this WEEK in HST

HELP SPREAD THE WORD - HST!

Are you traveling for any of the following reasons?

• Conference/workshop
• Giving a talk
• Visiting your alma mater

Can you help promote HST by talking to prospective students?

Contact Laurie Ward (laurie [at] mit.edu (l)aurie [at] mit.edu (aurie[at]mit[dot]edu)) for talking points and promotional materials to distribute.
A link to an HST Programs Slide to include in your presentations can be found here.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION: WEEKLY INSIGHT

Seven Ways to Fight Bias in Your Everyday Life

Each week the TWiHST newsletter includes an item (reading, video, podcast, etc.) about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in STEM, academia, research, or medicine. Members of the community are encouraged to submit suggestions here. An archive of previous TWiHST DEI: Weekly Insight posts can be found here.

JOIN 7.930/20.930 EXPERIENCE IN BIOPHARMA COURSE - FALL 2023

Open to post-quals PhD students in all relevant programs--BE, Bio, BCS, Chem, ChemE, HST, CSB, DMSE, EECS, Micro, MechE, etc. Projects include computational or wet lab work (examples below).

Have you wondered how research works in the biotech & pharma industry? Try it out as a class, without taking time completely away from your thesis! Even if you think working in industry doesn't interest you, the insights from this experience will be valuable to you in any career path.

10 hours a week on a mentored project + weekly hour of guest lectures on industry and professional development

If you are interested, contact reb_instructors [at] mit.edu (reb_instructors[at]mit[dot]edu) as soon as possible. 

International students must be in a program with a requirement that allows you to use CPT.

From past subject evaluations: "A truly fantastic opportunity"  "The internship experience was invaluable." "Most helpful class I took in grad school"

No industry experience necessary or expected

Potential projects at Pfizer and Novartis include:

• African Ancestry Population Genetics: Discovery and Validation
• Optimization of skin tape strip procedures for transcriptomic and proteomic analyses
• Modeling Sensitivity of SARS-CoV2 and RSV Resistance to Dosing Paradigms
• CRISPR-Cas9 based platform for validation of synthetic lethality partners of a druggable target gene for developing effective cancer therapies
• Molecular characterization of receptor kinase activation and biological effects of stimulation by tool ligands
• Impact of autophagy modulation in neurogenerative diseases
• RNA secondary structure prediction
• Machine learning algorithms for protein-protein interactions
• Exploring large language models for single cell RNA-seq analysis
• Proteogenomics for understanding genetic perturbation
• Cancer target discovery with knowledge graph and deep learning
• Modeling and Simulation in Pharmacokinetics/dynamics

MIT COMMUNITY WELLNESS CLASSES AND RESOURCES

This year, the MIT community is adapting to new ways of taking care of ourselves and others. If you’d like to connect with your community, stay active, sleep better, relieve stress, and more, Community Wellness at MIT Medical can help you find wellness programs that fit your needs.

View all Community Wellness classes here.

Don’t see what you are looking for? Email wellness [at] med.mit.edu (wellness[at]med[dot]mit[dot]edu) with any questions about wellness programs at MIT.

Don't forget: MIT Medical's COVID-19 hotline can be reached at 617-253-4865, and the 24-hour general helpline is 617-253-1311.

MIT WRITING AND COMMUNICATION CENTER (WCC)

The Writing and Communication Center offers free one-on-one professional advice from communication specialists with advanced degrees and publishing experience. The WCC can help you further develop your oral communication skills and learn about all types of academic and professional writing.

Schedule Consultations with the Writing and Communication Center!

When: Mon-Fri, 9am - 6pm (except institute holidays)
Location: 18-233 (50 Ames Street, room 233) or by Zoom
Website: https://cmsw.mit.edu/writing-and-communication-center/
Contact: writing-center [at] mit.edu (writing-center[at]mit[dot]edu)

The Writing and Communication Center (WCC) is open for scheduling in-person and remote consultations. We offer free one-on-one help with your written and oral work including research papers, fellowship applications, dissertations, and presentations. We provide support at all stages of the writing and communication process: from brainstorming to the final draft. We can help you make progress through writer’s blocks including procrastination, perfectionism, demoralization, and imposter stress. To learn more about the WCC, check our website and make an appointment at https://mit.mywconline.com. See you at the WCC soon!

UPCOMING EVENTS FROM THE TEACHING + LEARNING LAB (TLL)

Our Mission
We partner with MIT educators, staff, and administrators to create a reflective educational environment where students are academically challenged, actively engaged, and personally supported.

Learn More

Information about our services and upcoming workshops for graduate students and postdocs can be found here.

A program of particular interest to graduate students is coming up:

• TA Days will be held Monday, August 28 – Thursday, August 31. Register now!

For any questions about programs and resources available to graduate students through the TLL, contact Ben Hansberry, Assistant Director for Graduate Student Teaching (bhansber [at] mit.edu (bhansber[at]mit[dot]edu))

Subscribe here to the TLL Newsletter.

HARVARD CATALYST COURSES AND EVENTS

Harvard Catalyst works with Harvard University’s schools and affiliate academic healthcare centers to build and grow an environment focused on team science – where discoveries are rapidly and efficiently translated to improve human health. We catalyze research across all clinical and translational domains by providing investigators with opportunities such as pilot funding, free resources such as biostatistics consultations, training and mentoring programs, and numerous courses. To facilitate communication, collaboration, and data collection, our informatics team develops a range of open-source tools available to the community within Harvard University and beyond.

