Volume 13, Issue 1 THE GRAD CONNECTION The Graduate School Newsletter FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY Message from the Dean Welcome to The Graduate students, the hundreds of post-docs, The Graduate School newsletter for fall School and our beloved institution of FSU over the 2017! As you all know decades.” FSU is a very special place Other events I hope you enjoy reading about in this indeed, with a wonderful newsletter include the new CIES partnership with the family atmosphere in which American Homestay Network enabling for the first we all help each other to time the opportunity for our students to stay with host succeed. families in the Tallahassee area, and this fall’s Fellow’s We are very serious about Society induction ceremony and networking session our work endeavors, but when 45 graduate students were inducted as new Dr. Mark Riley we also have fun along the members. Interim Dean way! I hope you get a flavor The two-day fall Program for Instructional Excellence The Graduate School of this from all the exciting (PIE) and TA Orientation conference for new FSU stories highlighted in the graduate students and post-docs was once again highly following pages of The Grad Connection. successful. But before getting into all that I’d like to mention that Please don’t forget about the very fun and rewarding FSU continues on its stellar trajectory as evidenced by ($1000, $750, $500!) 3 Minute Thesis competition. the recent U.S. News & World Report where FSU leaped Speaking about awards and accolades, we include five spots up in the national rankings for the second a recent sampling of special student and alumni consecutive year. This latter feat is unmatched by any achievements. Please be sure to alert us to any other public university! It’s a team effort as always but noteworthy happenings which we can brag about in clearly the brilliance of our graduate students and post- our next newsletter. docs are a major factor in this fabulous achievement This year, our graduate students were able to secure along with faculty, staff and alumni of course. over $3.5M in external funding to support their research Coming back to the newsletter, a very major event and creative activities. This is spectacular news indeed took place on September 6th, which saw the retirement and the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards of Dr. Nancy Marcus as Dean of The Graduate School. (OGFA) is here to help all graduate students and post- What Dr. Marcus has achieved at FSU and what she docs in their search for funding opportunities. Finally, has done to propel the graduate experience at FSU don’t forget that FSU offers outstanding support and forward is beyond epic! assistance for career development in the form of Over the years Nancy put together an incredible team presentations, workshops and online resources to help and of course she has been a huge help to me already. you chart your path post-FSU and to help you “Change There is no substitute for wisdom and experience. the World” in an optimal fashion. “Nancy, HAPPY RETIREMENT and THANK YOU Very best regards and happy reading to each and for all you have done for the thousands of graduate every one of you! THE GRAD CONNECTION CIES Partners with American Homestay Network By: Andrew Wilson s those of us who have ever management, and computer Atried learning a second science. These students brushed (or third or fourth) language up on their language skills, and, can attest, simple classroom more importantly, adjusted to instruction is not adequate. new cultural expectations before Since CIES is an intensive beginning graduate coursework. English program, our students Social language use is a crucial participate in 24 hours a week of component of learning English, immersion instruction. However, and these students often emerge this does not always guarantee more confident in their speaking that a student will speak and use and overall language skills after English outside of class in the this class. According to Dr. evening and on the weekends. Patrick Kennell, the director This semester CIES will begin of CIES, most of the students a partnership with the American from this past summer have Homestay Network (AHN). For ACES Program Update already reported back to CIES the first time, this will enable CIES experienced significant after starting graduate school. our students to stay with host growth in its ACES program Kennell says that “[the ACES families throughout Tallahassee during summer 2017. ACES, students] are so thankful to and provide our students with or Accelerated Programs for have taken the course. They are a rich and truly immersive Enrolled Students, is a program amazed by how much reading and experience. Our students have that transitions incoming writing is expected of them and requested the opportunity to stay international graduate students to are appreciative of the language with local families for years, and life at FSU. During an intensive skills developed.” The ACES this exciting new partnership seven-week session lasting