Check, check, check, check, and check again

My army of interns got a lot done this summer, but summaries of the data have shown me that we still have a lot of data cleaning to do. Ugh. I thought I was checking their work enough, but I should have been checking more often and more thoroughly. It's nothing irreparable- just a time-consuming pain.

Summer project management

This summer Sam and I are going to be in charge of FIVE full-time student interns! And one part-timer! For 14 weeks! Oh my. I've just realized this basically means I'm teaching a six-student seminar course this summer since we'll be reading and discussing literature related to their work. This has snuck up on us and we still have a lot to plan.


With that in mind, I have been considering some kind of goal tracking or project management software. Perhaps something like GoalsOnTrack (personal goal tracking) or Smartsheet (project management). I like the idea of a personal goal tracker for my dissertation, but I'm wondering if a multi-user project management thing might be more useful for keeping track of goals and deadlines this summer with the students. Has anyone used any software like this? If so, what did you use and what did you use it for? What did you like/dislike about it?

teaching professional conduct in correspondence

Earlier this week I blogged about a fantastic student of mine for whom I wrote many letters of recommendation. Just yesterday I was contacted by a different student. Her email went something like this:

Hey Karina!! It's Student X...you know, one of the trip to the museum Students? haha. Ok so I have a huge favor to ask of you, like the subject line says...will you be willing to write me a letter of recommendation???? I will owe you my life! haha. It's for an Unusual Internship with Unusual Employer...random, I know, but I graduated in January and my dream of becoming a [Job Kids Dream About] right away hasn't been going too well so I'm just looking around for anything that will benefit me. It's cool if you don't want to do it, I won't hate you :) but if you are willing to help me out I will send you my resume and the link to what the internship is about so you have a clue on what to write. Thanks for taking the time to read this rambling email! I hope your semester has been going great! Another Student always tells me how she sees you at the gym. I miss BioX!!!

Sincerely,
Student X

At first I wasn't sure how to respond. Clearly she needed some advice on etiquette for professional correspondence. After much consideration I replied:

Hi Student,
Wow, that internship sounds quite unusual! As one of my most enthusiastic students, I am happy to help you however I am able. I may be able to write you a letter, but I need to know what the deadline is to know if I have time. In order to write a good letter, I need as much information as possible. Also, I highly recommend reading this page that talks about asking for letters of recommendation. Even in asking for a letter for Unusual Internship, professionalism goes a long way! Especially in this awful job market, you should always err on the side of formality, courtesy, and standard composition. You can start practicing in your correspondence with me. :-)
Cheers,
Karina

I decided to add the smiley face, even though it's a bit ironic considering the context. Apparently, my advice was very well taken. She replied:

Dear Karina,
Thank you very much for helping me out! I will try to be as professional as possible in this email after reading all of those guidelines you sent me. I'm going to keep that because it's very helpful! [Many internship details] I really appreciate this! I'll let you know about the deadline as soon as I find out, and if you can't make it, I'll understand :)

Thanks!!
Student X

What a huge improvement! I'm so glad that she demonstrated that she's capable of higher standards of correspondence. Seems like it should be common sense or at least previously taught, but apparently not. On the bright, this bad habit in students is relatively easily corrected (assuming they actually do know how to write in complete sentences) and a little advice may go a long way in helping someone develop essential professional skills.

undergrads and internships: waiting, accepting, and thanking

The undergrad for whom I wrote 11 letters of recommendation to summer research programs came by my office today to tell me where she's spending the summer. She got rejected/waitlisted at 7 places, hasn't heard from 3, and accepted to 1. She decided to accept the invitation from the one place where she was accepted. I think this is a wise decision even though she hasn't heard from 3 of the places.

I had to make a similar decision as an undergrad when I applied for REU programs because the date by which I had to decline or accept my only offer was before I'd heard from several other places. I'm glad I went with the offer even though it was my last choice program because I'm 99% sure I would not have been accepted elsewhere.

FemaleScienceProfessor recently had a post about student responses (or lack thereof) to acceptance letters to undergraduate summer research programs. I fear that as an undergraduate I may not have responded to the offer I received while I was waiting to hear back from other other programs. I suppose that in my head, telling them that I was waiting to hear back from other places implied that their program was not my first choice (true, but not something I necessarily wanted them to know). Now that I am older and wiser, I see that FSP's advice is absolutely the right: say simply that you aren't sure yet but will respond by the deadline. I wish someone had told me that when I was in college. Listen up you undergraduate readers. I know from this survey that there are at least a few of you reading.

My student did just like FSP said and told me about the outcome of my letters her applications. I am thrilled that my student took the time to write me a letter (by hand! though email would've been fine) to tell me the status of her applications. She also brought me sweets, which she said were the best way to thank someone according to her cultural traditions. I'm excited for her and fully expect that she'll do well this summer.

science outreach and mentoring

I love talking about science and sharing the process of becoming a scientist. That's why I created this blog. I've also had some opportunities for non-anonymous science outreach/mentoring in the past few weeks that I want to share because they were so awesome.

Right before Thanksgiving, I talked to my friend's 6th grade science class on speakerphone about bacteria. I'm no bacteria expert, but I did do a summer internship that involved bacteria. I was their call-in scientist! My friend told the students a little bit about my bacteria research and the students prepared questions in advance that they wanted to ask me. I spent about 20 minutes on the phone answering their questions. Some of their questions were related to my research, but many of them were about being a scientist in general and I talked about some of the traveling I've done. This was an urban public school, so the odds are good I'm the first scientist they've ever talked to. My friend said that it was awesome to see her 31 students squirming in their seats with excitement and talking about bugs. One of her hard-working students told her later, "Miss X, I think now I want to be a scientist when I grow up." Pretty big payoff for 20 minutes on the phone.

