Grad News Forum

Students across Graduate Studies have a lot of things to look forward to this spring. The newest edition of the MALS Journal is one of them.

During the last week of classes, Katie Moritz and Jamaal Downey, MALS students and the editors of the Journal, will release their second, and final, journal of the academic year.

From left – Mortiz, Downey, Tiernan and Paige.

“It’s lots of long nights – lot’s of coffee cups on the floor of my car,” Moritz said, “but it’s worth it.”

The Journal has taken on a new life of late. For years, it had been published under the title the MALS Quarterly, and was a newsletter-style printing. Last year’s editor, Erin O’Flaherty, shrunk the publication’s size and demanded new rigor for its submissions. O’Flaherty helped give the Journal (still called the Quarterly at the time) a new sense of prestige.

“We want to be sure Erin gets a ton of credit,” Downey said. “She revolutionized the publication. We started from such a great place, and just tried to realize the final pieces of that vision.”

So Moritz and Downey made some final changes to complete the revitalization of the publication. First, they decided that the Journal should be issued twice a year, instead of once a quarter, to improve competition for space in its pages. And, with the help of MALS Director Wole O., they secured an ISSN number from the Library of Congress, taking the publication to a whole new level.

The result?

“We had over one hundred submissions this time around,” Moritz said. “We turned away so many amazing pieces. But we’re left with a great publication.”

That publication will feature eight poems, two short stories, four nonfiction pieces, one oral history piece, and four photographs, drawn from current MALS students and alumni of the program. The work is drawn from all of the tracks the MALS program offers – the general track and the Cultural Studies, Globalization Studies, and Creative Writing tracks (Moritz and Downey are on the general track).

“The program sometimes feels so abstract at times, because students are all over the place, and everyone has different interests,” Moritz said. “But there is a strain of commonality in all these pieces. I realized that everyone here is concerned with making something better. There’s a strong flavor of social justice in our community. It’s idealistic, but it’s wonderful.”

Downey agreed. “From the submissions we read, one thing is clear. MALS is a group of strong, independent thinkers. My role as editor helped me to see these common threads.”

“And,” he added, “my writing and editing skills improved dramatically.”

These are all things that the next editors – Henry Paige (MALS – General Track) and Erin Tiernan (MALS – Cultural Studies) – have to look forward to.

“We are extremely excited for the opportunity to build upon the great work continued by Katie and Jamaal,” Tiernan said. “As next year’s editors, we hope to increase the visibility of both the MALS Program and the Journal.”

For MALS students, the Journal will find its way into their office mailboxes. For anyone else interested in a copy, Moritz and Downey encourage stopping by the MALS office on the first floor of Wentworth to pick one up.

Ryan McManus ’15 (second from left), Ed von Kuhn ’14 (third from left), Orion House residential coordinator Justin Fromer (center, blue shirt), Rob Lauzen ’15, fourth from right, and William Guinee ’15 (right) visit with Orion House residents.

Ron Bucca and Desmond Webster, Master of Arts in Liberal Studies students, cited in Dartmouth Now for work with Orion House.

When Rob Lauzen ’15 volunteered to visit the Orion House, a residential treatment facility serving males ages 11 to 19, he had no idea how he could connect with the residents. But that changed quickly.

“After our first visit, it wasn’t like we were doing community service,” he says. “It’s a lot of fun. We are just going, hanging out with some great kids, and trying to do a little bit of good.”

It seems to be working.

Nearly every week since October, a group of Dartmouth football players and graduate student military veterans have made the 40-minute drive south to Orion House in Newport, N.H. Orion House takes in underprivileged adolescent males who suffer from substance abuse, have family problems, and/or are dealing with emotional and behavioral issues.

It all began when Ron Bucca, a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) student, heard about the not-for-profit from a friend. Shortly thereafter, Bucca, a U.S. Army Staff Sergeant, and other members of the Dartmouth Graduate Veterans Association traveled to the residential facility.

But after a few trips, Bucca thought Orion House residents might connect better with Dartmouth student-athletes: There would be less of an age gap between the residents, and the boys might have more in common with athletes, since nearly all the Orion House residents play sports. So Bucca approached classmate and football player Edward von Kuhn ’14 about volunteering at Orion House. Once football season ended, Von Kuhn and a crew of teammates joined the veterans on a trip to Orion House.

