On Monday, April 29, assistant dean of Graduate Student Affairs, Kerry Landers, initiated a speed researching event aimed at developing students’ communication skills. In this event, students were expected to explain their research to their smart, but not expert, colleagues in only two minutes!

“We have received feedback from faculty who attended the recent Graduate Poster Session and were impressed with many of our graduate students’ ability to explain their research to non-experts,” notes Landers. “The goal of this speed researching event was to provide another opportunity for graduate students to continue to improve this essential skill.”

At the event, a total of 10 students explained their research to each other in pairs over lunch, followed by a two-minute constructive comments session. Students came from programs in biology, chemistry, engineering, genetics, MALS, and physics and astronomy. A wide range of research topics were discussed, including black holes, prion diseases, and the causes of the Arab Spring. Each student had the opportunity to present his or her research five times, providing plenty of practice.

“This event was great! I now know what other students in genetics, engineering, and chemistry do,” commented Daniel Durcan, a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies student, who also serves as the graduate student activities coordinator. Durcan continued, “The clarity for the presentations was very impressive. I thought it was a great opportunity to practice explaining my research to students from other disciplines.”

The event was somewhat similar to the Three-Minute Research Presentation sessions held by the Graduate Studies Office in the past. However, there is a subtle difference in emphasis between the two events. The Three-Minute Research Presentation sessions involve a single three-minute talk and aim to improve public speaking skills. On the other hand, “speed researching” aims to help students present their research swiftly to several people—a skill they will need at job fairs or conferences. Such a skill is crucial in a competitive academic environment.

Speed researching is, indeed, very helpful and from the looks of it, a very successful idea. Please keep your eyes open for the second speed researching event!

by Gilbert Rahme

Henderson grew up in Cheshire, Connecticut, and completed her undergraduate studies at the George Washington University in Washington, DC, majoring in psychology and political science. After graduating, she worked as a paralegal at a law firm, but then quickly realized that she did not want to pursue a law career.

Next, Henderson worked as a research assistant at the Children’s National Medical Center, conducting quality of life research with children suffering from epilepsy, Tourette’s Syndrome, neurofibromatosis, and autism. To this day she remains involved with Brainy Camps, a week-long summer camp for children with chronic health conditions. In addition, she volunteers weekly at David’s House, a volunteer-run home-away-from-home dedicated to supporting the families of children being treated at the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

After working at the Children’s National Medical Center, Henderson worked for a contract research agency where she conducted pharmaceutical research for the National Institutes of Health. Following this, Henderson decided to come to Dartmouth to pursue her PhD in cognitive neuroscience in order to work with some of the top people in the field.

Henderson works with Professor Catherine Norris and employs fMRI and eye tracking as a means for studying ambivalence (i.e., emotional conflict), self-regulation, and addiction. Her dissertation examines how ambivalence, or the state of having contradictory feelings toward something, affects cognitive processing and subsequently, the regulation of cigarette smoking. For example, she found that when viewing images of smoking, participants with a desire to quit smoking showed less activity in reward regions of the brain and more activity in regions associated with internally directed attention.

In her time at Dartmouth, Henderson has presented posters at academic conferences, including the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, the Social and Affective Neuroscience Society, the Society for Social Neuroscience, and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Henderson was also the recipient of the 2011 Basic Psychological Science Research Grant from the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students.

In her new postdoctoral fellowship position at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Henderson will research pediatric mood and anxiety disorders, using a variety of neuroimaging and neurobiological techniques. Along with her advisor, Vilma Gabbay, she will investigate new ways to improve the identification, diagnosis, and treatment of many of these disorders.

We wish Henderson all the best in her new position!

by Andrea Worsham

At Dartmouth, Thompson conducted research on proteins related to cell structure. She used a technique called X-ray crystallography to generate images of protein structures that are too small to see with even the most powerful microscope. Specifically, Thompson was interested in interactions between actin and formins, two proteins involved in facilitating cell movement. Actin molecules combine to form rigid filaments that give shape to cells, and formin molecules interact with actin to control actin filament growth.

