Rutgers OPA
Weekly Newsletter | December 14, 2017
Things you should know...
Dear Rutgers Postdoc community,
This newsletter includes upcoming events and general announcements. Scroll down for more information.
Check also our website for a collection of previous OPA weekly newsletter.
We Are Taking a Holiday Break
Dear Rutgers' Postdoc Community,
Next Friday, December 22 is the last day that the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs will remain open to serve you. The office will be closed during the winter break, starting December 25 until January 1.
We will be back providing our services and resources on January 2, 2018.
Happy Holidays!
The OPA Team
Rutgers Postdoctoral Association Events
Save the date | Postdoc Research Symposium: Prepare for your next career step! | April 13, 2018
Our next Research Symposium will be held on Friday, April 13.
Location:
Great Hall and Main Auditorium
RWJMS Research Tower (Busch Campus)
675 Hoes Lane West, Piscataway, NJ 08854
The theme is: Prepare for your next career step!
We'll be looking for volunteers to help make this event a success; announcements on our Facebook page and website will follow.
Rutgers iJOBS Events
Introducing… 2Actify, iJOBS New Partner for Career Preparation | Save the date: January 18, 2018
Don’t miss this unique and interactive presentation and workshop with our new Rutgers iJOBS partner, 2Actify! We’ll have a photographer taking your professional profile picture and you’ll learn unique techniques for Creating a Magnetic Online Profile.
As part of the Rutgers iJOBS mission to provide innovative career preparation and advancement skills for working in the professional environment, we piloted and evaluated 2Actify and they delivered a very effective program on: Strategic Online Networking to Propel your Career.
Watch this VIDEO to hear from those that have experienced 2Actify.
Why you should attend: 2Actify is a program that teaches a unique step-by-step system for expanding your network of professionals to build career opportunities and referrals. Online training videos and live interaction provides motivated career-seekers innovative concepts and techniques to:
- Land a rewarding position;
- Create future career opportunities; and
- Master online communication and “soft” skills
Begin Networking Early: Even if graduation is a few years off, or you plan on taking a break, learn how to build a solid network and strengthen relationships for your future career search. Learn more at the event…
Thursday, January 18, 2018
We’ve included plenty of time for your questions within the agenda!
Location: Medical Science Building Room 552, 185 South Orange Ave, New Jersey Medical School, Newark
2:30 Professional Profile Photos Taken followed by Networking
4:30 Presentation: How 2Actify Impacts Your Career Search (Penny Pearl, Founder)
5:15 Workshop-How to Build a Magnetic Online Profile (bring your laptop)
6:30 Event Concludes
Register Early at Eventbrite beginning 12/21/17.
Seating will be limited.
Career Development Events & Opportunities at Newark
Alumnus story: A career in drug safety at Pfizer
On behalf of Dr. Doreen Badheka:
Invited speaker: Erika Cortizo, MS, MBA (https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikacortizo/)
Erika has extensive experience working in various branches of drug safety at Pfizer. She will share her current work experience and how the MS and MBA degrees helped her plan her future.
Location:
Room C686, Medical Science Building, MSB, Newark, NJ
Tuesday, Dec 19, 2017, 06:00 PM
185 South Orange Avenue, Newark, NJ, United States
Regular OPA Events
Welcome & Information Session
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs offers Welcome and Information Sessions to help orient new and current postdocs. If you are a postdoc who is new to Rutgers, or just curious about the resources that are available to you, we strongly encourage you to register for an upcoming one-hour session.
Next session will be on November 29th. Please register as space is limited.
Time: 9–10 a.m. or 11 a.m.–noon
Where: Office of Postdoctoral Affairs with Dr. Itzamarie Chevere-Torres located at Busch Campus, Nelson Biology Laboratories, Room D354. Registration is required.
For more information about sessions at Newark, contact Dr. Doreen Badheka badhekdk@gsbs.rutgers.edu on Newark Campus: Medical Science Building, Room H645.
Friday, Dec 22, 2017, 09:00 AM
604 Allison Road, Piscataway Township, NJ, United States
Drop-in Coffee Hour
If you are a postdoc interested in learning more about how to make the most of your time at Rutgers, prepare for life after Rutgers, or just want to share some coffee or tea in a safe space, come by and visit.
Location:
Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, Nelson Biology Laboratories, Room D354.
Registration is not required.
