Happy Thanksgiving!

It is much needed break after continuous class, assignments, & projects. I know how much everyone is looking forward to it. Have a great time on this Thanksgiving & don't think about work while you are relishing your turkey. Such type of break indeed helps to avoid any burnt-out in grad school , & it is great idea to take mind off from study, research for a while. Have a great time!

On the horizon...

During the Spring semester the Graduate Life Fellows along with the Graduate School plan to host several opportunities to connect with fellow graduate students across disciplines. Let us know if you have any suggestions for programs you'd like to see happen. Be on the look out for events occurring during Graduate Education Week, March 21-27! For more information, contact any one of your GLFs as well as the Graduate School.

Step-by-step approach key to big research!

As a graduate student, I notice how important it is to have a balanced research goal. It used to be the case when I approach a research problem, I try to solve it in its entirety, & then get bogged down with its enormity & waste a lot of time. Now I have learnt that it is important to dissect one big problem into smaller ones, and do step by step. The target should always be decent and acheivable. Gradually, these small successes will contribute it to make a big one & complete the mosaic. Also, it is more convenient to publish results in conference step-wise whenever you have a result. It also helps to get the feedback and improve on anything. Finally, the gradual step entitles you more understanding of the big problem, and according you will target it.

Look for more ways to volunteer this spring semester!

As you plan your classes for Spring semester keep some time open to volunteer with the Graduate School and Graduate Life Fellows. While we are planning many social and professional events, we always make time to give back to the community. 

We are planning another visit to Second Harvest Food Bank. Last time we got our fill of sweet potatoes! It is amazing how many people we can help in one Saturday!

 

Not only is it a great way to boost your resume and good karma, you can also meet other graduate students and make connections. 

So plan to join us next semester! We look forward to seeing everyone out there giving back!

The holiday season is approaching....which means: limited time to finish projects, papers, and prepare for final exams. Sometimes I fall victim to the procrastination bug. Or, right around this time I begin to feel like I am running out of steam. Either way, I'm looking forward to the breaks coming up for some much neede rest and relaxation. How are you managing your time and commitments?

Teaching an undergraduate recitation class!

I have been teaching this recitation class for juniors in ECE Dept. this semester which has been quite an expereince so far. Going to teach in front of a class of about 75 students was intimidating at first, but soon I found that I can teach if I am well prepared for it. In fact, I came to discover that you are as good as you are prepared. An advance preparation of subject matter, an interest in what students want & listening to them and giving them recognition make it easier to handle a class. But I have made my part of mistakes too. Sometimes, things didn't go exactly the way I wanted, & then I told something wrong. The reason, I realized, was still a bit of slack in my part of prepation. I assumed certain things certain way from my old-faded memory without checking it. Good news is that I realize I can teach a class, but the bad news is that it takes so much of my time to get ready for it that I hardly have time for my research. I can only hope that it gets better in balancing both the teaching and research in future. Two things I would like to note here, from my expereince so far, are 1.) You don't understand the material unless you teach 2.) It gives immense satisfaction to answer students' questions.

Any expereince or observation you have to share?

Habitat Fun!

Thank you to everyone that came out to support Habitat for Humanity on the 31st! We had a blast. There were over 12 people there from the Graduate School along with many others from other organizations. Thank you to all of our GPSG participants!

We helped work on two different houses. As you can see some people were painting or putting together a shed in the back yard while some were just goofing around! Really, everyone worked hard and felt good afterward. Now I know how to hang siding!! Never know when that skill may come in handy.
Please check back frequently for future volunteer opportunities. 

H1N1 Flu shot on campus!

The H1N1 flu shot is being offered free for all campus community in SAC today & tomorrow on first come first service untill they ran out of it. It is great idea for graduate students to have it especially for those who are working as TAs & graders and come into contact with a lot of people, or objects. I had my shot today, & I went for the nasal one. The wait time was so short that I was surprised. When you go, you need to bring your student id with you. I highly recommend for everyone! Remember the old adage " The prevention is better than the cure."