Information on courses and training through Harvard Catalyst can be found here.
A calendar of Harvard Catalyst events can be found here.
Subscribe to the Harvard Catalyst Newsletter here.

HARVARD INNOVATION LABS CALENDAR OF EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Information about the Harvard i-lab and it's upcoming events and activities can be found here.

NORTHEAST SYMPOSIUM ON BIOMEDICAL OPTICS (NESBO)

Registration is now open for the Northeast Symposium on Biomedical Optics (NESBO) to be held on Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at MIT E25-111.

NESBO is a symposium organized by postdocs and graduate students where similarly early career scientists give invited talks about their research in the general area of biomedical imaging and sensing. The symposium is also a networking and professional development opportunity for early career scientists. This year's sessions in biomedical optics include: neurophotonics, translational biomedical optics, and coherent imaging at different scales.

Also included in NESBO is a poster competition (with prizes!), a panel discussion on how to choose between a career path in academia vs. industry, and a networking event at a nearby venue following the symposium (drink and food provided!).

All graduate students and postdocs are welcome to register whether they are in the field of biomedical optics or just looking to learn more.

Check out the agenda and register FREE at the link below!

https://octresearch.org/nesbo-23-tuesday-october-10/

ETHICS AND SUSTAINABILITY STUDENT SHOWCASE

• Wednesday, September 13, 2023
• 2-4pm ET
• Lobby 13

The Ethics and Sustainability Student Showcase is an in-person poster session featuring the work of students from MIT’s Experiential Ethics and Experiential Sustainability courses. 

Come see a wide variety of projects at the intersection of science, technology, ethics, and sustainability studies, including posters, podcasts, videos, art exhibitions, and more!

For questions, please reach out to Eliza Wells (elizaw [at] mit.edu (elizaw[at]mit[dot]edu)).

SAVE THE DATE: VERTEX SYMPOSIUM - OCTOBER 27, 2023

Communities Reimagine Health, Safety, and Justice: Working at the Intersection of Abolition and Public Health

On 2021, the American Public Health Association adopted “Advancing Public Health Interventions to Address the Harms of the Carceral System” a policy statement that outlines strategies for “moving toward the abolition of carceral systems and building in their stead just and equitable structures that advance the public’s health.” 

On October 27, 2023, the Vertex Symposium returns for a free, hybrid program on the topic Communities Reimagine Health, Safety, and Justice: Working at the Intersection of Abolition and Public Health. In this day-long convening, we explore how communities, advocates, scholars, and policymakers are working at the intersection of abolition and public health to create an antiracist future where everyone thrives.

This is a free in-person and online event. Registration will open soon.

Find more event and schedule information here.

UPCOMING INSTITUTE COMMUNITY & EQUITY OFFICE (ICEO) EVENTS

A calendar of upcoming events is available here.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENT GROUP BOSTON - EVENTS

The Medical Development Group Boston (MDG Boston) is a community of individuals professionally committed to the Medical Device and other Medical Technology Industry segments united by the belief that innovation and advances in technology lead to substantial improvements in health care.

MDG's Mission is to contribute to the continuing development of medical devices and other medical technologies by enhancing the professional development of its members, fostering and supporting entrepreneurial thinking, serving as a forum for exploration of new business opportunities, and promoting best practices in enterprise management.

MDG pursues this mission through the organization of educational programs and forums: the facilitation of cross-disciplinary dialogue and collaboration; the creation of venues for networking and information sharing for current and aspiring professionals, clinicians, and entrepreneurs; and the development of alliances with complementary organizations.

We would love for you to attend and spread the word in your community!

For more information on our upcoming events, visit our website.

MEDTECH BOSTON INFORMATION SOURCE & CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Boston has long been known as a medical mecca of scientific discovery. Boston’s healthcare professionals and administrators are adopting practices from other high-risk and service industries. The ‘big data’ movement is thriving, fundamentally changing our healthcare delivery systems. Digital health investments are higher than ever before. Medical hackathons and un-conferences are now an every-weekend occurrence. And both redesign and innovation promise to change medicine as we know it. It’s all happening right here, right now. But the problem is that many of us don’t know it. Despite Boston’s innovative energy and a solid medical infrastructure, many medical providers and health care entrepreneurs remain in the dark about the opportunities, events and work happening in and around the city of Boston – and across the country. That’s where we come in.

At Medtech Boston, we highlight exciting medical innovation work in and around the city of Boston. We aim to start a discussion about the most exciting and controversial new healthcare offerings, igniting a new reputation for Boston as a city with first-class medical research and patient care, but also as a city full of passionate people who use new technology to think big thoughts about medicine’s most pressing problems.

More organizational information and event postings from Medtech Boston is available here.

BRAINMAP SEMINARS

Future topics will be similar to the previous Brainmap season, with some talks on Optogenetics, MR-PET, BOLD physiology, ultra-high field MRI, multimodal integration, contrast agents, and many more exciting topics! Unless otherwise noted, seminars (webinars) are held on Wednesdays at noon.

Find out about Brainmap here. Sign up here for our mailing list, in order to receive notices about our upcoming seminars.

