Students Discuss BEST Program in Podcast

Six graduate students were recently given the opportunity to speak about their experiences with Cornell’s Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) program in episode 30 of “When Science Speaks”, a podcast series created and hosted by Mark Bayer ’92 of Bayer Strategic Consulting.

The episode, titled “Why Cornell’s Student-Led BEST Program is so Successful”, explored the ways in which BEST prepares participants for careers outside academia through experiential and skill-building programs. Having begun as an NIH-funded career exploration program for doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars in the biomedical and STEM fields, Cornell’s BEST program has recently become part of the Graduate School and expanded to include participants from arts, humanities, and social science disciplines as well.

Read the full BEST program story

Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum

By Janani Hariharan, Cornell doctoral student

I walked up to the professor, heart pounding. “Could we talk about the group discussions?” I asked hesitantly. Much of my grade for the course, a prerequisite for my master’s degree, depended on my performance in those discussions. But I had a hard time speaking up, and when I did, everyone–including the instructor–seemed to disagree with me. I wanted to do better, but I didn’t know how. I had arrived in the United States from India just a few months earlier, and I did not know what was expected of me or how the academic system operated. I was confused and desperate for help.

“You’re too nice!” the professor said. “You’re very quick to agree with everyone, and you never stand up for yourself.” I was taken aback. Was I allowed to disagree with a professor? All my previous training had taught me otherwise. Clearly there was a whole set of rules I didn’t know. I wondered whether I ever would.

Read the full Science story

If this speaks to your experience, please make sure that you, too, reach out for help. To help you discover the many different resources and communities that you can get connected with, please check out our listing of resources commonly used by our graduate and professional students. If you would like to talk with someone at Cornell about your experience, please review the Graduate School’s Help and Support webpage.

A&S Honors Grad Students with Teaching Awards

College of Arts & Sciences graduate students were recognized earlier this month at a reception honoring their skills as teaching assistants and mentors to undergraduate students.

“The graduate students being honored received stellar teaching evaluations and strong recommendations from their undergraduates and from faculty,” said Michael Goldstein, associate professor of psychology.  “They created innovative courses in their departments, the Freshman Writing Seminars or the Writing in the Majors program. They were willing to get out from behind the podium and try new methods of instruction.”

Read the full A&S story 

Kudos!

Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology Graduate Student Receives 2019 Mann Award

Jennie Sims, a graduate student studying how cancer cells repair DNA breaks, received the 2019 Harry and Samuel Mann Outstanding Graduate Student Award. Graduate students who have completed their third or fourth year are nominated for the Mann Award by thesis advisors for making substantial progress on their dissertation research, possessing excellent scientific and personal communication skills, and having the ability to present their research to both specialist and non-specialist audiences. Read the full Chronicle story about this year’s recipient.