Join the College of Arts and Sciences Saturday, October 17 for a Saturday symposium program offering historical and contemporary perspectives on the important and timely issue of anti-Black racism.
Speakers:
- Emerald Christopher-Byrd, Women and Gender Studies, “Jane Crow & Misogynoir: When Racism meets Sexism in the Lives of Black Women”
- This talk explores the impact on Black women’s lived experiences when faced with a legal system that upholds racial bias, particularly as it pertains to Black women, in conjunction with the misogyny they experience within their communities.
- Kathryn Benjamin Golden, Africana Studies, “Emancipatory Legacies of Marronage in an Anti-Black World”
- Histories of Black people’s bold action and autonomous self-advocacy permeate every period in American history. The period of enslavement is no exception. In fact, perhaps some of the fiercestforms of resistance have taken place during the most overtly violent eras against Black people. The history of marronage in this country and beyond is a legacy of the indomitable spirit of enslaved people that provides a number of emancipatory lessons for navigating an
- d opposing perpetually anti-Black societies.
- Alison Parker, History, “Black Women & Gendered Violence at the Turn of the Twentieth Century”
- Parker will discuss the activism of Mary Church Terrell and other African American women reformers who challenged negative characterizations of Black women as “impure” and outside the boundaries of protection from sexual assault by white men. Black clubwomen also advocated for young girls and women who found themselves subjected to inordinate punishment, including the death penalty, for defending themselves from white men’s violence.
Moderator: Monet Lewis-Timmons, Ph.D. student, English
The program provides ample opportunity for questions and answers with the panel after the presentations.
Register here.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is offering an applicant webinar for the 2021 competition. The webinar provides an overview of the GRFP program, eligibility requirements and the application process. The webinar will be held October 8, 2020. Interested applicants should register via the links at: www.nsfgrfp.org/outreach/calendar.
We also welcome any faculty member who would like to help out as a GRFP reviewer. You can register at www.nsfgrfp.org/reviewer_system.
Finally, you may be interested to know that there are many resources available to help you in preparing a strong application package at www.nsfgrfp.org.
The Black Biomechanists Association looks to connect and collaborate with scientific organizations to provide some much-needed support for our Black colleagues across the vast disciplines within the biomechanics community.
We look to provide a supportive environment to discuss the challenges, needs and interests of Black biomechanists. Additionally, the Black Biomechanists Association provides resources that encourage visibility, increase engagement and empower Black biomechanists. (Read more)
Teaching online together and SPOT-ON course design for winter and spring 2021
The Center for Teaching and Assessment of Learning (CTAL), in partnership with the Library, Museums and Press and UD Online, offers two options to support instructors designing or redesigning courses for winter 2021 or spring 2021. Teaching Online Together (TOT) is designed for those instructors, including graduate students, who are teaching winter 2021 accelerated courses; SPOT-ON is open to all. (Read more)
Research and life
Article by Diane Stopyra, Photo by Evan Krape
On N’Dea Irvin-Choy’s first day doing research on her own as a graduate student, she set the laboratory on fire. She had intended to heat samples overnight in a water bath but, after she left for the evening, the water evaporated. Her test tubes melted and their contents sparked. Another student, working late, discovered the blaze and called the fire department. Local news outlets picked up the story.
“It was awful,” said Ivin-Choy, a doctoral student in biomedical engineering at the University of Delaware. “My adviser was completely upset, the fume hood was out of commission for weeks, and it was a huge ordeal. I was so embarrassed that I banned myself from the lab for a couple of weeks. I didn’t want to touch anything or blow anything else up.”
Somehow, Irvin-Choy lived through her humiliation and, three years later, the incident was all but forgotten on campus — less cautionary tale, more urban legend. You might think the scientist-in-training would be grateful for such a spotlight reprieve. Instead, last July, Irvin-Choy dredged up her own mortification by writing about this and subsequent lab faux pas on her blog, BME Kween. (The first part of that title stands for biomedical engineering. The second part is an homage to R&B sensation Beyonce, affectionately known by fans as Queen Bey.) On this forum, Irvin-Choy seeks to take the guesswork out of the graduate school journey for aspiring scientists, particularly those within communities that lack resources and representation. (more…)
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UD Updates
COVID-19 testing canceled on Sept. 30 – tests may now be scheduled the week of Oct. 5
UD financial outlook: meeting the challenges ahead
Fall 2020 update for Sept. 30
Advancing toward greater social justice: a message to the UD community from President Dennis Assanis
Upcoming Events
October 6, 2020 | noon-1 p.m. – Bridging to Industry; the Who, What, When and Where
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 7, 2020 | 4-6 p.m. – Offshore Wind Energy Virtual Career Day
Calling all aspiring marine scientists, engineers, and policy makers! Come join experts in offshore wind energy in this virtual career day to learn about emerging careers opportunities and the current status of this growing industry.
October 8, 2020 | noon-1 p.m. – Climbing My Career Ladder
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 10, 2020 | 10-11:30 a.m. – Resiliency in Personal and Professional Setbacks
Bouncing back from a difficult experience is something we all need to do at some point in our lives. In this webinar you will learn techniques and tips to help cope and adapt in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy or significant sources of stress.
October 13, 2020 | 2-4 p.m. – Exploring our Self-Talk: Cognitive Distortions and Imposter Fears
We tell ourselves stories about what is happening to us and around us. In this webinar we will explore how our self-talk is generated and look at ways our self-talk can either help us be more resilient or how it can hurt us and hold us back. We will look at two important elements of our self-talk, cognitive distortions and imposter fears, and explore ways to recognize internal messages and input from others that distort our views of our abilities and accomplishments.
October 14, 2020 | noon-1 p.m. – My Journey to Operations/Project Management at J&J
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 14, 2020 | 2-3 p.m. – Career Spotlight – From Doctor (PhD) to Diplomat
Victoria Sanchez graduated from the University of Delaware in 2017 with a doctorate in political science and international relations. Currently, Sanchez is a foreign affairs officer at the U.S. Department of State working on nuclear weapons policy, strategic security issues and arms control. Previously a postdoctoral graduate fellow through the National Nuclear Security Administration, she served as a nonproliferation analyst at the Pentagon and worked as a nuclear energy and nonproliferation analyst for multinational corporations and foreign governments at an international consulting firm in Washington, D.C. Sanchez holds a B.A. and an M.A. in international affairs from the University of Georgia. Her interdisciplinary doctoral research focused on comparative policy change following nuclear accidents.
October 16, 2020 | 3 p.m. – People Dynamics: Mental Well-Being Session
The Mental Health Committee (MHC) of the Graduate Student Government is hosting several “mental well-being” Zoom sessions for graduate students in fall 2020. These sessions are designed by and for graduate students. The pandemic has increased mental and emotional stressors that have added to the stress we already feel as graduate students. In this light, we want to create a “safer space” where we can come together and create community to support each other.
October 17, 2020 | 2-3:30 p.m. – Historical Perspectives on Racism: Anti-Black Racism Past, Present & Future
Join the College of Arts and Sciences for a Saturday Symposium program offering historical and contemporary perspectives on the important and timely issue of anti-Black racism.
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 | 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 discusses 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.
Community News
State of Delaware Phase 2 reopening guidelines
Delaware governor announces delay in Phase 3 of economic reopening
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UD nursing students help with campus testing
Delaware releases new contact tracing app to help control virus’s spread
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