Highlights for this issue

• UPDATE — Mapping the New Knowledges Graduate Student Research Conference, Monday, April 7, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Plaza Building and Cairns Complex     
The beginning of the Winter term is the time for Brock graduate students to plan how they would like to participate in the annual conference.                                                
The options include:
      • Display a poster OR give an oral presentation at the conference The Call for Proposals will be announced in January. Poster and oral presentations are open to graduate students at all stages of research.
OR
     • Compete in the 3MT® (Three Minute Thesis) contest — Registration is now open The contest eligibility has been expanded to include current graduate students who have made substantial progress (final stages of research) in a master's by thesis, a master's by research project, or a PhD program
as well as graduate students who have successfully defended their thesis, but have not yet graduated are eligible.To find out more about the 3MT contest (Eligibility and Rules, Confidentiality and Intellectual Property Guidelines, Judging Criteria, Important Dates) and to register for the contest before the Friday, Jan. 24 deadline, go to the 3MT website                  

• NEW — National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) Graduate Experience Survey: Graduate students with disabilities are invited to participate in an online survey examining the experiences of, and barriers faced by, graduate students with disabilities across Canada.  For the survey  click here 
Deadline: Friday, Feb. 1, 2014

Happy Holidays                                                             
The Faculty of Graduate Studies wishes everyone a happy and safe holiday season. The FGS will be closed as of 12 noon on Tuesday, Dec. 24 and re-opening for regular business hours on Thursday, Jan. 2.                               

• Bullying survey: Graduate students at Brock and across Ontario are being asked to complete an online survey, Not in the Syllabus, to identify and describe incidents related to bullying, harassment and mental health issues that they have either personally experienced or witnessed. The information will be compiled into a provincial report and used to develop workshops that will be delivered to graduate students across the province.
Fill out survey

• NEXT ISSUE: Thursday, January 16, 2014

Scholarships/Awards/Grants

• NEW — Dr. Karl C. Ivarson Scholarship: Each year, the Agricultural Institute of Canada Foundation provides financial support through this scholarship to a student(s) entering second or subsequent year of graduate studies in soil science (in areas of agriculture, environment, geology, agro-ecology or other related disciplines) at a Canadian university. Candidates must hold Canadian Citizenship or Permanent Residence status in Canada and be enrolled in their graduate program for at least one semester beyond the application deadline. Two scholarships of $5,000 each will be offered in 2014.
Application deadline: Friday, Jan. 17, 2014
More details and application form are found online.                                                        

 • NEW — Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Scholarships: GFOA serves government finance professionals throughout Canada and the United States and offers the following scholarship programs. Applications and additional information are available under "Student Opportunities".

Winners of all awards will be invited to attend the GFOA (U.S. and Canada) annual conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 18 to 21, 2014                                                                        
Deadline for all awards: Feb. 21, 2014 (Awards will be announced April 2,2014)
     The 2014 Daniel B. Goldberg  Scholarship of $11,000 is available to a full-time graduate student who is pursuing an advanced degree preparing for a career in state or local government finance. The scholarship is funded by the Girard Miller Foundation.
     The 2014 Frank L. Greathouse Government Accounting Scholarship of $6,000 (each award) is available to two undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in full-time study preparing for a career in state and local government finance.
     The Government Finance Professional Development Scholarship of $6,000 (each award) is available to four students enrolled in part-time graduate study who are employees of state or local government and are preparing to continue their career in state or local government finance.
     The Minorities in Government Finance Scholarship of $6,000 is available in 2014 to upper-division an undergraduate or graduate student of public administration (government) accounting, finance, political science, economics or business administration (with a specific focus on government or non-profit management).                                                             

 • NEW — London Goodenough Association of Canada (LGAC) Scholarship Program: The LGAC awards scholarships to Canadian students pursuing graduate studies in London, England. The scholarships are tenable at Goodenough College, the pre-eminent residential college for international graduate students in London, and take the form of a grant towards accommodation costs. For 2014-15, the LGAC plans to award six or more Scholarships, valued at £4,800 each (about $C7,800). Candidates will be notified of the results of their applications in late April 2014
DEADLINE: Monday, Jan. 27, 2014
See more details on the LGAC website.                                                                

