Feb. 5 D.C. Area Weekly Newsletter for Virginia Tech Graduate Students

Feb. 5, 2024

Welcome to the Virginia Tech Graduate School’s D.C. Area weekly newsletter for graduate students. We share events, services, administrative announcements, and job opportunities.

The newsletter is published on Mondays. When the university is closed for a holiday on Monday, the newsletter will be emailed on Tuesday.

You’ll find posts under the following headings:

  • This Week’s Events and Activities
  • Administrative Announcements
  • Job Opportunities
  • External Funding Opportunities
  • Upcoming Events
  • Volunteers and research participants sought
  • Ongoing Services

This Week’s Events and Activities

1. CVs AND THE ACADEMIC JOB SEARCH

Monday, 2-3 p.m. Virtual

This workshop offers tips for structuring your CV and suggestions for approaching the academic job search. The session will also address how to begin writing application materials like teaching and research statements. Learn more and register at the Handshake webpage: https://vt.joinhandshake.com/events/1449829/share_preview

2. GETTING STARTED WITH MENDELEY

Monday, Feb. 5 4-5 p.m., Virtual

Mendeley is a free, easy-to-use citation manager that can help researchers save time and frustration. In this interactive University Library workshop, you will learn the basics of Mendeley, including adding references to your library, organizing your library, and using Mendeley to cite references within a document. Find out more and register here: https://guides.lib.vt.edu/gradworkshops

3. BOARD OF VISITORS GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE INFO SESSION

Monday, Feb. 5, 8-9 p.m., Virtual

Come learn about being a Graduate and Professional Student Representative to the university Board of Visitors and find out how to apply to serve as one for the 2024-25 academic year. Current BOV Graduate and Professional Student Representative Emily Tirrell will give an overview of the position, share her experiences during the first semester, and share tips on how to apply. https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/88291950639

4. DEAN SUPRENANT’S MENTORING BROWN-BAG LUNCH SERIES

Tuesday, Feb. 6, 12-1 p.m., Northern Virginia Center room T-3 and Virtual

Graduate School Dean Aimee Surprenant is hosting a roving brown-bag lunch series intended to create and cultivate a community of practice with discussions around Mentoring: challenges, opportunities, experiences. To identify those who would be interested in entering into these conversations, the Dean has reserved space around the university to get the conversation started. On Feb. 6, she will host the brown-bag lunch at the Northern Virginia Center in Falls Church.
Students, faculty, and staff are welcome to attend one, two, or all of the lunches. These conversations include discussions about challenges, opportunities, experiences, and successes. Bring your lunch and participate or just eat and listen.

Additional dates: March 18, Steger Hall conference room 118, 12-1:15 pm; April 16, 3310 Torgersen Hall, 12-1:30. Both will be available virtually as well as in person. Use https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/81155274212

5. DC METRO AREA Q*MMUNITY SUPPORT GROUP

Tuesday, Feb. 6, 1-2 p.m. Northern Virginia Center room 401, Falls Church

This support group welcomes Virginia Tech graduate students, faculty, and staff in the DC Metro Area who identify as LGBTQ+, as well as those who are exploring their gender and/or sexuality. For any questions, please contact Julie Kaplan at jskaplan@vt.edu

6. INTRODUCTION TO LATEX WITH OVERLEAF

Tuesday, Feb. 6, 3:30-5 p.m., Virtual

Come learn how to get started with this popular coding tool for writing technical papers! LaTeX (pronounced Lay-tech or Lah-tech) is a free typesetting system designed for technical publications that can be used for many writing projects. In this University Library workshop, we’ll cover how to create your first article, how to add content including text, figures and citations, where to learn more about using LaTeX, and how to get the most out of Overleaf. All are welcome to attend no matter your field or LaTeX experience level. Learn more and register here: https://guides.lib.vt.edu/gradworkshops

7. VETERANS AFFINITY GROUP MEETING

Tuesday, Feb. 6, 6:30-7 p.m. Virtual

The Veterans Affinity Group will host a virtual meeting on Tuesday, February 6th 6:307 p.m. Stay engaged with the graduate student Veterans and military-connected community in the greater D.C. metro area.
For more information and to register, contact chontresehayes@vr.edu.

