May 6, 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 during each semester the university is in session. When the university is closed for a holiday on Monday, the newsletter will be emailed on Tuesday.
This is the last weekly newsletter for the Spring semester. The newsletter will be emailed once a month during June and July and will resume weekly publication in August. Congratulations and best wishes to those who are graduating!
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. Q’MMUNITY SUPPORT GROUP
Tuesday, May 7, 1-2 p.m. Northern Virginia Campus room 401.
Topic: Coming out conversations. Please join The Cook Counseling Center and the Graduate School in Northern Virginia for the Spring Q*mmunity Support Group. No need to register; just drop in. For any questions, please contact Julie Kaplan, Ph.D., at jskaplan@vt.edu.
2. GRADUATE SCHOOL D.C. AREA SPRING COMMENCEMENT
Sunday, May 12, 1 p.m., George Mason University Center for the Arts, Fairfax
Doctoral and master’s students receiving degrees from programs in the D.C. Area and Northern Virginia will be honored during the ceremony. Free Parking is available at the Mason Pond Park Garage on the GMU campus. The map shows where to find the parking garage: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mason+Pond+Parking+Deck,+Virginia+22030/@38.8304308,-77.3095572,16z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x89b64e5e26db56db:0xdc2c1df3e06ba0ac!8m2!3d38.8304308!4d-77.3095572!16s%2Fg%2F1tqcm2yh?entry=ttu
Administrative Announcements
3. D.C. AREA TRANSPORTATION SURVEY
Deadline: May 10.
Faculty, staff, and students in the greater Washington, D.C., metro area are invited to share feedback about their commuting needs and desires in a transportation survey delivered by Virginia Tech Transportation Services. Responses are anonymous. You can reach the survey here: https://virginiatech.questionpro.com/a/TakeSurvey?tt=/Vr1M1vOs%2BAECHrPeIW9eQ%3D%3D
This survey will be administered periodically through the opening of the Innovation Campus Academic Building One to help develop the transportation and parking network needed to contribute to the success of the Innovation Campus. Email and social media platforms will be used for promotion before, during, and after the survey response period. Results will be shared via VT News and the VT News Daily email.
Questions and feedback specifically related to parking and transportation in the D.C. area may be shared via the D.C. Area feedback portal at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSehh89nRp-OvF-lK6Qsfdb6ZseYCu_UVgX2qQ5iCliaQPj5Fg/viewform
4. NOMINATE YOUR FACULTY FOR MENTOR OF THE MONTH
Recognize a great faculty mentor who has been supportive and encouraging of your progress toward a graduate degree by nominating them for the Faculty Mentor of the Month recognition. You can nominate advisors, committee members, or other faculty who play a significant role in your graduate experience, either in a single noteworthy instance or through continued and consistent support: https://graduateschool.vt.edu/about/awards/outstanding-mentor-award/Mentor_of_the_Month.html.
Nominations are accepted year-round, and a new winner is selected every month. Winners receive a certificate and a small token of our appreciation. Winning faculty mentors are featured on our website and recognized on social media platforms. Contact Monika Gibson at gibsonm@vt.edu with questions.
5. SUMMER HOURS FOR NORTHERN VIRGINIA CENTER
The Northern Virginia Center in Falls Church will be closed on Saturdays, beginning May 11. The building will reopen on Saturdays beginning August 24.
Job Opportunities
No job opportunity listings at present.
External and Internal Funding Opportunities
External funding opportunities that we are aware of can be found here: https://graduateschool.vt.edu/funding/scholarships-and-fellowships.html
6. GLOBETHICS YOUTH LEADERSHIP AWARD 2024
Deadline: May 10.
Young leaders (individuals or groups) aged between 18 and 30 years of age who have designed and implemented initiatives that have produced real, proven societal impact and positive change in areas related to one or more of the four Globethics priorities are eligible to apply for the Globethics Youth Leadership Award. Winning the Globethics Youth Leadership Award would give winners the opportunity to build on and develop their initiatives.
The three finalists will then be invited to present at the Global Ethics Forum in Geneva, Switzerland taking place from 2-4 September 2024. During the Forum they will have the opportunity to improve their initiative and its development plan, with the support and accompaniment of a mentor, ready to present it to the Forum’s audience, constituted by experts and practitioners in the field of ethics, from different parts of the world.
Award winners will achieve recognition for their pioneering work and receive financial and mentoring support to upscale and to multiply the results of their initiative. The awards are:
• 1st prize: USD 15,000
• 2nd prize: USD 10,000
• 3rd prize: USD 5,000
All winners will also benefit from the support of a mentor for nine months.
More information about the award can be found on this document: https://globethics.net/sites/default/files/media/document/2024-03/Youth%20Leadership%20Award%202024%20-%20Information.pdf
For the application, contact Globethics at infoweb@globethics.net
Upcoming Events
7. 2-DAY PYTHON, BASH, AND GIT WORKSHOP
Monday, May 13, and Wednesday, May 15, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Virtual (Zoom)
Join a 2-day workshop and learn key skills for programming and computing including the command line, version control, and R on May 13 and 15 in Blacksburg or online! No experience necessary; workshops open to all VT community members. Coffee, snacks, and lunch provided for in-person participants! Find more information and register at Library Calendar or email ndporter@vt.edu. Here is the registration link: https://calendar.lib.vt.edu/event/12412188
8. JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION
Tuesday, June 18, 3-5 p.m. Northern Virginia Center room 200.
The Graduate School and Cook Counseling Center are planning an event to celebrate Juneteenth. More information will be shared closer to the event.
Volunteers and research participants sought
9. PARTICIPANTS NEEDED FOR STUDY ON CAREGIVING STRESS AND COGNITION
The Cognitive Aging and Translational Science Lab at Virginia Tech is recruiting adults who care for an older adult. Care activities can range from helping with everyday needs (i.e., paying bills, grocery shopping, etc.) to intensive physical, mental, or emotional care. Direct care workers are also encouraged to participate!
Participants must be 18 years of age
Participant must be currently caregiving for a person 65+
Participant must not have any major cardiovascular or cognitive conditions (high blood pressure is OK)
Participants can expect to undergo a short, 15-20 minute screening call as well as a single, 60-90 minute in-person session. This session includes participation in surveys, a short interview going over your responses, participation in a brief computerized cognitive task, and non-invasive physiological measurements (i.e., blood pressure, pulse, and brain oxygenation via fNIRS). In-lab and at-home sessions are available.
Compensation is offered in the form of a $30 Mastercard gift card.
Contact caatslab@gmail.com or call 540-231-9417 for more information and to participate.
10. PARTICIPANTS NEEDED FOR A STUDY OF SONS OF SINGLE MOTHERS STUDY
The Relationship Experiences Strengths and Strains (REST) Lab is recruiting men who were raised by single mothers to participate in 1.5-2 hour interviews about their lived experiences, definitions of masculinity, and how personal experiences shaped masculine identities.
Participants must identify as a man who was raised by a single mother without a residential father figure (biological, step, adoptive, etc.) and be willing to complete a 1.5-2 hour long qualitative interview. Compensation, if applicable, will be a $25 Amazon gift card. More details and application information can be found here: https://virginiatech.questionpro.com/t/AVVVtZ1Yr4
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.
- CAREER ADVISING: Schedule a career advising appointment via https://career.vt.edu/job-search/Handshake.html
- 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.
- CRANWELL INTERNATIONAL CENTER: Schedule an appointment by emailing international@vt.edu or calling 540-231-6527.
- 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: 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
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
- NORTHERN VIRGINIA RESOURCE CENTER LIBRARY: Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday and 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
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Have a great week!