MIT SANDBOX APPLICATION & INFO SESSIONS

MIT Sandbox applications for new teams open on September 1^st –  join an info session to learn more!

Did you know that MIT Sandbox provides funding and mentorship to help you explore your innovative idea as an entrepreneur?  Join us for the information session where you will learn more about the program and how Sandbox provides up to $25K in seed funding, mentorship, and training to support your entrepreneurial journey!

• Not a competition
• Open to all MIT undergraduate and graduate students from all schools
• Focused on student-driven entrepreneurship
• Supports students at all stages of the start-up process - from idea to launch
• Applications open on September 1st. – deadline September 11th.

Interested? Have questions and want to know more?

Register for an info session:

• August 30th info session, 4-5pm 
• Sept 7th info session, 4-5pm

Visit Sandbox website: https://sandbox.mit.edu/

DISCOVER THE ACTIVATE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

Activate is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization designed solely to empower scientists to reinvent the world by bringing their innovative research to market. The two-year Activate Fellowship provides early-stage science entrepreneurs with funding, technical resources, and unparalleled support from a network of scientists, engineers, technologists, and fellow entrepreneurs at the onset of their entrepreneurial journeys - just ask one of our 188 fellows! Best of all, Activate does not charge any fees or equity to participate in the Fellowship. To learn more about some innovators who have succeeded in the program, check out these videos:

• Andrew Hsieh (Cohort 2016), Liminal Insights

• Leah Ellis (Cohort 2020), Sublime Systems

• Miguel Sierra Aznar (Cohort 2018), Noble Thermodynamic Systems

• Sarah Richardson (Cohort 2017), MicroByre

We are now preparing to open Cohort 2024 applications for this fall.

SEEKING TEACHING ASSISTANTS FOR HST STUDY ABROAD IAP COURSE - HST.434 - EVOLUTION OF AN EPIDEMIC

HST.434 - EVOLUTION OF AN EPIDEMIC

• January 10-22, 2024 | Johannesburg and Durban, South Africa

Course Directors: Dr. Bruce D. Walker & Dr. Howard M. Heller

Course Description: Examines the medical, scientific, public health and policy responses to a new disease, by focusing on the evolution of the AIDS pandemic and comparing/contrasting with COVID-19 and other outbreaks/epidemics/pandemics. The course begins with a review of how HIV was first detected in the US, followed by the scientific basis as to how HIV causes profound dysfunction of the body’s immune defense mechanisms, the rational development of drugs, the challenge of an HIV vaccine, and how patient advocacy and public health policy decisions have influenced the course of the global pandemics. Comparing and contrasting with COVID-19 will illuminate the lessons learned and lessons not learned that affect the evolution of pandemic diseases. Class conducted in Johannesburg and Durban, South Africa by MIT instructors.

Applicants are encouraged to view the video filmed during the course in 2018.
https://ragoninstitute.org/get-involved/education/evolution-of-an-epidemic/

Teaching Assistant
Available: January 2024 (IAP)
Eligible: Current graduate students, with preference for individuals enrolled in an HST program (MD, PhD, MEMP, GEMS)

Pay: Travel, accommodation and most meal expenses covered. Stipend TBD
Time commitment:  

• November - 4 hours
• December - 4 hours
• January 10-11 (travel) - 1 day
• January 12-21 (Johannesburg/Durban) - 12 hours/day
• January 21-22 (travel) - 1 day

Job description

The Teaching Assistant will work with faculty and the academic administrative assistant to assist in many of the details and logistics associated with the class. Responsibilities will include:

• Review applications with faculty.
• Attend all lectures and field trips in Cambridge and South Africa.
• Facilitate student group discussions.
• Guide students as needed in developing solutions to problem sets.

Requirements:

• Enrolled as a full-time graduate student in good standing with degree program.
• Permission of PI.
• Eligible for visa to South Africa.

To apply, please email a brief statement of interest with resume/CV to Maddie Rimsa mrimsa [at] mgh.harvard.edu (mrimsa[at]mgh[dot]harvard[dot]edu)

MIT MEN'S CLUB RUGBY RECRUITMENT

The Men’s Club Rugby team is looking for new members!

Reach out to mitrugby-exec [at] mit.edu (mitrugby-exec[at]mit[dot]edu) if you are interested.

All experience levels are welcome!!! 

STUDENT RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES: SCHAEFER LAB (BWH)

The Schaefer Laboratory is looking for motivated graduate students who are interested in conducting lab-based research – applicants from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Our translational research efforts are centered on the biology, genetics, and molecular mechanisms of sarcomas with the goal to develop novel therapeutics. We use a combination of genomic, structural, functional, and multiplexed imaging studies to uncover the biologic mechanisms driving sarcoma oncogenesis. One major focus of our current research efforts is to decipher the mechanisms of cell cycle perturbations in sarcoma, paving the way for the discovery of new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Please reach out to Dr. Schaefer if you are interested in working in a collaborative, supportive, and inspiring environment dedicated to translational sarcoma research.

We’d love to have you join!

Email: ischaefer [at] bwh.harvard.edu (ischaefer[at]bwh[dot]harvard[dot]edu)

Twitter: @im_schaefer

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/inga-marie-schaefer/

Website: https://schaeferlab.bwh.harvard.edu/

KOCH INSTITUTE IMAGE AWARDS COMPETITION NOW OPEN

The 2024 KI Image Awards competition is now OPEN.

