The Office of Undergraduate Research launches the 2021 Virtual Undergraduate Research Conference this week, with presentations and judging Apr. 15 and 16.
For more information, please visit the Undergraduate Research Conference website.
Student Development
Formatting Review Deadline Eliminated
The formatting review deadline for both master’s thesis and doctoral students has been eliminated.
Formatting and submission information is available from the Graduate School’s website under Current Students. Students are highly encouraged to attend a formatting workshop in lieu of a one-on-one appointment. These workshops are offered approximately every two weeks and can be found on the Center for Graduate Life’s (CGL) events calendar. A playlist of formatting and submission videos also exists on the CGL’s YouTube channel.
For questions, please contact Dr. Aura Young (aura.young@uncc.edu).
New Program Offers Alternative Path to STEM Doctoral Degree
A project of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science (MEES) is providing an additional path to a doctoral degree for STEM students, allowing patentable projects to be developed to meet capstone requirements in addition to publication of original research.
The program, Pathways to Entrepreneurship (PAtENT) expands the opportunity to earn a doctoral degree, possibly spurring graduation rates and encouraging technological innovation. Funded by a National Science Foundation Innovations in Graduate Education (IGE) award received last fall, the program provides each faculty-student team with $5,000 to support research.
“The central goal of the project is to develop an alternate roadmap for STEM PhD students that is scalable and reflects the rapidly evolving workforce needs,” said Dr. Terry Xu, Professor and Associate Chair for Graduate Programs, MEES.
A Project Description and PowerPoint Presentation describing the program are available for download. For more information and to participate, contact the principal investigator: Praveen Ramaprabhu, praveen.ramaprabhu@uncc.edu, Professor, MEES.
Showcase Your Best Students
The Center for Graduate Life (CGL) is looking to showcase great examples of graduate student and alumni achievements.
Through it’s Instagram and LinkedIn accounts, the CGL publishes examples of professional, personal or academic achievements to recognize and celebrate students’ work.
For questions or to have a student featured, please contact Catherine Butt, cbutt@uncc.edu.
CGL Issues Call for TA Award Nominations
The Center for Graduate Life is accepting nominations for the 2020-2021 Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant (TA) Awards through Mar. 1.
This year, $1,000 awards will be presented to a teaching assistant who has served as Instructor of Record for at least one semester, and to a TA who has performed the range of responsibilities in assistance to a faculty member.
A ceremony is planned for Apr. 23 to recognize this year’s award winners.
For more information and details on nomination, please visit the Graduate Awards Gateway. Please direct questions to Daniel.Jones@uncc.edu.
Catch Up on Student Seminars via CGL's YouTube Channel
The Center for Graduate Life recently updated content on its YouTube channel to include the Accelerate to Industry lecture/workshop series, the STEM Communications series, formatting and submission of theses or dissertations, recent Q&A sessions for new grad students and more.
For more information and to subscribe, please visit the CGL YouTube site.
Session Planned on Formatting and Submitting a Thesis or Dissertation
The Center for Graduate Life (CGL) will host an online information session on planning and formatting a thesis or dissertation at 5 p.m. Feb. 18. Students planning to submit this or next semester will benefit from this session.
To register, please complete the CGL form.
Graduate Research Symposium Set Mar. 12
The 2021 Graduate Research Symposium will be virtual this year on Mar. 12. The event is sponsored by the Graduate & Professional Student Government of UNC Charlotte and the Charlotte Research Institute.
The Symposium is a graduate student-run conference that showcases the research of graduate and professional students.
For more information and to register, please visit the Graduate Research Symposium website.
Ventureprise Spring 2021 Virtual Cohort Accepting Applications
Apply to participate in the Spring 2021 Ventureprise Launch National Science Foundation I-Corps Virtual Cohort. The program, which starts Feb. 10, provides up to $5000 for a research or business idea, plus commercialization training and new NSF funding.
The second stage is a six-month, $50,000 NSF I-Corps Teams grant. Applications are currently open and are reviewed as they are submitted. More information and the application form can be found on the NSF I-Corps webpage. For questions, please contact Devin Collins or Laura Smailes.
3-Minute Presentation on Controlling Power Outages Takes 1st Place
An exploration into how the home air conditioner can play a role in preventing a power outage won first place for Akintonde Abbas, Ph.D., Electrical and Computer Engineering, in the 2020 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition coordinated by the Center for Graduate Life (CGL).
Other top presenters in this year’s competition included Amanda Sargent, Ph.D., Organizational Science, who took 2nd place for her research presentation, “Men Versus Women: Who Gets More Support for Work-Family Management?,” and Lena Etzel, Ph.D., Clinical Health Psychology, 3rd place for “The Future: A Looming Threat We can all Relate To!”
