Dept of Nutritional Sciences Dr Jaimie Davis Graduate Advisor Dr Chris Jolly Chair Graduate Studies Committee Stephanie Huntzis Graduate Coordinator Jaimie Davis PhD Chris Jolly PhD ID: 673069
Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document "New Graduate Student Orientation" is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
New Graduate Student
Orientation Dept. of Nutritional SciencesDr. Jaimie DavisGraduate AdvisorDr. Chris JollyChair, Graduate Studies CommitteeStephanie HuntzisGraduate Coordinator
Jaimie Davis, PhD
Chris Jolly, PhD
Stephanie
HuntzisSlide2
We hope that your graduate educational experience will be a rewarding next step in your career as a scientist. As a scientist, you will join an elite group of scholars endeavoring to unlock the mysteries of nature for the betterment of all. This community of scholars that you are joining comprises considerably less than 1/100th percent of the population of earth but has substantial, if not primary, impact on shaping the future.Slide3
Structure of the Graduate Program
Dean of Graduate Studies- oversees all graduate programs at the university.Graduate Studies Committee in Nutritional Sciences- faculty who oversee all graduate students in our department. Graduate Studies Committee Chair- Dr. Christopher Jolly Graduate Advisor- Dr. Jaimie Davis
Graduate Coordinator- Stephanie Huntzis
Dan Knopf, PhDSlide4
Graduate Research SupervisorsSlide5
Department of Nutritional Sciences Faculty
Margaret Briley, PhDEarly Childhood Nutrition
Jaimie Davis, PhD
Community Gardens
Linda
deGraffenried
, PhD
Cancer Nutrition
Jeanne Freeland-Graves, PhD
International Nutrition
Chris Jolly, PhD
Nutritional
Immunology
Stefano Tiziani, PhD
Metabolomics
Nutritional Therapies
Beth Widen, PhD
Maternal/child health
Molly Bray, PhD
Obesity Genetics
Marissa
Burgermaster
, PhD
Community Nutrition
Behavioral/nutrition Assessment
Heather Leidy, PhD
Ingestive
BehaviorSlide6
Dell Pediatric Research Institute Faculty
Department of Nutritional Sciences Adjunct FacultyAustin Cooney, PhDStem Cell Signaling
Steve Abrams, MD
Infant Growth & Feeding
John DiGiovanni, PhDCancer Nutrition
Ryan Gray, PhD
Growth & Development
Tom Brenna, PhD
Lipid MetabolismSlide7
Who is my research supervisor?
Your faculty research supervisor is your Lab Mentor, a member of the Graduate Studies Committee for Nutritional Sciences. Sometimes we call the graduate student supervisor mentor, P.I. (Primary Investigator), the Chair of your graduate committee, graduate research supervisor… these are all the same person!Dr. Davis and Stephanie Huntzis can provide general information about requirements for the graduate program– however your faculty supervisor:Grades all research and lab work;Assists you in designing research projects;Advises you on scheduling and coursework outside the dept;Helps advance you to candidacy;
Determines your committee membership;Decisions on thesis and dissertation Slide8
How you were admitted?
