SEEDS Career Workshops
Forum on Preparing NSF-Career proposals Friday April 15, 2011
This forum on writing successful NSF Career awards was unique among the many grant-writing workshops at UM. First, it was unusual in the breadth of its sponsorship: The College of Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering, Rosensteil School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and SEEDS. Second, and more important, it focused on only one type of grant, the NSF Career awards, for which only junior faculty are eligible (click the link below for eligibility details), thus giving more pertinent advice to those interested in writing such a grant. In the forum, four faculty who had received NSF CAREER awards in the past each spoke for ten minutes and then answered questions on what elements are important to success. Click here for resources from the workshop, including PowerPoint presentations and links.
Presenters:
Dr. Amy Clement (RSMAS), Dr. Manohar Murthi (CoE), Dr. Albert Uy (A&S), Dr. Jamie Walls (A&S)
Organizers:
Dr. Helena Solo-Gabriele (CoE). Drs. Robert Cowen and Amy Clement (RSMAS), Dr. Angel Kaifer (A&S)
COMPASS Workshop at RSMAS Fri April 8, 2011 on Communicating Science to Non-scientists
Even though we scientists are seldom trained to communicate outside academia, if we want our research to inform decisions about our future, we must go beyond publishing only in peer-reviewed journals. To help us communicate widely and effectively, a SEEDS You Choose award to Andrew Baker brought us a training event through COMPASS (Communications Partnership for Science and the Sea). This event helped researchers shake bad habits so we can talk with journalists, the public, and policymakers about what we do - and it why matters - in clear, lively terms. This workshop is based on the prestigious Aldo Leopold Leadership program at Stanford University. Several individuals were selected for an opportunity for one-on-one mock interviews with a journalist: |
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Swan Writing workshop Nov 13, 2010, "From Data Dumps to Clear Documents: Writing Effectively for Science and Engineering" by Judith Swan, Ph.D. in Biochemistry from MIT, Associate Director for Writing at Princeton, co-author of The Science of Science Writing (pdf). Made possible by a You Choose Award to Blythe Nobleman and Helena Solo-Gabriele. |
SEEDS Workshop and chalk talks
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On Oct 28, 2010, Kathryn Tosney, Director of SEEDS, led a workshop on a crucial new element in job interviews in academia. For those seaking academic positions, departments increasingly demand not only formal seminars but also chalk talks, informal presentations of future directions. These are often pivotal in hiring decisions. Tactics for succeeding in this task were revealed. |
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Swan Writing workshop Nov 13, 2010, "From Data Dumps to Clear Documents: Writing Effectively for Science and Engineering" by Judith Swan, Ph.D. in Biochemistry from MIT, Associate Director for Writing at Princeton, co-author of The Science of Science Writing (pdf). Made possible by a You Choose Award to Blythe Nobleman and Helena Solo-Gabriele. |
SEEDS Writing Lecture and Workshop
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On May 26, 2010, Kathryn Tosney, Director of SEEDS, gave a talk
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SEEDS Women in Science Panel Discussion
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At RSMAS on April 2, 2010, eight marine science women from a diverse array of disciplines and backgrounds shared their insights into the nuances that women face while pursuing a profession in marine science. Funded by the SEEDS Working from Within program to Rana Fine and Sue Sponaugle. Click here to see who came Click here to read participant answers to the following questions:
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The SEEDS NIH Grant Writing Workshops
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A series of NIH grant writing workshops have been funded by a You Choose award to Joy Lincoln. Assistant Professor, Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology proposal, with cost share by Richard Bookman’s office, to develop five forums on navigating the NIH system. Each forum entails a presentation by an invited Program Officer from an NIH Institute, an interactive Panel Discussion, and a networking event. Follow-up questionnaires assess value and impact. Although grantsmanship already receives attention at UM, these forums target underrepresented groups, to provide essential tools for furthering their careers. Obtaining grants from NIH is essential for a successful career in biomedical sciences yet requires knowledge and insights typically gained only through networking with funded peers and officials at NIH itself, which often bypasses under-represented groups who lack avenues of access to these key people at NIH. Demystifying the granting process and giving attendees direct, informal access to NIH program officers is designed to significantly enhance the ability to win grants, as well as provide an ethos that may translate into other professional interactions. |
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The first workshop on navigating the NIH system was led by NIH/NINDS Program Director Ramona Hicks on Nov 11 2009, 2:00-5:00 PM, in the Lois Pope LIFE Building, 7th floor auditorium. Click here for summary of participant feedback, pdf 12KB |
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The second workshop NIH Program Director Joyce Gibson on March 17, 2010, in the fourth floor conference room RMSB |
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The Third SEEDS NIH Grant Writing Workshop was led by NIH Program Director, Cora Lee Wetherington on March 17, 2010. She is in the Division of Neuroscience and is the Women and Sex/Gender Research coordinator at the Institute on Drug Abuse. |
SEEDS Day-long Writing Workshop
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A day-long Seeds Writing Workshop on Nov. 21, 2009 was funded by a “You Choose” award to Paquita Zuidema. It was led by Dr. Judith Swan, Assistant Director for writing in Science and Engineering at Princeton, who received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from MIT and is a known expert and teacher on effective scientific writing and, co-author of The Science of Science Writing (pdf). 175 faculty, postdocs and grad students attended. See photos of the event.
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Writing well is a crucial element for success during the many stages of a scientific career, from thesis to publication and garnering research funding, but opportunities to acquire effective writing skills in science can be rare. In this workshop, Dr. Swan identified identified strategies for writing clearly and compellingly. These strategies use the principle of “reader oriented” prose, based on studies of where in a sentence, a paragraph or a paper, a reader expects to find the context, and where to find the emphasis. Such strategies have been shown to improve communication dramatically, with both writer and reader much more likely to agree on what is important. |
SEEDS Workshop and Mentoring Event
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Kate Barald, the University of Michigan, who gave a workshop on Tips to Mentors for writing NIH Postdoc applications 6018, March 5, 3:30 - 5:00. Co-Sponsored by the Miller Graduate School. She also gave an evening mentoring session at the SEEDS director's home for junior faculty and postdocs. |
