Improving Communication
Professional Development Seminar
The course is intended to provide students and postdocs with a forum for discussion of various aspects relevant to their careers here at NYU as their future careers as responsible science professionals. The class is taken by all graduate students and covers topics ranging from ethics in scientific publication to safety to federal grant policies to undergraduate teaching.
Career Training Workshops
Graduate students will have access to seven science communication and teaching workshops on campus:
• Learning to Teach and Communicate Workshop. By focusing on the broader aims and societal implications of their research, this workshop will enable trainees to improve their skills in scientific communication while also enhancing their insights as researchers.
• Science Communication Workshops (offered by the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at NYU). The goal of the NYU Science Communication Workshops is to further improve communication skills of all participants, regardless of previous training in writing and speaking.
• Fundamentals of Teaching Workshop This workshop course is designed to help graduate students and postdocs become better educators and land full-time teaching positions. It uses both large-group lectures and small-group workshops to help participants develop practical skills and knowledge needed to be an effective communicator and educator.
• Confident Communicators of Science Workshop. This eight-day, arts-based instructional workshop, led by actor Susanna Baddiel, explores practical tools scientists can use to understand what an audience needs from them—whether it’s an audience of 1 or of 1,000—so that their message can be heard.
• Time Management Workshop. Students learn the time management steps of deciding, prioritizing, planning, following through, practicing daily, short- and long-term scheduling, managing interruptions, conducting meetings, delegating, and communicating effectively—orally, electronically, and in writing.
• Conflict Management Workshop. Our three-session conflict management workshop can help the student develop more effective conflict management styles, become more collaborative, and know what styles work best in various situations.
• Achieving Excellence in Diversity Workshop. In this course, students learn strategies for fostering diverse perspectives, identifying personal biases, and promoting cross-cultural communication.
Thresis Challenge
The Threesis is a vehicle to showcase the academic excellence and important scholarly work of graduate students. Each participant has three minutes to present a compelling oration on the significance of their research in language appropriate for a non-specialized audience. To learn more about the challenge, please visit The GSAS Threesis Academic Challenge webpage.
Preparation for Future Careers
Recruitment Events
Throughout the year, the Department of Chemistry partners with pharmaceutical companies to host recruitment events for our senior graduate students which includes one-on-one discussions between industrial scientists and students as well as informational sessions about life in industry. The department has hosted events with the following corporations:
Merck
AbbVie Pharmaceuticals
AstraZeneca
Wasserman Center
Graduate students have the opportunity to access the diverse range of career services available through the University's Wasserman Center for Career Development. The Center focuses specifically on the career development needs, goals, and objectives of our PhD and Masters students.
The Chemists Club
The Chemists’ Club works with student chapters to promote the chemical sciences and to prepare students for a broad range of career opportunities. The Club hosts a range of career development events which enable networking opportunities for students to meet professionals in various chemical and biotechnology industries. To learn more about the club, please visit The Chemists Club's website.
RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS
Scientific Training Enhancement Program (STEP)
The Scientific Training Enhancement Program (STEP) assists graduate students with career training through career planning and exploration, developing professional skills and career-specific skills, and job search and career transition. Modules offered by the program include:
Individual Development Plan. The NYU-STEP program begins with a 10-week course, Individual Development Plan (IDP). Modeled after the American Association for the Advancement of Science IDP, the course helps the students explore 20 scientific career paths to best identify their skills and interests.
Career Plan Exploration. This course is intended for graduate students who passed their qualifying exams. Participants will have the opportunity to evaluate their own values and interests as they relate to their professional careers. Students participate in faculty-hosted panel discussions and networking events focused on four career tracks: for-profit industry, nonprofit and government, communications, and academia. Events focused on each career path are hosted at least once a semester. Partnerships with the NYU Consulting Club, the Chemists’ Club, and the NYU Biotech Association, among others, help facilitate networking and community.
Science Library
NYU Libraries provides access to millions of books and e-books, hundreds of thousands of online journals (including ACS, RSC, and Nature titles), and thousands of specialized databases (including SciFinder Scholar, Reaxys, Web of Science, Cambridge Structural Database, and Journal Citation Reports). You can reserve a variety of different kinds of study spaces, for individuals and groups, both at Bobst Library and at Dibner Library (in Brooklyn). You can also request one-on-one consultations to learn more about EndNote/Zotero, research metrics, data management and reproducibility, using NYU’s high performance computing environment, and statistical/geospatial and other modeling and visualization software. For more information, contact Margaret Smith atmargaret.smith@nyu.edu