• W.L. Mackenzie King Memorial Scholarship:  Two classes of Mackenzie King Scholarship are available to graduates of Canadian universities:
     The Open Scholarship is available to graduates of Canadian universities who pursue graduate study in any discipline, in Canada or elsewhere.  One Open Scholarship is awarded each year.
     The Travelling Scholarship is available to graduates of Canadian universities who pursue graduate study in the United States or the United Kingdom in the areas of international relations or industrial relations. More information and application forms are available online.
Deadline: Please submit your application directly to the Faculty of Graduate Studies by January 31, 2014.                                                                                                                   

• The Henry Mandelbaum Graduate Fellowship: Established in 2011 by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations to honour their retired Executive Director, the fellowship is awarded to a full-time graduate student at a publicly assisted Ontario University who has demonstrated academic excellence, shows exceptional academic promise, and has provided significant community service in his/her university career. Financial needs of students may be a selection factor. The successful candidate will be expected to produce and deliver a paper within one year of receiving the award to the OCUFA Board on a topic related to or resulting from his/her thesis or dissertation research.
Deadline: April 4, 2014
Guidelines and Nomination Form are available online

• OFAH Research Grants:
St. Catharines Game and Fish Association Fish & Wildlife Research Grant - $2,000
OFAH/Dave Ankney, Sandi Johnson Award for Avian Ecology - $2,000
OFAH/Oakville and District Rod & Gun Club Conservation Research Grant - $2,000
OFAH/Toronto Sportsmen's Show Fisheries Research Grant - $2,000
OFAH/ Zone G Wildlife Research Grant - $2,000
Applications accepted from graduate students at Ontario Universities until the first Friday
in January: Friday, January 3, 2014
For information and applications

• 2014 Sangster Award: The Canadian National Committee for CODATA (CNC/CODATA) is accepting
applications for The Sangster Award. This award, valued at Can. $3000, will enable a graduate student enrolled in a Canadian University, or a graduate who has completed his or her graduate degree within three years of the application deadline, to attend and present their work at the 24th International CODATA Conference (jointly organized with World Data System), SCIDataCon 2014,
"Data Challenges for Global Sustainability /Future Earth", November 2 to 5, 2014, in New Delhi, India.
Deadline for Applications: March 31, 2014
For application guidelines and award details
For Conference details: and follow the posted links***

• Brock Library Open Access Publishing Fund: Open to Brock faculty, graduate students and postdocs. The purpose of this grant is to assist researchers in disseminating their research broadly via an Open Access (OA) journal. A minimum of four awards will be granted, to a maximum of $2,500 each [Total funds = $10,000]. This Grant is intended to support researchers with limited or no funding. If an alternate funding source is available that permits payment of submission fees (e.g. a research grant), that source must be used before applying to the OA Publishing Fund.
For more information contact: Barbara McDonald, Ext. 3949

•International Funding Opportunities: Go to the Brock International website for details

Other Opportunities

• NEW — GSA Vice-President Student Affairs: This position is only four months (January-April) and requires the student to be available for GSA Council meetings and Executive meetings. You must be a current registered graduate student for the Winter 2014 Term. Applications will be accepted until
Friday, Dec. 20 at 4 p.m. Find out more online.

• NEW — "All I Needed to Know to Survive Grad School" Essay Project: Chris Golde and Bridget Whearty (of Stanford University) invite graduate students to contribute to their book project. They are seeking a diverse group of students and recent alums to contribute essays describing how their past experiences helped them to develop the knowledge, skills, and habits of mind that led to their survival — and success — in grad school. More information about this book project  

• Wildlife Preservation Canada: Canada's New Noah — The full scholarship includes travel, living and training expenses to enable the New Noah to participate in the Durrell Post-Graduate Diploma in Endangered Species Recovery designed to provide you with the field experience and species and human resource management skills you need to be able to run wildlife conservation projects. Based exclusively on the island of Mauritius (Indian Ocean) this course consists of four weeks of intensive theory and more than 12 weeks of practical experience, based within 'live' species and habitat recovery teams working to save species around Mauritius and its offshore islands.
Session running April 1, 2014 to September 30, 2014
Application deadline: December 31, 2013

• SSHRC launches The Storytellers contest: In the form of a three-minute pitch via podcast, op-ed, video, or infographic, Brock students are invited to submit their best pitch as part of a contest to promote SSHRC-funded research projects. The top 25 finalists will receive registration and accommodation at SSHRC's Congress 2014 conference being held at Brock in May, at which they will promote their project and participate in a research communications workshop. Five jury-chosen presenters will then be covered by national media, promoted by SSHRC, and showcased as part of the 2014 SSHRC Impact Awards ceremony.
Deadline for submissions: January 15, 2014

Academic and Professional Development

Academic and professional development program for graduate students provided in partnership with nine campus units.

