Grad News Forum

On Thursday, Feburary 16^th, Dartmouth’s Graduate Student Leaders participated in a StrengthsQuest team-building activity. Facilitated by Eric Ramsey, Director of Collis, and organized by Kerry Landers, Assistant Dean of Graduate Student Affairs, the exercise identified the leadership strengths of each participant, and taught the Graduate Student Leaders how to effectively utilize their natural skills to succeed in their field.

Each term, the Graduate Student Leaders—a group of students who are either members of the Graduate Student Council’s (GSC) Executive Board, or run a GSC-sponsored student group—participate in a leadership-development exercise: in the fall, the leaders overcame the Team Development Ropes Course, and this spring they will tackle the Odyssey Ropes Course.

Each Graduate Student Leader is given a Dartmouth Arts and Sciences Graduate Programs vest by the Graduate Studies Office upon their appointment, and each year the student leaders have lunch with President Kim to discuss issues regarding Dartmouth’s graduate community.

The Graduate Student Leaders pictured above are:

-Top Row, left to right: Jeff Robinson (DGOC Leader), Marie Onakomaiya (GSC Student Life Chair), Molly Carpenter (GWISE Leader), Marcus Welker (DGOC Leader), Julia Bradley-Cook (GSC Academic Chair), Wesley Whitaker (GSC President), Erin O’Flaherty (Graduate Studies Activities Coordinator), Regina Salvat (North Park GA)

-Bottom Row, left to right: Kerry Landers (Administrator, Assistant Dean of Graduate Student Affairs), Lola Thompson (Graduate Vegetarians and Vegans Leader), Marcella Lucas (IGMP Leader), Aarathi Prasad (GSC Vice-President), Ana Draghici (GSC Social Co-Chair), Jeremy Fitzpatrick (GSC Social Co-Chair)

by Wesley Whitaker

Today, The Graduate Forum celebrated its first birthday. Launched last year on February 9^th, The Graduate Forum is Dartmouth’s online graduate community newsletter. Read regularly by viewers on six continents, each month The Graduate Forum’s popularity continues to grow. In its first year, The Graduate Forum received 53 views for every graduate student currently enrolled at Dartmouth.

“It’s funny. Though we tend to think that we attract the same readers, over half of our site’s visits are generated by new readers,” says Tennile Sunday, The Graduate Forum’s chief editor.

While readers in the United States account for a large portion of The Graduate Forum’s viewership, the online newsletter is very popular in Canada, the United Kingdom, India, Germany, Nepal, China, the Philippines, and Brazil.

Grad Forum Writers

“I think people like the forum because of the variety of the newsletter’s content. In addition to department highlights and student spotlights, we publish lifestyle articles—like the ever-popular ‘Top 10’ of each season—and release videos featuring Dartmouth’s graduate students,” says Wesley Whitaker, one of the site’s writers and editors.

After a timely article is published on The Graduate Forum—like November’s GSC Holiday Food Drive announcement—it is then publicized through Dartmouth’s Arts & Sciences Graduate Program’s media streams, including Twitter and Facebook.

“Over the past year, we’ve really stepped up our use of social media,” says Erin O’Flaherty, the office’s social media expert. “In addition to publicizing both events and articles pertinent to Dartmouth’s graduate community, we’ve also facilitated several campus wide contests—like fall term’s Dream Team Trivia Challenge—using our social media streams. Each year, more and more students are using social media not only to learn about campus events, but also to communicate with one another professionally.”

The 193 articles published by The Graduate Forum during the 2011-12 academic year have covered topics including campus-research initiatives, graduate-student life, Dartmouth Strategic Planning, professional-development workshops, community-oriented articles, and the launch of the Graduate Studies’ Mobile Application. In the coming months, be sure to check The Graduate Forum for our “Graduate Student Spotlight” series, as well as press releases on Graduate Appreciation Week, 2012 Commencement, and campus events including the GSC’s Annual Winter Semi-Formal with Dartmouth Medical School (DMS).

