, 2015. Abstracts showing an integration of interdisciplinary research are welcome in all categories. If your research integrates work from different disciplines, consider sharing your work. Submission deadline is Jan 30, 2015. Instructions and submission form are at: https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1386293281414. Contact Rachael Kennedy (kennedy3@vt.edu) or Souvick Chatterjee (souvick8@vt.edu) with questions.

10. NOMINATIONS FOR GRADUATE STUDENT AWARDS NOW OPEN – deadline Feb 6
A number of prestigious awards are granted to graduate students each year, carrying a monetary prize ($200-$1000 each) and award certificate. Discuss the possibility of your nomination by your advisor/department for any of the following awards that will be given out during the Graduate School’s annual awards banquet on March 26, 2015:

  • Outstanding Dissertation in (1) math, sciences and engineering, and (1) in social sciences, business and humanities
  • Preston Society Master’s Thesis Award
  • Graduate Student Teaching Excellence (1) for GTA instructor of record (1) GTA instructor assistant
  • Graduate Student Service Excellence
  • Graduate Student of the Year (up to three awards given)
  • Outstanding master’s and doctoral student in each college and in interdisciplinary programs.

More information about criteria, forms, and process for nomination are at: http://graduateschool.vt.edu/academics/awards/2014_2015.

11. GSA SEEKS TRAVEL FUND PROGRAM VICE CHAIR – 2nd posting
The Graduate Student Assembly is seeking a vice chair for the Travel Fund Program for the spring 2015 semester who will co-manage the program with the current chair. The TFP is a small grants program which partially reimburses eligible graduate students’ travel when presenting their research at conferences. The vice chair will receive a small stipend and excellent experience for their CV! The ideal candidate will be strongly interested in serving as the program chair in the 2015-2016 academic year. Previous program management/GSA involvement preferred, but not required. More information about the program: http://blogs.lt.vt.edu/graduatestudentassembly/travel-fund-program/. If you are interested, e-mail a short letter of interest and your vita to kasey@vt.edu by Fri, Jan 23 2015 5pm.

12. PARTICIPANTS SOUGHT STUDY ON CONSUMER SOCIALIZATION METHODS THAT PARENTS USE – 2nd posting
Participants are needed for a study on the ways in which parents socialize their child(ren) into consumer roles. Parents will discuss the ways in which they teach and train their children about spending and saving money, shopping, and the value of money. The study consists of a single interview that will take approximately one hour or less. To be eligible, participants must be a currently-married mother of a child aged 11-15 with whom they reside for at least half of each month. Participants will receive a $20 gift card in appreciation of their participation. If interested, contact George Batten at gpb2c@vt.edu for further details.

13. PARTICIPANTS SOUGHT FOR RESEARCH PROJECT ON WORK AND FAMILY IN FAMILY BUSINESSES – 3rd posting
Researchers in the VT Department of Human Development are conducting a study to investigate work and family in family businesses. They are looking for individuals who are (1) age 18 and older, (2) in a romantically involved, committed relationship for at least 1 year, and (3) both members of the relationship are involved in a family business. Participation would include a one-time survey that asks demographic information and completion of seven daily diaries that take about 30 minutes to complete. Participants are compensated $20.00 each for their time. If you are eligible and interested, contact the Co-Principal Investigator: Andrea Swenson at  aswenson@vt.edu. This study is approved by the Virginia Tech Institutional Review Board.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

MLK-DAY DIALOGUE IN THE GLC
Monday, Jan 19, 10:00am-2:00pm, Graduate Life Center
The Graduate Life Center will celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by opening its doors for dialogue about the needs of graduate students. From 10am-1pm coffee and tea will be available in the GLC lobby for informal discussion facilitated by Inclusion Coordinator Dannette Beane. From 11-12:30pm student leaders will facilitate discussion around what underrepresented students need and action plans to increase the diversity and inclusion efforts for graduate students. Rooms and topics TBA. From 12:30-1pm lunch will be available in the MPR. Please RSVP at https://virginiatech.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_e3OrEfQXntQYqwt. At 1pm, Dean DePauw will facilitate a discussion around the needs discussed during the morning sessions and share the Graduate School’s new initiatives. Students are also encouraged to stop in the GLC all month to write suggestions and comments on paper provided in the hallway by ABP about how to make the space and the graduate-school experience more inclusive.

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