I feel a bit like an 'odd duck' among the vibrant and amazingly young crowd of my peers, the IST graduate students. I am an 'adult learner', returning to school after many years of working as a practitioner in the world of books, online databases, Internet and endless library patrons, who were always eager to find missing pieces of information in the library.
The first semester of being a graduate student is the time for emotional and academic adjustment, stressful and full of challenges. One of the ways to make life easier during this challenging time is find a social niche where a student could enjoy camaraderie, share common interests, and even have some fun.
With this in mind, I started looking for clubs and organizations on campus that might fit my mental model of a matching social niche. Graduate Women in Science was one of my first picks.
it was originally founded as a fraternal organization (Sigma Delta Epsilon) at Penn State in 1936 and is the oldest women's organization at Penn State today.
The first semester of being a graduate student is the time for emotional and academic adjustment, stressful and full of challenges. One of the ways to make life easier during this challenging time is find a social niche where a student could enjoy camaraderie, share common interests, and even have some fun.
With this in mind, I started looking for clubs and organizations on campus that might fit my mental model of a matching social niche. Graduate Women in Science was one of my first picks.
Graduate Women in Science is an inter-disciplinary society of scientists who encourage and support women to enter and achieve success in science. GWIS have a rich history with over 80 years as a professional organization of women in science, and I was somewhat surprised to find out that
it was originally founded as a fraternal organization (Sigma Delta Epsilon) at Penn State in 1936 and is the oldest women's organization at Penn State today. GWIS offers a variety of activities, including monthly Inside the Scientists Studio program and Brown Bag Discussion series. I have attended Inside the Scientists Studio program on October 16 with Dr. Nadine Smith and Dr. Kristen Fichthorn of the College of Engineering. This interactive interviewing program is roughly based on the format of the Bravo's TV show Inside the Actors Studio. The event is usually held in 301D Life Sciences in late afternoon.
Women of the IST will be represented too, on February 19th 2009. Dr. Eileen Trauth and Dr. Angsana Techatassanasoontorn have been invited, and I can hardly wait to see it happens.
Women of the IST will be represented too, on February 19th 2009. Dr. Eileen Trauth and Dr. Angsana Techatassanasoontorn have been invited, and I can hardly wait to see it happens.
There is another organization on campus that has attracted my attention, the Student Film Organization (SFO). According to the SFO's official constitution, this organization shall serve as a film culture community open to students of all majors, and it will provide forums for film screenings, workshops, speakers,and film festival trips.
Since I have always loved reading books, watching movies, and later discussing them with friends and colleagues, the SFO appears to be a good match. I plan to explore what it has to offer in more details in the future.
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