In celebration of The Graduate Forum’s first birthday, the newsletter’s editors have each picked their favorite articles published this past year:

Tennile Sunday
- Surviving on an Icesheet
- Fall Top 10

Wesley Whitaker
-Summer Fun: The Top 10
-Review: Strategic Planning Open Forum

Erin O’Flaherty
-Alumni Award Winners (series: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

Upon approaching Lilian Kabeche’s desk in the Duane Compton lab in Remsen, the first thing that a visitor notices is the bubblegum pink lab coat hanging from her chair.

“It’s my pride and joy!” exclaims Kabeche. “I made it myself.” As she points out the hand drawn pictures of cell division that decorate the pockets, one gets the distinct impression that Kabeche loves what she does.

In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find someone more in love with science—or Dartmouth in general—than Lilian Kabeche, a fourth-year PhD student in biochemistry. Kabeche’s research is concerned with understanding the essential aspects of mitosis, specifically the differences between cancer cells and normal diploid cells.

“Cancer cells often missegregate chromosomes,” says Lilian. “We’re trying to fix this using proteins that control microtubule dynamics.”

“Most metastatic tumors are chromosomally unstable, which means that they are more aggressive and generally less resistant to treatments,” she explains. Lilian and her lab group hope that the research they are currently doing—attempting to find ways to maintain chromatic stability within such tumors—will lead to more effective cancer treatments.

Kabeche likens science to a puzzle for which she must not only find the missing pieces, but also “create [her] own pieces.” As an undergraduate at the University of Miami, she majored in microbiology, but always gravitated towards research as opposed to practicing medicine. “I don’t do well with blood and needles,” laughs Kabeche.

“Dartmouth is the opposite of Miami, and that’s what appealed to me,” says Kabeche.  During her initial visit, Lilian was taken with all aspects of the Dartmouth experience, from its picturesque location to its small, “understatedly awesome” graduate community. “I thought, ‘This is where I have to be, and where I want to go.’”

Entering in the MCB program at Dartmouth, Lilian was able to “study a little bit of everything,” rotating between lab groups. With a background in microbiology, she knew she wanted to do work with pathogens, and eventually found herself drawn to Duane Compton’s research on cancerous cells. After seeing Compton give a talk about chromosomes, Lilian said her research interest “just clicked” into place.

“Duane has an enthusiasm that makes you understand the importance of the research he’s doing, and makes you want to do it also,” explains Kabeche, who eventually joined Compton’s lab at the end of her rotations.

Lilian's Lab Coat

Describing Compton’s demeanor as “Yoda-like”, Kabeche credits her advisor with helping her develop both in and out of the lab. In fact, it was Compton who suggested that Lilian participate in recruitment efforts for Dartmouth. This past November, Kabeche attended ABRCMS (Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students).  ABRCMS is the largest professional conference for biomedical and behavioral students, and is designed to encourage underrepresented minority students to pursue advanced degrees in the sciences.

“It was awesome talking to people about Dartmouth,” says Kabeche. “And it was great to be able to tell them that yes, you will feel comfortable as a minority student. Yes, you will fit in… I hope I convinced some students to come!”

Apart from her recruiting efforts with the Graduate Studies Office, Kabeche has a fairly successful track record of convincing students to come to Dartmouth—most notably her own younger sister, Ruth, who is a second year graduate student in the Moseley lab. The sisters live together in Sachem Village, where Lilian jokes that they “talk science, but also Jersey Shore.”

“I’m Hispanic, and family is everything to me,” says Lilian. “My sister is two doors down from me in the lab—it’s wonderful.”

Lilian describes their relationship as very close, and was incredibly proud of Ruth’s first publication in MBOC. Lilian’s own first publication, in Current Bio, is forthcoming. “I had to get one up on her,” jokes Lilian. Given that both the Kabeche sisters are scientists, one might assume that their parents are scientists as well.

“Not at all,” laughs Lilian. “We’ll talk at the dinner table about how excited we are about specific things that happened in the lab, but they’re just as excited as we are. They’re incredibly supportive.”

Kabeche is unsure of her plans after completing her PhD, but describes eventually leaving Dartmouth as a daunting prospect.

