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New award provides support for graduate students and their families

Cay Leytham-Powell — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 03:37:27 +0000

New award provides support for graduate students and their families Cay Leytham-Powell Tue, 06/04/2024 - 21:37

Cay Leytham-Powell

The Futures Fellowship offers a ‘relief valve’ for students to better focus on their studies and families while in school

For the McLarens, the University of babyֱ��app Boulder is a bit of a family affair.

It began with John McLaren’s father, a retired naval officer, who came to CU Boulder in pursuit of a PhD in 1983. From there, John McLaren (Geol’93) enrolled and met Karen McLaren (Edu, Psych’94; MEdu’98) during a women’s studies course. Three of their sons eventually became CU Boulder students and, in turn, met their significant others within the university walls.

And now, John and Karen are giving back to other families at the university through the Futures Fellowship.

This award, which began this year, provides financial support for graduate students and their immediate families. The idea, according to John and Karen, is not to give a full-ride scholarship, but instead to provide a “relief valve” to help students better focus on their studies and families while in school.

John and Karen McLaren in 1992 when they were students at CU Boulder. Photo courtesy of the McLarens.

“Hopefully this award gives them (graduate students) the flexibility—if they’re working or pursuing a degree full time and have a family—to focus on the things that are most important to them,” Karen said.

John agreed, adding that while this award is not designed to take away all the pressures, “maybe it provides a little bit of relief to focus on the things that are more productive for you, building a better person or path by doing that.”

For the students who received the award this past spring, the overwhelming consensus was that the award was incredibly helpful.

“I wanted to express my deepest thanks to the McLaren family for their generous donation to the Futures Fellowship at CU Boulder,” said one recipient. “I am humbled to have been chosen for this award. As an anthropologist, I spend a great deal of time researching and writing about the unique challenges people face in pregnancy and parenthood. This award's recognition of the labor it takes to produce high-quality research while balancing the financial and emotional responsibilities of parenting reaffirms my commitment to my own research topic as well as my family and educational goals. Thank you for your support!”

Another recipient, a PhD candidate, agreed: “I hope it may bring you some warmth to know your contribution will help my family thrive as I work to make it toward the finish line.”

From humble beginnings

John first came to Boulder as a young teenager when his father, newly retired from the navy, decided to pursue a PhD. He chose CU Boulder because, as John put it, “Washington was too rainy, Southern California was going to get me into too much trouble, and Boulder was a nice place to be.”

Upon graduation from Nederland High School, John himself enrolled at CU Boulder, joined the campus Naval ROTC program, and studied geology. His time here, though, did not go as planned.

“Looking back, in retrospect, I think that I really probably had enough entrepreneur in me that (geology) wasn’t quite the right fit, but again you look back and say you’re obviously very fortunate to have earned a college degree,” John said.

Despite his undergraduate struggles, he still pushed forward and eventually completed his MBA at Regis University in Denver.

Karen’s path to babyֱ��app took a bit longer. Born in Massachusetts, Karen first attended a small school in North Carolina called Guilford College. But when her father got a job in babyֱ��app, she decided the distance was too far and followed, along with her two brothers. It was at CU Boulder that she and John met, and they eventually married at St. Aidan's Episcopal Church. She then stayed on campus to pursue a master’s in education.

The McLaren family now. Photo courtesy of the McLarens.

They began growing their family while in graduate school which, they both acknowledge, was challenging, both timewise and financially. It was a “bandwidth creating moment,” John said, adding: “But somehow we did it.”

Giving back

Although the McLarens moved out of state years ago to pursue careers in teaching and commercial real estate, their attachment to CU Boulder never faded.

Even after leaving, they still came back to Boulder frequently to visit John’s father, who lived in Boulder Canyon. And when it came time for their sons to begin their college searches, all three ended up coming to CU Boulder and, as John had when he was an undergraduate, joined the Naval ROTC program. Their youngest son graduated and was commissioned into service this past May.

