
Networking and IDPs Workshop (An MGSN Event)
Thursday, December 4, 2014
The Graduate Center, CUNY
Presented By
Presented by the Minority Graduate Student Network, Science Alliance, and the New York Academy of Sciences
Having well-defined career goals and a strong professional network will give you a certain leg-up in your graduate studies and life beyond. Join us in this interactive two-part workshop to learn strategies for building a professional network, and guidelines for creating an effective professional development plan.
Although this event is free, registration is required for attendance
Networking for Scientists
Because scientists spend most of their time in the laboratory conducting research, they often fail to recognize the importance of building professional connections. Networking is vital to professional success both in and out of academia. In this interactive workshop you will learn straightforward strategies for building and maintaining professional connections, critical for career success. During this event, you will practice your elevator pitch, and identify the people who are currently in your network and people who you would like to add. We will also address difficult questions including:
- How does one professionally follow up with a contact when the contact does not respond to your first email or phone call?
- When it is appropriate to ask someone to forward your resume?
- Can introverts be good at networking?
- Should you contact interesting people who you find on the Internet or LinkedIn?
Individual Development Plans
Today’s doctoral trainees face the challenge of competing for limited academic positions or entering “alterative careers” in science. Both options require a diverse set of skills and credentials that are not always obtained in the course of your scientific training. It is therefore essential that each trainee develops a strategic plan for success based on their personal career goals and skill needs. This plan, known as an Individual Development Plan (IDP), can be created with the assistance of the myIDP interactive web-based career-planning tool. This seminar will highlight the importance of an IDP, provide a walkthrough of the myIDP web tool and teach strategies on how to effectively formulate and complete your goals.
About MGSN
MGSN is a student-run organization founded in the early 2000s to advance the interests of diversity in the sciences. The aim of MGSN is to create a community to help retain and increase the number of underrepresented minority graduate students pursuing professional degrees in the sciences.
MGSN Supporters
Columbia University Medical Center, Center for Basic and Translational Research (CTBR) at Hunter College, CUNY, The Rockefeller University, Weill Cornell Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC), Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences.
Speakers
Tom Magaldi, PhD
Dr. Tom Magaldi is the Administrator of Office of Career Services at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Tom develops, coordinates, implements and evaluates career and professional development services and activities for MSKCC postdoctoral researchers and graduate students.
Tom was most recently the Director of Science Alliance, the professional development branch of the NYAS. There, he developed and implemented innovative workshops and courses that provide early career scientists with a range of business skills essential for all careers. Dr. Magaldi received his PhD in genetics from Yale University and was a postdoc at the National Cancer Institute. Tom has also worked as an Adjunct Professor of Biology at Montgomery College and the University of the District of Columbia. In addition, he has worked as an Executive Board Member for the Career Network for Science PhDs at Yale, an organization that provided networking and internship opportunities for young scientists at Yale.
Christina Medina-Ramirez, PhD
Dr. Christina Medina-Ramirez is the Professional Development Coordinator of the RISE (Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement) Program at Hunter College; an NIH program that aims to increase the number of scientists from underrepresented groups in biomedical research. To support this goal, Dr. Medina-Ramirez teaches undergraduate and graduate students career development strategies and provides personal assistance with applications for graduate school, summer programs, fellowships and postdoctoral positions.
Dr. Medina-Ramirez received a B.S. in Biology from St. Francis College and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Science from Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Both her thesis work and postdoctoral research at NYU Langone Medical Center focused on cell death mechanisms and therapies related to breast and glioblastoma brain cancers. Throughout her scientific training, Dr. Medina-Ramirez remained committed to supporting underrepresented minorities in science. She was a founding member of the NYC-Minority Graduate Student Network and was continuously involved in several mentoring programs for minorities in STEM. Her scholarly efforts and dedication to improving health disparities and diversity in STEM have been recognized by several awards including the Ford Foundation Predoctoral Diversity Fellowship, the AACR Minority Scholar in Cancer Research Award, and the Hispanic Center for Excellence-Future Leader in Science and Research Award.
Travel & Lodging
Meeting Location
The Graduate Center, CUNY
Rooms C201/C202
365 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10016