• Extended Deadline: Tuesday, January 7: Blueprint for Graduate Students — The Graduate Students' Association (GSA) and Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) have partnered with the Blueprint program to offer graduate students with an opportunity to grow and launch their innovative business ideas. Graduate students* from ALL faculties are encouraged apply.
Much more than a business competition, Blueprint is a program that provides students with business advice, mentorship and startup funding and services. The estimated combined value of the services and prizes available are up to $30,000**. To submit your business idea and to take advantage of the great opportunities offered through the program, students can simply visit the Blueprint website 
and follow the application instructions.
*Recent alumni (no more than two years since graduation) are eligible. Team applicants are encouraged but at least 50 per cent of the team members must be Brock University students,
 or recent alumni.
**Not a lump sum, prize winners may be awarded different amounts of money and services as decided by the Blueprint advisory committee.

• NEW — Research On Tap (ROT):  Supporting the Flow of Ideas into Action!                   Wednesday, January 29, 4:30 p.m. to 6 ish  @Alphie's Trough
Space is limited : registration required)
January's ROT will feature BREAD X presentations by Research Matters student ambassadors: Jory Korobanik and Julia Polyck-O'Neill. The BREAD  X event, is Brock's equivalent of a TED X, and designed for graduate students to speak to the passion and inspiration behind their research. Both students will speak on topics that draw on the  'Five most beautiful' aspects within their disciplinary interests.

• NEW  — Would you like to speak at February's ROT BREAD X event?
Look for the 'CALL for Presenters' in early January.  Of course, the theme for February is passion. Whether you are a chemist explaining the biochemical pathways between love and chocolate, a play theorist, linguist or an accountant, craft your compelling story in the 20-minute format, and step up. Check back here for more details.

• Promote your workshops to graduate students with us: If you are hosting a workshop or event related to graduate student professional development that may interest graduate students from within or outside of your faculty, please send us notice to have your event posted on our calendar. OR, submit the event directly, by simply uploading the details into the online form.
The number of participants can be monitored and capped through our online registry. Specific learning outcomes and the competencies that align with your workshop or information session can also be tracked.

• REMINDER — Call for Visual art-works (of all kinds): Are you a graduate student and visual artist looking to express your creative talents? In your investigation of life, do you have images that capture your research interests? The Academic + Professional Development partners are looking for visual art works that convey the concepts of curiosity, intrigue and innovation; or simply reflect the graduate student experience.

• CALENDAR OF EVENTS — Please continue to visit our website for updates on academic and
professional skills training workshops and events.
Contact: Karin Perry
Program Coordinator
Academic + Professional Development X 6129, or gradplus@brocku.ca

Conferences

• Fifth International Conference On New Horizons in Education INTE 2014, Paris, France, June 25 to 27, 2014: The conference provides a multinational platform where the latest trends in education can be presented and discussed in a friendly environment with the aim to learn from each other. Prospective presenters are encouraged to submit proposals for papers and posters/demonstrations that offer new research or theoretical contributions.
Abstract Deadline: June 13, 2014
Full Article Deadline: June 16, 2014
Registration Fee Deadline: June 16, 2014
More Information

• Call for papers International Teaching Education Conference (ITEC): The conference will be held February 5 to 7, 2014, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The main goal of International Teacher Education Conference is to provide a multinational platform where the latest trends in education can be presented and discussed in a friendly environment with the aim to learn from each other.
Deadlines:
Proposal & Abstract Submission Deadline: January 24, 2014
Full Paper Submission: January 26, 2014
Registration: January 24, 2014

Upcoming Thesis Defences

All are welcome to attend but seating is limited.