“When the football guys started coming,” Bucca says, “that’s when this really took off.”

For the full article go to the Dartmouth Now.

Photo by Eli Burakian

“I really don’t want to talk, I just want to listen”

The words of F. Jon Kull, Dean of Dartmouth Graduate Studies at a debriefing session on the issues of sexual assault and prejudice at the College.

On Monday 6^th May, the Graduate Student Council and the Grad Studies Office held a program wide-debriefing session to discuss the recent unrest at Dartmouth. Classes were cancelled on Wednesday 24^th April due to an escalated conflict between fellow students and with the administration.

A group of student protestors had disrupted the Dimensions events to highlight their dissatisfaction with College responses to discrimination, specifically sexual assault, on campus.

The venue of the protest, the Dimensions event, was particularly controversial. Many students see the Dimensions Show as an iconic part of the Dartmouth experience. It brings prospective students to the College where they sit through a performance by current students.

The response of what appears to be a minority of students to the protests amounted to aggressive cyber bullying.  Some Dartmouth students had taken to posting on the “Bored at Baker” website. This site allows for posting anonymous comments, usually in a humorous context. However on this occasion, the comments were aggressive and derogatory. Some comments even threatened violence.

Given the very serious nature of this bullying, which included threats of personal harm, the College cancelled classes to allow for space for students to discuss what had happened. There were teach-ins amongst other events to provide this space. Many graduate students took the opportunity to get involved in these events.

Members of the GSC executive board got together with Dean Kull to organize a debriefing session for graduate students. The meeting was open candid and informal. All students were encouraged to speak. Each student filled in an anonymous comment card giving their thoughts on the issues at hand. Kull then collected and redistributed these cards to facilitate discussion.

One of the meeting’s first points of discussion was where graduate students stand in relation to the worrying events. Graduate students have a unique place on campus. They do not share the same culture as undergraduates, yet are inseparable in so many ways. They act as mentors and teachers, making the Dartmouth experience as rounded as possible.

Graduate students’ experiences of mentorship meant that the issues, protests, conflicts and subsequent events affected graduate students as they did undergraduates. However there was an acceptance that graduate students had some responsibility in increasing communication between the two communities.

Many of the comments and suggestions raised at the session were enthusiastic about further participation with the undergraduate community and undergraduate organizations. There was the feeling that the graduate community has a responsibility to help nurture a Dartmouth environment that is welcoming for all.

Speaking on the event and the issues, GSC President Lisa Jackson said, “One of the biggest themes that arose in the discussion was the need for better communication between graduate students and undergraduates.”

Jackson continued “I echo the sentiments of many in the room who said these events have exposed a communication gap in that regard, and thus, an opportunity to reach out to undergrads moving forward in order to help foster more unity on campus.”

Above all, the event showed there was unanimity that it is important to discuss these problems, and to be bold standing up when a student feels that their position at Dartmouth is threatened.

We encourage all graduate students to reach out to Dean Kull, the Grad Office and the GSC if they wish to further talk about these, or any other issues.

by Dan Durcan

On Wednesday April 10^th, the Graduate Studies Office hosted the annual Graduate Poster Session. This event gives graduate students the opportunity to present their research to a wide audience. It also serves as the setting for the presentations of the Graduate Community Award, Faculty Mentoring Award, and four Poster Awards.

In a crammed Alumni Hall, graduate students congregated to share their knowledge and learn from their colleagues. Along with students, faculty, and members of the local community was President Carol Folt and the Dean of Graduate Studies F. Jon Kull.

Sadik Antwi-Boampong from the Chemistry Department explains his poster.

In total, four Poster Awards were given out.  A carefully chosen panel from different backgrounds and disciplines was selected to pick award winners. The judges’ criteria were wide-ranging: from how clear the posters were to the practical implications of the research. Students had just a few minutes to explain their work to the panel members. Speaking about selecting the winners, Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies Gary Hutchins noted: “It’s always tough because the quality of competitors is so high.” Hutchins continued, “This year we chose Marianna Kleyman because we were particularly impressed by how clearly she communicated her research.”

