February 2021 Edition -Archive Edition

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FEBRUARY 2021

February is Black History Month. In celebration, the MSU Library and Diversity and Inclusion Student Commons (DISC), and the Office of Diversity will host a book display featuring black women writers in the Renne Library.

To keep up with updates and messages from the Graduate School, visit our Announcements page.


The Grad School Help Desk Newsletter is here to help you with dates, funding opportunities, upcoming workshops, and graduate events. Let us know if there is anything you’d like to see or anything we missed.

Sincerely,

The Graduate School

Feb 5 Last day for graduate students to file Graduation Application

Feb 15 President’s Day Holiday (no classes; offices closed)

Apr 2 University Day Holiday (no classes; offices open)

WORKSHOPS, EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

GradCat 360 highlight: Safe Zone Training

Module 1: Wed, Feb 3 from 3-5pm
Module 2: Wed, Feb 10, 3-4:30pm
Module 3: Wed, Feb 17, 3-5pm

The Safe Zone program offers trainings each semester to help educate our community and promote an inclusive campus environment. Safe Zone is a program that appears on campuses across the nation to build awareness and support of LGBTQIQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and questioning) individuals. These workshops educate and raise awareness about LGBTQIQ issues and provide training, resources and tips for being an ally.

View other GradCat 360 events and resources.

Library Open House

Mon, Feb 8
Virtual

To keep the Spirit of the Library Open House Alive, the Library will be celebrated virtually. The event will celebrate Online Resource Sharing and their Virtual Bookshelf. View the Library’s Open House webpage for more information.

NCFDD: Skill #2: How to Align your Time with your Priorities

Thursday, Feb 11 from 12-1pm

MSU has invested in an Institutional Membership with the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD). An account is needed and is free for MSU graduate students. Visit the NCFDD information page and to learn how to sign up.  

Grab your strategic plan and learn the secret to making it work day-to-day and week-to-week! How to Align Your Time with Your Priorities is a step-by-step guide to holding a weekly planning meeting (aka The Sunday Meeting). This is a HANDS-ON webinar where you'll not only learn the technique but actually do it!

Getting Started on Your Literature Review

Thursday, Feb 11 from 3-4pm
Where: Online

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 the research. You'll also learn how to use Google Scholar and Web of Science to find the literature you need using citation chaining. Register for the Library Workshop today!

Kindness in Graduate Education Week

February 15 - 24

Kindness in Graduate Education Week is a celebration of the acts of kindness that graduate students experience in their busy lives. During the week of Feb 15-24, you can submit acts of kindness that you engage in or experience on or off-campus, and we will help you celebrate them anonymously on our social media.

Data Visualization in R

Wednesday, Feb 17 from 3:10pm-5pm
Where: Online

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. We will explore ggplot’s three plotting layers, data, aesthetics, and geometries, for many univariate and multivariate graphics. These concepts will be presented in an interactive format, integrating computational practice throughout the workshop. The workshop will be presented online. Register for the R workshops at the Library website. The Online R Workshops are co-organized by the Library, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Statistical Consulting & Research Services.

994-Calling! Series with Ilse-Mari Lee

Monday, Feb 22 from 4-5pm
Where: WebEx Link

With the VPREDGE: During this series, speakers will be asked to “tell their stories” on their background and highlights of their research and scholarship. A dedicated teacher, Ilse-Mari has received twelve "Excellence in Teaching" Awards, the President's Excellence in Teaching Award, as well as the Wiley Award for Meritorious Research.

Citizen Science Event Recording

In case you missed it: The Citizen Science for Graduate Students webinar was presented on Jan 21 by SciStarter.org and MSU Science Math Resource Center. Watch the recording and learn how citizen science can be a valuable component of your academic and professional career!

MSU Writing Center services for Graduate Writers

Where: Online

The MSU Writing Center is here to support graduate students!

Online Writing Studios

The MSU Writing Center will again offer online writing groups for graduate students who want to learn more about writing and improve their own writing at the same time. The goal of a writing studio is to create a supportive writing community of fellow graduate students who give feedback on written work, regardless of how complete the draft is. Writing studios are collaborative, non-evaluative spaces. Studios will be facilitated by a Writing Center tutor using Microsoft Teams and will consist of an asynchronous component where group members post, read and comment on each other’s work, followed by a synchronous, one-hour video meeting.   

To sign up for a graduate writing studio, please fill out this google form: https://forms.gle/miF3YnncW96e9ipdA

Focus Fridays

Focus Friday is an opportunity for graduate writers to participate in an online writing community and to connect with other graduate students working on major writing projects. 

Every Friday this semester (excluding university-sanctioned holidays), check in with each other and then write between the hours of 9 am and noon. You decide how much time you will dedicate to writing and set an achievable goal for yourself. During the check-ins, you can ask the group for feedback or simply share your successes and frustrations. Join every Friday or as your schedule allows:  Follow this link to join the Focus Friday Team. Focus Fridays are open to all graduate students, all disciplines, and all stages and comfort levels with writing.

FUNDING & FELLOWSHIPS

Summer Stipends | U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities

MSU Letter of Intent: due July 6, 2021
Application due: Sept 22, 2021

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Division of Research Programs is accepting applications for the Summer Stipends program. The purpose of this program is to stimulate new research in the humanities and its publication. Summer Stipends support continuous full-time work on a humanities project for a period of two consecutive months. NEH funds may support recipients' compensation, travel, and other costs related to the proposed scholarly research.

Weekly NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices | National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Posted Jan 22, 2021

View the latest in NIH funding opportunities and notices.

For more funding opportunities, visit MSU’s Research Funding Opportunities or the Graduate School’s Funding & Fellowships webpage.

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