In their recent article, Thompson and her collaborators investigated how formins promote actin filament elongation. Their work represents only the second example of a formin bound to actin visualized through crystallography, and the structure they modeled was probably closer to the way the proteins interact in nature than what has previously been observed. The process of crystallizing proteins to create structural images can cause them to act in ways that they would not naturally, explains Thompson, so it can be complicated to get images of physiological interactions. Research on the interaction of these proteins is significant because it increases our understanding of how cells change shape to move throughout the body, which is important for understanding various diseases, such as cancer.

One of Thompson’s main interests while at Dartmouth was in teaching, both undergraduates and younger students. She was a teaching assistant for four terms, for which she won the Graduate Teaching Award. Thompson also taught science to sixth graders in Enfield, New Hampshire, as part of a National Science Foundation Graduate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in K-12 Education (GK-12) fellowship. In addition, Thompson led labs in several local fourth grade classrooms on the importance of hand washing, after her mother, a local fourth grade teacher, asked for her help in explaining germs to her students.

Thompson found spending time in the classroom especially rewarding—she recalls the thank you notes that she received from students after she had visited their classes. “One student even wrote me that it was the best day of his life!” she recalls. While she found her work in the lab very interesting, it was this time working with students and witnessing their developing interest in science that Thompson found particularly meaningful. She also feels that it is extremely important for Dartmouth, an institution with such a variety of resources, to contribute to the surrounding community.

As a result of her experiences, Thompson decided to pursue a career in teaching. She now works as a high school teacher at the Pingry School in New Jersey, where she teaches biology to students in ninth and tenth grade and a course in molecular biology methods to eleventh and twelfth graders. She enjoys her job, and, in particular, is excited that she can teach complex molecular methods to her students. Thompson notes that the methods she is teaching her juniors and seniors are “the same ones I used in my lab at Dartmouth.”

Thompson feels that her experiences as a graduate student at Dartmouth prepared her well for her new position in that she was able to develop her teaching skills as well as work on her research. She is grateful to the Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning (DCAL) for the teaching support that they provided, as well as to her advisor, Dean Kull, who always encouraged her in all of her teaching and outreach endeavors. Having her dissertation work published in Nature is a satisfying culmination to her graduate career, and Thompson is eager to continue working with students to encourage others to be excited about science.

by Elizabeth Molina-Markham

Before the Interview:

Before you even arrive for the interview, make sure you “do your homework” and that you “know where you are applying,” advised Professor Finn. You should know which faculty members you will be meeting with and read up on their research. Another extremely important point is to understand the type of institution where you are interviewing—is it a small college or a large university? Even before you step foot on the campus, you should come prepared with a research plan that is tailored to that school, commented Professor Weatherwax. Do not make the mistake of asking for resources that are not in line with the size and type of institution where you are interviewing because this shows that you did not do proper research before applying for the job.

During the Interview:

During the academic interview, you will be asked about your past research and what you would like to do for future research. You also may be given a topic in your field to give a sample lecture on. It is important to prepare extensively for these questions and lecture and to be able to clearly convey your research and ideas. Keep in mind that you may be discussing your research and techniques with people who are not in your field of study, so do not rely heavily on technical terms and phrases. During the formal, question-and-answer interview process, Professors Weatherwax and Finn agreed that you should remain humble. When it comes time to meet one-on-one with faculty, use the knowledge you have learned about each faculty member and do not be afraid to “ask people about themselves,” remarked Professor Finn. Being genuinely interested in your interviewer and their work is an easy way to be remembered.