The Poster Award winners were:  Sadik Antwi-Boampong for his poster on the “Detection of Formaldehyde Vapor Using Conductive Polymer Films.” Antwi-Boampong is from the Department of Chemistry and advised by Joseph Belbruno. From the Department of Earth Sciences was John Gartner, advised by Carl Renshaw. His poster was on “Irene Landslides and Sedimentation in Vermont Rivers: Importance of Gradients in Transport Capacity.” Marianna Kleyman, from the Department of Biochemistry also won. She is advised by Duane Compton, and her poster was titled “STAG2 Regulates Kinetochore-Microtubule Attachments in Human Cells.” Alexander Schlegel, from the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences was the final winner. He is advised by Peter Tse and won for his poster “A Neural Network Supporting Mental Operations on Visual Imagery.”

Ron Bucca and Marie Onakomaiya won the Graduate Community Award jointly. Bucca, a second year Master of Arts in Liberal Studies student, received his award for work as the Student Life Chair of the Graduate Student Council and as the Chair of the Dartmouth Graduate Veterans Association. Onakomaiya is a fourth year PhD student in the Department of Physiology and Neurobiology in the Program of Experimental and Molecular Medicine. She received her award for, amongst other endeavors, her work with the Graduate Relief Team.

Professor Kathryn Cottingham and Professor Robert Hawley were this year’s recipients of the Graduate Faculty Mentoring Award. This award is given by the Graduate Student Council for exceptional service to graduate students. The award is guided by graduate student nominations and reflects the hard work that both students and faculty put into graduate research at Dartmouth.

The combination of different awards adds to the poster session in that it illustrates the holistic nature of the Dartmouth graduate experience. World-class research goes hand in hand with graduate students’ relationship with the community and faculty.

Speaking on the event, Dean Kull remarked: “The poster session was really a fascinating event. It shows the diversity of disciplines of our graduate students as well as the hard work that goes into PhD and Master’s programs.”

The poster session provides the opportunity for graduate students to proudly demonstrate their research to a wide-ranging audience. It is a key date on the graduate students’ calendar.

“It really brings the graduate experience together,” says Kull.

by Dan Durcan

On Saturday, April 6^th, over 150 children and adults turned out for the very first Science Day at Dartmouth. F. Jon Kull, dean of Graduate Studies, dubbed Science Day, organized by Graduate Women in Science and Engineering (GWISE), a “great success.”

Anna Prescott and Aarathi Prasaad, PhD candidates in Psychological and Brain Sciences (PBS) and Computer Science respectively, organized the event with help from a small army of volunteers from across Graduate Studies. The aim of the event was to excite children about the sciences and being a scientist. Graduate students, being highly motivated scientists, were up to the challenge.

A graduate student walks a young person through a computer simulation.

Another motivation behind Science Day was to encourage female participation in the sciences.  Dartmouth graduate students have a reputation of challenging the “science is for boys” stereotype. Science Day was no exception. “Over 50% of women led activities or gave demonstrations,” says Prescott. Whilst men were not discouraged, the high interest of female scientists in the event showed young people that science is gender neutral.

GWISE set up 20 stations from the departments or programs in Earth Sciences, Environmental Studies, Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics, PBS, Computer Science, Neurology and Biological science departments. Activities gave the young people an introduction to each discipline. For example, representatives from the Department of Physics and Astronomy illustrated centrifugal forces with a bike wheel and a rotating chair.

PBS had a particularly popular station. Rachel Pizzie, a PhD candidate in the department, gave participating students a “lie detector test.” She gauged excitement by measuring how well skin conducts electricity. Our hands sweat more when we are surprised or shocked, sweaty hands conduct electricity better. Pizzie placed sensors on volunteers’ hands to measure increases or decreases of sweat. From this she could determine her volunteers’ excitement to questions, much like a polygraph test. The audience’s excitement level did not need such a test.

Many parents noted that they were unable to get to each station, not because there were too many stations, or that the stations were too far apart, but because their children were so engaged that they lingered at each demonstration and activity.

The day’s success was facilitated by the dedicated efforts of graduate students. One parent remarked: “the students were great at explaining their research to the kids, and they had an infectious enthusiasm for research.”