This year’s People’s Choice Award was presented to Remi Ketchum, Ph.D., Biology, for her presentation, “Some Like It Hot: Surviving in Extreme Environments.”
A full recording of this year’s 3MT competition, which was conducted online, is available from the Center for Graduate Life.
CTL Offers Tips to Help Students with Remote Learning
From the Center for Teaching and Learning: The two biggest learning challenges our students face this fall are managing their course workload and communicating with instructors about their courses. Here are some quick and easy ways to help you address these concerns with your students:
Managing Course Workload
- 5 Time Management Tips to Help Students
- Measure Student Workload Using a Quick Survey
- Use a Course Workload Estimator
- Create a Course Map for the Rest of the Semester
Communication
- 5 Tools to Communicate and Engage Virtually
- 5 Tips to Increase Instructor Presence
- Use Online Office Hours
- Reply to Student Emails Within an Established Time Frame
Oct. 15 Deadline for Master's Thesis Awards
Faculty may nominate students for the Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award through Oct. 15, 2019.
The Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award is a part of the Graduate School’s focus on enhancing research skills. For more information, please visit the Center for Graduate Life’s Research Skills website.
Nomination information, fields of competition and more is available from the Graduate School.
If you have questions, please contact Julie Green, jhgreen@uncc.edu, Master’s Thesis Student Services and Fellowship Specialist.
Negotiations & Networking Session Planned
The Center for Graduate Life will host the session Negotiations & Networking Essentials
Oct. 9, 11-12:30 p.m.
The session will be facilitated by Amir Ismail, VP-Senior Financial Analyst at Bank of America and founder of AIC Mindsight, a career coaching and professional branding company.
For more information and to register, please visit AIC Mindset’s registration page.
Assessing Election News Topic of Atkins Webinar
BuzzFeed News Editor Craig Silverman addresses “Election 2020: How to Verify What You Read, See and Hear Online,” in a Zoom conference Oct. 6 at 4 p.m. hosted by J. Murray Atkins Library.
For more information and to register, please visit Atkins Library.
3MT Competition Planned
Graduate students will have an opportunity again this year to compact their thesis or dissertation into a powerful, three-minute presentation.
Through the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) program offered by the Center for Graduate Life (CGL), contestants vie for the most compelling presentation of research to an audience that may not share the same expertise.
More information is available from the Center for Graduate Life.
Fall Ventureprise Research Projects Sought
Ventureprise is seeking research ideas with potential commercial application from UNC Charlotte faculty, staff and students. The program provides commercialization training and up to an initial $5000 in NSF funding.
The goal of the program is to identify potential commercial uses and prepare for more substantial commercialization funding opportunities. Ventureprise® is UNC Charlotte’s innovation and entrepreneurship center serving the campus and Charlotte region as a center of excellence for evidence based entrepreneurship.
The next stage is a six month $50,000 NSF I-Corps Teams grant. The cohort will begin October 8 (rolling applications; last day to submit is October 2). A complete schedule and application form can be found on the NSF I-Corps webpage. Contact: Devin Collins or Laura Smailes.
TEDxUNC Charlotte Events Set Sept. 15, 16, 17
TEDxUNCCharlotte will be held virtually Sept. 15, 16, and 17. Each night will feature 3-4 speakers.
Topics for the event include:
Sept. 15: Shifts in Paradigms
Sept. 16: Inclusion Drives Innovation
Sept. 17: Re-Imagining and Re-Examining
More information is available at TEDxUNCCharlotte.
$3,000 Stipend Offered STEM Fellows
The Center for Graduate Life is accepting applications for the 2020-2021 STEM Communication Fellows Program aimed at improving communications skills among STEM scholars.
Through the program, eight doctoral and postdoctoral scholars will be selected to receive intense communication training and experiential learning opportunities, plus a $3000 stipend.
For information and to apply, please visit the Center for Graduate Life.
Questions may be directed to Dr. Jill Huerta and Dr. Aura Young of the CGL.
CGL Introduces Onboarding Portal
The Center for Graduate Life has introduced a New Graduate Student Onboarding Portal to help prepare incoming graduate students for their move to Charlotte and a successful transition to graduate school.
The site includes the basics they’ll need to get started, with information on everything from finding an apartment to parking passes to course selection. Additional information on academic tools and campus offices that support graduate student success will be added to the portal by mid-August.
8-Week Career Lab's Focus Is Career Competencies
The Center for Graduate Life’s GRAD 8320/6320, Developing Core Career Competencies, can help improve the personal brand, articulate a career path, connect to targeted industries and communicate across diverse populations.
Career Lab is an 8-week part-of-term format during the first part of fall, in a hybrid asynchronous format (i.e., half the class will attend on Tuesdays and half on Thursdays).
Register at my.uncc.edu.
