Friday, February 25, 2005

11:00-1:00—Registration and Survey Distribution - Metropolitan Foyer

1:00—Welcome

1:30-2:30—Parallel Sessions:

1. First Year Cohort:
   What is Grad School All About: Goals and Survival Skills
   This session will address strategies for surviving and, in fact, thriving in graduate school and developing the necessary knowledge, experiences and skills for a successful career. Topics include skills that are needed and how to get them, setting goals, selecting courses and teachers, and planning for milestones.
   
   
   Speakers:
   Anne Condon, University of British Columbia
   
   Marianne Shaw, University of Washington
   
   
2. Second Year Cohort:
   Persistence Pays Off
   This session will address the challenges faced in graduate school. The discussion will focus on issues and rewards of persisting and particular points in grad school where persistence is needed.
   
   
   Speakers:
   Carla Ellis, Duke University
   
   Wei Le, University of Virginia
   

2:30—Break

3:00-4:00—Parallel Sessions:

1. First Year Cohort:
   All About Research
   The focus of this session is the strategies for getting started and building a solid foundation in the research process. Topics include: choosing a research area, identifying a research adviser, identifying a thesis topic, working in a research team, setting research goals, tracking and maintaining your progress, securing a graduate research position, presenting research orally and ethics in research.
   
   
   Speaker:
   Mary Jean Harrold, Georgia Tech
   


2. Second Year Cohort:
   Ten Ways to Succeed/Fail in Graduate School
   
   
   
   Speakers:
   Kathryn McKinley, University of Texas
   
   Rachel Pottinger, University of British Columbia
   

4:00—Break

4:30-5:30—Parallel Sessions:

1. First Year Cohort:
   Networking & Professional Interaction
   This session addresses the skills that are needed for networking, a very important component of a professional life. The topics include strategies for finding a community, meeting people in the field, promoting your research and yourself, getting invited to serve on important committees, and networking at conferences and workshops.
   
   
   Speaker:
   Jan Cuny, University of Oregon
   


2. Second Year Cohort:
   Mentors and Advisors
   This session will focus on the importance of carefully choosing advisors and mentors, the interaction between student and advisor/mentor, and responsibilities of both student and advisor in making the graduate research experience successful.
   
   
   Speakers:
   Mary Lou Soffa, University of Virginia
   
   Lydia Tapia, Texas A&M University
   

6:30-8:30—Dinner Reception

Saturday, February 26, 2005 

8:00—Continental Breakfast

8:30-9:30—Parallel Sessions:

1. First Year Cohort:
   Academic Career Paths: Research and Teaching
   This session will focus on the different career paths in academia. Topics include the roles of research, teaching and service and how they differ in academic institutions; moving between institutions, what are the expectation in academia and how to you find out the particulars, what are the challenges and rewards; what skills and experiences are needed for success, the different possible career options in academia and how to move among them.
   
   
   Speakers:
   Sheila Castañeda, Clarke College
   
   Lori Pollock, University of Delaware
   



2. Second Year Cohort: Break Out

• Finding a research topic
  This session will focus on strategies for actively identifying a viable research topic for a Ph.D. dissertation.
  
  
  Speaker:
  Kathy Yelick, University of California, Berkeley
  
  
  
• To Continue for a Ph.D. or Not?
  This session will be a discussion of the pros and cons about choices made at this juncture from both an academic and industrial point of view.
  
  
  Speakers:
  Laura Dillon, Michigan State University
  
  Helen Wang, Microsoft
  
  Alma Whitten, Google
  

9:30—Break

10:00-11:00—Parallel Sessions:

1. First Year Cohort:
   Non-Academic Career Paths: Industry & Government Labs
   This session will focus on the different career paths for Master's and PhD computer scientists in industry and government laboratories. Topics will include the research process, environment, and expectations in the different communities, different career paths for a new PhD and a new Master's graduate, the challenges and rewards of a non-academic career, skills and experiences needed for success, becoming aware of new opportunities for advancement, taking initiative in your own career advancement, collaborating with researchers in academia or other organizations, adjunct teaching opportunities, making career changes between labs and academia.
   
   
   Speakers:
   Sung-Eun Choi, Cray Inc.
   
   Kathleen Fisher, AT&T Labs Research
   
   Lalita Jagadeesan, Bell Labs Research/Lucent Technologies
   
   Nuria Oliver, Microsoft
   


2. Second Year Cohort:
   Communication Skills
   This session will focus on the importance of building excellent communication skills. Topics include strategies for high quality oral and poster presentations, as well as writing technical papers and proposals.
   
   
   Speakers:
   Laura Beckwith, Oregon State University
   
   Kathy McCoy, University of Delaware
   

11:00—Break

11:30-12:30—Parallel Sessions:

1. First Year Cohort: Breakout Discussions

• Academic Faculty Researchers
• Nonacademic Researchers

2. Second Year Cohort: Birds of a Feather Sessions

12:30-2:00—Lunch: Breakout by research interest

2:00-3:00—Parallel Sessions:

1. First Year Cohort: Having a Career and Life
   This session will address strategies for maintaining balance and good perspective in your life during graduate school and throughout your career. Topics will include achieving personal satisfaction in your career and family life, time management strategies, decision making strategies when career and family priorities seem to collide, reevaluating your personal and career goals and initiating changes.
   
   
   Speakers:
   Ann Gates, University of Texas, El Paso
   
   Chandra Krintz, University of California, Santa Barbara
   



2. Second Year Cohort: Breakout Sessions

• Ph.D.- Proposal Writing
  Speaker:
  Sandhya Dwarkadas, University of Rochester
  
  
  
• M.S.- Preparing for job search, interview, and negotiations
  
  Speakers:
  Lauren Baptist, Google
  
  Telle Whitney, Anita Borg Institute
  

3:00—Break

3:30-5:00—Problem Solving Session

5:00-5:30—Wrap Up

6:30—Google Reception