October 2022 Newsletter for Graduate & Professional Students

Vice Provost for Education

Newsletter for Graduate & Professional Students

October 2022

 

Announcements from
Vice Provost for Education Karen Detlefsen, Ph.D.

We are now half way through the fall semester, and I hope that those of you who are new to Penn are settling in well. For students in Philadelphia, consider enjoying the cooler weather and beautiful fall colors in one of Philadelphia's many outdoor spaces and parks. For our online students living at a distance, and for other students who may be conducting research in various locations around the globe, I hope you are able to participate in your own local opportunities, including those that will allow you to unwind and take care of your well-being.

PhD and Research Masters Graduation Updates
The graduation application for Fall 2022 is now open for PhD and Research Master's students: apply here. Consult the PhD Graduation Checklist and Graduate Degrees webpage for more information. Important graduation dates and deadlines for the Fall 2022 term are available on the Graduation Calendar. Students in other programs should check with their schools for graduation information.

One-on-one Dissertation Formatting Support
Need help with your dissertation formatting? Have questions about the deposit process? PhD students can book a virtual appointment or stop by at our weekly, in-person drop-in hours at the Grad Center on Thursdays from 11am-1pm to get individual assistance with dissertation formatting, technical support in Word, or just to gain peace of mind.

Immunization Holds
Wellness at Penn has placed registration holds on students who have not met the University’s Immunization requirements. Non-compliant students received information through communication via secure message in their Wellness Portal. Students with questions should reach out to Immunization Compliance by responding to their secure messages in their Wellness Portal, by calling 215-746-4200, or by emailing wel-immun@pobox.upenn.edu.

Update Your Local Address
All students must update their local address in Path@Penn in order to facilitate services from Student Health and other University offices.

 

Upcoming Events and Activities  

Academically Based Community Service / Community-Engaged Scholarship Panel
Tuesday, October 18, 5:30-6:30 PM; Bodek Lounge, Houston Hall
Undergraduate and graduate students participating in ABCS and community-engaged scholarship will share their experiences and pose reflection questions to engage their fellow panelists and attendees in discussion. Come to learn about and reflect on community-engaged academics at Penn, including through the Provost’s Graduate Academic Engagement Fellowship at the Netter Center (PGAEF@NC), the Penn Graduate Community Engaged Mentorship Program (PGCERM), and Academically Based Community Service (ABCS) courses.

Fall Graduate Writers Rooms
Join the LGBT Center, Penn Women's Center, and Grad Center for weekly Graduate Writers Rooms. We provide dedicated space, time, and snacks to help you focus on your writing alongside other graduate students in a supportive setting. See all dates/times and register at gsc.upenn.edu/events

• First Wednesday of each Month, 4:00-7:00pm | LGBT Center, 3709 Spruce St
• Second Monday of each month, 9:00am-12:00pm | Grad Center #204
• Third Thursday of each month, 1:30-4:30pm | Penn Women's Center, 3643 Locust Walk
• Fourth Wednesday of each month, 9:00am-12:00pm | Grad Center #204

Monthly Graduate Academic Support Groups
Starting Tuesday, October 18, 11:30am-2pm
The Graduate Center, Weingarten Center, and campus centers are partnering to provide an affirming, supportive community for graduate students to make progress toward academic goals while pursuing their degrees at an historically white institution. Learn more and register at gsc.upenn.edu/events

Welcome (Back) Reception for Pan-Asian Graduate & Professional Students
Wednesday, October 19, 6-8pm; Bodek Lounge, Houston Hall
New and returning graduate and professional students are invited to join us for a welcome (back) reception to connect with fellow Pan-Asian and Asian American students and learn about student organizations and centers available to support you! Co-sponsored by PAAGSA, Rangoli, CSSAP, PAACH, and the Graduate Student Center. Learn more and register at gsc.upenn.edu/events

Ford Fellowship Information Session and Q&A with recipients
Thursday, October 20, 12:00-1:30PM; In-Person or Online – please register for details
Come learn about the Ford Fellowship program, prestigious national fellowships intended to support future faculty who will use diversity as a resource to enrich the education of all students. A brief presentation will be followed by moderated Q&A with current and former Ford Fellows, who will share their experiences applying for the Ford Fellowship, advice they for current applicants, and how receiving the fellowship has impacted their career thus far. Co-sponsored by the Graduate Center and Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships.