Over 50 graduate students took five or six hours out of their weekend to help. They set up demonstrations, they showed the visitors around the college and they dropped pizza off to their hungry colleagues. Furthermore, GWISE took sole responsibility for organizing and funding the event.

Prescott remarked on the success of the day “there’s just something special about visiting the labs and campus buildings. We really wanted to show kids what careers in science look like.” She continued, “Meeting with enthusiastic kids to tell them about what we study, why it’s cool, why it’s important, and why we love it is a great way to reinvigorate ourselves!”

GWISE is going to build on the success of Science Day 2013, to make Science Day 2014 reach out to even more children and young people.

“Encouraging others to get involved in science is one of the most rewarding experiences a young scientist can have,” says Prescott.

by Dan Durcan

Members of SAT, Spencer Hatch and Justin Richardson

The Sustainability Action Team (SAT) is a newly formed arm of the Dartmouth Graduate Student Council (GSC) concerned with providing a voice for sustainability efforts and awareness in the Dartmouth graduate community. During Earth Week 2013, on April 23, the group will be hosting their first event, an e-waste collection site, in collaboration with the Dartmouth Office of Sustainability.

SAT members are graduate students in programs ranging from earth science and engineering to public health. They share an interest in contributing to sustainability efforts at Dartmouth. These sustainability efforts include education regarding current ecological issues as well as simple practices in which the Dartmouth community, both individually and collectively, can engage. More than just a platform for philosophizing and debating, team members envision a Sustainability Action Team that does as the name implies by focusing time together on ways to help the Dartmouth community become more sustainable.

What does becoming more sustainable mean? For SAT, becoming more sustainable begins with a realization that how humans choose to interact with the earth is a real determining factor in the future availability of resources and the health of life on this planet. Once that awareness is reached, we are in a position to start thinking of ways to lessen the negative and emphasize the positive impacts we have on local, as well as global, ecosystems.

Originally envisioned by earth sciences PhD candidate and GSC Vice President Justin Richardson, the Sustainability Action Team first came together as part of a breakout session at the December 2012 GSC meeting. The first meeting demonstrated that individual members of the team have given significant thought to issues of sustainability and that there was plenty of momentum among team members to define goals and to execute a plan based on a shared vision.

What is that shared vision? Primarily, it is that the Dartmouth graduate community is capable of making a meaningful and measurable difference. In addition, SAT members recognize that collaborative effort should be emphasized; sustainability efforts at Dartmouth have the benefit of much existing organizational infrastructure, such as the Dartmouth Sustainability Project, the Sustainable Living Center, and the Tuck School of Business student group, Tuck Sustains. Sustainability Action Team members have already met with personnel from the Office of Sustainability and are hopeful about collaborating with other student groups to pool efforts and resources.

It is probably fair to say that most of the team members are not planning to devote their careers exclusively to the fight for a more sustainable world. However, they recognize that living sustainably does not require a career commitment. Living sustainably requires simple awareness of the impact of human activity on the various systems that make up the earth, and a willingness to learn how to be wise stewards of our planet and its resources.  At Dartmouth, SAT members believe that making a meaningful and measurable difference is possible even with their multiple other commitments. SAT members believe it so much, in fact, that they’d like to invite you to their first event!

In celebration of Earth Week 2013, the GSC Sustainability Action Team is collaborating with the Dartmouth Office of Sustainability to host an e-waste collection site on April 23 in front of the Fairchild Science Complex (Fayerweather Hill Rd). The event will be from 11 am to 3 pm (or until they reach their weight limit of 1000 pounds). This event is completely free. Acceptable items include electronic waste, such as cell phones, computers, monitors, TVs, and microwaves. (They will not accept any refrigerating units—for example a mini fridge.)

Future SAT plans include visiting Dartmouth Organic Farm and working to encourage graduate students to green their workspaces and homes, through sponsoring activities such as herb/planter gardening classes. Be sure to check out the GSC events page for the latest updates!

by Spencer Hatch

The Graduate-Undergraduate (G-U) Mentoring Program was officially launched on April 4^th, 2013 with a kick-off event co-sponsored by Dartmouth Graduate Studies and Career Services.

