Division C Graduate Student Seminar

Before the 2012 AERA Annual Meeting in Vancouver, twenty-one graduate students participated in a two-day seminar, which included mentoring and a variety of panel presentations. Co-chaired by Dr. Susan Yoon (University of Pennsylvania) and Dr. Lisa Linnenbrink-Garcia (Duke University), the seminar was a huge success, and we thank them for all their work and dedication!

One of the many highlights was getting paired with a faculty mentor with similar research interests. The mentors graciously offered us advice regarding our academic careers. In addition they provided concrete feedback on our CVs, research statements, and a manuscript in preparation. Their help was invaluable, and we will treasure their mentoring for many years to come as we finish our graduate careers.

Second, the seminar consisted of a wide range of panel presentations ranging from how to interview for faculty jobs, how to establish a research program and applying for funding, the work-life balance, and a presentation from journal editors. The panelists’ expertise and personal experiences were very insightful, and we are eager to put them into practice!

There were also many opportunities for networking with the other faculty mentors and other graduate students as we were grouped by common research interests. I’m personally excited to have established a variety of collaborative relationships with like-minded peers and faculty members.

On behalf of the other graduate students, I want to thank all the mentors and all those that made this seminar such a memorable experience! I highly recommend that other graduate students apply for this next year – you won’t regret it!

Below is a picture of some of the graduate student participants at the Division C Business Meeting and Reception with Vice-President Gale Sinatra, and a picture of me and my mentor, Ellen Usher (University of Kentucky).

Carlton Fong

The University of Texas at Austin

Division C Campus Liaison

New Representatives Introduction

Dear Division C Graduate Students,

We hope your semester is wrapping up nicely!  As we complete yet another year of graduate work we have much to reflect back on and much to look forward to.  The 2012 AERA conference held in Vancouver, British Columbia was a wonderful experience.  There were many great sessions and events hosted by Division C including: Dr. Richard Clark’s Fireside Chat, the New Beginnings session, Musician Mark Gabriel Hasselbach’s Jazz band at the business meeting, and  the graduate student social; it’s difficult to put into words how great of an experience we had.  It was great to see many familiar faces at the business meeting and to meet new graduate students and faculty.  Thank you to our colleagues who organized the events, including Yin Wah Kreher, Angela Shelton, Jennifer McGee, and Brittney Hott.  They were integral in creating these engaging events that took place during AERA.  We want to take the time to thank you four for your service on Division C GSC and wish you luck in your future endeavors.

There have been changes in the structure of the Graduate Student Council (GSC).  The executive board made the decision to streamline the GSC and have two positions instead of the previous four.  During the Division C Business Meeting at AERA this was proposed and voted upon by Division C members.  Starting this year there are now two co-representatives.  The new co-representatives are Ariana Crowther and Benjamin Heddy.  We are honored to be able to serve Division C, AERA, and the GSC in this capacity.

As your new Division C graduate student leaders, we have several goals this year.  Our first goal is to increase overall graduate student participation in Division C.  Our second goal is to have a campus liaison at every university or college where we have a Division C faculty member.  Our third goal is to improve communication between graduate students across the country.  We will be increasing our presence on the Facebook page, the graduate student blog, and Twitter.  To help us reach our goals we are looking for graduate students with the desire to become involved with AERA.  Division C is the second largest division in the American Educational Research Association.  We are committed to improving graduate student access and service opportunities for our members.  Please feel free to contact us at any time!

We seriously hope that you communicate with us and assist us in building a new and improved Division C for future graduate students to enjoy.  Hope you have a restful and productive summer.

Best,
Benjamin Heddy
heddy@usc.edu
Ariana Crowther
acrowther@utexas.edu