Each of you were admitted with 1 primary mentor and 1 secondary mentor.During your first year, you are encouraged to rotate in these two labs.You were accepted because both of these mentors agreed to supervise you. Rotations through labs until than your primary and secondary mentor must be obtained with the permission of the alternate mentor and the Graduate Advisor.Please arrange your rotation with each of your mentors.By the end of your second rotation, you need to decide on your lab home.Slide9
Day-to-day administration of graduate programs
Stephanie Huntzis provides direction on all general rules, forms, procedures and processes related to our graduate programs. Dr. Davis provides advising in matters of research, graduate school progress, requests for petitions or exceptions to standard policies.Dr. Jolly directs graduate faculty in matters of governance. Dr. Bray is brought in for questions, grievances, or protocol deviations/processes. Dr. Bray and/or Jolly can also advise students.Slide10
Administration of the Department
Dr. Molly Bray is the department Chair. She supervises financial matters such as Teaching Assistant budget and assignments.Director of the School of Human Ecology, Dr. Deborah JacobvitzDean of the College of Natural Sciences, Dr. Paul GoldbartSlide11
Schedule of Milestones
Students must complete coursework before Preliminary Exam can be scheduled. By the end of the fourth long semester, students are expected to have met the requirements for admission to candidacy, required coursework, and the Preliminary Exam. The Supervisory Committee must be set up by the final day of the second long semester, earlier if possible. The Preliminary Oral Exam/Presentation must be successfully completed prior to the start of the sixth full semester.If extension past the 6th semester is requested, a signed contract letter from mentor and student must be submitted, and the GSC votes on this extension.Slide12
Annual Reviews
At the end of EVERY year (even before you pass your prelims), you should meet with your mentor and complete an annual review form:New form, created by CNS, documenting milestones and expectationsTurn this in to Stephanie and this will be tracked.After you pass your prelims: Students should meet with their committee members at least once EVERY year, to go over progress and milestones.Slide13
Coursework
Students are barred from registration until they have been advised by their faculty supervisor.Each semester before registration, communicate with your supervisor about the courses you plan to take. Once you all have discussed the course plan, the supervisor will email the Graduate Advisor to remove the bar. Slide14
Required NTR classes
NTR 390.1 Advances in Nutritional Sciences I (Macronutrient Metabolism)NTR 390.7 Advances in Nutritional Sciences II – (Micronutrient Metabolism)NTR 390.6 Molecular Nutritional SciencesNTR 380K Experimental Design and StatisticsNTR 394 Nutrition Seminar (4th semester)NTR 392 Research Problems in Nutritional Sciences
(Any available topic or research hrs)18 hours in Nutritional Sciences (NTR) Slide15
Additional requirements
REQUIRED – DEPARTMENTAL SEMINAR SERIESFridays at 1 pmRefreshments with visiting scientists for grad students after each seminar Student presentations on researchTwo classes outside Nutritional Sciences (NTR) in fields germane to your dissertation research, such as biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, educational psychology, curriculum and instruction, health education, and kinesiology. Typically your faculty supervisor will advise you on which courses to take in particular as they are experts in the area of your research. Slide16
Common Course sequence
FallNTR 390.1 Macronutrient MetabolismNTR 380K Exp Design and Stat OR NTR 392 Research
Elective CourseSpring NTR 390.7 Micronutrient MetabolismNTR 390.6 Molecular NutritionElective CourseFall
NTR 390 (Any available topic)NTR 392 ResearchElective CourseSpringNTR 394 SeminarNTR 392 ResearchElective CourseSlide17
Additional considerations
All core curriculum grades must be B or higher. Credit/ No credit or Pass/Fail classes cannot be applied to the PhD degree. Graduate coursework expires after 6 years.Students must be registered for nine hours during long semester to be considered “full-time” Slide18
Academic integrity
The University broadly defines academic dishonesty to include any act designed to give an unfair or undeserved academic advantage, such as:CheatingPlagiarismUnauthorized Collaboration / CollusionFalsifying Academic RecordsMisrepresenting Facts (e.g., providing false information to postpone an exam, obtain an extended deadline for an assignment, or even gain an unearned financial benefit)Any other acts (or attempted acts) that violate the basic standard of academic integrity (e.g., multiple submissions—submitting essentially the same written assignment for two courses without authorization to do so)ASK your mentor or professor if you are not sure.Slide19
Graduate Research Assistants and Fellowships
Graduate Research Assistantships and Fellowships are funded by your mentor’s research funding and/or funding awards from various sources (e.g., NIH, NSF, departmental and university awards).GRAs are expected to work at least 20 hours per week on research as assistants to members of the faculty or administration of the university.While graduate research assistants are committed to performing assigned research, their work is usually suitable for and may be used as part of their thesis or dissertationSlide20
Teaching Assistants
Each semester during advising and planning, you will send the Graduate Coordinator your schedule and preference for which class you would like to work as a TA for the next semester. The Graduate Coordinator will work with Instructors and TA Committee to identify best fit for each class. TA’s are required to Register/ pay tuition slightly earlier than the official university deadline for payment. This is because TA paperwork requires many signatures after it leaves our dept. We must allow additional time for the signatures to be in place.
