Although excellent experimental technique and a broad chemical knowledge are crucial to a career in chemistry, there are additional skills that are needeAd in order to be truly successful. You must be able to plan your time efficiently, know how to prepare a resume or curriculum vitae, have knowledge of areas outside of pure chemistry, understand the nature of jobs in chemical industry and academia, be able to express yourself clearly in both oral and written formats, etc. The programs and opportunities listed below will help to make sure that our graduates have a competitive edge when it comes to getting their first job and beyond.

Opportunities Within Chemistry

Graduate Student Workshops Committee - The GSWC is a student-run organization within the Department of Chemistry that creates high-quality programs of relevance to the department’s graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, with special emphasis on career preparation and professional development. www.chem.umn.edu/grad/workshop/

Travel Grants - The purpose of this program is to encourage the participation of graduate students in attending and making research presentations at scientific meetings appropriate for their fields. Ten awards are given to senior graduate students each year.

ACS Women Chemists Committee Travel Awards

TA Award - An award recognizing excellence in teaching is given each year to one or more Teaching Assistants that are nominated by their students. It is sponsored by the Pillsbury and its parent company, Grand Metropolitan PLC, and includes a $1,000 cash award.

Peer Advising - This program was started in the Fall of 1989 to help entering graduate students become acclimated to graduate student life at the outset. Several volunteer senior graduate students offer their guidance and friendship in this process. The senior graduate students advise the entering graduate students about what to expect in graduate school and the Twin Cities and give tips on how to cope and take advantage of opportunities and resources. There are several meetings held over the year in which the peer advisors cover a range of topics from selecting a research advisor to preparation for exams. The relationships built among these students during their first year are beneficial throughout their graduate career and beyond.

Career Workshops - The Department sponsors a variety of career-oriented workshops and seminars throughout the year. Some of the topics covered in these workshops are: Academic Careers: Teaching and Research in a Liberal Arts College vs. a University Setting; Careers in Industry; Career/Family Balance; and Combining Chemistry and Management.

Nontraditional workshops have dealt with self-esteem issues, strategies for coping and preserving self-worth both in graduate school and in subsequent careers, and discussions of how to have a fulfilling life along with a career. These workshops are designed to make graduate school a positive experience, to help students prepare for their future, and to encourage them to develop and see the process through.

Outreach - The goal of this program is to show young students that chemistry is fun, anyone can do chemistry, and there are rewarding career opportunities in chemistry. A group of about 25 graduate and undergraduate chemistry students visit local elementary, and junior and senior high school classes to give chemistry demonstrations. The demonstrations include a number of interesting chemistry experiments which illustrate various important principles. Several of the demonstrations provide hands-on experiments for up to 30 students in a class. The material is intended primarily for students who have not had previous classes in chemistry but the level of discussion is increased as appropriate for more advanced students.

Chemistry Wise Team - Since 1989, the University of Minnesota Department of Chemistry has sponsored workshops designed to increase retention of women in this department. Since 1995, the Chemistry Department WISE team, composed of faculty, staff and students, has taken over this program. Most of the activities target graduate students at various stages.

Past workshops have been held on the following topics:

• job hunting and resources for finding jobs
• writing your resume and/or Curriculum vitae
• interviewing skills
• academic vs. industrial job searching
• non-traditional careers in Chemistry
• dealing with motivational slumps
• goal assessment and development
• choosing an advisor
• oral pre-lim exam help session
• study skills in graduate school and dealing with procrastination
• post-doc guide to the department, university and Twin Cities area
• Celebrating Women Chemists informal lunch seminar series
• Special WISE Seminar (once per year a prominent women chemist is invited to present a Departmental Seminar)

http://nmr.chem.umn.edu/wise/wise.html

Industrial Job Recruiters - Companies looking for chemistry graduate students set up interviews and presentations through Kathy Ross in the front office (139 Smith Hall.) On-campus recruiting is welcome at all times, but the bulk of the activities is during fall semester. Kathy also keeps an email list of job-seekers, with whom she shares position/opening announcements throughout the year.

Opportunities From the ACS

ACS Office of Graduate Education
Preparing Future Chemistry Faculty Web Resource
Career Information
Careers and Jobs
Additional Resources and Links

Opportunities on Campus

Graduate School - Graduate fellowships, awards based on academic merit, are available to new and currently enrolled graduate students at the University of Minnesota. The Graduate School Fellowship Office administers University-wide fellowships. Applications may be obtained from the Fellowship Office or may be filled out online, printed out, and sent to the Fellowship Office by the designated deadline. The Office also administers the National Science Foundation Fellowships program.

Graduate School - Also offers links to various Professional Development opportunities ranging from Grant Writing Skills to Job Searching Resources.

IT Career Services Office - IT Career Services (ITCS) can assist you at every stage of your education and career development. Here you'll have many resources at your disposal: career advising, workshops, job search strategies, on-campus recruiting, career fairs, a resource center, and online job and resume postings.

Link to a listing of numerous fellowships and awards.

Tips For Effective Poster Presentations

Through the process of trial and error, scientific societies and veteran poster presenters have come up with the following rules of thumb for effective poster presentations.