• NEW — Kathryn Humphries, MA student in Applied Health Sciences (Community Health), will defend her thesis on Friday, Dec. 13,10 a.m. to 1 p.m., in South Block (STH) 361.                                 
Title: "Becoming Peer Health Leaders: A mixed-methods evaluation of a youth leadership camp preparing peer leaders for participation in a health promotion initiative"

 • NEW — Connie Stowe, MA student in Child and Youth Studies, will defend her thesis on Monday, Dec. 16, 1:30 p.m., in Welch Hall (WH)147.

Title: "A Masters Student's Journey: Trying to balance two eyes of research"

• Ted Temertzoglou, MA student in Applied Health Sciences (Health and Physical Education), will defend his thesis on Monday, Dec. 16, 2:30 to 5:30 p.m., Walker Complex 203.
Title: "Teacher-Student Rapport: Investigating its impact on the dropout rate in physical and health
education"

• NEW — Carrie Schachtschneider, MSc student in Applied Health Sciences (Health Science), will defend her thesis on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 9 a.m. to 12 noon, in South Block 361.
Title: "The association between hiring practice sequence and biophysical components during screening for probationary firefighters"

• NEW — Michelle Garofalo, MA student in Child and Youth Studies, will defend her thesis on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 3 p.m., Plaza 600F.

Title: "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Critical media literacy and Disney female characters"

• NEW — Olena Volik, MSc student in Earth Sciences, will defend her thesis on Thursday, Dec. 19, 1 p.m., MC D319.
Title: "Non-pollen palynomorphs and thecamoebians as proxies of environmental and anthropogenic change: a case study from Lake Simcoe, Ontario Canada"

• NEW — Lynn DeCaro, MA student in Social Justice and Equity Studies, will defend her thesis on Monday, Jan. 13, 2014, from 1 to 3 p.m., Welch Hall (WH) 147.
Title: "Youth, Global Citizenship and Help: A critical rhetorical analysis of Free the Children"

• NEW — Snezana Ratkovic, PhD student in Educational Studies, will present her thesis defence on Monday, Jan. 13, 2014, 2 p.m., in Welch Hall (WH) 147. 
Title: "Teachers Without Borders:  Exploring experiences, transitions, and identities of refugee women teachers from Yugoslavia"

 Please check department program websites to confirm dates, times and locations in the event of changes to the information.

News & Events

• NEW — What’s opened and closed during the holidays                                                           

• NEW — Faculty of Mathematics and Science honours renowned Arctic freshwater scientist

• NEW — Goodman School is the first in Ontario to get CPA accreditation at the Master’s level

• NEW — Is a PhD a waste of time (Margin Notes, University Affairs, Dec. 2013)

• NEW — From PhD to Life: Transition Q and A  (University Affairs, Dec. 2013)

• NEW — Joint initiative will support graduate student training and business innovation in Canada

• Grad students encouraged to take bullying survey

• NEW — GSA Toy and Food Drive: Please join us in helping local families in need for the Holidays!  Drop off donations of new, unwrapped toys and non-perishable food at the GSA Office (MC C302) before December 13, 2013.  Also accepted is clothing (new) and personal hygiene products. In exchange, you will receive your choice of GSA promo item (eg mug, t-shirt, bag).  Donations go to our local Community Care.

• NEW — Niagara Social Justice Forum, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Pond Inlet. The Forum offers a full day of workshops and panels on social justice issues, an information fair, and an early evening film screening of They Were Promised the Sea, a documentary by Kathy Wazawa, from 5 to 7 p.m., Academic South 215.   This public event includes free parking, childcare and lunch with registration.  
For details see the Forum website *** LINK TO WORD PRESS SITE ***

• NEW —E-book Published — Surviving Your Graduate School Adviser
Regular readers of the Chronicle of Higher Education are familiar with a monthly column, “The Graduate Adviser,” written by Professor Leonard Cassuto of Fordham University. Cassuto has edited and compiled a collection of essays from advisers and career counselors about the adviser-student
relationship in a new E-book, Surviving Your Graduate School Adviser. It’s available through the Chronicle Store


The Faculty of Graduate Studies e-Bulletin is distributed every two to four weeks. Past issues are posted online.