“It’s hard,” says Kabeche. “This [the lab group] is my family, too.  I see them more than I see even my own parents—sometimes even my own sister, who’s right down the hall!”

By Erin O’Flaherty

At this year’s Winter Carnival–beginning on Thursday, February 9th and running through Sunday, February 12th–Dartmouth’s graduate students are invited to participate in the “2012 Winter Carnival Snow Sculpture Contest!”

Dartmouth Students building the 2011 Winter Carnival Sculpture

Feel like participating in one of Dartmouth’s oldest traditions? Then assemble a team of builders from your department, register for the contest by Tuesday, February 7th, and bring your favorite snow shovel to the green on Thursday, February 9th and Friday, February, 10th!

Organized by the Collis Center for Student Involvement Office and Programing Board at Dartmouth, the theme for the 2012 Winter Carnival is “Carnival in Candyland.”

Here’s an outline of the event from 2012 Winter Carnival Snow Sculpture Contest’s offical website:

“Who: Any College-recognized organization (including living units, athletic teams, alumni groups, and academic and administrative departments).

What: A contest held on the Green to select the best sculpture representing this year’s Carnival theme.

When: Carnival is one of the busiest weekends at Dartmouth. In order to allow students and others to participate in all of the various activities, we have limited the hours of building. Starting at noon on Thursday, February 9, organizations may start building a sculpture. Building hours are from noon to 10 p.m. on Thursday, February 9, and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. on Friday, February 10. Judging will take place between 3:30-5 p.m. on Friday, February 10. During the judging, the Green Key Society, Winter Carnival Council, and Collis will be giving out hot chocolate and snacks and welcoming the community.

Where: In order to participate in this contest, all sculptures must be built on the southwest quadrant of the Green (corner closest to Collis). Snow will be provided in a large pile on the Green. Large barrels and shovels will be provided to move snow. A hose will also be on-site to get water to wet-down your sculpture.

Why: Why not? Let’s revive a tradition!

How much: 1^st place: $500; 2^nd place: $300; 3^rd place: $200—transferred to your organizational account. The winning organization will also be provided a sculpture trophy for display.“

For more information on the event, including Safety Guidelines, please visit the contest’s website.

The towns surrounding Dartmouth are filled with family-friendly activities. From picturesque recreation areas, to community-sponsored outreach programs, the Connecticut River Valley is a playground for growing minds. If you’re one of the many graduate students with children, or have a mini van full of younger cousins visiting, try out some of these activities!

1.)  Hood Museum of Art and the Hopkins Center for the Arts (HOP)

The Hood offers many programs for families. Selected Sundays are “Family Days,” and the museum’s collection is staffed to accommodate young patrons, and help them create their own works of art! Also, on selected Saturdays, the Hood offers “Children’s and Family Workshops” where families are invited into the studios to create projects.

Housed in the same building as the Hood, the HOP offers a series of matinee performances, family-oriented workshops, and their “HopStop Family Series” each term. All of these programs are designed to introduce young audiences to the world of the performing arts.

2.)  Montshire Museum of Science

Located across the river in Norwich, the Montshire Museum of Science has been accommodating families since 1974. Currently, the Montshire offers a workshop series for children that features events like “Lab-Coat Investigations” and hands-on science activities.

In the summer, the Montshire hosts a series of summer camps. Most sessions are a week long, and are designed for different age groups. Also, throughout the year, the Montshire also offers a “Camp-In” series, where groups of aspiring scientists spend a supervised night in the museum and embark upon guided “Night Walks,” investigate science in “Kitchen Chemistry,” and take a closer look at the night sky in the “StarLab.”

Open 363 days a year from 10 am – 5 pm (the museum is closed Thanksgiving and Christmas), the Montshire offers special admission rates for children, as well as family memberships.

Be sure to check the Montshire’s website for special events like Igloo Building, Earth Day, Space Day, and the Egg Drop Challenge!

