Research Mentor News, September 2016

Welcome to a new school year! We’ve had a successful Summer Session, bringing in new BUILD Associates and continuing education for BUILD Scholars. There is a lot to cover … so we’ll get right to it!


 

Faculty Mixer This Thursday

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CSULB BUILD staff
The BUILD team is holding its first 2016-2017 BUILD Faculty Mixer this Thursday, Sept. 8, from 4pm to 6pm in SSPA-006. Come to meet and mingle with new BUILD faculty, fellow BUILD mentors, BUILD staff, and reconnect with colleagues. This is a great opportunity to learn more about your fellow faculty, their work, and open the doors for future collaborations. Light refreshments and appetizers will be provided. RSVP to Mara Bird at mara.bird@csulb.edu.
 

Seeking Speakers for Health Disparities Course

Does your research address health disparities through topic, target population or implication? James Thing, the new instructor for the Health Disparities course, developed by BUILD, is seeking speakers for the various topics covered across the semester. If you are able to be a guest speaker sometime this semester, please contact Dr. Thing at james.thing@csulb.edu. The class meets Tuesdays from 4 to 6:45 pm.


 

Update Your CV for the Upcoming HERI Survey This Month

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HERI logo
We want to improve the success of students and faculty at CSULB and we need your help! The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Diversity Consortium is seeking to understand what programs and strategies benefit students and faculty in biomedical, behavioral, clinical and social science fields to inform funding and programs. The Diversity Consortium is conducting a study that involves different universities across the nation and CSULB has been selected to participate in the study. This fall, students in their junior or senior year and faculty will receive an invitation to participate in a survey administered by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA. We ask for your support in responding to the survey and spreading the word so we can improve programs and strategies at CSULB and nationwide.
 

Multicultural Workshops in September

BUILD Research Mentors are required to attend at least one multicultural workshop. If you haven’t attended one yet, here are the dates for two scheduled for September.

  • Effective Mentoring in a Multicultural Setting. You have two times from which to choose: Tuesday, Sept. 20, 10am to noon, or Friday, Sept. 23, 1 to 3pm.
  • Empowering Underrepresented Students in a Diverse Classroom. You have two times from which to choose: Friday, Nov. 4, 1 to 3pm, or Tuesday, Nov. 8, 10am to noon.

For more information, visit the Multicultural Workshops webpage.


 

Apply for BUILD Research Stimulation Grants by Nov. 14, 2016

Applications for the three BUILD Research Stimulation Grants – one for collaborative research, one for research project development and one for mid-size equipment – are due Nov. 14, 2016 by 5 pm PT. Applications will be available on the BUILD website by Sept. 9, 2016. To learn more about these grants, read the announcement.


 

Conference Travel for CSULB BUILD Scholars

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airplane at the terminal
All scholars have travel funds of $1,500 for the year and are expected to participate in conferences with these funds. They have been asked to develop a Conference Travel Plan with their BUILD mentors, identifying conferences that they can attend. Presentation is a requirement to receive BUILD travel funds, with the exception of the 2016 SACNAS conference.

Year One Scholar trainees are strongly encouraged to attend SACNAS in October, which will take place at the Long Beach Convention Center. At SACNAS they will not only learn about cutting edge research but also participate in professional development workshops and meet recruiters from graduate and summer internship programs. If they do not attend SACNAS this year, they will be required to attend SACNAS or ABRCMS next year. Fortunately, with SACNAS being local this year, trainees will have enough funds left for another conference travel.

Year Two Scholar trainees are required to give one poster or paper presentation at a professional conference this year. If they did not attend ABCRMS last year, they will be required to attend SACNAS, in addition to this professional conference. Please refer to our Travel Guidelines for more details regarding the use of travel funds and conference requirements.


 

Fall Trainee Learning Communities

This fall’s Associates’ Learning Community will introduce trainees to a range of topics including developing their research projects and stereotype threat, as well as continued training on ethics, time management and growth mindset. A major assignment will be to develop their Individual Development Plan (IDP), a document they will update every semester they are in BUILD.

The Scholar’s Learning Communities will focus on preparing the Scholars to be competitive for summer internship programs (Year One Scholars) and graduate programs (Year Two Scholars). Trainees will work extensively on their CV, application packets, and statement of purpose. They will also be seeking guidance and feedback from their BUILD mentors regarding programs and application materials. Please be prepared to be asked for letters of recommendation in a few weeks. Year Two Scholar trainees who are not graduating in this academic year are also required to work on graduate program applications so that they will have the necessary skills and experience next fall when they are ready to apply.


 

Schedule Your Headshot

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We are working on a better way to help students match up with potential mentors. For this project, we need to take high-quality and consistent headshots of all mentors. The headshot will be used for the online database we’re building.

Please check your calendar and schedule a time to come by the BUILD offices (PH1-123) sometime between now and mid-September to have your profile picture taken. This should take no more than 5 to 10 minutes of your time.

Currently, open slots to schedule your photo are:

  • Tuesdays and Thursday: 10am to 1pm, 2pm to 5pm
  • Fridays: 10am to 1pm

Please email Alex Garbanati at alex.garbanati@csulb.edu to schedule your time slot. If these times are not available for you, contact Alex to make other arrangements.


 

Looking Back on Summer 2016

CSULB BUILD Scholars fell into two camps this summer: Those who stayed on campus and participated in the Second Annual Summer Research Symposium and those who ventured out into the world through a variety of summer internship programs. Here are some stories about what they accomplished.

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2016 BUILD Summer Symposium Inspires and Informs
2016 BUILD Summer Symposium Inspires and Informs
The second annual CSULB BUILD Summer Symposium, featuring the poster presentations of the program’s Scholars – 45 newly admitted and 19 continuing from last year – was bigger than last year – and just as successful.

 

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 Lessons Learned
Summer Internships Expand Scholars’ Horizons
A series of three stories will be posted to the BUILD website over the next few weeks, highlighting the experiences of Scholars who went away on internships. The first one shares Lessons Learned.

 

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Two BUILD Students Present at International Meeting
Two BUILD Students Present at International Meeting
Three undergraduate CSULB students – two of them from our BUILD program – presented posters at an internationally attended meeting.

 

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BUILD Associates Get a Feel for Graduate School Life During
BUILD Associates Get a Feel for Graduate School Life During UCI Field Trip
On July 27, 2016, 32 CSULB BUILD Associates, along with four graduate assistants and several BUILD faculty and staff, visited the University of California Irvine (UCI) campus to learn about the summer research intern and graduate programs available on the campus.

 


 

Coming Next Month …

  • SACNAS Is Coming to Long Beach
  • Your Role in Recruiting for the Next BUILD Cohort
  • Supply Order Deadlines
 

 

Communicating with BUILD

We invite your news about your BUILD Trainee and any questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions about BUILD.  If you have any of these, in relation to being a BUILD Mentor, or concerns about your BUILD Student, please contact us at BUILD.mentors@csulb.edu.  Be sure to keep an eye out for the October newsletter.