The PSA was very busy this past fall helping with planning and facilitating the 6th Annual Postdoctoral Research and Career Symposium in October. Volunteers served as industry greeters, session chairs, panel moderators among many other tasks needed to keep the event running smoothly. Thank you to all the postdoc volunteers who helped make the 2013 symposium a success!
We held an Open Forum with the Director during National Postdoctoral Appreciation Week in September. Director Isaacs led a panel discussion on Mentoring. The conversation generated some great ideas on how postdocs can get better connected through mentoring. This year, we aim to put these ideas forward through the PSA MenTOURing Initiative. What is MenTOURing? Find out when it comes to a building near you!
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Director Isaacs for being a champion of postdoc issues and always being available to meet with us. Many of the PSA initiatives could only have been moved forward with his support. The Open Forum was a welcome and valuable opportunity for all the postdocs to voice their concerns and hear his thoughts on a range of topics from professional development, to the value of mentors and the state of scientific research at the lab and beyond. We wish him all the best in his new position at the University of Chicago!
Speaking of mentoring, we were very pleased to launch the Outstanding Postdoctoral Mentor and Supervisor Awards. This is going to be a great program, not just for postdocs and our mentors and supervisors, but for the entire lab.
We closed out the year in November with our General Assembly Meeting. Martin Bettge gave an overview of the PSA’s goals and objectives for 2014 and introduced the candidates for PSA Officer Elections. The officers for 2014 are Perry Motsegood, President and Jeremy Love, Vice President. Thanks to all who contributed through nominations and voting! We also heard from the Argonne Club and the Newcomers and International Assistance Office. Please check out these terrific groups! You can reach their blogs through the Postdoctoral Blog site.
The PSA still needs you to get involved. There are a number of ways in which you can help build community across the lab. It can be as simple as welcoming new postdocs on Mondays as part of the Welcome Committee!
Please contact your PSA officers or Postdoctoral Program Coordinator to get involved:
- Perry Motsegood (President): [email protected]
- Jeremy Love (Vice President): [email protected]
Finally, we’d like to thank Milind Malshe, former PSA President and Sebastian Peukert, former PSA Vice President for their valuable contributions to the PSA in 2013. Milind and Sebastian completed their appointments at Argonne and have moved on. Allen Liao also sparked a number of social events for postdocs in 2013. Allen is now a staff member in NE. Thank you all!
From the Winter 2013/2014 Edition of the Postdoctoral Journal.
