Archived Workshops and Forums

Exploring Non-Academic Jobs panel discussions

A variety of job opportunities outside of academia exist for master's and doctoral degree holders. If you are interested in a non-academic career path, join the GSC for a panel discussion with professionals from government, industry, and non-profit sectors, many of whom hold advanced degrees. Panelists will discuss their career experiences and will share guidance on how to seek out non-academic job opportunities, talk about the skills and experience that make an applicant competitive for these types of jobs, and answer questions from attendees.

Note: While the panelists' educational and career backgrounds might not align with your own interests, we expect the panelists will share information and tips that could be applied to a variety of disciplines and career paths

The GSC had two offerings of this event with different panelists in each session.

Session 1 Panelists

View each panelist's CV/bio sketch to learn more about them.

• Vista Fletcher, Regional Director of Special Nutrition Programs, USDA-Food and Nutrition Service
• Mary Gregoire, Education and Accreditation Consultant
• Carlos Messina, Senior Scientist, Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont
• Jeanette Thurston, Director of Food Science Institute at K-State, but has also has worked for the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture in Washington DC

Session 2 Panelists

View each panelist's CV/bio sketch to learn more about them.

• Cheryl Blake, retired and previously worked with the Department of Energy
• Jodie Burns, Principal/Senior Scientist at Cattails Environmental, LLC
• Vijayalakshmi Iyer, Research Analyst II at ECRI Institute
• Rijesh Karmacharya, Project Designer at Access Engineering, LLC

Self Care at K-State

Surveys indicate that up to 86% of graduate students struggle with anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns. Many K-State faculty and staff felt and still feel these same pressures and want graduate students to know that this is normal and is nothing to be ashamed of. Our goal is to normalize mental health concerns by sharing real stories on social media. In this session, Dr. James Guest shares self-care strategies to help manage graduate school stress and answer questions from attendees.

Sarah Winnicki is a PhD student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Program for Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology. They are an evolutionary ecologist investigating how birds grow and develop. Winnicki has an extensive track record in science communication, bring their research to the general public through outreach at schools, libraries, and zoo, as well as through social media campaigns. They were recognized for their work in public outreach with a Science Communication Award by the Kansas Science Communication Initiative in 2019.

In their presentation, Winnicki will provided an overview of how to use social media to communicate science and engage members of the broader public. They discussed how effective science communication depends on communicators' understanding of their audience's level of interest, preferred communication style, and previous knowledge. Winnicki used examples from their years of research communication to offer perspective on the most effective ways to communicate science on social media platforms.

Theresa Merrick, assistant director of the K-State Writing Center, will share information on how to effectively present your research with a special focus on how to navigate the challenges of virtual presentation formats. Attendees will learn how to present written, graphic and oral content that can be easily understood and has an impact on diverse audiences. This session may be especially useful for graduate students who plan to give their first presentation this academic year, but more experienced graduate students may also learn new strategies for improving their presentation skills.

Grant Writing 101

February 18
1:00 - 5:00 pm

This training is aimed at informing graduate students and post-docs about various aspects of the grant writing process. Whether you are new to grant writing, or have some experience, information presented will be very relevant and valuable for you. This workshop will include: Grant writing orientation, writing the narrative and project summary, budget justification, reviewing criteria and evaluation, and developing your objectives and goals.

Leading with Your Strengths

February 24
7:00 - 8:30 pm

This session is being offered as part of the Graduate Student Leadership Development Workshop Series and will count as credit toward the GSC Professional Development Certificate. Participants of this session will learn a strengths-based approach that supports personal well-being, building positive relationships, improving engagement and fostering a positive workplace culture.

Online Interviewing Tips

March 2
2:00 - 3:00 pm

The COVID-19 pandemic changed many aspects of our lives and impacted many processes; both professionally and personally. Focusing on the professional changes, this session will explore how the job search process has changed in the last year and will introduce students to new tips and tricks for navigating virtual interviews! We’ll also review available resources that the Career Center has to offer graduate students!

Presented by:

Andrew Khols, Assistant Director, K-State Career Center

Developing Adaptive Leadership

March 11
6:00 - 7:00 pm

This session is being offered as part of the Graduate Student Leadership Development Workshop Series and will count as credit toward the GSC Professional Development Certificate. In our work and lives, we face many conflicts, challenges, and opportunities. To make progress requires us to think and act differently. In this session, participants will strengthen their leadership skills to manage self and mobilize others. Come prepared to engage!

Using LinkedIn for Industry Jobs

March 25
2:00 - 3:00 pm

Join Andrew Kohls, K-State Career Center, to learn how to best use LinkedIn when looking for industry jobs, and how to make your profile stand out! We’ll also be reviewing how to use the LinkedIn Alumni Search Tool, as well as other personalization options available to users.

Promoting Your Research on the Web

April 7
2:00 - 3:00 pm

In this seminar, participants will learn how to effectively promote research on the web using social media platforms such as Researchgate and Twitter. Speaker, Dr. Stephanie Shames, assistant professor in the Division of Biology, will share the benefits of these platforms and how they have helped her as a scientist.

CV/Resume Workshop

August 30, 2018

Social Media: Professional and Research Applications

September 6, 2018

How to Get a Job in Academia

September 19, 2018

Poster Presentations 101

October 10, 2018

Building Your Professional Network

October 22, 2018

Presenting Your Thesis in Three Minutes or Less

February 5, 2019

Grant Writing 101 - Part 1

February 14, 2019

Grant Writing 101 - Part 2

February 14, 2019

Oral Presentations 101

March 18, 2019

Building Your Professional Network

September 5, 2017

Writing Teaching, Research, and Diversity Statements

September 19, 2017

Poster Presentations 101

October 11, 2017

Navigating Science Communication

October 17, 2017

Presenting Your Thesis in Three Minutes or Less

February 6, 2018

Poster and Oral Presentations 101

March 15, 2018