8. COMPETING NARRATIVES ABOUT CASTE

Wednesday, Feb. 7, 12-1 p.m. Virtual for DC Area students

Last year, California nearly passed a bill (HB 403) banning caste discrimination in the state. In Maryland, the tallest statue of B. R. Ambedkar, the champion of anti-casteism, was unveiled. How might caste power dynamics operate on a US University campus, including Virginia Tech? Come hear findings from the “What is Caste?” focus groups and interviews conducted on our campus, as well as personal reflections on confronting competing stories about caste. This event is organized by Dr. Ambedkar International Mission (AIM) at Virginia Tech, APIDAs, and the center for Women’s and Gender Studies at Virginia Tech. Please contact poorvesh@vt.edu for more details. To register, use this link: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EkkCViHJTyiW0VZNwvzLtw#/registration

9. WELLNESS WEDNESDAY AT THE WAAC

Wednesday, Feb. 7, 12:30-1:30 p.m., in the 1021 Big Room, WAAC Architecture campus, Alexandria.

This event will focus on enhancing academic success and mental health wellbeing goals.  Please join Dr. Chontrese Hayes (Graduate School) and Dr. Julie Kaplan (Cook Counseling) for a power lunch with pizza and soft drinks.

10. GRADUATE SCHOOL WRITING GROUPS

Thursday, Feb. 7, 5-7 p.m. (weekly through the semester), Virtual

Join our Spring Semester Graduate Writing Group for a relaxed and supportive space to enhance productivity. We meet virtually on Thursdays.  Hosted by the Diversity, Inclusion, and Strategic Partnerships (DISP) team, this writing group emphasizes a laid-back community. Whether you’re working on research papers, theses, dissertations, or other writing projects, our group provides a comfortable and encouraging environment. Walk-ins are always welcome, but RSVPs are appreciated. Register here: https://virginiatech.questionpro.com/DISPGSwritingSessionsInfoSheet

Join us to be part of a writing community that supports your academic goals in a low-pressure setting.

11. INTRODUCTION TO SCHOLARLY PUBLISHING

Thursday, Feb. 8, 3:30-4:45 p.m. Virtual

Are you ready to publish? Are you wanting to publish but uneasy about the process? Are you uncertain about all the different types of publishing and copyright policies? Are you wary about how to select a journal? Are you confused about author rights?

This University Library introductory workshop will take you step-by-step through the scholarly pre-publishing process to help you identify “predatory journals,” understand author rights, find journal copyright policies, negotiate your rights during submission and acceptance, understand the different Open Access (OA) types, learn how OA benefits you, find high quality journals in your field (OA or subscription), and potentially secure funding when publishing in an OA journal. Learn more and register at this webpage: https://calendar.lib.vt.edu/event/11751388

Administrative Announcements

12. IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT GOOGLE SHARED DRIVES

As part of the university’s changes to Google services, Google Shared Drives that have not been claimed by a department will become read-only on Feb. 15 and deleted starting April 3. This includes Shared Drives managed solely by students. It is highly recommended that you download a copy of any files/folders you wish to keep from your Shared Drives. If you are a member of a Shared Drive that a university department needs to maintain, please contact the faculty or staff member most-closely connected to the contents of the drive to discuss how that drive should be managed. For more information, visit https://it.vt.edu/shared-drives

13. HOKIE WELLNESS SURVEY

Hokie Wellness has a survey live currently to learn more about our students’ preferences on health and well-being topics and mechanisms of delivery of content. As a thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts, we are offering a chance to win prizes. Prizes could include a variety of items, such as T-shirts, tumblers, etc. Winners will be randomly selected from the pool of survey respondents and awarded throughout the spring semester of 2024.

The link is: https://baseline.campuslabs.com/vpiasu/hwpreferences

14. GRADUATE STUDENTS’ AFFINITY GROUP MEMBERSHIP IN THE DC AREA

The graduate school has established seven affinity groups for the expanded campuses in the Washington, DC area to foster environments of support and assist with degree completion and professional development outcomes. The overarching goal is to build an enhanced sense of community and provide a forum for an exchange of ideas on issues of common interest for students who identify with these communities.

