1. Graduate

Professional Development

GEOG 695B: Professional Development

Fridays 1:30–3:00
Sessions may be held in-person or via Zoom (TBD)

Dr. Connie Woodhouse
Office: ENR2 S526
Email: conniew1@arizona.edu

Seminar Description

This course is designed to support SGDE and MDP graduate students in their current work and as they move towards future careers. It is offered through a series of workshops scheduled approximately 4 times a semester (schedule varies to accommodate conferences, SAGA meetings, and other key events). Some sessions are designed for graduate students at any level. Others are specifically addressed to students at different stages in their programs.  Sessions are led by a variety of different faculty members.  They are interactive and discussion-oriented.

Session topics include:

  • Proposal writing
  • Publishing (submitting manuscripts and the review process)
  • Presentation practice (and conference participation strategies)
  • Finding a job (academic and non-academic, including interview skills)
  • Writing a CV

Other topics will be in response to student needs (e.g., TA and RA issues, ethics in the classroom or in research, work/family life balance). SAGA meetings will be one venue for determining student needs each semester.  Graduate students are also asked to provide feedback on topics of interest at the start of the fall semester via a survey.

Registration & Credit

Credit is optional, but students who participate in at least six sessions are eligible for 1 unit of graduate credit for 695B. You may register on completion of six sessions. See Elizabeth Cordova (elizabec@arizona.edu) for registration procedures.

Fall 2021 Schedule

October 1: Dealing with Stress as a Graduate Student, Work/Life Balance, and Succeeding as a Student Parent

Join your fellow students for an interactive panel discussion on the challenges of and strategies for dealing with graduate student stresses. Panelists: Kai Lepley, Lauren Fritzsche, Robert Hibberd, and Jenny Mason

October 22:* Graduate Student Research Funding

SBS Research Institute (SBSRI) is convening an information session for graduate students:  Identifying Funding for Your Research, from 12:00-1:00.  SBSRI is an excellent resource for a wide variety of funding opportunities. They provide training on how to search funding databases as well as one-on-one consultation. To attend this session, registering using the link indicated for Graduate Students: Identifying Funding for Your Research here: https://sbsri.sbs.arizona.edu/content/information-sessions

*Note that this session meets from 12:00-1:00 

November 12: Proposal Writing Tips and Strategies

In this session, you will learn about proposal writing details that include assessing calls for proposals to determine the best fit for you, timelines for writing and submission process, tips for competitive proposals, anticipating the review process, and budget advice.  With Kevin Anchukaitis, TBA, and Connie Woodhouse

Reminders will be sent out to students before each seminar, along with instructions for joining the Zoom session.

Spring 2022 Schedule (tentative dates)

January 28: How to do Collaborative Research?

This session will include a discussion on approaches for working in a collaborative research team, how to discuss and negotiate co-authorship, and ethical consideration to be aware of, as a graduate student. Panelists TBD

February 17/18: Practicing AAG Presentations

Students will have the opportunity to practice their presentation and receive friendly, constructive feedback from fellow students and faculty. We will schedule these as requested and schedules permit, Thursday 19 and/or Friday Feb 18, times TBD. An email will be sent out in early February to find out who would like to participate in this.

March 18: Publishing: Selecting a Publication, Submitting Manuscripts, and the Review Process.

This seminar will help you start to think about the steps towards publishing your thesis or dissertations papers.  Topics covered include how to select a journal to match your topic and the audience you wish to reach, the process of submitting a manuscript (what to expect, what to include), and how the review process works, including strategies for addressing reviews of your paper.  Discussants TBD

April 8: Getting ready for the Field

A panel for this session will discuss steps to prepare for fieldwork, including both environmental science projects and social science studies.  We will also discuss best practices for organizing data collected during fieldwork in order to facilitate data management tasks and analysis once you return.  Panelists TBD

April 29: Tentative: Non-Academic Careers

An overview of the resources and support available through the UA Grad College Career Center.