Submissions should be sent along with accompanying information to kigalleries [at] mit.edu (kigalleries[at]mit[dot]edu) —the deadline for submission is October 16th, 2023.  

All MIT students, faculty, and staff are invited to participate and each contributor may submit up to five high-resolution images taken as part of their original MIT research. 

Winning images will appear in the 2024 Image Awards exhibition, opening in May 2024 with lightning talks given by the image creators.

Details and information form are available at https://ki.mit.edu/image-awards. 

NUCLEATE LEADERSHIP TEAM INFO SESSIONS

Nucleate is recruiting leadership team members with a passion for life science entrepreneurship and innovation.
Nucleate is a student-run entrepreneurship program that facilitates the formation of new life science ventures, aiming to tackle some of the biggest challenges in human health and sustainability. Identifying early-stage technologies, facilitating the building of new teams around these technologies, and supporting their development along with a world class network of founders, investors, and industry experts, Nucleate has helped launch alumni companies that have raised over $170M in funding. Over the last seven years Nucleate has been a part of companies creating promising technologies from protein sequencing, to drug design, to RNA synthesis, and more. Additionally, the Eco Activator program focuses on developing life science technologies for environmental, climate, and sustainability applications.

Any interested graduate student or post-doc can sign up for an info session here, or can apply by September 1, 2023 here.

Visit our website to learn more: https://nucleate.xyz/
Follow us on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eVVbBTFy
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NucleateHQ , https://twitter.com/NucleateBoston

GRADUATE COMMUNITY FELLOWS POSITIONS

Grad students, interested in improving graduate life & community at MIT while earning a partial stipend? Apply to become a Graduate Community Fellow!

When would I start? Start dates are flexible and based on the Fellow and the hiring organization. If you’re looking for a job starting this semester, over IAP, or next semester, these openings may be a great fit for you!

What would I do? Graduate Community Fellows work on projects and assignments that enhance the graduate community at MIT in targeted, impactful ways. Each Fellow reports to a staff member in the OGE or a partner organization. See specifics below.

What are the requirements? Must meet minimal eligibility requirements and agree to the terms of appointment. Appointment periods for Fellow positions vary. All positions serve 10 hours per week, and receive compensation of $700 per month.

International students with full-time RA/TA appointments should note that there are eligibility restrictions.

Available positions are listed at the current Fellow positions page.

Some current positions are listed below; find more info on each position at the current Fellow positions page.

• Committed to Caring (OPEN)
  Supports the Committed to Caring program which honors faculty members who go above and beyond to make an impact in the lives of graduate students. This position 
• ICEO Programming & Events (OPEN)
  The fellow supports the Institute Community and Equity Office (ICEO) and the Office of the Associate Provost on several key diversity and inclusion projects
• PKG Public Service Center - Community Engaged Learning (OPEN)
  The fellows supports the development of community engaged learning initiatives at the PKG Center

How do I apply? Once you’ve reviewed position details, download the application to apply. Applications for all positions are reviewed on a rolling basis. We hope to hear from you!

Questions? Contact Jessica Landry, jlandry [at] mit.edu (jlandry[at]mit[dot]edu).

MITAC OPPORTUNITIES

Welcome! The MIT Activities Committee offers discounted tickets to the MIT community for local arts and culture, sporting events, and family activities.

Visit MITAC​ ~ Your Ticket to Fun for movies, museums, sports, theatre, music, family, seasonal & special events since 1984!

• Online Website: https://mitac.mit.edu/
• On campus: The MITAC Stata Center ticket office is open Tues-Fri 12-4pm.

Feel free to stop by and visit!  

We look forward to seeing everyone!

Members of the MIT community: subscribe here (at the bottom of the page) to our mailing list/newsletter to receive the latest updates delivered right to your inbox!

OFFICE OF GRADUATE EDUCATION - FELLOWSHIP WORKSHOPS & FINANCIAL LITERACY RESOURCES

Fellowship Newsletter
Our Fellowship Newsletter is a monthly/bimonthly occurrence that includes upcoming opportunities and events, tips on applying to fellowships, announcements, and generally an avenue for us to relay fellowship related information. 

Interested in receiving the newsletter? Please sign up for our mailing list by clicking here. Future Graduate Fellowship Bulletins will be sent right to your email inbox.

Other financial literacy resources:

iGrad!

Check out the completely free iGrad Financial Literacy platform (offered in collaboration with the MIT Federal Credit Union).

Customized for MIT, iGrad includes videos, articles, games, job board, searchable scholarship database, and interactive modules on a wide range of topics, including emergency-funding, credit card management, identity protection, and spending-smarts. It is a great financial literacy tool for students and the MIT community in general. Find more information at https://mit.igrad.com/. We encourage everyone to sign up!

OGE website’s Financial Literacy section: https://oge.mit.edu/finances/financial-literacy/

OGE website’s fellowships section: https://oge.mit.edu/finances/fellowships/ including Fellowships Tips: https://oge.mit.edu/finances/fellowships/fellowship-tips/

Please reach out to the OGE at grad-ed [at] mit.edu (grad-ed[at]mit[dot]edu) with questions about our workshops or our financial literacy resources.

