C-MORE Professional Development Training for Graduate Students and Post-docs:

1. C-MORE Professional Development Training for Graduate Students and Post-docs: The Professional Development Organizing Committee presents Career and Networking workshops Barbara C. Bruno (barb@hawaii.edu)1, 2, Christina Comfort1,2, Daniela Bottjer1,2, Sean Jungbluth1,2, Brian Burkhardt1,3, Nick Hawco1,4, Rene Boiteau1,4 , Irina Shilova1,5 and Fabio DeLeo1,2 1Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education, 2University of Hawaii, 3Oregon State University, 4Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 5University of California Santa Cruz Career and Networking Workshops Introduction Conclusion Established in 2006 by the National Science Foundation, the Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE) is a Science and Technology Center comprised of six institutions: University of Hawaii (UH), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), Oregon State University (OSU), University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) and Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). C-MORE researchers collaborate across institutions to explore how microbial diversity at the genomic level influences the structure and function of the world’s large biome, the global ocean. One of C-MORE's key goals is to provide state-of-the-art training to graduate students and post-doctoral researchers. The centerpiece of this training occurs in laboratories and aboard research cruises. To supplement this research training, C-MORE offers a Professional Development Training Program (PDTP) to equip students and post-docs with the skills and experiences needed to maximize their potential and succeed in their professional careers. The program has formal but flexible requirements. Only one module (Outreach) is required. Masters’ students select three additional modules while Ph.D. students and post-docs select five. The Professional Development Organizing Committee (PDOC), comprised of students and post-docs from the various partner institutions, works with the C-MORE Education Office to implement the PDTP and organize “on demand” workshops. In Fall 2012, the PDOC organized three career workshops to help students explore a host of opportunities and discover which career paths best fit their interests and capabilities. We are also planning a workshop on Networking and Fostering Scientific Collaborations, to be held in February 2013 at the national meeting of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO). Graduate programs in the natural sciences traditionally maintain a focus within academia despite providing the knowledge and skills for a range of career paths. While university faculty positions can be limited, other professional opportunities in science and industry are becoming more available. In October and November 2012, C-MORE offered three career workshops at MIT, UCSC and UH. Scientists in a variety of careers discussed aspects of their career paths, including their rationale for choosing their particular career, pros and cons of the job, job responsibilities and requirements, and a typical day at work. • The PDTP not only provides professional development training to graduate students and post-docs, but encourages these young scientists to take leadership of their training. The requirements are flexible, and additional trainings outside the scope of the core program are offered on demand. • In Fall 2012, C-MORE students and post-docs self-organized three workshops to explore various geoscience career paths. Evaluation results reveal that participants left the workshops with a much better understanding of the various career paths and found the workshops valuable. Federal Agencies Consulting firms Soft money research programs Non-Profit Future Directions Genomics and Bioinformatics Program Managers Marine Education • Ideas for future evaluation: • What are participants’ career aspirations? Are they influenced by attending the career workshops? • Tracking alumni to see the academic and non-traditional career paths they eventually pursue. • Networking training: • A one-day networking workshop is being planned in conjunction with the 2013 ASLO Meeting. C-MORE graduate students and post-docs will share their research and explore potential collaborations with their peers from all six partner institutions. • Participants will also gain experience with different networking formats, including formal breakout sessions, “speed networking” and informal discussion. Workshop Evaluation Results A B Acknowledgments C-MORE is funded by NSF#0424599. Numerous C-MORE faculty, staff and students contributed to program development, revisions and organized or led various workshops. Thank you!