Greetings from the Biology GSPA! In this month's newsletter, we have highlighted some of the recent accomplishments among members of the department and advertised some exciting events coming up in November.
to Yang Yu from the Bergland Lab who defended his dissertation, studying the mechanisms of seasonal adaptation in Drosophila melanogaster!
Congratulations to Kendra Liu who won a poster prize at the EMBO Meeting: Phagocytosis of dying cells: molecules, mechanisms, and therapeutic implications, at Belgium!
"Congratulations to all biology graduate students who submitted their NSF Graduate Research Fellowship application in October! Best of luck to you all in the pool!" -- Sarah McPeek
Congratulations to Rachana Bhave who was awarded the Graduate, Professional Student Postdoc Scholar Career Development (GPPD) Grant by the POD Network. The grant will help her advance her career aspirations to teach and support transformative teaching and learning in higher education. More information about the POD Network!
Congratulations to Megan, the winner of the baking contest!
Congratulations to Sarah McPeek, the winner of the costume contest!
November Events:
* GSPA Meeting: Thursday, Nov. 3rd, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM, PLSB 403
Join us for our November public forum meeting! Snacks are provided! This month, our discussion topic is on faculty recruitment. Come share your questions, concerns, and ideas about how we can improve department life, both academically and socially. If there are anonymous concerns you would like to share ahead of the meeting, please fill out this form.
* GRIT Day 2022: Friday, Nov. 4th, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM, Hybrid - BEC, McKim Hall & Zoom
GRIT Day will be a half-day meeting during which the GRIT leadership will share updates with the UVA community on action items established from 2021 GRIT Day. We will also host discussion groups in which participants can discuss recruitment and retention here at UVA, as well as club sustainability, the DEI efforts of their departments, and establish actionable items that they want to see improved in the future. GRIT will use these discussions to drive the yearly GRIT action plan. Faculty, staff, postdocs, students, and others are all invited to participate in GRIT Day! Feel free to email UVAGrit@gmail.com if you have any questions!
* NIH Biosketch Workshop: Tuesday, Nov. 8th, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM, Hybrid - BEC, McKim Hall & Zoom - Meeting ID: 992 0504 6860; Passcode: 645170
The biosketch workshop is split into two parts:
1.) "How to Write a Biosketch": Lauren Armstrong from the School of Medicine Office of Grants & Contracts will give a 30-minute explanation of the NIH biosketch and its components. This will occur in person at BEC, McKim Hall and over Zoom from 3:00 - 3:30 P.M.
2.) Feedback and Critiques: an hour-long breakout session that will allow students to receive feedback on their current biosketch drafts from Ms. Armstrong and peers. Students are also welcome to use this time to brainstorm outlines in a group setting. This will take place in person only at BEC, McKim Hall between 3:30 and 4:30 P.M.
Cookies and coffee will be provided in the BEC to provide a mid-afternoon burst of energy!
* UVA 2022 Fall Festival: Thursday, Nov. 17th, 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM, South Meeting Room of Newcomb Hall
The Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs – Diversity Programs cordially invites you to attend the UVA 2022 Fall Festival. The UVA Fall Festival will celebrate the traditions, customs, and cultures within our UVA graduate students and postdoctoral scholar communities as we commemorate the fall season through music, food, and fellowship. We are soliciting your support to learn more about your upbringing so that we can incorporate it into the UVA Fall Festival experience. Please share with us your lived experience in a brief, 2–3-minute online survey where we desire to integrate responses into activities and segments of the event at https://bit.ly/uvafallfest2022input. At the conclusion of the survey, you will be directed to the online site to RSVP for the event. RSVP no later than Friday, November 11th at 12 noon EDT.
* Friday Seminars: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM, Hybrid - Gilmer 390 & Zoom
Nov. 4th - No seminar
Nov. 11th - Speaker: Dr. Alicia Melendez; Host: Eyleen O'Rourke
Nov. 18th - Speaker: Dr. Nitin Phadnis; Host: Alan Bergland
Nov. 25th - No seminar
* Recurring Event:
Coffee Hour: Wednesday, 2:30 pm - 3:30pm, PLSB 4th Floor Balcony
Take a break from your desk for coffee and afternoon snacks with your fellow biologists. All are welcome, just bring your own mug!