If there are further questions about fellowships, the OGE Fellowship section can be found here, especially the Fellowships Tips content here.  

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS OFFICE NEWSLETTER

Read current and past issues of the ISO Newsletter here. For non-students, you can also subscribe to receive published copies by email.

MIT GRAD DIVERSITY & ICEO NEWSLETTERS

The Office of Graduate Education (OGE)’s GradDiversity seeks to support the success of underrepresented and under-served graduate students at MIT. This takes place through a series of programs designed to strengthen recruitment, enhance community, and ignite development in academic, leadership, and professional skills.

Together with the Institute Community and Equity Office and our faculty, students, and staff from across the Institute, we are committed to fostering a more inclusive and caring climate that intellectually engages and values all members of our MIT community.

Sign up for the GradDiversity Newsletter here.

Sign up for the ICEO Newsletter here.

MIT SPOUSES & PARTNERS CONNECT AND MIT LANGUAGE CONVERSATION EXCHANGE

We connect people across MIT for conversation, cultural exchange, and friendship.

MIT Spouses & Partners Connect - open to significant others of MIT students, postdocs, and staff

KERBEROS and ID CARDS for SPOUSES & PARTNERS

MIT students and employees may sponsor a guest Kerberos account for their spouse or partner to establish their digital identity in MIT's systems. Once registered, the spouse or partner may activate their digital MIT ID and obtain a physical card if needed. 

Get started at https://ist.mit.edu/id. Please read the instructions carefully as there are different processes for those who live in an MIT residence and for those who live off campus.

For more information about where you can use your MIT ID card, see this page.

EVENTS FOR NEWCOMERS

The best way to stay up to date on all of our events and activities is to subscribe to our email newsletter!

Welcome Brunch
Thursday September 7 at 11am in 10-105
As the semester kicks into high gear, classes have started, your spouses/partners are back in the labs or libraries, are you asking yourself now what? Come share your hopes, plans, and ideas for the coming semester. New members and old friends are all welcome! Please feel free to bring your child to this event. Register here to let us know you are coming.

Boston Scavenger Hunt
Saturday September 16 at 11am
Spend a great time with your family, enjoy the sights Boston has to offer while solving riddles that will teach you more facts about this amazing city. Boston's hidden treasures and surprises are waiting for you! This is a competitive game. We will have two categories of teams: adults only and adults with kids. We will assign you (and your family members if you bring them) to a team. Subscribe to our email newsletter to get notified when registration opens.

Private Consult with MS&PC Staff
Facilitated by Program Manager, Jennifer Recklet Tassi, this private appointment via Zoom or in-person is a time to ask questions, voice concerns, and reimagine your life here in Boston. We can spend the time talking about whatever is on your mind - from job search and career development to navigating a new city to figuring out how to make your experience in Boston productive and meaningful.

Appointments will be available at various times during the week.

Book a 30-minute private Zoom or in-person appointment here: https://mspc.youcanbook.me/

FALL PREVIEW

Subscribe to our email newsletter or visit our event calendar for all of the dates and details

• Weekly meetings on Wednesdays at 2pm starting September 13
• Career Connect Communications Group starting mid-September
• For Parents –Open Swim, Music Classes, Kids Clothing Exchange
• English Conversation Group on Fridays
• Monthly Crafternoons
• MS&PC Professional Development Fund
• And much more…

BEST WAYS TO LEARN ABOUT OUR EVENTS

• Subscribe to our email updates: http://spouses.mit.edu/join/subscribe
• Join the MITFamilies Slack Space: bit.ly/mitfamiliesslack
• Join our private Facebook Group
• Follow us on Instagram @mspconnect
• Visit our events calendar at spouses.mit.edu/event-calendar

MIT Language Conversation Exchange - open to all members of the MIT community

Save the Date for our Fall Events – Meet Eat Speak!

Practice a language with a group of native speakers and other language learners, meet other language enthusiasts, and learn about the LCE.

• 12 noon in 10-105 on September 8, October 2, November 13, December 11 (lunch provided)
• 5pm in 10-105 on September 21, October 20 (snacks provided)          

How to find a conversation partner at MIT so you can practice a language you are learning or want to improve with a native speaker.

Visit our website: http://lce.mit.edu

• Search and contact native speakers of languages you want to practice for one-on-one conversation held at your convenience
• Watch this video to learn how our website works

Join our Slack Space: https://bit.ly/lce-slack

• Join or create channels for the languages you are interested in
• Practice your writing skills while meeting other people at MIT who share your language interests

Subscribe to our newsletter: https://lce.mit.edu/subscribe

• Stay informed about upcoming small group meetings & events

GET IN TOUCH WITH THE LCE

Email us at lce [at] mit.edu (lce[at]mit[dot]edu)

Follow us on Facebook @MITLCE

Visit our calendar

COMMUNITY SERVICE WEEKLY BULLETIN

At the heart of the MIT mission statement is a call to serve the nation and the world—and this charge is embodied by the MIT Public Service Center. Every year, we send thousands of students into communities locally, across the nation, and around the globe to apply their skills and knowledge for the betterment of humankind. In the Institute's best traditions of hands-on experience, entrepreneurial spirit, and creative problem solving, these students donate their time, create new technologies, form communities and companies—and ultimately change lives everywhere they go.

