Kadner 2008: What They Don’t Teach You in Graduate School…. But Probably Should

1. Kadner 2008: What They Don’t Teach You in Graduate School….But Probably Should Siabhon M. Harris

2. Kadner 2008: The Fundamentals • Who? • What? • One week workshop on • When? • Where? • Why?

3. Who…Can Attend Kadner? • Are you eligible? • ASM Member • Upper-Level Student or Post-doct • Establish project in microbiology www.asmgap.org

4. What…Is the Kadner Institute? • One week INTENSIVE workshop addressing the following: • Prep, Review, Critiques of Research Proposals • Presenting your research • Teaching methods • Careers in Microbiology • Others: Networking, Job Interviews, Preparing a CV, ethics, balance home and work

5. When…and….Where • Is the Workshop…. • Mid-July • Are applications Due • Mid-May (Notification of acceptance within 2 wks) • Where is the Workshop? • Past 2 years – Boulder, CO • Next year - ??????

6. Why…Attend this Workshop #1 – Looks good on your CV #2 – Find out what else is out there #3 – Networking, networking, networking #4 – Training, Training, Training #5 – Other (collaborations, advice, etc)

7. How…Do I Attend this Workshop • The Application Process • CV (1-2 pgs) • Summary of Research Project (1-2 pgs) • Summary of goals/expectations for participating (1 pg) • Summary of Career Goals (1 pg) • PI Approval Page and Recommendation Letter

8. How…Do I Pay for Kadner • Cost Analysis • $300 Registration (includes meals and transportation between airport and conference) • $350-650 Housing • Travel $$$ (airplane, travel per diem) • Look into other venues for payment (program director, department chair, PI)

9. You’re Accepted…Now What? • More work to be done: • Pay registration and make travel arrangements • 10 pg proposal • CV and cover letter (optional) • 10-12 minute powerpoint • Review 3-4 proposals from other participants Submitted End of June

10. Careers Represented at Kadner • Research U. (VCU) • Small and Undergraduate U. (Colorado State) • Biotech Industry • Government/Federal Institutions (FDA) • Foundation/Nonprofit Organizations (Burroughs Welcome Foundation, DARPA, Howard Hughes) • Science Writing (Quintiles) • Patent Law (Govt patent office, private)

11. Career Prep • CV – presentation, one-on-one critique • Obtaining Postdoct • Pathways to Tenureship • Interview tips • Networking • Balancing personal/professional life

12. Grant Writing • Small group critique on proposals • NIH mock grant review • Grant writing process • Preparing a fundable grant • NIH/NSF Review process

13. Scientific Presentations • One-on-one and group critiques • How to prepare an effective presentation • Rules of Thumb • San serif type (Arial/Geneva) • Upper and Lower Case • Appropiate Background (White for small, Black for large) • 1-6-6 (1 point, 6 lines, 6 words/line) • Title = Conclusion • Use Entire Slide • Proofread • Practice, practice, practive

14. 3 1  = 4 2 Teaching • Emphasize importance of understanding the fundamentals and what’s most important • How students learn? • Battery, Light Bulb, Wire • Shape of planet’s orbits • Who can answer this problem? 6/4 or 1.5

15. The CV • Presentation and One-on-one critique • Do… • Include pubs, abstracts, presentations • Include professional activities (committees, relevant volunteer work) • Start thinking about these things now! • Don’t • Worry too much about length (usually 3 pgs) • Include personal information • Have spelling/grammar errors • List large numbers of manuscripts in progess • Neglect to name research supervisor

16. Components of the Interview • One-on-one with faculty • Meet grad students • Seminar to faculty/students • Chalktalk with committee members • Sample teaching lecture (optional) • Meeting with dept head/dean • Meeting with those you ask to see • Meals (table manners, alcohol etiqutte, stay away from personal issues and politics)

17. The Interview • Things to Ask in beginning • Who will you be meeting with? • What is the schedule? • Who is your audience? • Who will make accommodations? Who will cover expenses? • Prepare • Know the institution and faculty • What can you contribute • Practice presentation (1-, 3-, 10-, 60-minute) • Prepare list of questions to ask them

18. Questions… • You should not be asked • What does wife/husband do? • Do you plan to have children? Pregnany? • You should ask them • Does faculty collaborate? What type of projects? • Is job description clear? • Staff support? (grant writing, specialized facilities) • Types of courses expected to teach? • Research/Teaching facilities available on campus

19. Responding to questions you should not be asked • Address the employers concerns rather than the actual question (ex: what childcare arrangements do you already have in place?) • Respons in a way that conveys empathy with the concern • Reframe the question or minimize a negative comment or situation • Stonewall cheerfully when asked for negative information (ex: “Oh, so has there been a negative experience with this?”)