When an Offer Has Been Made:

Once an offer has been made, it is time to negotiate, explained Professors Weatherwax and Finn. Have previous knowledge of the salary range of the position (either by asking directly or through the school’s human resources department). You can also ask for additional research start-up funds. If the salary or start-up funds cannot be negotiated, Professor Weatherwax explained that negotiating for use of equipment is your next step. Another issue to negotiate during this time is the job of your spouse/partner. While some schools cannot hire multiple family members in the same department due to institution rules, certain arrangements may be made for a spouse to become an adjunct or a three-quarter-time faculty member, depending on the situation.

In conclusion, in order to be a great candidate for an academic faculty position, acquire a postdoc (or two!), be prepared to discuss your research and future research plans in detail, research the department and faculty members at the new institution, and do not be afraid to negotiate once you have an offer.

by Molly Croteau

Interview “Do”

For the past several years, you have worn jeans and a t-shirt to the lab. With the exception of a graduate student social, you have not had an occasion to dress up. Now, however, you have an interview for a job in industry. What do you wear?

What you wear to the interview tells the interviewer a lot about you. Graduate students who want to make the jump from academia to industry must convince the employer that they can make the cultural transition. The first sign of your ability to do this will be in how you present yourself. Dressing in clothes that are not business appropriate conveys to the interviewer that you do not know what is expected in the business world, and, perhaps, you are not ready to leave academia.

When you realize you will be job searching, it’s a good idea to shop for interview clothes. Today, typical business dress is a blue or black suit that fits well. These colors convey seriousness and trust. Depending on the industry, it is generally acceptable for women to wear pants to the interview. However, for more conservative industries, a skirt is necessary.

Interview “Do”

While female characters on TV shows wear skirts short enough to make you blush . . . choosing a skirt for a real-life interview means buying one that falls not shorter than one inch above the knee. Anything shorter, and the focus will not be on your interview.

As for shoes, women can wear a two-inch leather heeled shoe, but not Sex and the City stilettos. For both men and women, it’s a good idea to practice walking around in your interview shoes, since you will be walking around all day at the interview. I once interviewed a candidate who said she could not walk to another building on campus because her very high heels were not comfortable to walk in that far. Needless to say, we did not hire her.

Shirts worn under the suit jacket should be white, opaque, or cream. Ties for men should fit in with the rest of the suit. Jewelry for men and women should be limited to a few pieces and not be distracting, such as earrings that dangle when you move your head.

Interview “Don’t”

It’s natural to want to splash on some perfume or cologne for the interview, but hold off! Many people are sensitive to strong smelling scents, and they do not want to hire someone who overpowers their office with perfume. If you are a smoker, do not smoke a cigarette before you head in the door. While you should not wear perfume, women should wear make-up—mascara, eyeliner, eye shadow, and lipstick. Again, some practice may be needed to avoid feeling like a made-up beauty contestant. Men need to have a clean shave. I sometimes get questions, such as, should I hide my tattoo or take out my nose ring? Yes, is the simple answer for most industries. Companies hire people who will fit into the culture, and being different can be perceived as being a bit rebellious.

Finally, as a precaution, bring a little sewing kit—the kind hotels leave in the room—just in case a button pops off at an inconvenient time.

Now you are ready for your industry interview.

by Kerry Landers

Graduate Studies wants to congratulate Ernest Heimsath on his new position at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Ernest recently defended his dissertation in biochemistry in December, under the guidance of Professor Henry Higgs. He will be moving down to Bethesda, Maryland, in March to work as a postdoctoral researcher with Dr. Bechara Kachar in the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), focusing on the functioning of auditory cells.

Ernest grew up in both Texas and Virginia and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), where he was supported by the NIGMS-funded Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS) program. While a junior at UTSA, he participated in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program—now the Academic Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (ASURE) program—at Dartmouth. He enjoyed working in the Department of Biological Sciences that summer and appreciated the friendly, open-door policy of Dartmouth faculty. Ernest notes that he chose Dartmouth for graduate school partly as a result of this positive experience, as well as out of a desire to get to know a new area of the country.