2022 Faculty Job Search Prep Camp
October 20-21, 2022; Online
Join us for this virtual Faculty Job Search Prep Camp to get a head start on planning your job search. We’ll help you understand how you can best prepare for each step of the process, from assessing your readiness to go on the faculty job market and crafting application materials to preparing for interviews and negotiating offers. Cosponsored by Career Services, CTL, and the Grad Center. Learn more and register at gsc.upenn.edu/events

Pop-Up Play: Weekly Activity Series at the Family Center!
Fridays at 11am; Family Center Lounge
At the Family Center, learning and play happen together! Organized weekly activities for parents to enjoy with their Pre-K & under children give us the opportunity to support social and emotional development with other families, which is critical as we transition from pandemic-related closures.

Halloween Play Date
Saturday, Oct 29, 1-3pm; Family Center Lounge
It's Fall Ya'll! Penn students with children are invited to partake in the American traditions behind Halloween as we learn from each other about the various ways we celebrate! Come embrace the light-hearted fun and spookiness through festive activities, featuring a costume show, then devour candy, snacks and more! Learn more and register at familycenter.upenn.edu/events

Diversity Lecture Series: "Traveling Black: A Story of Race and Resistance”
Wednesday, October 26, 12:00-1:00pm; Online
Dr. Mia Bay (SAS) will discuss transportation segregation, with an understanding that the civil rights movement is a struggle for Black mobility and the right to freedom of movement. Speaker: Mia Bay, Ph.D., School of Arts and Sciences: Roy F. and Jeannette P. Nichols Chair in American History 

Student Support Services Drop-ins at the Grad Center
Grad Center | Room 301
Stop by the Grad Center to meet with campus partners offering regular graduate-specific advising and consultation hours:

• Weingarten Writing Consultations | Mondays, 1:00-3:30 PM
• Financial Wellness Advising | Wednesdays, 10:00AM – 12:00PM
• Penn Violence Prevention Consultations | Wednesdays, 1:00-3:00 PM
• Dissertation Formatting Support | Thursdays, 11:00 AM-1:00 PM
• Let's Talk | Thursdays, 2:00-5:00 PM

Fall 2022 Language Chats
Join other Penn graduate & professional students for informal language practice and conversation. All participants should have at least a basic conversational proficiency in the language of the chat they attend. Language Chats will be held in-person throughout the fall semester. Learn more and complete an interest form at gsc.upenn.edu/graduate-life/chats

Learn how to get involved with community engagement at Penn!
Interested in engaging with the West Philadelphia community? The Netter Center for Community Partnerships has work-study, volunteer, fellowship, and course opportunities that connect you with West Philadelphia community partners and local, real-world problem solving. Click here to learn how to get involved.

See more upcoming events and activities:

• Grad Center Events Calendar
• Grad Center “Events Around Campus” Calendar
• University Life Calendar of Events
• GAPSA Events Calendar

 

Grad Students Making News

Three Penn PhD students have been selected as 2022 Microsoft Research PhD Fellows: Cheryl Hagan (History & Sociology of Science), Yiping Ma (Computer & Information Science), and Van Truong (Genomics & Computational Biology).

SEAS PhD candidate Devin Carrol is designing a robot out of sticks.

The American Association of University Women awarded Khalia Grady, a GSE master’s student, with a Career Development Grant, and Nadine Nashef, an MArch student in Weitzman, with an International Master’s Degree Fellowship.

Presidential PhD Fellow and Annenberg student Antoine Haywood won a 2022 Sachs Program for Arts Innovation Student Award for Telling Our Stories: A Philadelphia Community Media Oral History Project (working title), a public archive of first-person narratives told by Philadelphia-area Black, Indigenous, and People of Color media makers who engage in storytelling networks.

