October 2017

Letter from the Outside World

News Article by Anonymous URBEST Trainee Alumnus

I recently received an email from a URBEST trainee that had graduated and made their way out into the world. It surprises (and delights) me that people still like to share their success stories. I also wanted to communicate the email with you because I think it contains a lot of useful information for when you decide to make your way into the outside world. I got permission to share – I just had to remove identifying factors. Please enjoy this trainee’s experience. It might be similar to your own in the future?

 

Looking for Good Graduate Students

News Article by Department of Microbiology's Scott Butler, Ph.D.; Luis Martinez-Sobrido, Ph.D.; Rob Quivey, Ph.D.; and Juilee Thakar, Ph.D.

Juilee Thakar did a few recruiting visits over the summer, and undergraduate students wanted to know: what characteristics are professors looking for in a graduate student. Some faculty weigh in.

Getting Work Done With The URBEST Grand Gesture

News Article by Tracey Baas, Ph.D., URBEST Executive Director

I was recently introduced to the book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, written by Cal Newport. He references the examples of J.K. Rowling checking into the five-star Balmoral Hotel, Bill Gates working in a cabin, Alan Lightman retreating to a tiny island in Maine, and Peter Shankman booking a round-trip flight to Japan in order to focus on their deep work. I couldn’t offer those options to trainees and supporters, but what I could offer was a two-hour URBEST Grand Gesture.

URBEST 2017 Retreat Recap

News Article by Emma Grygotis, Ph.D. Candidate in Pharmacology

As scientists-in-training, we’re comfortable with the notion that answering one question is liable to bring up three new ones. Uncertainty is an essential component of the scientific process, one that most scientists happily embrace, but it’s far harder to accept the reality of uncertainty when it comes to our lives and careers. Except we don’t typically call it “uncertainty.” Instead, we’re far more likely to use the term “anxiety."

Hub or Network for Deaf & hard-of-hearing scientists? An outsider’s perspective

News Article by Sarah Latchney, Ph.D., Stem Cell and Toxicology Researcher at the University of Rochester Medical Center

Although vastly different, the goal of both training models is to meet the unique needs of D/HH scientists, and – through their own approaches – both have demonstrated success in recent years. In acknowledging the strengths and challenges of the two training models, continuing the dialogue may provide fresh ideas and viewpoints for URMC and RIT. Sarah Latchney, URMC postdoc, and Hui-Yi Chu, Fate Therapeutics Scientist, discuss the outsider's perspective.