The Loneliness of Grant Writing

News Article by Steve Dewhurst, Professor of Microbiology & Immunology and Vice Dean for Research at the UR School of Medicine & Dentistry

Almost all of us, as researchers, spend a good deal of our time thinking about grant proposals.  That’s because grant funding gives us the means to explore our ideas, and to do the things we think are important. We also all recognize that most grant applications will be rejected by the funding agencies to which we submit them.  So we become creatures of persistence. What’s discussed less often, is the actual experience of grant writing. 

Kyle’s Tips for October: Effective Reading

News Article by Kyle Trenshaw, PhD, Educational Development Specialist for STEM at University of Rochester

Reading textbooks for courses, articles for the literature review portion of research papers, or even popular press publications about current events can be slow going, and we can come away without really being able to recall much of what we read despite putting in a lot of time. This month’s tip is to find a way to annotate your reading that works for you. By annotating, you are synthesizing as you read, which increases your productivity and your ability to recall information later for exams or as you are writing. Continue reading for some useful advice.

Another Type of Story Teller – The Quantitative Researcher

Career Story by Nan Tracy Zheng, PhD, Senior Manager and Research Analyst at RTI International

In my third year of graduate study, I decided to focus my research on nursing home care. Most researchers who do quantitative research of nursing home care in the US use Minimum Data Set (MDS) - a standard data collection instrument with more than 500 items that all nursing homes serving Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries are required to use for collecting and submitting residents’ health and treatment information. Although it’s called the Minimum Data Set, it is nowhere near small. As I joined my advisor, Dr. Helena Temkin-Greener, on a project focused on the quality of care for nursing homes and started thinking about my dissertation in the same area, she advised me that “from now on, you are going to eat, drink, and breath your data”.

Find and Align With Your Mission

Career Story by Tim Bassler, Executive Director of West Point Quality at Merck

The best advice I ever got from a mentor was to develop a mission statement, revisit that mission over time, and use it to help make career decisions.  My mission is:  Work to Live, Enjoy Work, and Make a Difference.  I set this mission statement 20 years ago and have not changed it since.  As I reflect on my career this mission has served as a barometer for my actions.  

Consider a Postdoctoral Fellowship in a Federal Laboratory: Consider NRC RAP

Career Story Plus by Christopher Kovacs, PhD Candidate (defending in December 2018!)

Thinking about life post-graduate studies can be a daunting exercise in self humility – most of us know what we want to do; but the specific where, when and how to get there often forces the topic out of mind only to be replaced by doubt.   That was certainly my own disposition until very recently.  Thankfully, I learned about a tremendous postdoctoral fellowship opportunity that appealed to my own future aspirations and I am happy to be able to share my experience in hopes that someone else can similarly benefit from it.