3.)  Howe Library

The Howe Library is a great resource for families. In addition to housing shelves upon shelves of books written for young readers, the Howe also schedules Story Times & Programs for children. Though many of these programs do not require attendees to pre-register, the more popular programs—After School Adventures with Books, and Kindergarten Story Time—do require parents to register in advance.

Each year, the Howe also purchases community passes for major museums within driving distance of Hanover, including Mass MoCA in North Adams, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabel Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Boston’s Children’s Museum, and the ECHO Lake Aquarium & Science Center in Burlington. To reserve one of these passes to get either free or discounted rates to these museums, all you need is a library card!

Finally, the Howe maintains a list of suggested child care programs and preschools in the Upper Valley on their website. If you need more information on any of these resources, just contact the Children’s desk!

4.)  Graduate Student Council (GSC) and On-Campus Events

Many of the events planned by the GSC are family friendly, especially the ones hosted in the summer. Often held at the Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC) House, summer events like Garden Party and Summer Luau are complete with healthy snacks and beverages for children. Last summer, the Garden Party was “blueberry” themed, and featured farm-fresh produce. If the weather cooperates, attends are free to roam around the lawns surrounding the DOC House.

Also, many of the smaller events hosted by the student groups recognized by the GSC, like the International Graduate Mentoring Program (IGMP) and Graduate Women in Science and Engineering (GWISE), provide the setting for families of the graduate community to enjoy themselves. Check out GWISE’s ever-popular Monday Night Tea, and GWISE’s Moon Hikes.

In addition to the events hosted by the GSC, Dartmouth also hosts many on-campus events for parents and families including family weekends and community-building activities. Looking for a fun way to enjoy the winter? The school is hosting a Story Time and Marshmallow Roast from 11 am – 12 noon on Sunday, January 29th at the Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC) House. At the Marshmallow Roast, stories will be read to children ages 3-8 and their parents by the fireplace in the main room of the DOC House.

Swimming Facilities near the Ledyard Canoe Club

5.)  Storrs Pond Recreation Area, the Dartmouth Skiway, and Ledyard Canoe Club

Located off of Route 10 on the way to Lyme, Storrs Pond Recreation Area has two beaches on its ten-acre pond, a heated swimming pool, tennis and basketball courts, and also picnic areas.  Maintained by the Hanover Improvement Society, Storrs is equipped with camping and RV facilities, and offers swimming and tennis lessons during the summer. The improvement society also maintains a network of trails which criss- cross the recreation area.

The Dartmouth Skiway in only a ten-minute shuttle ride from campus! Featuring over 100 acres of groomed trails, the Skiway offers both expert terrain, and gentle slopes well suited for beginners. Not only are all-mountain lift tickets affordable for students ($15 for a half day with a Dartmouth ID) and for children ($23 for a half day for kids between six and twelve), but tickets for the “beginners-area” are only tickets are only $11. Additionally, kids 5 and under ski free all winter long!

Founded in 1920, the Ledyard Canoe Club is five-minute walk from the Green. Offering special membership rates for families, the Club is the perfect facility for family explorations of the Connecticut River. The modern canoes, kayaks, paddles, and life preservers that the club provides to its patrons makes it easy for parents and their children to enjoy part of the day on the water. Finally, the club’s spacious boathouse is the perfect place to relax after a long day of paddling.

Lisa Sprute using eye tracking technology at Merchant Mechanics

This fall, Dartmouth’s Graduate Studies Office coordinated the first “Graduate Studies Externship Program.” Organized by Kerry Landers, Assistant Dean of Graduate Student Affairs, the program paired current graduate students with alumni from many of Dartmouth’s Arts & Sciences Graduate Programs. Over 80 graduate alumni signed up to host current students, and by December, close to 40 graduate students were paired with alumni.

Once paired, the participating graduate students contacted their host and scheduled a date for the daylong externship. Though the experiences of each graduate student who participated in the externship program were unique, most students discussed their professional goals with their host, engaged in career-oriented conversations with the staff at the alumni’s place of employment, received feedback on either their resumes or CVs, and finally, shadowed their host for a full day.