20. Balancing Work/Life • “Blood is thicker than LB broth” • Find out what’s expected during the interview • Organization, lists, support system – Impt! • There are tradeoffs – can’t make every graduation, play, game, etc…

21. Ethics/Conflict resolution http://grad.msu.edu/conflictresolution/vignettes/

22. What I Learned from Kadner? • There’s life outside of academia • You can have a life and tenureship (Lists! Lists! Lists!) • Confidence is important • Publications, Presentations and Workshops Count • “Only way you can be sucessful as a scientist is if you’re happy as a scientist” • One postdoct can give a competitive edge • Going it alone isn’t that bad • Gummy/Children’s vitamins are awesome!

23. Things to Ask Yourself • What do want to do? • Benchwork • Administration • Family • Where do you want to be in 12, 24, 36 months • Who will write your recommendation • Is your CV strong

24. Grad/Medical U. • Salary • Public (~$80K), Private (~$110-120K) • Day in the Life (Tenure-track) • Research/Scholarship (Pubs, Prez, Grants) • Teaching (committees, courses) • Service (dept. committees, study sessions) • Tenure vs. Non-Tenure • Nontenure – no teaching/service required, salary paid by grant • Tenure – more security, more service/teaching required • Pros (security, independence, travel)/Cons (funding, travel, management, responsibilities)

25. Undergraduate Institution (Colorado College, Colorado State U.) • Salary • Similar to graduate institition (varies with responsibility) • Day in the Life • 80% Teaching (full load, course plans) • 15% Research (summers, with undergrads) • 5% Service (advising, committees) • Pros/Cons (small classes, more teaching, little research)

26. Government (FDA) • Salary • Non Lab (Reviewers, Inspectors, Sci Writers, Policy/Admin) • Lab • Staff Fellows (similar to postdocts) • Staff Scientists (similar to non-tenure track) – renewable ($75-80K) • PI ($80K+) • Day in the Life • Research • Regulation, Bureaucracy • Pros (security, no teaching?, research access), Cons (no teaching, small research groups of 4-6 people managed by lab chief, bureaucracy)

27. Industry (Dupont) • Salary • Starting $75-80K • Day In the Life • Research • Typical New Employee (PhD, 2-5yr postdoct, at least 4-5 first author papers) • Selection Process 2004 (PI Search) • Pubs (140 applicants to 40)  Field/Expertise (to 20)  Recommends/Networks (to 8)  Interviews (2 hires) • Pros (small groups 1-3people, high throughput, spend $$$ for techniques, stock options for small companies), Cons (Usually 10hrs/day, Team Player?, small part of large project)

28. Patent Law • Salary • Gov’t (Start $50-60K) • Private (Start $60K) • Day in the Life • Private – Explain what’s going on to lawyers, search literature, write analysis (30-100pgs) • Gov’t Patent Examiner – Get docket of 30-80 patents (30-100pg application), figure out invention, search articles from 1980’s and above, Send off for articles, move on, write analysis • Pros (security, benefits, no postdoct required/real world, pay for law degree = more money), Cons (lots of reading/writing, quota system-govt)

29. Science Writing (Quintiles) • Salary • CRO - $55-76K mean • Biotech/Pharm (more risky) - $77-100K • Govt - $51-71 • Day in the Life • Contract Research Org - Read background on disease, read protocol and statistical analysis plan, write model report (intro, methods), deliver to client, receive stats from trial, summarize results, send back to client (or FDA) • Pros (Flexibility, work from home possibility, no research?), Cons (salary, “dry” writing, postdoct recommended)

30. Public Health (CDC) • Commissioned Corps – respond to public health needs (www.usphs.com) • ASM/NCID post doct program (1/15 deadline) • 2 year position with CDC • 50 applications average – 10 funded • Meet with interested PI and develop proposal • Emerging Infection Disease fellowship (10/15) • MS or PhD; More epidemiology • Placement at CDC or state public health • Other fellowships: ORISE, DHARMA, Epidemic Intelligence Service (www.cdc.gov/eis) • Pros (security, family-friendly, career movement within agency), Cons (less basic research, less money comparably, bureaucracy)

31. Clinical Microbiology • 10 CPEP approved programs across US (ex. UNC, U. Utah, U. Penn, U. Rochester, Mayo Clinic, NIH) • 2 year program (very competitive) • No clinical background needed • Train you to management clinical labs (mainly at hospitals) • Pros (job security, job outlook, up to $150K-200K after 25years), Cons (competitive entry, must have PhD)