As part of MIT's Division of Student Life, we provide a central point of communication and support for the outreach and humanitarian efforts of the MIT community. We engage students, alumni, staff, faculty, and others in life-changing initiatives and social entrepreneurship ventures that provide needed resources to individuals and communities.

Sign up for the weekly Community Service Bulletin of Events and Programs here.

News and upcoming events are posted on the homepage.

FDA-NIOSH-MIT ORISE: OPEN POSITION

A joint project with FDA-NIOSH is open. It requires rapid action to fill a position that would be a type of ORISE fellowship (2 years).

https://www.zintellect.com/Opportunity/Details/FDA-ORA-2023-04

The posting  is written in broad terms and does not include all the specifics and is written with emphasis on the protective equipment side. Depending on qualifications of the fellow, the project will include work with BSL1 or 2 organisms and fluorescence/RNA technology developments in addition to nano- or micro-particles and complex fluids to address a number of fundamental questions on the fragmentation from human-like exhalations and their persistence. 

The fellow will in practice spend a lot of time in our Fluids and Health Network at MIT (and primary The Fluid Dynamics of Disease Transmission Laboratory at MIT for biological work) and rest of the time in other labs at MIT-IMES and FDA in MA  and with our collaborating team involving NIOSH as well. 

Expression of interest are time-sensitive and can be done via the submission site or email to bgadmin [at] mit.edu (bgadmin[at]mit[dot]edu) are needed this and next week as the posting will close imminently. 

For questions about the position and project contact bgadmin [at] mit.edu (bgadmin[at]mit[dot]edu). 

STANFORD PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS HUB POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS PROGRAM

We’d like to invite you to apply for the Pandemic Preparedness Hub Postdoctoral Fellows Program.

Overview

Stanford University is recruiting outstanding postdoctoral fellows for a fellowship in Pandemic Preparedness. This interdisciplinary fellowship will train recent doctoral graduates from any field who would like to pursue a career in advancing science to prevent or mitigate infectious disease pandemics. Fellows may work with any Stanford faculty members who are affiliated with the new Pandemic Preparedness Hub. Relevant disciplines may include epidemiology, community health, ecology, immunology, clinical-translational science, genetics, biomedical data sciences and health policy. Trainees who have trained in other disciplines and would like to transition their career to focus on infectious diseases are encouraged to apply and should demonstrate their commitment to this path. Each fellow will create a professional development plan with a professional mentorship team that includes their scientific mentor and senior faculty in the Pandemic Preparedness Hub. Faculty and fellows will convene regularly to share their work and identify opportunities for synergies across disciplines. In addition to salary and benefits, each fellow will research a research fund to utilize for pursuit of their own ideas.

Benefits

1. Competitive salary and benefits for two years
2. A research budget for each fellow for two years
3. Senior faculty mentorship, professional development, and networking support
4. A diverse community of scholars with common professional interests and value

Requirements

1. MD within 3 years of completion of clinical training or PhD within 3 years of graduation as of September 1, 2024

Application

To apply, please submit a 500 – 1000 word personal statement that describes your experience, interests, and goals for a fellowship with the Pandemic Preparedness Hub via our online form. For trainees who are currently working in a research lab, the Pandemic Preparedness Hub Fellowship should support a new research direction, training and project that is fundamentally distinct from the candidate’s existing research; continuation of existing projects will not be supported. Please indicate how your training and research plans will represent new areas of research, training and professional growth.

To learn more about the program, including application requirements, please visit pandemichub.stanford.edu, or contact Lauren Hailey, lohailey [at] stanford.edu (lohailey[at]stanford[dot]edu)

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY AND SHIRLEY RYAN ABILITYLAB POST DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP OPENINGS

Northwestern University, in collaboration with the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago), announces several post-doctoral fellowship positions. All positions are two-year, full-time fellowships that provide an opportunity for individuals who have completed a PhD or other terminal degree to gain expertise and experience in health services research broadly, with the goal of preparing for a scholarly career. All openings are funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research; research activities must relate to NIDILRR’s Long Range Plan.

Information about and application requirements are available on the Integrated Program in Health Services and Outcomes Research website: https://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/sites/cehs/fellowships/index.html

Contact Allen Heinemann at 312.238.2920 or a-heinemann [at] northwestern.edu (a-heinemann[at]northwestern[dot]edu) for questions about eligibility and program fit. We encourage applications from women, minorities, and persons with disabilities. Northwestern University and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab are affirmative action, equal opportunity employers.

WATERSHED INFORMATICS - BIOINFORMATICIAN POSITION

Data Science - Bioinformatics / Full Time - Cambridge, MA

Watershed Informatics enables the world’s scientists to turn today’s big data into tomorrow’s precision medicines. Specifically optimized for catalyzing the life sciences development pipeline, the Watershed® Cloud Data Lab (CDL) provides all the tools and technologies a biologist needs to harness the value of complexity in their own data, and lets bioinformaticians rapidly prototype and deploy custom and established analytic workflows across an organization. Combining our team of stellar software engineers’ and bioinformaticians trained at MIT, Harvard, Carnegie-Mellon, UCSD, and diverse industry experience, we have built a platform that our customers, such as Cellino and SalioGen, rave about. After raising a $14.5M Series A led by Canvas Ventures with Bessemer Venture Partners and Accomplice participating, we are rapidly scaling our team, including our world-class bioinformatics group.