“I’m excited by the number of graduate students who participated in this year’s Graduate Studies Externship Program,” said Brian Pogue, Dean of Graduate Education. “I hope this program continues to be mutually beneficial for both our current student and our graduate alumni, and that in the coming years that more of Dartmouth’s graduate students are able to visit our alumni.”

Lisa Sprute, a student in Psychological & Brian Sciences (PBS), was hosted by graduate alumnus Kimberly Rose Clark at Merchant Mechanics, a market research firm in West Lebanon. While at Merchant Mechanics, Lisa learned how to use the eye tracking technology that the company uses to gather information related to a shopper’s visual attention in various environmental contexts. Also, both Lucy Mukura, a student in Dartmouth’s Program in Experimental and Molecular Medicine (PEMM), and Chelsea Boyd, a student in the Microbiology and Immunology department, visited Hillel Cohen GR ’84 in Cambridge, MA at Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, a vaccine manufacturer that produces products that prevent over 20 vaccine-preventable viral and bacterial diseases.

“The Dartmouth Externship was an amazing learning experience for me,” states Lucy. “[Dr. Cohen] introduced me to a number of his colleagues with diverse backgrounds who took time to answer questions that I had. This opportunity was an eye-opener—there are certain programs you can afford to miss in graduate school, but this is definitely not one of them.”

Lucy Mukura, Dr. Cohen, and Chelsea Boyd at Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics

According to Dr. Cohen, the two externs were a delight to host, and the visit was mutually beneficial for both his company and the graduate students. According to Cohen, while at Novartis, Lucy and Chelsea sat in on a multi-continental meeting and also had the opportunity to speak to several of the company’s staff members regarding both their current jobs and career paths.

“Regulatory affairs in biotech or at the FDA is something I have been considering as a possible career,” stated Chelsea. “My trip to [Novartis] really solidified this for me, as I was able to think about what a good fit for me this type of employment is. I would highly recommend this externship experience.”

In addition to private-sector employers, graduate alumni in education also hosted paired students. In December, Wesley Whitaker, a second year student in Dartmouth’s Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) program, visited graduate alumnus Richard Hardej, an instructor at Phillips Exeter Academy. During his day on campus, Wesley sat in on three classes, and had the opportunity to speak with several of the academy’s teachers.

“I really enjoyed my externship at Phillips Exeter Academy,” said Wesley. “Mr. Hardej was a wonderful host, and it was a pleasure observing how secondary education works at the academy. All of the staff members that I spoke with during my day on campus were more than happy to discuss their career paths, and each took the time to explain their roles at Exeter. I learned a lot through my externship, and I think that every graduate student should participate in the program before leaving Dartmouth.”

Graduate Studies Needs a Tagline!

Did you ever take a look at an advertising slogan or campaign and think, “I could do better”?  Have you dreamed of stretching your copywriting legs, but couldn’t find an outlet to channel your creativity?  If so, here’s your chance!

The Graduate Studies Office is sponsoring a contest to come up with a new tagline for Dartmouth’s Arts and Sciences Graduate Programs, and we’re asking the community to help us out.

Submitted entries should capture the academic community of Dartmouth, and emphasize the mission of the Graduate Studies program of educating future leaders and creating new knowledge at Dartmouth.

Taglines should also be catchy! Think Nike’s “Just Do It,” DeBeers’ “A Diamond is Forever,” or the U.S. Army’s “Be All that You Can Be”… even our own Thayer School of Engineering’s “The Box Does Not Exist”!

The Graduate Studies Office will judge the entries and select the top three taglines, from which the public will vote to decide a winner. The contest is open to all students, faculty, staff, and friends, and the winning participant will receive a $50 gift card to Canoe Club.  Multiple entries per individual are permitted, and can be posted on the Grad Studies Facebook page here. There are no stipulations or rules—just give us your best shot at a slogan that represents graduate programs at Dartmouth!

Any questions?  Let us know!

On Tuesday, November 8^th at 5:30 pm, the newly elected Departmental Representatives of Dartmouth’s Graduate Student Council (GSC) attended their first monthly GSC meeting in the 1930s Room of the Rockefeller Center. At the meeting, the Executive Board outlined the responsibilities of each departmental representative, and the latest GSC initiatives and social events were discussed by the council.

