November, 2007

Congratulations to these members of the UT graduate community!

 

Ahmed Baha’ Abukhater (PhD Community and Regional Planning) won the Marsha Ritzdorf Award for the Best Student Work on Diversity, Social Justice and the Role of Women in Planning.

 

Chemical Engineering Professor Thomas Truskett has been selected as the recipient of the 2007 Allan P. Colburn Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. The Colburn Award honors a member of the institute, under 36 years of age, for excellence in publications. Truskett is the fourth UT faculty member to receive this prestigious award since 1980.

 

Leticia Moczygemba (PhD Pharmacy) received three fellowships for 2007-2008, including two from non UT-Austin sources. These include a U.S. Pharmacopeia Fellowship University Continuing Fellowship, and an AFPE (American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education) fellowship.

 

Sarah Dickerson (PhD Pharmacy) was awarded an NSF Graduate Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and has been named an Endocrine Society Scholar

 

Martin Job (PhD Pharmacy) has been awarded a NRSA (National Research Service Award) Research grant.

 

Weiling Yin (PhD Pharmacy) was awarded the Neena Schwartz Award for Excellence in Basic Science Research.

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Important Graduate Links

Graduate School Home Page
Graduate Student Assembly
Dean of Students Office
Libraries
DIIA
ITS
UHS
OSFS

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Supporting Graduate Education

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Suggestions

If you have opinions on other topics that you would like to see offered in these newsletters, we would love to hear them.  Please send ideas to
emcketta@mail.utexas.edu or
kmabley@mail.utexas.edu

 

Message from the Dean

One of the highlights of my job as Dean of Graduate Studies is working with the talented representatives of the Graduate Student Assembly (GSA).  I am continually impressed with the students who dedicate themselves to championing the issues that are important to graduate students at The University of Texas at Austin.

With a graduate school as large and diverse as the one we have at The University of Texas at Austin, the GSA serves a key role in creating community for graduate students and for giving voice to the concerns that matter to you, such as tuition, housing and the need for university-wide statistics and writing resources. Representatives from the GSA serve on numerous university committees, including the Faculty Council, the Tuition Policy Advisory Committee and the Graduate Assembly.  The GSA has specific advisory committees for the President, the Provost, and the Dean of Graduate Studies.

This month, GSA is hosting the 21st Annual NAGPS National Conference from November 15-18 in Austin.  The theme of this year’s conference is "Advocate, Empower and Connect - Creating Stronger Graduate and Professional Students Communities".  This conference is designed to foster communication and the sharing of ideas among graduate students from institutions across the United States. Workshops are free to UT graduate students.

There are many ways to serve in the GSA.  Your involvement offers the opportunity to better understand the university administration, to work alongside faculty from other departments and to give voice to the needs of graduate students.  I encourage you to learn more about and get involved in the GSA.

Best wishes,
Victoria E. Rodríguez
Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies

Everyday Excellence

Kristin Leahey, a third year PhD student in Performance as Public Practice, has studied and taught youth theater both in Austin and Chicago, and she has acted in and worked as a dramaturg for many local performances. 

Professional Development

Tips, tools and advice from Tommy Darwin, Director of Professional Development and Community Engagement for the Graduate School.

What is Your "Career"?

One of the most stressful elements of graduate school is answering the question:  What are you going to do with your degree?  Or, how does the job market look?  Especially at this time of year when job search rapids are building, I'd like to offer some perspective on finding a job, or even more daunting, starting a career. 

Spotlight on Faculty

This has been an exciting autumn for Middle Eastern Studies Professor Samer Ali. He is teaching a new graduate seminar on the Arabic influences in medieval Sicily, and he believes that the new knowledge he and his students are discovering could turn into a proposal for a grant to conduct manuscript research and, eventually, a book. Equally as exciting for him is the fact that three students have developed dissertation ideas based on their discoveries in this class.  Read more > >

Graduate Research at Work

Jessica Braun and Tania Garbe, graduate students in the School of Architecture, received a Mebane Award for travel over the past summer. This award enabled them to travel to Mongolia and design a child care center for disabled children. For six weeks they lived at a site in southwestern Mongolia, at the edge of the Gobi Desert, where they worked to develop a plan for the new childcare center with the help of community members, the Association of Parents with Disabled Children, and members of the Peace Corps. The School of Architecture will feature an exhibition of Braun and Garbe’s project starting November 19.

Featured Graduate School Resource

Funding your education

Are you continually trying to find new ways to fund your education?  The University of Texas at Austin has a number of resources to support your financial needs.  Check out the following links to find both university and external fellowships and grants.  Additionally, find information to many useful links to guide scholars in writing research grant proposals.

The Graduate School:  http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/funding/

 Office of Sponsored Projects: http://www.utexas.edu/research/osp/.

Getting a Life

East Austin Studio Tour (E.A.S.T.)

On the weekend of November 17-18, from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. each day, over 120 local artists open their East Austin studios to the public. This tour, which several artists started in 2003, is a chance for local artists to show their work to a larger section of the public, as well as a chance for the public to talk with the artists and learn about how and why they make the art that they do. E.A.S.T. is a fresh, welcoming, and diverse celebration of the art that Austin is making. Maps and info about each studio can be found at the Web site: www.eastaustinstudiotour.com