The launch event was hosted at the Career Services office in downtown Hanover and began with an introduction of the Mentoring Program by graduate students, Max Mehlman and Marie Onakomaiya. A panel discussion followed with Thayer professor, Dr. Kofi Odame and five graduate students (Stela Celaj, Max Mehlman, Erin O’Malley, Elizabeth Sergison, and Jeremy Thompson), who answered questions from the 30 undergraduates who attended the event. The final session was the meet-a-mentor breakout session, during which undergrads could mingle and talk one-on-one with graduate students in their field of interest.

Almost a year in the making, the idea for the Mentoring Program came from a conversation in the spring of 2012 between Onakomaiya, a PhD student in the Program in Experimental and Molecular Medicine, and Jessica Friedman of the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding. Friedman highlighted the need to connect Dartmouth undergraduates interested in graduate school with graduate students, so they could experience what graduate school is like. Unless they do undergraduate research in a lab or an honors thesis with a professor, students do not get to experience what it is like to go to grad school until they begin. This conversation led to the initial concept of a day of shadowing grad students.

Through collaboration with Mehlman, a PhD student in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences (PBS), Anna Prescott and Aarathi Prasad of the Graduate Women in Science and Engineering (GWISE) group, and Kathy Weaver, the assistant director of the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Research, the program evolved into more than just shadowing. A summer pilot was set up, and through announcements in the Graduate Student Council (GSC) Gazetteer, graduate students were recruited to be “low-pressure” mentors to undergraduate students in the Women in Science Program (WISP). Over 40 graduate students signed up to be mentors within a month of recruiting—an indication of the enthusiasm of graduate students to help the Dartmouth community fill this gap.

After the summer pilot, the feedback from the 18 participants was largely positive. One undergraduate, Holly Wakeman, said of the program “I found the program very helpful! I’m an undergrad considering applying to grad school, and I met with several mentors to talk about how and when to apply, their experiences, and my interests. While I’m not still in contact with most of the mentors I met with, it was a very valuable experience and really helped me to better understand what I’d like to do and how to get there!”

Through the fall and winter terms, Mehlman and Onakomaiya re-evaluated the program and worked on how to launch it campus-wide. Weaver connected them with key people in offices across campus involved in undergraduate-graduate education, including the Undergraduate Deans Office, Pre-Health Advising, Graduate Studies, and Career Services, among others. They also pitched the program to professors in different departments and schools on campus, who recognized the need and potential of the program. There was overwhelming support from all corners.

The program is designed to be self-sustaining. Undergrads are given access to a list of graduate students interested in being mentors, including their contact information and a short description of their graduate work and other expertise. The graduate students are available for questions over email and/or coffee, or to be shadowed, giving some flexibility to all concerned.

In the future, there are plans to receive quarterly mentor feedback and to set up a yearly mentor training session to provide support to the graduate mentors and help them be better mentors, as well as to re-assess the success of the program. Overall, the Mentoring Program is providing a direct way for undergraduates to learn more about graduate school, and has in the same turn provided a mentoring opportunity for Dartmouth graduate students.

The Mentoring Program is always recruiting new mentors. Graduate students interested in being mentors can e-mail either Mehlman or Onakomaiya. Undergraduate students interested in learning more about grad school can visit the Graduate-Undergraduate Mentoring Program website to connect with a mentor.

by Marie Onakomaiya

Graduate Student Appreciation Week, commencing April 6, is an annual celebration of the contributions that graduate students bring to Dartmouth. The week combines a wide range of scholarly and social activities.

Graduate students work hard.  Each one knows late nights and early mornings. However, all being said, you will have to look hard to find the graduate student who does not think this is all worthwhile. Graduate students’ dedication to their research and to the education of undergraduates is an invaluable contribution to Dartmouth. The research undertaken in both our PhD and Master’s programs, in both arts and sciences, reinforces Dartmouth as a world-class educational institution. TA-ships see graduate students burning the midnight oil, grading papers and then taking time away from their own work to spend time with students. Those who have done it know how much students benefit from the support of a TA, as a mentor and a role model. Despite the heavy workload and stressful life, graduate student’s community outreach and volunteer work is award-renowned, both in the local community and abroad.