Welcome 2011-12 Departmental Representatives to the GSC!

Dartmouth Community,

First of all, I’d like to welcome each newly-elected Departmental Representative to Dartmouth’s Graduate Student Council (GSC). I’m excited by the ideas generated at both the November and December meetings, and by the positive energy exhibited by each new Rep. I look forward to working with you all over the next six months, and I hope that you each consider running for an Executive Board position this spring.

So far, the 2011-12 academic year has been exciting for the Graduate Student Council. Since this year’s Executive Board took office in May, four new graduate student clubs have been recognized. For all 14 of Dartmouth’s graduate student groups, the GSC provides both the monetary resources, and the institutional recognition necessary for these organizations to host niche events that strengthen the graduate community.

This October, the council awarded block funding grants to six GSC recognized student groups. Currently, the Finance Committee, chaired by Zanes Cypress, is in the process of reviewing how these groups have used this funding—come winter, the student leaders of each of these student groups will showcase the community building events made possible by these grants, and explain how their organizations intend to utilize their remaining funds.

Coupled with the larger social events planned by the GSC’s two social co-chairs—Ana Draghici and Jeremy Fitzpatrick—and the small-scale programs coordinated by Erin O’Flaherty, the Graduate Studies Activities Coordinator, and Regina Salvat, the North Park Graduate Advisor, the activities hosted by all of the GSC-recognized student groups create the social space for Dartmouth’s graduate students to meet outside of the classroom, laboratory, and library, and to collaborate in a relaxed environment.

I’d like to take a moment to commend Dartmouth’s graduate community for its quick response to the flooding caused by Hurricane Irene. In addition to the GSC-led donation drive, many graduate students also participated in the rebuilding efforts organized by the college. Also, I’d like thank the staff of Baker Berry for allowing the GSC to place a collection bin in the main corridor of the library, and the staff of the William Jewett Tucker Foundation for both organizing several campus-wide relief efforts, and distributing the donations collected by the GSC.

On top of this fall’s hurricane response, the community enrichment projects undertaken by the GSC are many: in October, the Graduate Relief Team, led by Student Life Chair, Marie Onakomaiya, and Vice President, Aarathi Prasad, coordinated graduate student participation in Dartmouth’s annual “Day of Caring,” and helped organize the GSC holiday food drive. Again, thank you to all members of the graduate student body who have taken the time to give back to the local community!

Dartmouth’s Strategic Planning continues to be an exciting challenge for the GSC. Over the past months, the Graduate Education for the Future working group, chaired by Brian Pogue, Dean of Graduate Studies, has met on a biweekly basis. In November, the GSC helped coordinate an Open Forum that was held in the Rockefeller Center. Structured to solicit graduate-student feedback regarding the strengths and weaknesses of Dartmouth’s graduate community, the working group intends to incorporate the student suggestions generated at this forum in the Strategic Planning process.

Finally, the Academic Committee, chaired by Julia Bradley-Cook, recently awarded travel grants to Katie Duryea (Ecology & Evolutionary Biology), Sergey Fogelson (Psychological & Brian Sciences), and Gillian Moritz (Ecology & Evolutionary Biology). Each year, the GSC awards grants both in November and in March to help defray the cost of attending an academic conference: the grant is meant to supplement, but not to replace other funding sources.

Spanning the entire month of October, this year’s elections for Departmental Representatives were entirely electronic, and were facilitated by Mandy Balboni, the Executive Board’s secretary. Currently, 31 students are serving as Departmental Representatives, but several seats are still available: two departments are not represented, and the GSC is looking for graduate students to serve on the school’s Council on Libraries and the Council on Computing.

To nominate either yourself, or a member of your department fill a vacant seat on the GSC, please email graduate.student.council@dartmouth.edu.

Again, Congratulations!

