Monday Minutes
Graduate Edition
Here are your Monday Minutes for September 21-25, 2020
From the Department Head
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
Tomorrow (Tuesday, September 22) marks the first day of Fall and the Autumnal equinox. In the spirit of the Department of Education’s commitment to Montana Indian Education for All (IEFA), I encourage you to learn more about Indigenous Star Knowledge. This afternoon at 5pm, Ingenium—Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovations, is hosting a free symposium about the significance of the Autumnal equinox in Indigenous cultures. You can also visit Native Skywatchers to learn more about efforts to revitalize Indigenous astronomy, and the Montana Office of Public Instruction has a series of videos about Piikani (Blackfeet) astronomy.
As you look to the sky tomorrow evening, I encourage you to think about the many ways of knowing that our diverse backgrounds afford us and commit to learning something new about diversity in scientific understanding. Happy stargazing!
Take good care,
Dr. Ann Ewbank
News and Announcements
- Our next department meeting is Tuesday, September 22 3:10-4:30 in Ann Ewbank’s WebEx room. Our main topic is strategic planning in support of the department’s #edgoals.
Join by phone:
+1-855-797-9485 US Toll free
+1-415-655-0002 US Toll
Access code: 920 310 123
- Refer-A-Bobcat: High school principals, educational leaders, and MSU alumni have the opportunity to refer a potential graduate student in the master’s degree programs listed below. If you are the person who is making a referral, please fill out the online survey. If the person referred applies and is accepted, then they will be eligible for a three-credit tuition waiver (a 10% discount on tuition for a 30-credit degree). Waivers are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, contact the Graduate School. The eligible programs for educators are:
Family and Consumer Sciences, MS
Mathematics - Mathematics Education, MS
Teaching (Secondary or Elementary), MA
Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
- Our alumni continue to inspire! Congratulations to Kristi Borge, MSU graduate and the one room schoolhouse teacher in Polaris, for being named the 2021 Montana Teacher of the Year!
- Congratulations to Mitch Vaterlaus, Alex Aylward, and Dawn Tarabochia for their recent publication, “A smartphone made my life easier: An exploratory study on age of adolescent smartphone acquisition and well-being” in Computers in Human Behavior!
- Congratulations to Deborah Rinio, Bill Mendoza, and Ann Ewbank for their recent MSU News feature about their new Indigenous Perspectives in School Librarianship grant!
- Our department’s success is determined by our collective accomplishments. Share your own accomplishments with pride! Or if you hear of a colleague or student’s accomplishment, please share. Please send accomplishments and kudos to [email protected].
- The Bounty of Bridgers Food Pantry is still up and running. Open to students, faculty and staff and on Wednesdays from 11-1 pm and Thursdays 4-6 pm and Saturdays at noon. Go to website http://www.montana.edu/oha/bounty-of-the-bridgers.html for more information on fresh produce, breads, and staples.
Professional Development & Engagement Opportunities
- Literature Review Basics, Thursday, Sept 24 from 3pm-4pm, Where: Virtual. During this workshop with the MSU Library, learn the basics of a literature review – what it is, different types of reviews and how they are organized, and tips to find patterns, arguments, and gaps in research. To register or learn more, view the Library’s workshops and events.
- MSU Writing Center Graduate Student Writing Groups & Focus Fridays. Where: Online For more information and or to register go to https://www.montana.edu/writingcenter/graduate_writers.html
The MSU Writing Center is here to support graduate students! Check out these two opportunities: Graduate writing groups offer the opportunity to collaborate on your writing with graduate students across disciplines. The groups will be asynchronous and online allowing students to receive feedback over the course of a week. Groups will be facilitated by a writing center staff member for four weeks, and up to fifteen students will be accepted for each four-week session. Students on the waitlist will be contacted as spaces open up.
Focus Friday is an opportunity for graduate writers to participate in a writing community while working from anywhere. This is a chance to connect with other graduate students working on major writing projects—arguably the best people to have in your corner because they cheer you on while holding you accountable. Every Friday this semester (excluding holidays) you can write with this online community between 9am and 3pm.
- Data Visualization in R Thursday, September 24, 3:00-5:00 PM.Register at http://www.montana.edu/datascience/training/ The ability to create meaningful and attractive data visualizations is an essential skill of data-intensive research. This workshop will give you an overview of the grammar of graphics plotting concepts from the ggplot2 package. These concepts will be presented in an interactive format, integrating computational practice throughout the workshop.
- Register for the FREE Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) Virtual Convening October 14-16. The CPED Convening includes the EdD Student Research Forum is open to all students enrolled in MSU EdD programs. The registration deadline is Friday, October 2.
- The next Library Media Certificate program webinar is Tuesday, October 6th at 6pm MST. Mary Anne Hansen, Research Services Librarian, will present on Open Access Health Resources for Teachers, Kids, and Teens. Learn about a variety of freely available health-related resources from a variety of US government agencies and professional associations, including NIH, CDC, the Society of Health and Physical Educators, and more! Participants must register in advance to attend. All registered participants will be sent a recording of the webinar along with resources. Contact Deborah Rinio with questions.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Resources
- Don’t forget to register to vote for the upcoming general election! Election Day is a university holiday. Civic participation is the foundation of equity, diversity, and inclusion.
- Gallatin County’s Election Department needs election judges for the upcoming general election. The job of election judge is critical to our democracy, as voters depend on election judges to run polling places and counting centers on Election Day. As an election judge in Montana, you will help ensure the state’s elections remain secure, fair, accurate and accessible to all voters. Responsibilities include supervising the conduct inside polling places and helping Montanans cast their ballot both privately and independently.
Monday Minutes
9/14/2020