December 12: Cookies and Cocoa with CPDO Organizers: Beth Haas, Anna Wagner CPDO ended the semester with a networking event that included cookies, cocoa and coffee, as well as chemistry pictionary! November 26: Management Consulting as a Career Path for Advanced Degrees Organizers: Kyle Bolduc, Di Gao, Shuwen Sun This was the first time CPDO collaborated with the Michigan Graduate Consulting (MGCC) and also Rackham Graduate School. Panelists included Christine M. Stead, MHSA who is an Executive Strategist for Blue Cottage Consulting, Michael Wider, Ph.D. who is a consultant at Regulated Device Consulting LLC, and Xiaoran Tong, Ph.D. who will after a summer internship with start full as a full time associate consultant for McKinsey in 2013. Topics included “why consulting as a PhD”, “what PhD students can offer as their uniqueness”, application and interview process, suggestions from experienced consultants, etc. November 20: Networking Lunch with Thomas Hager Organizer: Laura Thoma CPDO was pleased to host an informal networking lunch with writer Thomas Hager, author of The Alchemy of Air , Demon under the Microscope, and Linus Pauling: Scientist and Peacemaker among others. He shared his stories about becoming a science writer after being a graduate student, and his inspiration for book topics. November 12: Exploring Science Policy Organizers: Ping Guo, Anna Wagner, Danielle Zurcher Dr. Chris Avery, a University of Michigan chemistry graduate presented a seminar on his experiences in public policy and answered questions. Dr. Avery is currently a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy. He also talked about his time as a AAAS/American Chemical Society Congressional Fellow in the office of Senator Christopher A. Coons, and as a Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Academies. Organizers: Ananya Dutta, Taylor Johnson, Ningkun Wang Several Postdoctoral researchers at the University of Michigan came together to share their experiences about finding a postdoctoral researcher position, as well as discussing funding and different roles/ responsibilities of a postdoctoral researcher compared to a graduate student. The postdoctoral panelists included Dr. James Clayton from the Mapp Lab (Organic/ Chem Bio), Dr. Jeannie Hernandez from the Martin Lab (Biochemistry), and Dr. Gary Jensen from the Meyerhoff Lab (Analytical). August 7: Electronic Reference Management Software Organizers: Se Ryeon Lee, Laura Thoma and Ningkun Wang Dr. Ye Li, a University of Michigan Chemistry librarian, discussed the ins and outs of the electronic reference management software Endnote. She also gave some additional information about other electronic reference management software. July 9: Patent Law Career Talk Organizers: Ping Guo, Garret Goh Dr. Joshua Ney and Dr. Susan Lewis, who both graduated with PhDs in Chemistry, talked about their experiences working as patent agents with law firms. June 20: CPDO Information and Recruiting Session Organizer: Onas Bolton Members of the Chemistry department learned about CPDO's past events and goals for graduate students and post doctoral researchers. Interested individuals were given the opportunity to become members of CPDO. May 18: Academic Job Panel Organizers: Amanda Dugan, Onas Bolton Four panelists discussed their strategies and experiences in seeking academic positions. Panelists included Dr. Jason Belitsky (Visiting Scientist, Mapp Lab, Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Oberlin College); Dr. Amy Danowitz (Fierke Lab, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Mercyhurst University); Dr. Will Pomerantz (Mapp Lab, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities), and Dr. Aaron van Dyke (Mapp Lab). April 4: Industrial Job Panel Organizers: Jing Chen, Di Gao, and Anna Wagner Three recent graduates discussed their strategies and experiences in seeking an industrial position in today’s economy. Panelists include Dr. Katie Partridge (Montogomery group) heading to Eli Lilly; Dr. Leila Foroughi (Matzger group) heading to Dow Chemical; and Asako Kubota (Sanford group) who is heading to Dow AgroSciences. February 29- March 2: Preparing for Life after Graduate School (PfLAGS) Organizers: Se Ryeon Lee (Chair), Onas Bolton, Ping Guo, Laura Thoma, Anna Wagner, Ningkun Wang, Amanda Dugan PfLAGS, a two-day workshop held by the American Chemical Society (ACS) designed to inform chemistry graduate students and postdocs about their career options after graduate school and how to prepare for them, was held at the University of Michigan. The workshop covered three topics: defining careers for chemists; some nontechnical skills and knowledge needed for career success (with an emphasis on industry); and finding employment opportunities (including a postdoc). A third optional day includes mock interviews and resume reviews. |
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