-Wesley Whitaker
President of the Graduate Student Council

2011-12 Departmental Representatives:

Biological Chemistry
1.)  Anna L. Hatch
2.)  Kelli Hvorecny

Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (EEB)
1.) Jeffrey A. Lombardo
2.) Thomas S. Kraft

Chemistry
1.) Justin T. Foy
2.) Nicholas B. Tito

Comparative Literature
1.) Vacant 

Computer Science
1.) Yu-Han Lyu
2.) Andrew Lyons
3.) Vacant    

Digital Musics
1.) Phillip M. Hermans

Earth Sciences
1.) Justin B. Richardson

Genetics
1.) Gilbert J. Rahme
2.) Rishika De

Mathematics
1.)  Vacant
2.)  Vacant

Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS)
1.) Cheng (Dawn) Ling
2.) Keely H. Badger
3.) Maryna Marchanka

Molecular & Cellular Biology, 1^st-Year (MCB)
1.) Erin Shoemaker
2.) Andrew Bridges

Micro-Immunology
1.) Yash R. Patankar
2.) Megan O’Connor

Programs in Experimental and Molecular Medicine (PEMM)
1.) Ryan Soderquist
2.) Catherine Fricano
3.) Vacant

Physiology
1.) Matthew P. DeBerge

Physics and Astronomy
1.)  Shuo Wu
2.)  Vacant

Psychological & Brain Sciences (PBS)
2.) James R. Peck
3.) Richard B. Lopez

The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice (TDI)
1.)  Lisa M. Jackson
2.)  Vacant

Thayer School of Engineering
1.) Natasha Mohan
2.) Kirti Khopkar
3.) Raghav Ahluwalia
4.) Rebecca Williams

Biological Sciences
1.)  Adrienne Perkin
2.)  Vacant

Non-Voting Representatives:

HOP SAC+
1.) Sarah Langman (MALS)

Council on Libraries
1.) Vacant

Council on Computing
1.) Vacant 

Need a change of scenery as you tackle your final papers/exams this week? Check out some of The Grad Forum’s favorite study spots.

1.) Top of the HOP

As the name suggests, the Top of the Hop is located on the top floor of the Hopkins Center—walk up the stairs as soon as you enter the HOP from East Wheelock. Featuring comfy chairs, a working fireplace, beautiful student artwork, and unmatched views of the Green, it’s a great study spot where people generally respect the auditory space of others. Additionally, you can grab some food from the Courtyard Café downstairs without having to leave the building—a huge plus when the weather takes a turn for the worst.

2.) Sherman Art Library

The Sherman Art Library is perhaps one of the most remote—and QUIET—study areas in all of Baker-Berry (Go straight past the main Circulation Desk, and take a left down the back staircase).  Sheltered from the constant chatter that fills Novack Café, the main lobby, and the recently opened King Arthur Café, Sherman is chock full of study cubicles and oversize desks—not to mention plenty of art tomes to leaf through when you need an impromptu study break!

3.) Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center

If you’re looking to take refuge from the masses, walk straight to the newly constructed Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center. Not only is this building an architectural gem, it’s also quiet, well lit, and right across the street from the North Park graduate student housing complex.

4.) Umpleby’s Bakery & Rosey Jekes Café

While the Dirt Cowboy on Main Street is always a popular spot, there’s another gem tucked just off Main St, on South Street, Umpleby’s. In addition to the generously-spaced tables which dot the restaurant, its savory tarts (try one and you’ll never look back) and free refills on in-house coffee orders make Umpleby’s the perfect location to draft a lesson plan or write a term paper.

If you’re looking for a quiet place to read a book, or meet with a professor, Rosey Jekes Café is the place to go! Tucked beneath the clothing store, the café features fresh-brewed coffee and a full-service espresso bar. In the summer, the tables outside the cafe are the ideal place to enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning.

4.) Ramunto’s Brick Oven Pizza

Who would have thought that a pizza joint would be such a great place to crack the books?

Thanks to the free Wi-Fi and delicious lunch specials that hover around five or six dollars, Ramunto’s is a surprisingly economical place to have a working lunch.  To avoid the lunch rush and snag a spacious booth, try going either before 11:30 am, or after 1:00 pm—the line is shorter!

