HomeVolume Spring 2005

Committee Reports







Student/Postdoctoral Affairs Committee

Shea Tuberty, Chair

As the new SPDAC chair this year, I have rallied a team of enthusiastic divisional representatives at the San Diego SICB meetings and we have already begun planning for the next meetings in Orlando. Please see the list of new and returning divisional reps and the agenda for the SPDAC workshops below. After reading over the workshop ideas, if you know of anyone that you would like to nominate for a workshop panel position please forward that name to myself or your division rep. This would be a great way to provide some well-deserved kudos for your hard-working faculty mentors or provide a venue to show off your favorite professor, postdoc, or mentor with the rest of the SICB student membership- sense of humor is appreciated!

Also of general interest, this year SPDAC will revamp the "First-timers Orientation" and make it a more informative program for both returning members and newbies. It will be entitled "The SPDAC Welcome and SICB Meeting Orientation." Please see the list of material to be covered below. Suggestions for further materials to be included are welcome!

Membership

Chair: 2004-'07
Shea Tuberty
Appalachian State University
Assistant Professor
tubertysr@appstate.edu ; (828) 262-6857

Divisional Representatives

Animal Behavior: 2005-'08
Lawrence Spezzano
Miami University (of Ohio)
Graduate student
spezzalc@muohio.edu 

Comparative Endocrinology: 2004-'07
Darren Lerner
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Graduate student
dlerner@forwild.umass.edu

Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry: 2005-'08
Joanna Joyner-Matos
University of Florida
Graduate student
jjoyner@zoo.ufl.edu 

*Developmental and Cell Biology: 2004-'07
Candace McGuinness
University of South Carolina
Graduate student
timcandace@bellsouth.net

Ecology and Evolution: 2004-'07 Sofia Hussain
University of South Florida
Graduate student
smhussai@mail.usf.edu 

Evolution and Developmental Biology: 2005-'08
Nathan Bird
George Washington University
Graduate student
nbird@gwu.edu 

Invertebrate Zoology: 2003-'06
Ben Miner
Bodega Bay Marine Lab
Postdoc
bgminer@ucdavis.edu 

Neurobiology: 2004-'07
Mark Frye
California Institute of Technology 
Postdoc
frye@caltech.edu 

Systematic and Evolutionary Biology: 2005-'08
Rena Bryan
University of Florida
Undergraduate
renabr@ufl.edu 

*Vertebrate Morphology: 2005-'08
Russell Main
Harvard University
Graduate Student
rmain@oeb.harvard.edu

The 2004 Student/Postdoc Luncheon attracted a record number of attendees!

WORKING AGENDA FOR THE 2006 SICB MEETINGS IN ORLANDO FLORIDA

The SPDAC Welcome and SICB Meeting Orientation. (First day of meetings)
A) We will discuss some tried and true ideas on "How to get the most out of your SICB meeting." Powerpoint presentation with bulleted info including:
  • i. How to find relevant talks/posters during the meetings
  • ii. How to find everyone at the meetings - This should focus on the importance of schmoozing with the PIs, hobnobbing/socializing
  • iii. How to approach a "big guy or gal"
  • iv. How to enter or leave a room/move between rooms
  • v. How to plan your meeting
  • vi. How to get involved in SICB or attend business meetings and the importance of attending the meetings (exposure, recognition).
B) Lightning round of 1st timers' questions.

SPDAC Free Lunch (Second day of meetings) This is the time to introduce ourselves to the majority of student/postdoc membership.

The Student Support Committee Chair and President of SICB will address students with a report of support programs.

Annual meeting of SPDAC held during/after this hour

Workshops (Last Evening of meetings)
Two workshops are being planned and will be held one after the other 6:00-7:00pm; 7:00-8:00pm

Workshop #1: "Optimizing Your Graduate School Experience"
  • i) dealing with funding your graduate studies (even after TAships expire)
  • ii) finding a good mentor (CUR, COS, societies, web listservers)
  • iii) getting research funding as a graduate student
  • iv) getting to meetings and making future connections (aka, networking)
  • v) building your CV to impress future hirers
  • vi) how to get the "right" postdoc for the "right" job
Perhaps this will be paneled by postdocs? We definitely encourage students to attend both.

Workshop #2: "Strategies for Landing an Academic Job/Postdoc"
  • i) Differences in the requirements for an RO1, comprehensive, and undergraduate liberal arts college (or hybrid of the above) resume.
  • ii) Paneled by new and senior faculty SICB members from each of the 3 levels of academic institutions.
  • iii) Each group will give a basic level of research/teaching/service expected at their college or university.
  • iv) A question and answer session will follow up the panel discussions.
Keep an eye on the Student Postdoctoral Affairs Committee The SPDAC has some new developments underway, including the development of an SICB web-page specific to the interests of students & postdocs!

USEFUL WEBSITES FOR SICB's STUDENT AND POSTDOC MEMBERS If you know of other useful sites for the student/postdoc membership or you would like additional information, contact the Student/Postdoctoral Affairs Committee Chair (tubertysr@appstate.edu) or see the Committee's SICB webpage (given above)

SICB 2004 in New Orleans: Rockin' Dopsie and the Zydeco Twisters at the Society-Wide Evening Social in Honor of Students and Postdocs