February 2022 Edition

 Grad School Help Desk Newsletter Header

February 2022

“In the coldest February, as in every other month in every other year, the best thing to hold on to in this world is each other.”         

-- Linda Ellerbee

Grad School Trivia Night at Nordic Brew Works

Thursday, Feb. 3, 5-7 p.m.

Grab a pint and test your knowledge of all things MSU in the loft at Nordic Brewing. Trivia Night questions cover a broad range of topics. Limit six people per team; must be 21+ to participate. Prizes will be awarded. This event will take place in the loft at Nordic Brew Works. Take advantage of their happy hour until 6pm, and their Thursday special: 2 beers and any appetizer for $20!

Calendar

Saturday, Feb. 5: Last day for graduate students to file for spring graduation in MyInfo or via a Graduation Application (only used when a student has applied for the same degree in a prior term or is applying for an en route degree).

 

Monday, Feb. 21: President’s Day Holiday (no classes); offices closed.

 

March 14-18: Spring Break (no classes); offices open.

 

Announcements

"Invite the Dean"

Craig would like to get out and meet groups of graduate students in your labs, research, or study spaces. If you would like to host the dean for a ~30min. informal chat, please contact craig.ogilvie@montana.edu

Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS)

CPS provides FREE counseling services to undergraduate and graduate students here on campus. CPS is open and seeing clients for individual, group, and couples counseling. For more info, visit the CPS website. Not all students need counseling, but many could benefit from some other CPS services, including a variety of preventative tools that help students develop coping strategies and skills to enhance their mental well-being.

  • Let’s Talk drop-in consultation times have started, with three new locations this semester at Norm, Romney, and the American Indian Hall. See the CPS Let’s Talk Page for details. This is a great resource if a student needs input on a specific problem, is wondering if counseling could be helpful, or wants advice about how to help a friend. No need to make an appointment—first come, first-served.

Also offered are:

  • Online Self-Help tools with YOU@MSU  and Welltrack. These are FREE to students and offer a wealth of tips and strategies to be successful in school and manage all aspects of health.
  • Free Mental Health Screening: Encourage students (and yourself!) to take a check-up from the neck up by taking a mental health screening to see what areas of your mental health need attention and care.
  • Trainings for suicide prevention offered either online or in person.
  • Students can increase their connection with other students by signing up for Project Connect or by joining Active Minds,a student club for promoting mental health awareness.  
  • Racial Connection and Healing Space, Thursdays a 4 p.m., American Indian Hall, Rm 102. For any student who identifies as an ethnic minority or has an underrepresented ethnic or racial identity on campus. 

Resources to Help with the Transition from Box to OneDrive

As the university gets closer to its transition away from the storage site Box, University Information Technology would like to remind the MSU community how they can play a part in the successful migration of their data.

  • Clean up your collaborators. To make it easier for UIT to assist individuals, use the Box Shares Report folder to review current collaborators on files and folders. Learn more by visiting Box Transition How-To prepare videos  
  • Reduce the number of files and folders. Delete any unnecessary documents or folders to expedite migration time. 
  • Learn more about OneDrive for Business (OneDrive) and SharePoint Document Libraries.

Review the Box Transition Resources

Workshops & Events

Asian Student Interracial Assn. Research and Creativity Celebration

Tuesday, Feb. 1, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Where: Inspiration Hall

2022 is the year of the tiger! To celebrate, the Asian Student Interracial   Association will share their research and creative work with the MSU   community. A networking event for attendees will follow the speaker session. Our goal for this event is to celebrate, elevate, and connect AAPI voices in creative and research fields at MSU. AAPI graduate students, faculty, and undergraduate students are encouraged to apply to present a 5-10 minute presentation on their work.

Spring ePortfolio Development Workshops

Wednesday, Feb. 2, 4:15-6:15 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 11, 1:30-3:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2-4 p.m.

Where: TBD

Join this series of Spring semester ePortfolio Workshops to begin buidling your personal brand, collecting experiences, and preparing yourself for life beyond college. Workshops Feb. 2 and 22 will focus on getting started on your ePortfolio with peer assistance. Please RSVP.

994-Calling! with Matthew Fields

Monday, Feb. 28, 4-5 p.m.

SUB #235 and via WebEx

Researcher Matthew Fields, professor of microbiology and cell biology and director of the Center for Biofilm Engineering, will “tell his story,” including some fun background, where he trained, how he came to MSU and a few key highlights on research and scholarship. Refreshments will be served.

February clinics lead up to Spring Career Fair

Resume Writing Clinic

Tuesday, Feb. 8, 12-1 p.m. 

Where: SUB #235

Salary and Benefits Negotiation Clinic

Tuesday, Feb. 8, 4:30-6 p.m. 