Lauren Overton, a doctoral candidate in GSE and principal of West Philly’s Penn Alexander School, describes how she and her team have adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ways they’ve strived to support students.

Christopher R. Rogers and Laronnda Thompson, both PhD candidates in GSE, are part of a group of preservationists called the Friends of the Henry O. Tanner House campaigning to save the famous artist’s home in North Philadelphia.

Visit the Penn Grad News page for more Penn Grad Students making news!

 

Tips for Success in Graduate & Professional School

The many benefits of joining student organizations and government as a graduate student

How peer review clinics can help grad students succeed on the job market

Why making an effort to correctly pronounce our colleagues’ and students’ names is so important

Advice for how Ph.D.s can best gain clarity, direction, and progress in their career paths

Advice for overcoming impostor syndrome at different stages of your academic career

 

Highlighted Opportunities

The University does not endorse the external opportunities listed here but is sharing for informational purposes. 

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
Deadline: October 17 - 21 (varies by field)
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) recognizes and supports promising students in NSF-supported STEM and social science disciplines who are pursuing research-based graduate degrees. For information about applying for the NSF GRFP at Penn, visit: www.curf.upenn.edu/content/nsf.

Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans
Deadline: October 27
Prestigious national fellowship provides up to two years of support for graduate study for new Americans - permanent residents or naturalized citizens if born abroad; otherwise children of naturalized citizen parents - in any field and in any advanced degree-granting program in the US. Learn more about the application process and access the schedule for upcoming information sessions on applying for the fellowship at www.pdsoros.org/apply/information-sessions.

National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowships
Deadline: October 31
1-3 year fellowship awarded to applicants who will pursue a doctoral degree in, or closely related to, an area of DoD interest within one of their fifteen prioritized disciplines in science and engineering. Fellows receive full tuition & fees, a monthly stipend, and up to $1000 for medical insurance

GAPSA-Provost Fellowship for Interdisciplinary Innovation 
Deadline: October 31
Internal grants of up to $6000 to support original, student-derived initiatives that integrate knowledge across diverse academic disciplines. The fellowship is also meant to help the project leader(s) develop, pursue and complete their proposed interdisciplinary initiatives.

American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) Fellowship 
Deadline: November 1
Fellowships (up to $23,000) and grants (up to $5,000) to individuals to pursue research, study or creative arts projects in one or more Scandinavian country for up to one year.

National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies Research Associateship Program (RAP) 
Deadline: November 1
Graduate and postdoctoral research opportunities in science and technology at sponsoring federal laboratories and affiliated institutions.

American Association of University Women (AAUW) Fellowships and Grants 
Deadline: November 1
Supports women scholars who are completing dissertations, planning research leave from accredited institutions, or preparing research for publication. Funds research in a variety of disciplines that helps to improve communities.

Provost’s Graduate Academic Engagement Fellowship at the Netter Center
Deadline: January 31, 2023
Internal fellowship opportunity for all PhD students across the University of Pennsylvania. Fellows are outstanding students whose scholarship significantly involves activities related to Academically Based Community Service (ABCS), including community-engaged scholarship, participatory action research, local problem-solving learning, service-learning, and learning by teaching in public schools. The second year of the fellowship includes full funding for the academic year (inclusive of stipend, tuition, general fee, clinical fee, and health insurance) and one summer stipend. The fellowship also includes $5,000 of research funding and additional support to attend and present at conferences. Sign up here to receive information about upcoming information sessions held throughout the fall.

To see additional fellowships and award opportunities, visit CURF Resources for Graduate Students and Grad Center Grants and Fellowships webpages. For general information about graduate funding and need-based aid, please visit the Graduate Funding and Finances section of the Graduate Resource Guide.   

About the Vice Provost for Education

The Vice Provost for Education oversees undergraduate and graduate education at Penn, developing and implementing policies that promote academic excellence, innovative teaching and learning, and interdisciplinary knowledge across the University. The Vice Provost chairs the Council of Graduate Deans, the Council of Professional Master’s Degree Deans, the Graduate Council of the Faculties, the Council of Undergraduate Deans, and the Faculty Advisory Council for Access and Academic Support Initiatives.