Friday, Jan 12, 2018, 02:00 PM
604 Allison Road, Piscataway Township, NJ, United States
Individual Career Advising Sessions
If you're a postdoc looking for perspective on how to navigate your career path or career transition, contact Itzamarie Chevere-Torres to schedule an appointment.
For Newark postdocs, contact Doreen Badheka to schedule an appointment. Individual career counseling sessions for Newark postdocs will be at the Medical Science Building, Room H645.
Fellowship Advising Sessions for Postdocs
Do you want additional feedback or guidance on your grant or fellowship proposal? Do you want to learn about grants and fellowships to support your postdoctoral training at Rutgers?
Schedule an appointment with Ben Arenger, Senior Fellowship Adviser, for an individual fellowship advising session.
Ben is available every Tuesday at our office by appointment only.
Would you like to be our featured postdoc of the month?
Rutgers is proud to be home to a vibrant and growing community of over 600 postdocs! Would you like to highlight your research or your career goals on our website?
Contact us opa@oq.rutgers.edu
Is your faculty mentor exceptional?
Do you have a faculty mentor who has made a real difference in your life? We'd love to hear from you. Contact us opa@oq.rutgers.edu
Apply to Serve as Co-Chair of the NPA Advocacy Committee
The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) is currently seeking two, dedicated individuals to serve as co-chairs for the Advocacy Committee. The deadline to submit applications is tomorrow, December 15, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Service on the Advocacy Committee is a great way to learn about the policies that affect postdoctoral scholars on an institutional and federal level, to have a direct impact on NPA’s advocacy efforts, and to network with others with similar interests at institutions and organizations across the country. To read details of the position and for information on applying, visit this page.
NINDS Landis Award for Outstanding Mentorship
As researchers, we often acknowledge the important role that our mentors have in guiding us, but mentorship achievements are rarely incentivized in tangible ways. As a result, the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) at the NIH has announced the NINDS Landis Award for Outstanding Mentorship, named in honor of former NINDS Director Dr. Story Landis, for her exceptional influence on scientific research and mentorship. The inaugural set of nominations are due this Friday, December 15, 2017.
The Landis Award provides $100,000 to support selected investigators’ efforts to foster the career advancement of trainees. Nominations will only be accepted from a nominee’s current or former mentees. This year, we seek nominations for faculty mentors who are 5-12 years into their first tenure-track or equivalent position. The nomination process is quick and straightforward - please consider nominating an outstanding mentor by completing this form no later than Friday, December 15, 2017.
Spring Data Science Fellowship Opportunity
Program: The Data Incubator is an intensive 8 week fellowship that prepares masters students, PhDs, and postdocs in STEM and social science fields seeking industry careers as data scientists. The program is free for Fellows and supported by sponsorships from hundreds of employers across multiple industries. In response to the overwhelming interest in our earlier sessions, we will be holding another fellowship.
Who Should Apply: Anyone who has already obtained a masters or PhD degree or who is within one year of graduating with a masters or PhD is welcome to apply. Applications from international students are welcome. Everyone else is encouraged to sign-up for a future session.
Locations: In addition to the below in-person locations, we will have a remote online session:
- New York City
- San Francisco Bay Area
- Seattle
- Boston
- Washington, DC.
Dates: All sections will be from 2018-03-26 to 2018-05-18.
Application Link: https://www.thedataincubator.com/fellowship.html#apply?ref=wY3RvcnJlc0BkbHMucnV0Z2Vycy5lZHU=
Data Science in 30 minutes: Learn how to build a data-science project in our upcoming free Data Science in 30-minutes webcast. Signup soon as space is limited.
Learn More: You can learn about our fellows at The New York Times, LinkedIn, Amazon, Capital One, or Palantir. To read about our latest fellow alumni, check out our blog. To learn more about The Data Incubator, check us out on Venture Beat, The Next Web, or Harvard Business Review.
Sincerely,
Michael
Postdoc, Cornell
Reading Material
Great mentoring is key for the next generation of scientists
*Article published on Nature
"Calling all researchers: what type of mentoring did you receive during your early career? Were you nurtured in a way that balanced supervision and independence? Were you left to sink or swim, and perhaps rescued by a kindly postdoc? Did your supervisor test your results and claims to destruction, or just assume or hope you had done the job right? Were they perpetually invisible or always available? And, if your experience was less than great, who could you turn to for help?" Read more.