5.) Tuckerbox

Need to venture out of Hanover to get some serious work done? Try the Tuckerbox  in White River Junction, Vermont.  While it’s tough to snag a good seat on weekends, it is usually less crowded on weekday afternoons. Join Tuckerbox’s ‘Coffee Club’, and you’ll also grab a free drink of your choice for every $10 you spend—an easy feat once you try their signature BLT or ‘Egg Samich’.  Factor in the nostalgic Billie Holiday-esque soundtrack that’s always playing, and you might just find yourself reading on the other side of the Connecticut River a few afternoons a week.

Do you frequent a hidden gem of a study space? Let us know!

Good luck to everyone on finals!

by Erin O’Flaherty

Each year, graduate student government leaders from the eight Ivy League Schools and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) attend the Ivy Summit. A student-run, best practices conference, the Ivy Summit is hosted by a different Ivy+ school each fall. In 2010, the Ivy Summit was hosted by Princeton, and 2011 marked the first year that MIT hosted the conference. The University of Pennsylvania has agreed to host the 2012 Ivy Summit. This year, six members from the Dartmouth Graduate Student Council attended the Ivy Summit.

Student delegates arrived in Cambridge on Friday, November 4^th, and attended a welcome reception at MIT’s Green Building. At the reception, Alex Evans, President of MIT’s Graduate Student Council (GSC), and Christine Ortiz, Dean for Graduate Education at MIT, gave welcome addresses to attendees.

On Saturday morning, the “State of the Nine” addresses were delivered at MIT’s Media Lab, an interdisciplinary research facility founded in 1985. The “State of the Nine” is a series of fifteen-minute presentations given by either the President or Student Chair of each school’s graduate student government. Each presentation is meant to give a brief overview of the activities of each school’s graduate program, and is followed by a five-minute question and answer period. At this year’s “State of the Nine,” the student delegates from Dartmouth learned about the structures of the student governments at MIT, Brown, the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Cornell, Princeton, as well as the annual social activities hosted by each school, and the advocacy methods utilized by each council.

In his address, Wesley Whitaker, President of Dartmouth’s Graduate Student Council (GSC) showcased the new web presence of Dartmouth’s Arts and Sciences Graduate Programs, outlined the GSC’s involvement with Dartmouth’s Strategic Planning, and explained the GSC’s role in graduate-student life.

For the graduate student leaders in attendance, the Ivy Summit served as a way to learn about the recent accomplishments and ongoing initiatives of each institution, and provided a platform to address common challenges. Out of the 48 graduate-student leaders who attended the conference, the six Dartmouth GSC Executive Board members who attended the conference–Aarathi Prasad, Ana Draghici, Erin E. O’Flaherty, Julia Bradley-Cook, Marie Onakomaiya, and Wesley Whitaker–comprised one of the larger student contingencies at the summit.

“I was thrilled to be able to attend this year’s Ivy Summit,” says Erin E. O’Flaherty, Dartmouth’s Graduate Student Activities Coordinator. “The ‘State of the Nine’ was incredibly informative on both an individual and institutional level.  Hearing about what is working—and alternately not working—at each university helps the GSC shape how we implement changes and move forward here at Dartmouth.”

After breaking for lunch, graduate student delegates attended a series of student-taught breakout sessions. This year, session topics included “Improving Graduate Education: Metric Comparison & Best Practices” led by Yale’s Andrea Stavoe, “Sustainability” led by MIT’s Sis Ni, “Website & Communication” led by Dartmouth’s Wesley Whitaker, “Graduate Community Space” led by MIT’s Ellan Spero, and “Communication Beyond the Graduate School” led by Brown’s Matteo Riondato.

After Saturday’s busy agenda, MIT hosted a formal dinner at the Institute’s museum. Inspired by the 2006 film Night at the Museum staring Ben Stiller, the dinner featured foods including Vietnamese-fusion spring rolls, a humus bar, and a variety of brochettes. After dinner, student delegates were treated to a private showing of a selection of the MIT Museum’s permanent collection.