program looks to expand even will make this a reality. As from June to August, students further in 2018, and with it the this partnership is beginning, have a dual focus on polishing strategic partnerships across all we are looking for people who English language skills as well sixteen colleges in The Graduate would be eager to host and as understanding the culture of School. mentor our incoming students university life. The curriculum from around the world. We are has evolved since the program’s all enthusiastic about this new founding three years ago. This partnership, and there will be summer we expanded into two exciting updates to share in the classes. One class was only for future. If you are interested in students newly enrolled in the this paid opportunity, please College of Motion Picture Arts. contact CIES at [email protected], A second class had a variety or you can contact AHN at www. of students from statistics, homestaynetwork.com. law, modern languages, sports 2 VOLUME 13, ISSUE 1 Fellows Society Induction Ceremony & Networking Session By: Dr. Lisa Liseno n Friday, August 25th, 2017, This year’s event O45 Florida State University capitalized on these graduate students were inducted as parts of the mission as new members of the FSU Fellows Dr. Felicia Coleman, Society at the Annual Induction Director of the FSU Ceremony and Networking Session. Coastal & Marine This event is where new Fellows Lab, gave her keynote are formally inducted into the address entitled Fellows Society, and both new “Descending from and returning Fellows have an the Ivory Tower – As opportunity to meet. Scientist’s Splash in the Policy Pool.” Keynote Speech from Dr. Felicia Coleman The Fellows Society, Florida State University's graduate fellowship During her talk, ideas about sharing research with society, brings together FSU’s Dr. Coleman discussed the the public. outstanding graduate students who importance and process of sharing The event concluded by having hold competitive university-wide research with policy makers, and returning Fellows, McKenna and prestigious external fellowships encouraged the Fellows to begin Milici and Marisa Tillery, lead for the purpose of interdisciplinary thinking about doing so as well. their colleagues in a brainstorming learning. The mission of the Fellows A panel of three returning members session where the goal was to Society includes “encouraging of the Fellows Society, Miltonette generate ideas that could be used service to the University and Craig, Criminology; Keanan Joyner, as the topic for the 2018 Fellows Community,” and “developing Psychology, and Austin Schwartz, Forum, the Fellows Society leadership skills.” Molecular Biophysics, and Business signature spring event. Administration, discussed their Fall 2017 Teaching Conference/ TA Orientation he Program for Instructional Excellence (PIE), in The Graduate School, offers all FSU graduate students, Tpost-docs, faculty, and staff the opportunity to attend a two-day university-wide teaching conference held the week before fall semester classes begin. This annual conference is designed to support graduate teaching assistants (TAs) in their teaching responsibilities by introducing them to best practices in teaching and learning and university-wide teaching policies. Over 660 FSU graduate students attended the conference that was held on August 23rd and 24th in HCB 101 and HCB 102. Dr. Lisa Scott, FSU Distinguished Teaching Professor, served as the conference plenary speaker. Several University offices, along with other award-winning faculty and experienced FSU TAs, also participated in sharing key policies and teaching strategies to assist TAs and faculty in creating and facilitating the best learning environment for today’s FSU student. 3 THE GRAD CONNECTION Introducing Dr. Mark Riley as Interim Dean r. Mark Riley, a Robert Research Professor Award in 2008 DO. Lawton Distinguished and became a Robert O. Lawton Professor, is the Interim Dean of Distinguished Professor in 2014. The Graduate School at Florida He has won two university teaching State University. His responsibilities awards. He served the Department include oversight of the education of Physics as chair from 2007 to of approximately 8,000 graduate 2013. His research involves the and professional students. Riley detection of gamma-ray emission earned a Bachelor of Science with signals from excited atomic nuclei Honors in physics and a doctorate under extreme conditions. High- in nuclear physics, both from the resolution gamma-ray detection University of Liverpool in England. plays an ubiquitous role in nuclear He worked as a research associate science, and he has been deeply at the Niels Bohr Institute at the involved in the development and Dr. Mark Riley University of Copenhagen and then use of the world’s most powerful and Program Advisory Committees as a research associate at the Oak gamma-ray detector systems, such of national laboratories at Berkeley, Ridge National Laboratory and as Gammasphere and GRETINA- Argonne and iTHEMBA LABS University of Tennessee.