While at Dartmouth, Ernest’s research has focused on polymerization of the protein, actin, which is the basis for many cellular structures. In particular, actin helps form filopodia, which are protrusions some cells use to sense their environment and help them migrate throughout the body. In a recent article published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Volume 287, Issue 5, Ernest examined a particular type of formin, which are proteins that regulate actin polymerization. He discovered that one formin in particular, called FMNL3, has unique effects on actin dynamics, which help to explain its role in assembling filopodia.

Ernest met Dr. Kachar in 2011 at the American Society for Cell Biology annual meeting, after being inspired by his work on sensory neurons in the inner ear, which was recently featured in Cell Picture Show. Ernest’s work at the NIDCD will relate to his previous research in that these neurons contain structures called stereocilia, which share much of the same actin-based architecture as filopodia, although they can be orders of magnitude larger and also more stable. Once formed during development, stereocilia last throughout your entire life and do not regenerate. As stereocilia are directly responsible for hearing, and dysfunctions in many of the components within them are attributed to hearing disorders, Ernest is excited about the clinical relevancy of the work he will be doing.

Ernest observes that his experience in Professor Higgs’ lab has prepared him well for this next career move. He says that he will miss the sense of community in the lab, as well as the unique Dartmouth environment. Dartmouth professors, explains Ernest, are “approachable,” and “faculty really care about developing grad students.” They are “down-to-earth” and open to being corrected, which is conducive to productive learning and research. Overall, Ernest is very satisfied with his graduate experience and looking forward to getting to know another new area of the country as a postdoc.

We wish him the best in his new position!

by Elizabeth Molina-Markham

The Graduate Career Consortium (GCC) is proud to be sponsoring the first PhD and Master’s Career Fair exclusively for the GCC. Kerry Landers, the assistant dean of Graduate Studies and a member of the Consortium, is excited to sponsor this event. Through the Fair, graduate students, post-docs, and alumni have another job searching opportunity.

Applying for jobs is a daunting prospect. By this stage, we have probably all done it before, and it really does not get much easier. Sometimes we need that bit of help.

Here is where the PhD and Master’s Virtual Career Fair can help.  The fair opens on February 19^th. It provides you with the opportunity to meet and chat with potential employers online. The advantages here are numerous—you can ask any questions you want from the comfort of your room, lab, or the library. Moreover, you do not have to stand in line to meet representatives from organizations, neither do you have to worry about not getting to speak with everyone. The virtual career fair gives you the opportunities that physical career fairs bring, but with further convenience.

There will be over thirty organizations present over the duration of the fair. Online chat times vary. The earliest starts at 9 am, and the last ends at 7 pm. Check out the website for the full schedule and updates.  The PhD and Master’s Virtual Career Fair is a great opportunity to help you make the next move in your professional life. Landers, as your Assistant Dean, strongly recommends that you take part!

Register online now!

The experience and insight gained from my externship with Dr. Linkletter was invaluable to my career development. Dr. Linkletter is an accomplished scientist and environmental consultant in Irvine, California, who credits his scientific success to his time at Dartmouth College. We began chatting in his office, which had a wonderful view of Orange County and a framed picture of Dartmouth Hall above his computer. As he told wonderful tales of faculty and life in Hanover, I was proud to be at Dartmouth College in the very department where he had studied.

Dr. Linkletter then offered a unique view of research outside of academia; he has worked both as a research scientist and as an environmental consultant. Dr. Linkletter described his research experience and work with consulting firms, all of which showed the applicability of skills learned in graduate school. Afterwards, Dr. Linkletter introduced me to some of ENVIRON’s past and current projects on soil and groundwater contamination. I noted that a consultant approaches a problem very differently from a research scientist. During the two conferences I attended, it was fascinating how their work moved between science, law, and business. Not only do they deal with scientific questions, but they are also held to legal timelines and financial guidelines.

