Notes from the coordinator
Happy New Year! I hope 2014 is off to a good start despite the bad weather!
Last fall was a busy season at the lab. In this issue of the Postdoctoral Journal Newsletter, we’ll try to capture the highlights.
We recognized some very remarkable postdoctoral supervisors and mentors with the Inaugural Outstanding Postdoctoral Supervisor and Mentor Awards. The awards were proposed to Director Isaacs by the PSA and with the support of the Office of the Director and the Postdoctoral Program Office a call for nominations went out. As you will see from the article in this issue, the awards did more than provide recognition—they also helped postdocs define what good mentoring and supervision mean to them. We’ll build on this theme in 2014 as we work towards building a robust professional development program for postdocs.
The 6th Annual Postdoctoral Research and Career Symposium took on a new format in 2013. Career Panel Discussions were built into the program over the lunch breaks. Postdocs heard from local experts about critical skills that are needed for a successful career transition and how to apply their training as scientists and engineers to diverse career paths. Dr. Vicki H. Grassian, F. Wendell Miller Professor of Chemistry at the University of Iowa, gave an inspiring Keynote address on “Opportunities and Challenges in Research, Teaching and Leadership in Environmental Science.”
We closed out the Friday Plenary Session with the presentation of the Outstanding Mentor and Supervisor Awards. If you missed the symposium and want to peruse the abstracts and speaker bios, you can do so through the Postdoctoral Blog. Make sure to catch the recap in this issue, which contains a link to photos from the event.
Also in this issue, we Catch Up with Argonne postdoc alumni Dimple Kundiyana and Julian Sweet. Ted Flynn provides his perspective on mentoring and his experience as a Director’s Fellow. JCESR Postdocs are featured in this issue’s Mission Possible segment that highlights the contributions Argonne postdocs make to our strategic missions. Perry Motsegood, PSA President, is in the Spotlight this month, while Diego Fazi, PSA Board Member, tells us about a regional postdoctoral collaborative network in the Career Corner. Helena David and Carolyn Phillips talk about how they Communicated Science to students through regional outreach events. Allen Liao, former PSA Liaison Officer gives a recap of 2013’s social events.
Finally, the Postdoctoral Program Office would like to thank Laboratory Director Eric Isaacs for all of his support over the years. Dr. Isaacs was often heard saying that postdocs are the “bread and butter” of Argonne and frequently recognized the important role they play at Argonne. We will miss his guidance and leadership, but hope to spark collaboration as he accepts his new role as University of Chicago Provost.
From the Winter 2013/2014 Edition of the Postdoctoral Journal.