1. Prepare a banner in very large type containing a descriptive title, the authors, and their affiliations. This banner should be situated high up on the poster so it can be seen above people's heads from a distance of 15 to 20 feet.
2. Bracket the poster with an introduction at the beginning and a list of conclusions at the end. Remember that many people will read only these two parts of your poster.
3. Make the flow of information in a poster explicit with the use of inch-high numerals. The flow of information should be organized in columns running down the poster, not in rows running across it.
4. The poster should be self-explanatory, so that its main points will be communicated even if you are not there. But don't load it down with large amounts of methodological detail or lists of references. Curious observers can ask you about these things directly.
5. Each illustration should have a prominent headline containing its take-home message in just a few words. The text below the illustrations should be in smaller type and should contain far more information than the typical figure legend. Only the most interested readers will spend time with this text.
6. Prepare a presentation of no more than five minutes (preferably two to four minutes) to walk interested parties quickly through your poster.
7. Make the poster well in advance and practice it with your colleagues, much as you would practice an oral presentation.
8. Taking into account Murphy's Law, bring extra push pins (not thumbtacks) with you to the meeting. And consider making up two complete copies of the poster. Mail one copy ahead or send it with a friend.
9. At the poster session, let people peruse you poster for 30 seconds or a minute before approaching them to ask if you may lead them through it. But don't be shy about introducing yourself, since the opportunity to meet people is one of the major advantages of poster sessions.
10. If you have a preprint of a article already prepared, consider having a supply ready at the poster session to hand out to people who are especially interested. If not, take down names and addresses and offer to send the preprint when it is ready.

Oral Exam Help Tips

Topics

• Pick something that interests you; it will be easier to work on it.
• The best topics are not just derivatives of known experiments (for example, a synthesis of the ethyl analog of the published methyl compound).
• Pick something significant to your field.
• Your topic doesn’t have to be earth shattering, just original.
• If your division allows it, discuss your potential topic with your advisor so if s/he thinks it is inappropriate, you can find a new one.
• Preparing and Writing (If you have to)
• Items to think about as you prepare: What is the question(s) you will be asking in your proposal? Why is this interesting? What do we know now (i.e. background, current issues, unanswered questions)? How do you plan to answer your question (i.e. methods)? What might you find (list some of the possible outcomes and explanations)? What will you try next if your proposal doesn't work?
• Get feedback from as many people as will listen to you or read your proposal. Everyone who has been through the oral was tripped up by something. Especially get feedback from people whose advisers are on your committee.
• Have someone read your final proposal and presentation media at least a few days before it is due. Small errors will make a negative impression on the committee.
  Review class notes; anything is fair game (though this may vary by division--check your rules), and if you've taken a class from someone on your committee, she or he is likely to remember that.

Presenting

• It is almost certain that someone on your committee will not have read your proposal or abstract. They may even read it during the beginning of your talk. Be prepared for this and avoid being rude if they ask you something that's clearly stated in your proposal.
• Don't be stubborn; don't stick with your first plan if your committee has a problem with it.
• Be flexible and have a back-up plan or two for everything you propose.
• Be willing to admit you made a mistake. You should be as prepared as possible, but you are still a student. You are not expected to know everything.
• Prepare a few extra overheads as back-up for "obvious" questions, but don't go overboard. It's a waste of time to make too many, and committees like to see you think on your feet and use the chalkboard as well.
• Take some time to think about questions before answering. Give it a try even if you don't know the answer. The committee wants to see your analytical skills as well as your at-hand knowledge, so talk yourself through it as much as you can.
• There will be at least one question you cannot answer. This is very normal--your committee isn't doing their job properly if there isn't. Remember, you won't fail just because of one hard question.
• Give a practice talk or two or three. Practice by yourself first. Start practicing early enough so you have enough time to make major changes, at least one week in advance.
• Have your audience go through your talk slide-by-slide afterward for the best constructive criticism.
• Do not work on anything related to your prelim the night before or the morning before/of the exam. Get plenty of sleep the night before.
• Stay calm! Don't be aggressive or arrogant, but also don't let them walk all over you. And don't cry; the committee will NOT be sympathetic.

Procrastination

• It's hard to be motivated to work on something so stressful and uncertain, but the more you get done early on, the less stressful it will be.
• Set goals for every day, even two months in advance. Something as simple as browsing through a few issues of a journal for topic ideas early on in the game will give you a big jump.
• Talk to others early about your ideas to give yourself time to refine your proposal or find a new one.
• Keep lists of areas of your topic you need to research and think about and prioritize them.
• Stay organized. It will be easier to stay motivated if you're not wasting time.

Stress

• This may be one of the most stressful things you do in your life. Take care of yourself by exercising (especially useful if you are feeling very frustrated), eating well and sleeping enough. Take breaks. Set aside some time for fun.
• If you are near your limit, see someone at University Counseling in Eddy Hall, at Boynton Health Service, or go out for coffee with a sympathetic listener.
• Remember that the worst that can happen is you will fail this one exam. Even though it may seem like it, the committee is NOT judging your worth as a person.
• Take a break to think about why you are in graduate school in the first place. This is something you have to get through to continue doing what you love.

Resources

• University Counseling and Consulting has many resources, workshops, and support groups for graduate students. Call 612-624-3323 for information.
• Reference Librarians. You've only been here 18 months; don't be afraid to ask for help in searching databases. It's better than missing a major reference on your topic.
• Other members of your research group and senior graduate students.

General "Survival Skills" Resources for Graduate Students on the Web

http://online.anu.edu.au/BoZo/Scott/Studentresources.html
good suggestions for writing proposals and giving talks

Compiled by the University of Minnesota Chemistry WISE Team from various sources, including the Web resources above, graduate students and faculty. 1/2002