The Yale Postdoctoral Association is dedicated to connecting Yale postdocs to campus resources and creating opportunities for networking with other postdocs.
If you have any question or would like to get involved, pop us an e-mail at ypa@yale.edu. We are currently seeking new volunteers to join our advocacy, professional development and communications committees. No contribution is too small or too big for us. Come to the monthly meeting!
Next YPA monthly meeting (open to all postdocs): Tuesday, March 13th at 6:00 p.m in Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine (BCMM) Seminar Room 206/208 at 295 Congress Avenue.
All postdocs are welcome to attend all YPA events!
Synopsis
Spotlight
The importance of defending and communicating animal research
Cuban Salsa Class/ Dance Night
Yale Philharmonia Orchestra Concert (April 6th)
Professional Development Events
Academic Job Search Series: CV and Cover Letter Writing in The Sciences
GWL Presenting Engagingly Series: Data Visualization
Crafting and Practicing Your Professional Narrative: A Networking Workshop
Online Scientific Teaching Summer Institute
Spotlight
Advocacy for Postdocs
The importance of defending and communicating animal research
As scientists, it is a challenge to communicate the importance of our research to the public. Scientists whose work depends on the use of animals are trained strictly to minimize the harm and numbers of animals and follow stringent guidelines.
However, misconceptions and misstatements about animal research abound. Thus, important part of our responsibility as scientists is to dispel these myths and accusations by communicating our research clearly. It is essential that we speak out strongly and often about the importance and high ethical standards of our work. Even many scientists who do not themselves conduct animal research, such as clinical researchers working in humans, rely heavily upon a foundation of years of work in animal models.
Thus, when talking to the public about any new scientific or therapeutic breakthrough, we should explicitly acknowledge some of the critical animal research that led to such discovery.
Recently, a Yale postdoctoral fellow has been continuously targeted by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) for her research on stress physiology in house sparrows (The last protest was on February 28th during her seminar at Yale). Her experience and the way she respond to those accusations can be an inspiration for all postdoc that will face similar situation.
Please read her response to PETA’s accusations here: “Animal research myths, and the reality”.
Community & Networking Events
Cuban Salsa Class (every Wednesday)
Cuban Salsa is a social partner dance that incorporates flavors from rumba and afro cuban rhythms. The most unique aspect of cuban salsa is that it can be danced with a partner or as a group in a “rueda”. Dancers form a circle and execute moves in unison based on a caller. Partners are switched frequently and more complex group level patterns are also possible. Students can expect to learn fundamental footwork, rueda basics, and more complex partner and group patterns. For questions please contact amanda.rodrigue@yale.edu.
No partner or prior experience is necessary for this event, join in on the fun!
When: Wednesday, March 7th| 8:00-10:00 PM (Kick-off), followed by March 21th and 28th
Where: Gryphon’s Pub (204 York Street)
RSVP: amanda.rodrigue@yale.edu
YPA Happy Hour
Each month the YPA visit one of the numerous bar in New Haven! Please join us for this March happy hour at Rudy's to meet new and old postdocs. Rudy's offers a lot of European beers on tap (e.g. Kwak!), a succulent burger and numerous choices of dip for fries..
(Free food have been observed at those events although it seems that you have to arrive early...)
Where: Rudy's Bar, 1227 Chapel St (here)
When: Friday, March 16th | 6:00-8:00 PM
RSVP: None.
Tea, Cookies & Crafting
We are making red baby hats to support the American Heart Association! Yarn will be provided, as well as some knitting needles and crochet hooks for beginners looking to learn. For experienced fiber artists: bring a size G (4 mm) crochet hook or size 4 (3.5 mm) 9” circular knitting needle. Bring cookies to share! Tea will be provided.
When: March 21st 6:30-8:30pm
Where: OISS (Office of International Students and Scholars)
RSVP: None needed.
Last Saturday at the Museum
Want to discover the amazing collections of the Yale Museums? Join us this month for a thematic guided visit at the Yale Art Gallery. The theme of this visit varies each month and depends on the expert with us.
When: Saturday, March 31st | 12:30-1:30 PM
Where: Yale Art Gallery
RSVP: RSVP here.
Yale Philharmonia Orchestra Concert (April 6th)
Dear Fellow Postdocs. Join us for Mahler’s astonishing 9th Symphony in D Major at the Woolsey Hall on April 6th, performed by Yale Philharmonia Orchestra!
We have discounted tickets ($6.50), please RSVP and Pay using Venmo link below. Deadline is April 2nd!
When: Friday, April 6th | 7:30 PM
Where: We will meet at 7:00PM in Woolsey Hall lobby, you can pick up your tickets from Esra there. (Enter the Hall at the main entrance at 500 College St)
RSVP: here.
Payment: Here! ($6.50 per person, payment deadline April 2nd, 3PM)
Professional Development Events
Presenting Engagingly Series: Data Visualization
Choosing the right way to display your data can really make the difference when presenting your research: from helping audiences grasp concepts and results much more quickly and intuitively, to helping you discover new trends and patterns in your own data. In this workshop, we will discuss various strategies to display your data, from scatterplots to heatmaps, as well as different softwares you can use to create your graphs. Scholars of all disciplines welcome!
When: Mar 5, 2018, 5:00 PM-6:15 PM
Where: Center For Teaching & Learning (CTL), room 121
RSVP: here
Academic Job Search Series: CV and Cover Letter Writing in The Sciences
What is the current state of your CV? Do you know what to include in a cover letter? This workshop will help you write your own CV and cover letter for fellowships, post-doc and faculty positions, and other academic applications in the sciences. Part one is an interactive seminar covering how to write an effective CV and cover letter for academia. Part two is a workshop where you will bring a draft CV and cover letter to receive feedback from Graduate Writing Lab Writing Consultants.
When: Mar 07, 2018, 5:00 PM-6:15 PM
Where: Environmental Science Center, room 110
RSVP: HERE
Crafting and Practicing Your Professional Narrative: A Networking Workshop
Did you know that 70-80% of jobs are obtained through networking?
Would you be ready to network tomorrow?
Join CNSPY, OCS, and WISAY for the opportunity to develop your professional narrative. We’ll cover how to construct your professional narrative and how to use it effectively.
Dinner and drinks will be provided. Spots are limited, so register here!
When: Monday March 19th, 5:30-7:30pm
Where: Giarman Room, SHM B201
2018 Spring Teaching Forum
This one-day forum will bring faculty, staff, postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduate students together to discuss and build skills around the theme. This year the forum is titled: “Let’s Talk About It”: Difficult Conversations in Higher Education.
When: April 30
Where: Yale’s Center for Teaching and Learning (301 York Street)
RSVP: SAVE THE DATE! (RSVP to be announced...)
Scientific Teaching Bootcamp
This one and a half-day event is designed to help postdocs and graduate students learn about how to approach teaching and learning in STEM classrooms.
When: May 11-12, 2018
Where: Yale’s Center for Teaching and Learning (301 York Street)
RSVP: SAVE THE DATE!
Online Scientific Teaching Summer Institute
This week-long summer institute is designed to be an intensive way to prepare graduate students and postdocs to teach in higher education.
When: July 23-26, 2018
Where: online
RSVP: SAVE THE DATE!
Useful Links & Newsletters
Because there are so many events we cannot list them all... Check those: