Highlights for this issue

• REGISTER TODAY — FGS/CPI grad courses: The Faculty of Graduate Studies and the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation (CPI) will offer two non-credit graduate level courses through the fall and winter terms:
The Theory and Practice of Service-Learning (GRST 5N02)
Instructor: Professor Gail Lynn Cook
Commences: Tuesday, Sept. 9, 9:30 a.m. to noon, TH253 e-classroom (classes continue every second week)
The Theory and Practice of University Teaching (GRST 5N01)
Instructors: Jill Grose and Lianne Fisher, CPI
Commences: Tuesday Sept 16, 2 to 4:30 p.m., TH253 e-classroom (classes continue every second week)
Registration opens July 7
See more information go to  FGS/CPI information 

• NEW — Unique part-time job opportunities with Brock's Career Services: Career Services is currently looking for Graduate Career Assistants to join their team. The position is open to full-time graduate students who have completed at least one year of graduate studies at Brock University. In this position, you will work closely with Brock students to assist them with their career planning and job search needs; provide constructive feedback on job search documents such as resumes, CVs, cover letters and portfolios, and take the lead on developing resources and workshops for graduate level students. If you enjoy working in a team environment and have a genuine interest in supporting the career development needs of the Brock community, this may be the opportunity for you! Information and Deadline: For more information and to apply, please send a resume and cover letter by email to Kara Renaud, Resource Coordinator and Faculty Liaison (krenaud@brocku.ca) by 4 p.m. on Friday, July 25. Applicants must be available for one week of training from August 25 to 29. 
 

• NEW — 2014-2015 Vanier CGS competition has been launched: The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS) program attracts and retains world-class doctoral students and helps establish Canada as a global centre of excellence in research and higher learning. Vanier Scholars receive funding of $50,000 per year for three years (non-renewable). More details about Brock's internal application process and deadline will be available soon.
 

• NEW — Fulbright Canada awards competition now open: Canada-U.S. Fulbright Program operates on the principle of reciprocal exchange and provides the opportunity for outstanding Canadian students to study and/or conduct research in the United States. Award recipients include Canadian citizens who are graduate students, prospective graduate students, or junior professionals. Graduate students can apply to the following:
          Traditional Fulbright Student Award: US$15,000 for one nine-month academic year. These all-discipline awards can be taken up at any college, university, think tank, or government agency in the United States.
          Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program: $400 to $600 stipend per month (commensurate with average cost of living in host city), room and board, visa services, health insurance, and a bursary to complete two courses per semester. The award is for Canadian Francophone students and teachers, aged 21 to 29, who want to teach and study in the United States.
Awards Deadline: Saturday, Nov. 15
(The competition is for awards taken up for one nine-month academic year starting September 2015)
See more details on the Fulbright website
 

• The Policy on Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities: The policy was recently passed by Senate and is posted online as part of the 2014-15 Graduate Calendar. This document outlines fundamental or core graduate student rights and responsibilities. The intent of the document is to increase awareness and understanding, and to encourage dialogue among graduate students, faculty, staff and administrators in order to promote a collegial, respectful and academically sound relationship.
For more information please visit

• Brock 3MT Contest: Watch the videos from the contest held as part of the 2014 Mapping the New Knowledges Graduate Student Research Conference.
For more information please visit

• REMINDER — Schedule for e-Bulletin
The e-bulletin will reduce its distribution schedule from May to August with issues planned for July 24 and August 28.
The distribution cycle of every second week will resume in September.

• NEXT ISSUE: Thursday, August 28, 2014

Scholarships/Awards/Grants

•  Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships: The 2014-2015 Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships competition has been launched. These Fellowships provide $70,000 per year for two years for outstanding postdoctoral fellows. Banting requires that all institutions review all applications to ensure that only the highest caliber of candidates are put forward.  Interested applicants and their supervisors must submit the applicant's CV and a 2-3 page document outlining the proposed research project and the institutional environment at Brock in support of the candidate by July 21, 2014.  For additional information on the program and internal procedures, visit the ORS website or contact Carolyn Paterson (cpaterson2@brocku.ca, ext. 4291).
Internal deadline: July 21; Agency deadline: September 25.
 

• SSHRC 2014 Impact Awards: The competition includes the Talent Award ($50,000) to recognize outstanding achievement by an individual who, at the nomination deadline, holds a SSHRC doctoral or postdoctoral fellowship or scholarship (including, but not limited to, a Canada Graduate Scholarship, Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship or Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship). Find out more about the SSHRC Impact Awards.
If you are interested in nominating someone or being nominated for one of these awards, please contact Carolyn Paterson, Office of Research Services, at cpaterson2@brocku.ca or ext. 4291.
 

• 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

Other Opportunities

• The Graduate Students' Association announces the following:

          • Subscribe to GSA news update: Brock graduate students can stay tuned with what's happening around the campus by going to the GSA webpage and entering their Brock email address and student ID to subscribe to GSA emails .

          • GSA Bursary and Conference Funding Applications: The deadline for applications for the Summer 2014 GSA Bursary and Conference Funding Assistance Awards, is Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 4 p.m.   You can view the requirements and application forms online.
If office is closed, you can put your application under the office door.

          • Save the date: GSA Baseball Tournament and Marble Slab Sundae Bar, Thursday, Aug. 21 — more details to follow — check website and GSA Facebook page.

• Publishing Springer Science Review: The Springer Science Review invites submissions of thesis literature reviews from PhD students in the research area of biomedical sciences, earth sciences, geography, energy, environmental sciences and life sciences. More information is available on the Springer Review website

Academic and Professional Development

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

•  NEW: Calling all Writers! We are recruiting graduate level students (Masters/PhD) for positions as Volunteer Bloggers (2 from each faculty). Contributing creative & stimulating content, bloggers will have some editorial range yet provide a voice for the graduate student experience. Writers must submit sample of writing. Applicants must also demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the value and importance of academic and professional development. Application deadline: August 15th, 2014. For more details, please contact kperry@brocku.ca

• NEW: FREE WEBINAR, Thursday, July 17th, 3:00 pm. Designing Your Online Presence to Promote Your Academic Persona. Increasingly, PhD students and junior scholars are creating an online presence to promote themselves and their work. Academics are also crafting an online presence in their transition to a career outside of academia or a different academic path within the university. There are many platforms to choose from. Learn how to evaluate which ones to use, given the variety of options. This webinar will introduce you to the most popular platforms and tools. To register, visit here 

NEW:  EURAXESS Science Slam is an opportunity for non-European researchers wishing to collaborate and/or pursue a research career in Europe.  Get creative and develop an original idea to present your research to the world.  Old-school presentation, tap dancing, singing, live experiment – everything is allowed. Make a 6 min. video presentation on your phone or digital camera, post to Facebook on LinkedIn in the EURAXESS Links, upload to YouTube or DropBox and send link to: northamerica@euraxess.net  
or visit:  scienceslamnorthamerica.euraxess.org 

SUBMISSION deadline:  August 10th, 2014
 

Please continue to visit our website, as new Fall programs and workshops will be posted throughout the summer.
 

• 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.

Conferences

• Call for Papers, International Science, Technology and Engineering Conference (ISTEC), December 18 to 20, 2014, Sakarya University, Doha, Qatar: ISTEC aims to provide a multinational platform where the latest trends in science and technology can be presented and discussed in a friendly environment with the aim to learn from each other.
Deadlines:
Abstract: Until December 5, 2014
Final Registration: Until December 6, 2014
Full Article: Until December 13, 2014
Registration Fee: Until December 14, 2014
For more details

• Call for Papers, International Distance Education Conference (IDEC), December 18 to 20, 2014, Sakarya University, Doha, Qatar: IDEC aims to provide a multinational platform where the latest trends in distance education can be presented and discussed in a friendly environment with the aim to learn from each other.
Deadlines:
Abstract: Until December 5, 2014
Final Registration: Until December 6, 2014
Full Article: Until December 15, 2014
For more details

Upcoming Thesis Defences

All are welcome to attend but seating is limited.
 

• Kelly Rizzo, PhD student in Educational Studies, will present her thesis defence on Friday, July 25,10 a.m., in WH 147 (Welch Hall). Title: "A mixed-method study of educator knowledge and practice related to student socio-moral development"

 • NEW — James Hughes, MSc student in Computer Science, will defend his thesis on Monday, July 28, at 9:30, in MCH313.
Title: "A study of ordered gene problems featuring DNA error correction and DNA fragment assembly with a variety of heuristics, genetic algorithm variations, and dynamic representations"
 

• Stewart Rose, MA student in Applied Health Sciences (Sport Management), will defend his thesis on Tuesday, July 29, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., in South Block 361.
Title: "Best practices of a sport-for-development: A case study of an African organization"

• NEW — Mehran Maghoumi, MSc student in Computer Science, will defend his thesis on Tuesday, July 29, at 1 p.m., in MCH313.
Title: "Real-time automatic object classification and tracking using genetic programming and NVIDIA ® CUDATM" 
 

• Samantha Micsinszki, MA student in Applied Health Sciences (Community Health), will defend her thesis on Thursday, July 30, 1 to 4 p.m., South Block 361.
Title: "The lived experience of mothering a child with autism: a hermeneutic phenomenologic understanding"
 

• Antje Thamm, PhD student in Biological Sciences, will present her thesis defence on Wednesday, July 30, 1 p.m., in CRN 207. 
Title: "Identification and characterization of a Catharanthus roseus mutant altered in monoterpenoid indole alkaloid biosynthesis"
 

• Roya Mirabdolbaghi, PhD student in Chemistry, will present her thesis defence on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 1 p.m., in PL 600F. 
Title: "A DFT guided/experimental approach to asymmetric allylation and phase-transfer catalysis"
 

• Kiera Newman, MSc student in Biological Sciences, will present her thesis defence on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 1 p.m., MC H313.
Title: "Feeding and oviposition preferences of the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) on six Brassicaceae host plant species"

• NEW — Victoria Della Cioppa, MA student in Child and Youth Studies, will defend her thesis on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 1 to 3 p.m.
Title: "Priming prosocial behavior to augment bystander interventions in bullying situations" 
 

• Katia Ciampa, PhD student in Educational Studies, will present her thesis defence on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 10 a.m., WH 147 (Welch Hall). 
Title: "Mobile Books:  Effect of engagement on students' motivation and cognitive strategy use"

• NEW — Royette Tavernier, PhD student in Psychology, will present her thesis defence on Monday, Aug. 25, 2 p.m., WH 147. 
Title: “A longitudinal examination of bidirectional associations between subjective sleep characteristics and psychosocial functioning among university students” 
 

• NEW — Taysa-Rhea Mise, MA student in Psychology, will defend thesis on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 10 a.m. to 12 noon, WH 147.
Title: “Two levels of Motivation and Two Types of Well-Being: Relations between general and goal-specific motivations, and Eudaimonic and Hedonic well-being” 
 

• Rebecca Zak, PhD student in Educational Studies, will present her thesis defence on Thursday, Aug. 28, at 2 p.m. in WH 147 (Welch Hall). 
Title: "Raising Creativity:  Exploring how creativity can be nurtured in educational contexts"

• NEW — Lindsey Short, PhD student in Psychology, will present her thesis defence on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2 p.m., WH 147. 
Title: “The role of experience in the organization and refinement of face space”  
 

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

News & Events

• NEW — Andra Lenius 3MT® profile

• NEW — Brock launches UNESCO chair in Community Sustainability

• NEW — Brock researches pest killing fungus (St. Catharines Standard — June 28, 2014)

• NEW — NSERC announces research grants for the next five years 

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