Last week Sam asked me to come talk to his introductory bio class. I went with another student from my program (a minority woman) and we just told our stories of how we got to where we are now and answered questions. I was pretty nervous for this and I think I should've thought more about how to describe my path (starting with "I've always loved nature..." didn't seem to strike a chord with these city kids), but Sam said the students loved our visit. It was exciting to answer their questions, and there was a Latina woman who asked the best questions about grad school. She already knew all about applying to REU programs! Here's hoping she stays in science.

Today I met with a student from my first semester of teaching. She contacted me a few weeks ago to ask if I would write her a letter of recommendation for summer internships. I mentioned this student in a post from fall 2007 and she's taking some of the advice that I gave them about applying for internships! She's interested in a different field of science, but at this point that's not terribly important. She's applying to REU-type programs all over the country, and I hope she gets into one of them! If she doesn't, she plans to stay here and do research in a lab at UBC.

Soon (maybe tomorrow?) I'll have a post about science communication. It seems to have been a theme for me this semester.

pedaling with only one pedal

Pedaling with only one pedal is probably a good analogy for something, but that's literally what I did on the way home tonight. My left bike pedal fell off! What's with my transportation being lopsided???

I wasn't able to put it back on and pedaling with only one pedal doesn't move you very fast. So, I just walked my bike the rest of the way home. I couldn't be bothered tonight to try to put it back on with tools so I'll deal with it later.

In other news, this program for graduate students interested in National Park Service leadership sounds really cool!

Summer opportunities for undergrads in ecology

I try to tell my students about all of the awesome opportunities out there for undergraduates in science, and this first one definitely falls in the *awesome* category.

ESA (Ecological Society of America) has a program called SEEDS (Strategies for Ecology Education, Developments, and Sustainability) whose goal is to try to increase representation of racial and ethnic minority students in the field of ecology. If you are a minority undergrad, ESA SEEDS wants to take you to Alaska for a week in May 2008 to learn about the affects of climate change on polar regions as part of the International Polar Year. It sounds like it will be an awesome trip! I don't see this stated anywhere, but I think they pay for everything (=free for you). Interested? Apply here. The deadline is February 11, 2008.

Summer internship opportunities:

10 weeks at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin for collections-based research
They help cover the cost of getting you there, fund your research, and give you a small stipend. Deadline: March 30, 2008

Great Lakes Summer Fellowship Program (12 weeks)
They are offering 24 full-time 12-week fellowships to undergrad and recent graduates in limnology, from aquatic ecology and outreach to modeling and policy. Check out the opportunities here. They offer a $5000 stipend (this is a lot more than I will earn this summer as a TA). Deadline: February 22, 2008

Eco-Informatics Summer Institute in Orgeon (10 weeks)
This sounds like a really great opportunity for students interested in ecology, math, engineering, and/or computer science to develop interesting projects and learn more about the interdisciplinary field of Eco-Informatics. Recent graduates and early-career graduate students are also eligible. They offer housing, travel assistance, some meals, and a $4000 stipend. Deadline: February 15, 2008

Enhancing Linkages between Mathematics and Ecology in Michigan (7 weeks)
Similarly, this is another program for the quantitative mind and the mathematically inclined. This program involves coursework and field projects. Fellowships provide tuition, room and board, travel, and a $2500 stipend. Undergrads, recent grads, and early-career grad students are eligible to apply. Deadline: March 3, 2008

Remember undergrads, this handful of programs is only the tip of the iceberg. Check out my earlier post to read more about REU programs.

Internships: advice for aspiring scientists

Last week in lab I told my students they should use some down time over Thanksgiving break and winter break to look for internships and summer jobs. I wish I had been encouraged earlier in my college career to consider things like Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs. I want my students to start thinking about what they can do this summer (or next summer, or the summer after) because this is the time of year to do it. REU applications are due in February or March and they've got to get it together. Plus, I hope some people will be inspired by all of the awesome opportunities out there in science, and especially in ecology since that's my particular passion.

I spent a long time composing an email to my students about internships (tacked onto some housekeeping about grades so hopefully they'll read it). I linked to the REU program finder site, the Student Conservation Association (SCA) site, and heaps of internship opportunities in Big City. I did an REU program after my junior year of college. I applied to several programs but was only accepted to one in Kansas, not my first choice. It ended up being an awesome summer; I had a great roommate, experienced life in a college town, and did some cool research with someone who was a great advisor. I learned that I wasn't particularly interested in his research paradigm or system, but I did learn a lot about the process of becoming a scientist and life in academia.

The typical REU stipend when I was in Kansas was $3000 for the 10 week program. They also provide housing, food, and travel reimbursement to get you there. As I was poking around REU programs for my students, I discovered the going rate for this summer is $4000 plus room and board and travel. A quick calculation tells me that this (if you assign more than $500 for the housing, food, and travel reimbursement) is more than I make as a TA in 10 weeks. I earn approximately $440 per week before taxes and have to pay rent, bills, and buy food with that. Kind of sad, really, but I'm glad the REU students can earn a decent wage for doing summer research. I think the biggest bummer about REU programs is that you can't participate the summer after you graduate. I'm an advocate of taking time off before going to grad school and an REU program would be a great thing to do during the first summer in the "real" world.

Today one of my students emailed me to say she's interested in plants and wants to talk about career options and grad school. I think she was interested in pharmacy school or something at the beginning of the semester so I'm thrilled to hear she wants to talk about plants. I can't wait to tell her about all of the cool things she can do and study.