Where: SUB #233

Interviewing Clinics

Thursday, Feb. 3, 4-5 p.m.

Where: SUB #236

Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2-3 p.m.

Where: SUB #168

Career Fair Prep Clinic

Thursday, Feb. 10, 3-4 p.m.

Where: SUB #168

Spring Career Fair

February 15-18

Where: SUB Ballroom

This multi-day Career Fair event with receptions, Networking Events, and Info Sessions will begin on Tuesday, Feb. 15. The Fair itself will be held on Feb. 16-17, and you may choose to register for one or both days.

Excel Basics (Level I)

Wednesday, Feb. 2, 12 noon-1 p.m.

Where: MSU Library, Heathcote Classroom

Excel Basics and Beyond (Level I and II)

Wednesday, Feb. 16, 12 noon-1 p.m.

Where: MSU Library, Heathcote Classroom

Learn the basics of Excel, then go further to learn more advanced functions.Registration is recommended but not required. If you can’t make this date and time, you can view the library’s recorded workshops.

Diversity Certificate Workshop: Veterans Identity

Tuesday, Feb. 8, 1-4 p.m.

Via WebEx

Participants will learn about veteran trends in the post 9/11 era, and how these trends are affecting the veteran student body here in Montana. Instruction will address the stereotypes and biases that exist about veterans and the reality of the challenges that face veterans transitioning to civilian life. Register to receive WebEx information.

MSU Writing Center services for Graduate Writers

The MSU Writing Center offers ongoing support to students working on graduate-level writing in the following ways: 

One-on-one appointments, both in-person and online with graduate or undergraduate peer tutors: Make a tutoring appointment.   

Interdisciplinary graduate writing studios, a small group of graduate students who meet regularly to work on improving their own writing and give feedback to others. Read more and register to join a group at the MSU Writing Center’s website

Focus Fridays, a weekly “write with us” time for grad students to work alongside each other in the Writing Center on Fridays from 9 a.m.-12 noon. Tutors are available to answer questions. Can’t make it to campus? Join us online on MS Teams.

For more information, go to www.montana.edu/writingcenter/graduate_writers or contact our Graduate Program Coordinator, Erin Strickland, at erin.strickland@montana.edu or call (406) 994-5315.

Funding and Fellowships

Weekly NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices

DEADLINE: Varies

Check out the National Institute of Health (NIH) weekly funding opportunities page.

Argonne National Laboratory opportunities

DEADLINE: March 4, 2022

Advanced Photon Source (APS) provides ultra-bright, high-energy storage ring-generated X-ray means for research in almost all scientific disciplines. A number of seminars and workshops are available to those who are interested.

Center for Nanoscale Materials: This nanoscience and nanotechnology research program provides researchers with access to a broad range of capabilities for design, synthesis, characterization, theory and modeling in order to significantly advance the understanding of nanoscale phenomena and develop functional nanoscale systems. 

NASA research opportunities

DEADLINE: Feb. 11, 2022.

Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST ROSES-2021 F.5) solicits proposals from accredited U.S. universities and other eligible organizations for graduate student-designed and performed research projects that contribute to SMD’s science, technology, and exploration goals. The graduate student shall have the primary initiative to define the proposed FINESST research project and must be the primary author, with input or supervision from the proposal’s Principal Investigator (PI), as appropriate. The proposal must present a well-defined research problem/activity and a justification of its scientific significance to NASA. FINESST awards are grants for up to three years and up to $50K per year.

INL Graduate Fellowship

DEADLINE: Feb. 13, 2022

The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Graduate Fellowship Program is designed to identify exceptional talent in research areas aligned with INL’s strategic agenda to enable the current and future mission of the Department of Energy and INL. The program, a collaboration between INL and universities, provides mentoring and financial support for outstanding students who plan to enroll in graduate degree programs. INL also offers jobs and internships. 

Summer Internship Program – biomedical research

DEADLINE: March 1, 2022

Summer programs provide an opportunity to spend a minimum of eight consecutive weeks performing full-time biomedical research under the guidance and direction of a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases principal investigator. Open to U.S. citizens/permanent residents who are enrolled in college or graduate school at the time of application. Applications are accepted beginning in mid-December and acceptance is rolling once the portal opens.)

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

Follow Us on Social Media

Follow us on Social Media for more news and events!

Archive

November 2021 - End of Fall Semester

October 2021 - Mid-Semester update

September 2021 - First month of Fall semester

August 2021 - Beginning of Fall semester

June 2021 - Upcoming Fall, GA opportunities

April 2021 - End of Spring semester

March 2021 - Career opportunities

February 2021 - Spring Events

January 2021 - Assistantships and scholarships

December 2020 - Winter break workshops