Debate Watch Party
Join the Graduate College, Graduate Student Government, and Department of Political Science & International Relations for a watch of the final 2020 presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden from 8:30-11 p.m. on Oct. 22. The debate is set to begin at 9 p.m. and last until 10:30 p.m., but for 30 minutes prior to and after the event, Dave Redlawsk, UD Professor and renowned expert in political psychology and voter behavior, will share his insights and answer questions about the debate and presidential election. Although the Graduate College, Graduate Student Government, and Department of Political Science & International Relations are sponsoring the debate watch, attendance is open to the broader UD community. The event will be informative, but casual! We hope you will join.
How to watch the debate and join the discussion:
- Register for the Zoom portions of the event here.
- Join the Zoom meeting at 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 22 for a pre-debate discussion.
- At 9 p.m., we will stream the debate over Zoom. It is also expected to air on a number of channels, including CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and C-SPAN. The debate will run for 90 minutes with no commercial breaks.
- After the debate, we will reconvene over Zoom for a post-debate discussion.
FAQ: Is there a payment plan available for graduate student fees?
There are two payment plans offered by Student Financial Services (SFS) to help make the payment of required semester-based fees more manageable for graduate students.
- If you are a full-time student on contract, you can sign up for payroll deduction. By enrolling in this option, a portion of the overall fee amount will be deducted from your pay with no finance charge over the course of four pay periods.
- If you are a student who is not funded by UD, and as such have no paycheck coming through UD, SFS allows you to opt to pay fall and spring semester charges via UD’s installment payment plan. You can opt into this plan through My Finances. Payments are divided into four monthly installments, however SFS charges a $50 fee upon enrollment in the installment plan, and a $25 late fee is charged for each late installment payment.In addition, the Student Financial Services office works with students on an individual basis as needed when there are extreme situations.
Beyond the Bench Webinar Series
The Beyond the Bench webinar series is designed to bring you a behind-the-scenes look at alternative careers in science. During this webinar, you’ll hear from a Thermo Fisher colleague with academic research experience about their transition into industry, and have a chance to ask questions to discover potential new directions for your career.
Please join us at 1 p.m. on Oct. 22 for our next event. Our speaker is Leticia Montoya, a product development scientist for the cell biology research and development team at Thermo Fisher. A chemical biologist by training, Montoya develops products and solutions for detecting cellular targets and functions. (Read more)
Photo courtesy of Sunday River Resort
University of Delaware mathematics graduate student Jerome Roehm and his wife Olivia, of team Lovebirds, finished with the fastest time of 53.85 seconds in the North American Wife Carrying Championship at Sunday River for the second consecutive year. Team Lovebirds competed against 15 other couples during this year’s event, which was modified for COVID-19 safety protocols. (Read more)
Student Profile
Force of nature
Article by Lauren Bradford, Photos by Kathy F. Atkinson and Courtesy of Covel McDermot
If we would only listen we would hear. The trees are speaking. That’s the philosophy of Covel McDermot, a recent alumnus of the University of Delaware’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources who devotes his research to the study of urban forests.
McDermot recognizes trees as important biomonitors, capable of indicating the health of a city and, by extension, the city’s inhabitants. Plants store many years of functional information that can be used to explain relationships, patterns and environmental changes, especially in urban systems. This knowledge is necessary to better assess the health of green cities around the globe.
In a study recently published in PLOS One, McDermot and a team of researchers — including his former adviser Tara Trammell, UD’s John Bartram Assistant Professor of Urban Forestry — studied red maple, a resilient native tree known to thrive in urban environments. For this research, McDermot examined whether urban red maples acclimate to environmental shifts and whether that response is impacted by the size of the city. (more…)
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UD Updates
UD financial outlook: ensuring transparency
Fall 2020 update for Oct. 14
Upcoming Events
October 20, 2020 | noon-1 p.m. – From Bench to Startup: A Story of a Life Science Entrepreneur
In conjunction with the University of Delaware’s academic partnership with the Accelerate to Industry (A2i) workforce development program for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) trainees at the North Carolina State University Graduate School, UD’s Graduate College presents Industry Job Search Strategies, a 10-part series of live-online, fall workshops.
October 21, 2020 | noon-1 p.m. – Building Skills to Promote Resilience in Graduate School and Beyond (Part 2)
Being a graduate student comes with many challenges, such as juggling academic and personal demands, fear of failure and mentorship relationships. Conducted over two one-hour sessions, this interactive workshop briefly covers the concept of resilience and why it is important for helping students to maintain health and well-being in their daily lives as they pursue their graduate studies. A large portion of the time is devoted to addressing skills and strategies that promote mindfulness, compassion, empathy and connection in order to build resilience. Hands-on opportunities to reflect on and practice these skills are provided to enable application in students’ daily routines.
October 22, 2020 | 10-11 a.m. – Beyond the Bench
The Beyond the Bench webinar series is designed to bring you a behind-the-scenes look at science careers in industry. During this webinar, you’ll hear from a Thermo Fisher colleague with academic research experience about their transition into industry and have a chance to ask questions to discover potential new directions for your career.
October 22, 2020 | noon-1 p.m. – How Grant Reviewers Read
In this webinar, Brandy Simula draws on her experience as a grant and fellowship advisor and reviewer alongside the scholarship on academic evaluations and grant review processes to help participants understand grant reviewers as an audience. The webinar addresses how application packages are read, as well as how reviewers review each component of common application requirements, such as proposal, budget and recommendations. The webinar also provides an overview of common mistakes in grant applications and how to avoid them, and strategies for developing successful applications that will win over grant reviewers.
October 28, 2020 | 12:30-1:30 p.m. – Career Spotlight – Reformulating Models of Professional Success: Pursuing an Alt-Ac Career Path in Research Administration
Kate Slaugh Sanford completed her B.A. in English at King’s College before attending the University of Delaware, where she received her M.A. and doctorate in English with a specialty in 19th-century British literature. Sanford started her professional career in academia as a grant writer at Lincoln University. This experience led her to the field of grant and contract administration, in which she administered external awards from federal, state and private agencies and foundations. After Lincoln, she returned to the University of Delaware to support faculty and staff research and scholarship by overseeing proposal submission, contract and grant negotiation, and post-award administration of sponsored agreements. Sanford currently serves as the operations director for the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL), a national consortium headquartered at the University of Delaware. In this role, she is responsible for strategic planning and activities, compliance with local and federal policies and regulations, and business and contractual management and operations of the institute.
November 10, 2020 | 2-4 p.m. – Emotions and Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace
Emotions can play a critical role in how we communicate, navigate relationships, and manage conflict. In this webinar we will discuss emotional intelligence and emotions and how they influence our resilience as scientists.
November 11, 2020 | 10 a.m.-3 p.m. – Postdocs SCORE
The Albert Einstein College of Medicine is excited to be hosting Postdocs SCORE! (Scientific Career Opportunities for Research at Einstein), a recruitment event for senior graduate students and postdocs from diverse backgrounds to explore postdoctoral training at Einstein. Come visit us (virtually) in New York!
Community News
State of Delaware Phase 2 reopening guidelines
Delaware governor announces delay in Phase 3 of economic reopening
Request or donate a HensNest face mask
Grad Student Resources
Career Center
UD counseling services
UD Student Health Services
E-resources from the Library, Museums and Press to support academic success
CARES Emergency Grant
Return to research
Requesting a coronavirus screening
Postdoc position in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Rochester