As part of the bioinformatics team, you’ll help define the core scientific features and functionalities of our platform for years to come, and play a crucial role in ensuring the continued success of our product. This role is a great opportunity for candidates looking to go both wide and deep in their bioinformatics expertise, build upon their technical skills, and work with a group of rigorous, passionate, caring, and down-to-earth scientists and engineers. You’ll build bespoke bioinformatics solutions to address the unique problems our customers are facing and ensure their technical success. You’ll engage directly with users (both biologists and bioinformaticians) to test, troubleshoot, and enhance deployed workflows. You’ll use their feedback to enable our team to iteratively improve our product. Internally you will lead the development and prototyping of our bioinformatics workflows for technologies such as: short and long read NGS, mass-spectrometry (proteomics, metabolomics), high-content imaging, and protein folding. For a given pipeline, you’ll research available analysis methods, compare and contrast existing bioinformatics tooling options, identify areas for improvement, and implement a prototype workflow. You’ll work with our
full-stack engineering team to productionize this prototype into a mature product offering. Come make foundational contributions at a fast-paced and rapidly growing tech-bio startup with a culture of empathy, efficiency, responsibility, and candor.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and execute the development of new bioinformatics workflows
• Collaborate with our engineering team to make our bioinformatics workflows efficient and robust
• Engage directly with customers (both biologists and bioinformaticians) on their deployment of the Watershed platform, ensure the technical success of client engagements, and communicate customer feedback and feature requests to the broader team
• Test, troubleshoot, and enhance customer workflows with and on behalf of customers, and lead design and development reviews of these workflows
• Propose and implement more sophisticated, bespoke bioinformatics analyses upon customer request

You would value working at Watershed if you are:

• Thorough, but Practical: You pride yourself in robust analysis. Speed to insight is favored over perfection, but soundness of results is paramount. Quality control at every step is required. You're skeptical of data and model assumptions, and think that verifying results starts with inspecting the raw data. You believe added complexity can be hard to implement and even harder to validate.
• A humble teammate: You’re excited to work in a cross-disciplinary team with a variety of skill sets you can constantly learn from. You understand that mistakes are inevitable, and that being open and forthcoming is the best way to rectify them and improve in the future. You know your areas for growth and can seek help from the team when needed.
• Independent: You excel at scoping and executing multiple projects while being aware of competing priorities. You communicate successes and blockers to all stakeholders to ensure on time completion of goals.
• Impact-driven: You think that the purpose of bioinformatics is to act as a lens through which to better understand biology versus an end in itself. You value translational research as a way to bring meaningful improvements to the world.
• Technically rigorous: You appreciate that your work lays the foundation for bioinformatics analyses on the Watershed platform for years to come, and take the time to build modular, robust, and sustainable workflow components. You want to know the intricacies of each step and how they provide the insights our customers need.

Qualifications:

• PhD-level expertise in developing end-to-end bioinformatics pipelines (5+ years of experience in bioinformatics)
• Strong biology background and empathy for bench experimentalists
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills
• Knowledge of bioinformatics and data science best practices (quality-control, exploratory data analysis, existing industry standard open-source tools, data structures)
• Experience in Python, R, and/or MATLAB
• In-person work with flexible work-from-home days (currently Monday/Tuesday in-office)

Benefits and culture:

• Competitive salary and equity compensation package
• Employer contribution to healthcare insurance (medical, dental, vision) for you and your dependents
• Flexible PTO: we believe it’s important to take time off to rest and recharge
• Regular company outings
• Uber eats stipend when working
• Tremendous growth opportunity and autonomy in a rewarding, supportive environment
• Top-down focus on employee wellness and work-life balance
• Open door policy with a focus on collaboration

Watershed is an equal-opportunity employer and believes diversity of all types is integral to company success. We do not discriminate on the basis of religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, national origin, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER CENTER - RECRUITING POSTDOCS - APPLY NOW

Postdoctoral training opportunities are available in Biological, Biomedical Sciences, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) is actively recruiting talented researchers to join us for the next phase of their career. MSK is a top-ranked cancer center that consistently produces innovative research aimed at preventing, controlling, and ultimately curing cancer among other diseases. We write to actively invite your graduating or recently graduated PhD students as well as postdocs seeking more experience to apply to be a part of MSK. We’d greatly appreciate your help in spreading the word amongst your students.

At MSK, postdoctoral trainees are embedded in a scientifically invigorating environment in the heart of NYC, an exciting hub for biomedical research. Postdocs would join a vibrant community of nearly 500 others pursuing a fertile range of scientific topics, all the while developing their skills and professional potential among a diverse mix of talented colleagues.

MSK provides postdoctoral researchers with a highly competitive salary and benefits package with yearly increases; full medical, dental, and vision coverage for themselves and any eligible dependents; low-cost housing options, affordable childcare, and minimum of 12 week paid parental leave.

To learn more about the diverse laboratory specialties in SKI and in Memorial Hospital and to peruse currently open positions, please visit our Postdoctoral Opportunities page HERE and the Career portal HERE, where candidates can also upload their CV to be contacted about future opportunities.