Join an affinity group here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdW61FGWCbuhwUhsSF2NK0rqtjSxzqz_eTFhhpJf8W74ykaKA/viewform 

For more information, contact Dr. Hayes at chontresehayes@vt.edu

The affinity groups are:

Asian Affinity Group
Black Affinity Group
First-Generation Affinity Group
GRAD Parents Affinity Group
Latinx Affinity Group
Veterans Affinity Group
Women in TECH Affinity Group

15. GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Interested in being involved in student governance? Please consider applying to serve as the Graduate and Professional Student Representative to the Board of Visitors for 2024-25. Learn more and apply here: https://bov.vt.edu/Student-Reps-Apply

16. U-PASS METRO CARD PROGRAM

Virginia Tech has entered into an agreement with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) that allows eligible students to participate in the University Pass (U-Pass) Program. U-Pass provides full-time Virginia Tech students who are taking in person classes in the Greater Washington, D.C., Area unlimited access to Metrorail and Metrobus throughout the semester, for about $1 per day. The mandatory fee is included as part of the comprehensive fees package for students.
Eligible students will be notified to complete a DocuSign agreement and instructions on picking up their card from the NVC Library in Falls Church.

If you think you should be included but have not been notified, please contact gettingaround@vt.edu for more information. This is not available for part-time students per WMATA policy.

17. FREE INDIVIDUALIZED NUTRITION COUNSELING SESSIONS

Seeking nutrition guidance? Are you interested in learning how to make food choices that support a healthy lifestyle? Maybe you need help with skills for shopping and cooking to help you reach your wellness goals. If you have any of these concerns or others, graduate-level nutrition and dietetics students are here to help.

The Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise Department at Virginia Tech offers free one-on-one nutrition counseling services (In-person or Zoom) to interested students, faculty, or staff and is now accepting new clients for the spring semester. Visit: https://www.hnfe.vt.edu/nutrition_counseling.html to learn more about the service and to register.

18. GPSS TRAVEL FUND ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

Deadline: Feb. 12

Graduate students presenting research conducted at Virginia Tech are eligible to apply for the Spring 2024 Travel Fund Program. Grants may cover registration, lodging, meals, abstract fees and other costs of presenting at an in-person or virtual conference with a start date from April 1-June 30. Students from all disciplines are invited to apply, even if your conference abstract has not been officially accepted. Applications due Feb. 12 at 11:59 PM.

Please e-mail Aran Garnett-Deakin at cgarnet@vt.edu with any questions, and visit https://gpss.vt.edu/programs/tfp.html for full details and instructions.

Job Opportunities

No job Opportunities at Present

Funding Opportunities

All external funding opportunities that we are aware of can be found here: https://graduateschool.vt.edu/funding/scholarships-and-fellowships.html

19. VIRGINIA SPACE GRANT CONSORTIUM GRADUATE RESEARCH STEM FELLOWSHIPS

Deadline: Feb. 9, 2024

The Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) is accepting applications for its Graduate Research STEM Fellowship program. A major goal of VSGC is to help produce the engineers and scientists of the future and to promote diversity in the STEM workforce.

The consortium provides fellowships of $6,000 in add-on support to graduate students to supplement and enhance basic research support.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens, be enrolled full-time in a program of study in STEM, have a specific faculty-mentored research project that has NASA or aerospace relevance, and are not graduating sooner than May 2025. For more information and to apply, visit https://vsgc.odu.edu/graduatefellowships/

20. SUMMER CUNNINGHAM FELLOWSHIPS AVAILABLE

Deadline: May 1.

In combination with the Cunningham Doctoral Scholarship and the Graduate School Annual Fund, we are delighted to announce the availability of summer fellowships in the amount of $7,500 each. This supplement will be awarded as a lump sum fellowship (see note below) at the beginning of the summer. This is a one-time award, cannot be renewed, and is awarded without the expectation of any additional work on your part. Awardees must be current Ph.D. students who are working on their dissertations during the summer months. This award cannot be combined with other Virginia Tech funding sources. Priority will be given to those toward the end of their program. Financial need will be considered as a secondary factor.