Later in the afternoon, I met with two research scientists and discussed how they navigated from graduate school to a fulfilling profession. A theme emerged in these conversations: if academia does not suit you, do not feel compelled to pursue an academic career. The two scientists currently work on challenging scientific questions. However, they have greater control over where they live and the hours they work compared to when they worked in academia. A consultant’s work is more challenging and stressful than work in academia. The health and finances of residents facing contamination issues rests directly on their ability to properly conduct a study, correctly interpret the results, and act based on those results. However, Dr. Linkletter emphasized that the size and function of environmental consulting firms differ; some are small, personable firms, while others are large institutions with many employees.

As the workday came to a close, I was happy to know that working in consulting can be so captivating and rewarding.

by Justin Richardson

With the beginning of a new academic year, the Graduate Studies Office is doing its best to help new students settle in and make the most of their time at Dartmouth. Something that will be crucial for many is employment so, with the help of current graduate students, we have taken a look at some of the employment opportunities in the Upper Valley.

Marina

Marina is a second year MALS student from Belarus. She works on the information desks at Baker Berry Library.

Pay: Starts at $7.75/hour

Working hours: Variable, more are available during breaks and hours tend to increase with seniority

“One of the great things about working at the library desk is that you get to know all the research facilities really well… you know the reference librarians, the quickest way to find the best books and so on. Knowing the reference librarians is particularly good when you need advice; they’re always willing to help. The job requires you, as the first person people see when they enter the library, to represent the college; you have to make people feel comfortable. You also have to respond to questions about where different rooms are, and that’s another good thing to know anyway. As an international student I am limited in where I can work, so the library job is perfect” Asked if there were any downsides to the job she said: “Well, when I first started I worked midnight till 2am, which was no fun, but after doing one term I managed to change.”

Karl

Karl is also a MALS student. He hails from Montana and works as a waiter at Molly’s restaurant right on main street.

Pay: “Good money”, including tips

Working hours: As many as he can get

“Probably the second or third day after moving to Hanover I just went into Molly’s and asked if they needed a waiter. It seemed like a fun place and I’d waited tables for a summer in undergrad. Plus, it’s close to where I live, is a good balance to fancy book learnin’, and tips keep me off the streets. Apart from that, the staff and management are legitimately cool people. If you enjoy chatting with random people, and building up rapport with the community, the job is perfect for you. It’s nice to have a way to easily meet people from outside the Dartmouth bubble, as well. On the downside, it can get pretty stressful at times–it’s a hoppin’ restaurant. Or, if I’ve been up all night writing and have to work a long shift, I can be a bit spacey. But, all in all, working as a student is great. Come drink a $2 margarita and watch me do an awful job at writing my name on the table.

Lisa

Lisa is in the Masters of Public Health Program and works as an intern in Palliative Care at the Hitchcock Medical Center.

“After starting my MPH program last fall, I was eager to find an internship that would give me hands-on experience in my field of study.   With an interest in clinical research, I was excited to be offered an internship in Palliative Care at DHMC. Since then I’ve gone from working 10 hours per week mostly filing, to working almost 30 hours as a Project Coordinator on an upcoming study. The best part of my job is working with such amazing researchers. My colleagues are passionate about improving the quality of life of those living with illness; it’s inspiring! I love my job, so the downsides are few. During busy weeks it can sometimes be a challenge to balance school, work, and other activities… but being obsessive with my planner definitely helps. While internships aren’t exactly lucrative, the experiences they provide are invaluable, and I recommend that everyone try and couple their classroom education with a real world education as well.”

Endnotes:One great way of earning extra money is writing for the Dartmouth Graduate News Forum! Send in your article to Tennile Sunday at: mailto:Tennile.Sunday@Dartmouth.edu

Writers receive $50 per published article. Articles can interviews with fellow students, a conference or anything that you think the graduate community would benefit from knowing more about.

You can also find jobs at Dartmouth via the Student Employment Office (SEO) website at: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~seo/job_postings/

Article and photo by Dan Durcan