Resources for Graduate Students during the Fisk phase of the Bridge Program
- Students in the Natural Sciences are required to take the first year graduate course in Professional Skills.
This required course addresses professional skills, including but not limited to: time management; ethics, honesty, and plagiarism; electronic bibliographic tools; use of the Library and its digitally linked tools; introduction to Responsible Conduct of Research; the importance of oral and written communication- and models for both; and a detailed introduction to poster presentations. Other topics include how to be a mentee and mentor-mentee relationships and ‘compacts’, developing and using an evolving individual development plan, and fostering effective communication skills with your mentor and research colleagues, in both formal (lab meeting) and informal (conversations) settings. Other topics focus on social science understandings about stereotype threat, imposter syndrome, and the diversity of the scientific workforce and its cultures. To meet graduate trainee needs and introduce content when it is most valuable, this course occurs over both the Fall and Spring semesters.
- Additional Professional Skills Workshops/Courses/Resources
Throughout the year, workshops are given that focus on professional skills needed by graduate students for their thesis preparation and in achieving their overall professional goals.
A course in Scientific Writing and Literature Review is offered during the Spring semester of the first year and is required for biology and chemistry graduate trainees; however, this course is open to all graduate trainees. This course has as its final grade assignment the development of the first chapter of a Master’s trainee’s thesis.
A course on Manuscript Writing in Spring Semester of the second year, so that manuscript preparation can occur during the process of thesis preparation.
Additional workshops will also be made available, including: resume and CV preparation; mock interviews for PhD-granting programs, etc.