Applications will be accepted until May 1. Awards will be announced soon thereafter. For more information and to apply, use this form: https://forms.gle/6vYKM9AHizoAgKeN8

NOTE: Fellowships are not considered employment. No taxes are withheld and you will not receive a W2 form at the end of the year. Fellowships will show on your 1098-T from the university and may have to be reported to the IRS on your 1040 form. However, different tax rules apply to international students. For them, the university is required to collect taxes on the fellowship and to report those amounts at year-end to the IRS on form 1042S. For more information, see IRS Publication 970: Tax Benefits for Education.

21. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

NIJ’s Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) program supports doctoral research with relevance to criminal or juvenile justice in the United States. This includes criminology, forensic science, technology for law enforcement, and more. Applications from all science and engineering fields are welcome.

Students must be enrolled full time in a Ph.D. program in a science or engineering field and propose dissertation research relevant to improving criminal or juvenile justice practice or policy in the United States. Applications are submitted by the university, which must be an accredited academic institution in the United States or its territories. The fellowship provides up to three years of support within a five-year period and includes:

  • $41,000/year student salary
  • $16,000/year cost of education allowance
  • $3,000/year research expenses

To learn more and see profiles of past and present GRF fellows, visit https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/fellowships/graduate-research-fellowship-program.

The grants.gov deadline is April 10 and the JustGrants deadline is April 17, 2024.

Upcoming Events

22. GETTING STARTED WITH ENDNOTE

Monday, Feb. 12, 2:30-3:30 p.m., Virtual

EndNote is one of the most powerful citation managers available. In this interactive University Library workshop, you will learn the basics of EndNote, including adding references to your library, organizing your library, and using EndNote to cite references within a document.

Learn more and register here: https://calendar.lib.vt.edu/event/11734360

23. COVER LETTER WRITING

Thursday, Feb. 15, 2-3 p.m. Virtual

This workshop is designed to help students write an effective cover letter. The session provides a cover letter checklist and addresses how to tailor your cover letter to each position.

Learn more and register at this Handshake webpage: https://vt.joinhandshake.com/events/1449840/share_preview

24. LEVERAGING LINKEDIN FOR CAREER EXPLORATION AND NETWORKING

Tuesday, Feb. 20, 12-1 p.m. Virtual

This workshop, targeted toward graduate students and postdocs, will focus on leveraging LinkedIn to aid in your career exploration and networking. Part 2 of a 3-part series taking place on the third Tuesday of each month, January to March. Learn more and register here: https://www.research.vt.edu/about/postdoctoral-associates/postdoctoral-events-programs/2024/leveraging-linkedin-series.html

25. BLACK HISTORY MONTH EVENT AT THE SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY & CULTURE

Tuesday, Feb. 20, 5 p.m. In person, meeting at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture group entrance

Join the Graduate School, Office for Equity & Accessibility and the DC Metro Area Black Caucus while they host a day at the museum during Black History Month. Tour the four-level Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture by exploring different collections and exhibitions such as: Civil Rights; Black Lives Matter; 1690; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Art, Culture, History, Community; and Music, just to name a few. RSVP required. Register here: https://gobblerconnect.vt.edu/event/9686818

26. SAVE THE DATE: COLLEGE OF WILLIAM & MARY GRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

Thursday, March 21, at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA.

The Arts &Sciences Graduate Center and the Charles Center for Academic Excellence at William & Mary invite doctoral and master’s degree students in Arts & Sciences disciplines from Virginia universities to present their research at an interdisciplinary symposium at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, March 21-22, 2024. Learn more here: https://www.wm.edu/as/graduate/graduate-symposium/

Volunteers and research participants sought

27. PARTICIPANTS NEEDED FOR GRADUATE STUDENT HOUSING SURVEY

The Virginia Tech Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center (WAAC) graduate students are competing in the Solar Decathlon. This project involves a fictional proposal and design for student housing next to the WAAC, and we would love to get some feedback from the student body in the greater Washington, D.C. metro area to collect data on student housing for our project. The survey is 13 multiple-choice questions and will take just a few minutes to complete. The requirement for participating is to be a registered graduate student. If you have questions, contact jaminec@vt.edu.
The link to the survey is here: https://forms.office.com/r/hJ4kgRXQsJ

28. PARTICIPANTS NEEDED FOR A SURVEY FOR ASSESSING EMOTIONS IN MUSIC PIECES

The Mind Music and Machine Lab at Virginia Tech invites participants for a study (IRB# 23-1154) to assess the emotional impact of eight six-minute music pieces.