Preparations for the poster session in Alumni Hall on Wednesday 10th April, 5pm-7:30pm.

So every year by the time it gets to spring term, some appreciation is due.

The idea for Graduate Appreciation Week came from the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students (NAGPS). In 1993, NAGPS established Graduate-Professional Student Appreciation Week (GPSAW) as a mechanism to support and appreciate graduate and professional students. Dartmouth proudly sponsors this decade-long tradition.

F. Jon Kull, dean of Graduate Studies, commented on Graduate Appreciation Week:

“I really think it is crucial for the work of graduate students at Dartmouth to be highlighted and appreciated. Being a graduate student is a fantastic thing; it shows a true dedication to learning and advancing in a field or discipline. Dartmouth as an institution is fortunate to have so many enthusiastic and talented graduate students. Their contribution is felt everyday.”

The full range of events can be found here. Keep an eye out for the Graduate Poster Session. The Poster Session displays the best of graduate student talent. There you will see the range of research undertaken and all the hard work paying off. President Carol L. Folt will announce the winners of the Graduate Faculty Mentoring Award at the session. In short, the poster session really brings together many aspects of the graduate student experience.

“Graduate Appreciation Week gives the wider community the opportunity to take stock of their valuable contributions,” says Kull, “The schedule of events shows students they are valued, and the poster session allows their work to be displayed. The poster session is a great opportunity to learn more about Dartmouth Graduate Studies and some of the fantastic things achieved here.”

After the poster session is Pub Night at Molly’s Restaurant and Bar—we all need a break once in a while.

For more information about some of the achievements of Dartmouth’s graduate students, keep posted to the Grad News Forum and our Facebook and Twitter streams.

by Dan Durcan

On Saturday, May 11, members of the Graduate Relief Team will participate in the Dartmouth/Hanover/Lebanon Relay for Life event through the American Cancer Society. Relay for Life is the world’s largest fundraising effort to create a world with more birthdays by eliminating cancer from our lives.

The event held at Dartmouth is just one of over 5,000 events held in the United States, and the United States is just one of 20 participating countries. Each year, participants raise over $3.5 million dollars to be used in support of the American Cancer Society’s mission goals: patient support, prevention, research, and detection/treatment. Through these fundraising efforts, the American Cancer Society has been able to build Hope Lodge facilities across the country to provide free accommodations to patients and caregivers, develop the Road to Recovery program to provide free transportation to patients, and provide unbiased information to constituents 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to help in making informed decisions about cancer treatments.

Like all Relay for Life events, the Dartmouth/Hanover/Lebanon event will have several key moments to recognize the goals of Relay for Life. There will be a Survivor’s Lap, the first lap at every event, to celebrate the strength of the survivors and their caregivers. The Luminaria will be lit in a candlelight ceremony later in the night to remember those who fought cancer in the past and support those who are battling it now. And finally, there will be a Fight Back Ceremony to inspire all Relayers to continue their effort to raise money and awareness and to remind everyone of why we Relay.

Amanda Balboni, Stela Celaj, and Andrew DeCastro at Leverone Field House during last year’s Relay for Life.

Marie Onakomaiya, a member of both the 2012 and 2013 Relay for Life Graduate Relief Teams, described her experience at last year’s event as “amazing.”  She added, ”I think the event showed, in the best way possible, the support and strength within our community to fight back and never give up in trying to overcome the far-reaching effects of cancer. I was especially moved by the Luminaria ceremony where we remembered and honored those who were battling or were lost to cancer.”

Last year, the members of the Graduate Relief Team (Adina Fischer, Amanda Balboni, Andrew DeCastro, Anna Hatch, Fadzai Chinyengetere, Lan Guo, Lisa Marie Mustachio, Marie Onakomaiya, Sondra Downey and Stela Celaj) were able to raise over $1,700 for the Relay for Life event, and with $1,235 raised so far, we are well on our way to surpassing that amount this year.

If you are interested in joining the Relay for Life Graduate Relief Team or supporting our fundraising efforts with a donation, please visit our webpage and look out for future fundraisers happening on campus!

by Erin O’Malley