VCR Graduate Student Concerns expressed in Saturday evening's Grad Student
Meeting
Improved Communications to and between Graduate Students
Currently students are aware of the PIs at other institutions and the PIs'
research, but rarely do they have a chance to know outside graduate
students and what studies those students are doing (except for at the
annual meeting). This information would benefit everyone, especially
knowing who is studying similar topics or using similar methods or
equipment. Student interaction among students focusing on different
disciplines (esp.) and different sites is lower than could be desired.
o A solution (already in the works) is a listing for all the graduate
students, their email addresses, and their research interests, to be
generated from the WWW personnel database of all people who fill out
or update a listing for themselves and check off that they are a
graduate student. In addition to a database list, these names and
email addresses will all be collected into a mailing list so that a
person wishing to notify all graduate students can send one email to
this address (hopefully both through WWW and regular email) and have
it reflected to all those on the list.
o Similarly, having subject related mailing lists (like everyone
working with water level recorders and hobos) is also desired. Make
these lists interactive so that students can add or delete their name
from these lists as they need to.
o Trying to have regular VCR student meetings again was proposed.
Though mainly for UVA students, it might be possible to a chat
session over the internet to involve students at other institutions.
Rett knows of a free biology-related chat site that we might use for
this. Weekly is too often, as we found last year when interest
dropped off, but a set monthly day and time might work better.
There needs to be better coordination and oversight of the REU program.
Although each REU works with a PI advisor and sometimes one of the
advisor's graduate students, there still seems to be a lot of confusion at
the shore, especially at the beginning of the summer field season. Since
some PIs are harder than others to contact concerning questions from the
students about logistical problems, more REU contact with their PIs or a
grad student seems needed.
o Need better defined REU projects going into it (in general). The
REUs need to have familiarized themselves with their research topic
so that they have a pretty clear idea of at least the kinds of things
they'll want to look at and some of the methods they'll likely use.
This is particularly important since the library at the shore is
virtually nonexistent. REUs that had a well defined project going
into the start of the summer generally seemed to have gotten more out
of the experience and were better able handle obstacles and problems
as the problems came up.
o Consider having a grad student work with each REU in addition to an
advising PI responsible for the REU. REUs that worked closely with
one of their PI's grad students often seemed to do better than those
that didn't. This is because the grad student is one more person in
addition to the PI that the students can ask for advice for
scientific questions and problems, as well as to go to for advice on
general questions about how things are done on the shore and around
the lab, including how household and social-type problems were dealt
with in previous years.
o By similar reasoning, having a grad student who'll be around the lab
in the summer a lot, have that student act as a sort of official
liaison for the REUs might be a good idea. (Finding a student who'll
want to do this might not be so easy though.)
o Congeal REUs' knowledge before they leave the shore. Although each
REU is suppose to report on what they found out from their projects,
this often isn't done until later that fall back at the individual
universities, often as part of a follow-up independent study. The
students at the meeting thought that the REUs should be required to
make short presentations to the whole group at the shore at the end
of the summer. Even if their results are somewhat preliminary, and
they plan on continuing the analyses over the fall, forcing them to
pull together what they've done so far would help cement their
understanding of what they've been finding out. The presentations
would also help the other REUs understanding of the various research
going on, and improve their sense of community.
o Continue having biweekly REU meetings with differing PIs at the
shore over the summer. Also, having one weekend meeting spent in
Charlottesville, for touring related lab facilities, computer
technology, and general time off from the shore to "recharge the
batteries", so to speak.
Grad Student Research Presentations during the Summer
o In addition to presentations at (or not at) the January all
scientist meeting, having two or three days scheduled during the
summer for graduate students to present their ongoing research would
bring the graduate students closer together. This would also help to
keep the REU focused over the summer. These two or three sessions
should include presentations from different disciplines, or else
probably only people interested in the session's one or two topics
would show up.
Miscellaneous
o Just make everyone aware again of which areas around the lab they
CAN and CANNOT store equipment and supplies. And where different
pieces of common equipment (ex. the hobo calibration tube) are being
kept. All the students using these areas then need to take steps to
keep the areas clean and ordered.
o A picnic table with benches on the screen porch at the shore is
desired, instead of only the old van seat. Currently no table at
which one can eat a meal outside is available. (personal note: please
don't throw out the van seat; it makes a semi-decent place to sleep
in the summer when there are no beds left in the inn.)
In Summary:
It seems like a lot of what was said came under the heading of
'presence'. Grad student presence to help REU's and of course, PI
presence. Also, though, LTER staff presence. We know how to contact
Jimmy and Randy by cell or home phones, but sometimes their presence
would help to keep the house in better shape.