This one-hour remote study offers $10 compensation via cash or payment apps, or course credit for eligible students. Contact Ziming Fang (joannafg@vt.edu) for details. Supervised by Dr. Myounghoon Jeon (myounghoonjeon@vt.edu).

Requirements: Have none of the following impairments: Visual, Hearing, Fine motor, Intellectual.
You are eligible if your hearing/vision is not at the level requiring device correction, or if you have successful device correction that you can bring and use during the study (e.g., eyeglasses, hearing aid).

If you are interested, please fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeAKqvxYw7QMkLxI2wqI6x79T5gjuVgYo5M4fZAneMnJb8R7w/viewform?usp=sf_link.

Ongoing Services

  • GRADUATE SCHOOL IN THE GREATER WASHINGTON, D.C. METRO AREA: Schedule an in-person or virtual advising appointment with a Graduate School Academic Progress and Admissions advisor at https://rb.gy/80frn or send your questions to gssoncr@vt.edu. Offices are located on the fourth floor of the Northern Virginia Center (NVC) in Falls Church. Drop-in hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9-11 a.m. and 3-4:30 p.m. No appointment needed to meet with an advisor for Drop-In hours.
  • COOK COUNSELING: Schedule an in-person or virtual appointment with the Northern Virginia Embedded Counselor, Julie Kaplan, Ph.D. by emailing jskaplan@vt.edu or calling 703-635-9957.

After hours support can be found by calling 540-231-6557 or visiting ucc.vt.edu/timelycare

  • SERENITY SPACE: The Cook Counseling Center has created the Serenity Space at the Northern Virginia Center in Falls Church (NVC) in room 489, a peaceful, calm space for all graduate students to use, to take a break in the day, and to de-stress.  All students can use this room 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. 

Please contact Julie Kaplan, Ph.D., at jskaplan@vt.edu, if you have any questions related to this space. 

  • GRADUATE OMBUDSPERSON: The ombudsperson provides information about institutional policies and works to help individuals effectively navigate conflicts through informal, confidential conversations.

Contact for a virtual appointment at gradombud@vt.edu or call 540-231-9573.

  • AFFINITY GROUPS: Contact Assistant Dean Chontrese Hayes at chontresehayes@vt.edu for information about these student groups.
  • NORTHERN VIRGINIA RESOURCE CENTER LIBRARY: Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Friday, 10a.m.-6p.m.; Saturday, 10a.m.-5p.m.; Sunday, Closed
  • HOKIE ONE STOP: Online links to additional resources and services available to graduate students in the greater Washington, D.C. metro area and Northern Virginia campuses. https://dcarea.vt.edu/hokieonestop.html
  • WRITING CENTER: Virginia Tech Libraries house The Writing Center, a free service for all students, faculty, and staff at the university.

The center offers real-time, face-to-face online synchronous sessions as well as online asynchronous sessions. For more information: https://lib.vt.edu/study-learn/writing-center.html

About the Newsletter and How to Submit a Post

Posts must be relevant to graduate students in the greater Washington, D.C., metro area and other Northern Virginia campuses.

Posts must include the name and contact information of the requesting organization or person; not exceed 150 words; and not include attachments, QR codes or embedded links (no fliers or photos). Submissions will be edited to fit newsletter style and formatting requirements.

Please submit post requests by 3 p.m. Friday before the Monday on which the post is to appear using this Google form: https://gs.vt.edu/weeklylistserv.

The D.C. Area Weekly newsletters are also available at:

https://dcareaweekly.graduateschool.vt.edu/.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact the reference in the posting at least 10 business days prior to the event.     

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