A delay in student registration may delay your first paycheck !Slide21
Teaching Assistant Expectations I
A Graduate Teaching Assistantship not only provides financial support but also helps you to gain teaching experience. A TA is expected to carry out the duties attendant to the assigned courses with diligence and professionalism. The job of the TA is to provide support for the instructor of the course; even if you are teaching a lab section, you are ultimately supporting the instructor/professor of record.Failure to carry out your TA responsibilities is a very serious matter.Keep your relationships with the undergraduate students professional.Slide22
Teaching Assistant expectations II
A TA position will have a specified number of hours associated with it (i.e., a 10-hour, 15-hour, 20-hour, etc. position), with the expectation that you will devote that number of hours per week, on average, on your teaching assignment. Depending on the course for which you serve as a TA, you may be required to hold regular office hours, prepare lectures or labs, meet with the faculty supervisor of the course, and grade reports and examinations. Meeting your classes and office hours and providing quick turn around for grading is a serious matter to the Department and the University. If you become ill and will be unable to meet a class or office hour session,
you must notify your faculty supervisor as much in advance as possible so that your students are not left abandoned. CIS evaluations for both Instructor and TA are handed out each semesterSlide23
TA EVALUATION FORM
INTERPERSONAL SKILLS Interaction w/students Interaction w/faculty Responsiveness to faculty feedback during semester TECHNICAL SKILLS Assistance w/grading Preparation of classroom materials such as handouts or packet materials, AV materials Assistance w/preparation of examsPROFESSIONAL SKILLS Judgment Initiative Emotional maturity Professional standards of behavior
Commitment to teaching functionTEACHING SKILLS Organization Level of content Delivery of information Use of teaching aids, handouts, AV materials Ability to answer questions
Engagement of students’ attention and interest Slide24
Conditions of employment
To be employed as a Teaching Assistant (TA) or Graduate Research Assistant, a nominee must:be a degree-seeking graduate student who is making satisfactory progress toward a graduate degree remain registered for at least 9 semester hours of course work in the long semesters or 3 hours in summermaintain at least a 3.0 graduate grade-point average.Remember, a good scientist never “watches the clock” – the more time spent on your research, the faster you will progress.Slide25
Avoid “incomplete” grades
In addition, nominees must not have more thantwo grades of X (temporary incomplete), orone grade of X and one grade of I (permanent incomplete).Graduate students may be employed as TA or GRA for up to 14 long semesters.Slide26
How to RegisterStudents can see their individual registration times at
https://utdirect.utexas.edu/registrar/ris.WBXThe registrar maintain the list of current classes in the Course Schedule athttps://utdirect.utexas.edu/registrar/ris.WBXStudents need to pay tuition online athttps://utdirect.utexas.edu/acct/fb/my_tuition/my_tuition_home.WBXSlide27
Waivers- every semester
A graduate student will seek a resident tuition entitlement by reason of employment in a qualifying job title or by reason of the employment https://utdirect.utexas.edu/acct/fb/waivers/index.WBXInternational student health insurance waiver:Request for Waiver of Student Health Insurance by Reason of UT Academic Employmenthttps://utdirect.utexas.edu/isss/waive_insurance.WBXSlide28
Click “confirm” to finalizeTuition and Fees Summary
Fall 2017 School: GRADUATE SCHOOL Discipline: NATURAL SCIENCES ** Your registration is complete and
your courses are
secured. ** Slide29
Summer Support and Obligations
PhD students will normally receive summer support throughout their 5 year program from either departmental funds or a GRAMasters students are not guaranteed summer support.Few TA slots available in summersIf receiving TA or GRA, outside work is NOT recommended and strongly discouraged.Summers are times to FOCUS on research!!!Slide30
Vacations and Leave
No paid vacations on TA or GRAVacations and leave should be discussed with your mentor before the vacation or scheduled leaveMedical leave is availableUT holidays apply for all graduate studentsSlide31
Additional Resources:
UT CNS graduate education (professional development, seminars/workshops, career services):https://cns.utexas.edu/graduate-educationUT Counseling and Mental Healthy Center:https://www.cmhc.utexas.eduhttps://hr.utexas.edu/current/eapUT Health Services:https://www.healthyhorns.utexas.eduUT human resources (benefits, annual/medical leave)https://hr.utexas.edu/prospective/benefitsUT library:https://lib.utexas.edu
Bogucka, Roxanne roxanne.bogucka@austin.utexas.eduUT IT department (software, desktop/laptop support, back-up)https://it.utexas.edu
UT legal service: http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/lss/UT statistics consulting: https://stat.utexas.edu/consulting/free-consulting