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES AT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH)

The National Institutes of Health’s Office of Clinical Research Training and Medical Education offers an extensive range of clinical research training opportunities to prepare the next generation of clinician-scientists. Brief descriptions of the programs are provided below. As world’s largest biomedical research agency, the NIH encourages future clinician-scientists and medical researchers to consider adding an NIH experience to their portfolio.

Graduate Medical Education
NIH currently sponsor 17 medical specialty or subspecialty programs which have been accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). We also jointly sponsor clinical training programs with extramural training partners, to include Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland, and the National Capital Consortium. In addition, we sponsor numerous "one of kind" translational medicine fellowship training programs. https://cc.nih.gov/training/gme/programs1.html

Clinical Elective Programs
Short term—4 to 12 week—clinically oriented elective rotations for senior medical and dental students; unique mentored specialty/subspecialty clinical research rotations are also available for combined program students (i.e., MD/PhD, DO/PhD). https://cc.nih.gov/training/students/clinical_electives.html

Postdoctoral Research Training Awards
Provides the opportunity for recent doctoral degree recipients to enhance their research skills in the resource-rich National Institutes of Health (NIH) environment, which consists of more than 1200 laboratories/research projects. https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/postdoc_irp

Graduate Partnerships Program
This program is designed to bring PhD graduate students to the NIH Intramural Research Program for dissertation research. https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/gpp

IIE EU - U.S.  EDUCATION COOPERATION FOR RESEARCHERS

For information on EU – U.S. cooperation in doctoral and postdoctoral education opportunities for U.S. researchers and organizations. Visit IIE online at www.iie.org. Please contact the programs directly for additional information or with any questions you may have.

A quote from a recent Fulbright U.S. student, "My advice to Fulbrighters of the future is that which was given to me. Go at it with an open mind; your experience will not be anything like you predicted and will mark you indelibly, but it will be great."

MCKINSEY AND COMPANY RECRUITING

The Advanced Professional Degree (APD) recruiting team is excited to share our March APD recruiting newsletter with you. Below you’ll find more information about our upcoming virtual recruiting events, including details for our flagship programs - Insight & Diversity Connect! Scroll down for more information.

Virtual Events
Join us for our upcoming virtual events! Stay up to date with our full list of events by clicking here.

You can view a full list of upcoming affinity-specific events here.

CAPD'S NEW FACULTY JOB SEARCH SERIES

Join us for CAPD’s New Faculty Job Search Series and prepare yourself to strategize, anticipate, and effectively execute a faculty job search. These workshops will help you understand the conventions and expectations for required documents (CVs, cover letters, diversity statements, teaching statements, and research statements); revise, polish, and perfect your application materials; develop interview skills; and be ready to negotiate salary, benefits, research provisions, and more. These workshops are open to MIT Graduate Students and Postdocs, and you may register for all the workshops or just the few that you need.

You’ll find the latest updates on upcoming workshops in your CAPD Newsletters or you can always check the CAPD Events page. Sign up for our newsletters and automated emails by updating your uConnect profile and preferences.

Have questions? Contact us.

MIT ALUMNI ADVISORS HUB - ADVISING OPPORTUNITY FOR MIT STUDENTS

The MIT Alumni Advisors Hub is an online platform that students can use to ask for advice when they need it—from MIT alumni around the world. Students can get advice on their job and internship search, conduct a mock interview or informational interview, explore career paths and future entrepreneurial pursuits, and navigating life at MIT.

Sign up to gain access to a community of alumni who are eager to share their advice at https://alumniadvisors.mit.edu/.

Find an advisor today!

UPCOMING MIT CAREER FAIRS

MIT has a diverse range of career fairs, only a few of which are run by Career Advising & Professional Development. Others are managed by student organizations or academic departments. MIT students are also welcome at some fairs hosted by companies, professional organizations, and other universities.

To get the most of your career fair experience, see our Tips for Career Fair Success. You can also view the CAPD events calendar for career fair workshops.

Find out more about career fairs at MIT.

MIT'S IGRAD FINANCIAL LITERACY & CAREER RESOURCES PORTAL

The OGE sponsors MIT's iGrad financial literacy portal, with resources to help with financial support.

The iGrad Financial Literacy platform (offered for free to the entire MIT community in collaboration with the MIT Federal Credit Union) is customized for MIT with videos, articles, games,  job board, searchable scholarship database, and interactive modules on a wide range of topics, including emergency-funding, credit card management, identity protection, spending smarts, etc. it is a great financial literacy tool for students and the MIT community in general.

More information can be found at oge.mit.edu/finances.      

GRADUATE STUDENT CAREER EVENTS - WEBSITE & CALENDAR

For those who are looking for other resources, recordings of career related workshops and sessions for grad students available here: http://capd.mit.edu

The CAPD Event calendar can be found here. 

Sign up for the Graduate Student Career Advising mailing list here.

CAPD OFFERS THE VERSATILE PHD RESOURCE TOOL

MIT Career Advising & Professional Development (CAPD) is pleased to announce MIT’s subscription to The Versatile PhD, a web-based resource for PhDs considering careers beyond academia. Our subscription, generously supported by OGE, can be accessed by students and alumni via CAPD’s webpage and student CareerBridge accounts. Once students register, they can simply log in to the site directly (www.versatilephd.com)

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