For years now, ever since their oldest became a student, the McLarens have given back to the university. At first it was just toward the Naval ROTC program, but it eventually grew to sponsoring the room within the babyֱ��app Law library where they had their first date, and then to the Graduate School and the Futures Fellowship.

And those charitable contributions have been deeply appreciated.

“I want to thank the donors of this fellowship from the bottom of my heart as this fellowship will help me thrive in my career,” said another recipient of the Futures Fellowship, an international student. “I really appreciate them for taking such a beautiful step to encourage students like us.”

More information on the 2025 Futures Fellowship will be announced by the Graduate School in the fall.

The Futures Fellowship offers a ‘relief valve’ for students to better focus on their studies and families while in school.

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A thank you card drawn by the child of one of the Futures Fellowship recipients.

Zach Schiffman wins babyֱ��app Three Minute Thesis competition

Cay Leytham-Powell — Tue, 21 May 2024 21:53:13 +0000

Zach Schiffman wins babyֱ��app Three Minute Thesis competition Cay Leytham-Powell Tue, 05/21/2024 - 15:53

CU Boulder doctoral student takes first prize in state 3MT competition for presentation on the urea molecule

Zach Schiffman, a doctoral candidate in chemistry, beat out participating universities within babyֱ��app to win the state Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition last month. He won with his presentation, “The Urea Molecule: From Fertilizer . . . to Climate Change?”

This is the second win for Schiffman, who took first prize in the Graduate School’s annual 3MT competition earlier this year. As part of his winnings, he was then invited to represent the university at both the regional (Western Region of Graduate Schools) and state (babyֱ��app Council of Graduate Schools) competitions.

The 3MT event, which began at the University of Queensland in 2008, challenges graduate students to describe their research within three minutes to a general audience. To prepare, CU Boulder graduate students participate in a series of workshops focusing on storytelling, writing, presentation skills and improvisation comedy techniques. The Graduate School then holds a preliminary competition to whittle down the competition to ten finalists, who participate in the final competition at the beginning of February.

More information about the 3MT competition, including how to get involved in the 2024–25 school year, is available on the 3MT webpage.

CU Boulder doctoral student takes first prize in state 3MT competition for presentation on the urea molecule.

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2023 graduate student survey results now available

Cay Leytham-Powell — Tue, 21 May 2024 03:22:03 +0000

2023 graduate student survey results now available Cay Leytham-Powell Mon, 05/20/2024 - 21:22

The biennial gradSERU survey examines graduate students’ experiences across the entire spectrum of their graduate career and found students largely pleased—but identified some areas for improvement.

The 2023 gradSERU (Student Experiences in the Research University) survey results are now available.

The survey found that while students reported feeling a strong sense of belonging at CU Boulder and are satisfied with the advising, education and research opportunities that they are receiving, there were still areas for improvement. These include compensation and general campus climate for students of color or those with disabilities.

Administered in spring 2023, this biennial survey was designed to examine students’ experiences across the entire spectrum of their graduate career. It was sent to all enrolled graduate and professional students (excluding business administration and law students), totaling 3,848 students. Overall, 36% of students responded—up from 28% in 2021.

"Thank you to everyone who responded to the gradSERU survey last spring. Your feedback is critical in allowing us to better understand the graduate student experience at CU Boulder,” said E. Scott Adler, the dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for graduate affairs.

“We continuously work on the services and support that the university provides our graduate students, so it is imperative that we know more about who they are and their career goals. Findings such as these help to shape our priorities and initiatives in the Graduate School and the wider university."

Findings such as these help to shape our priorities and initiatives in the Graduate School and the wider university.

The gradSERU survey is administered every two years, with the first being in 2021 and the next in 2025. Since receiving the 2021 gradSERU results, the Graduate School has implemented several changes, including:

Student concerns regarding cost of living and compensation have resulted in continued stipend increases, expanded benefits and the remission of mandatory fees.
Physical and mental well-being concerns of our graduate students led to embedded counselors in all schools and colleges, including the Graduate School. With the demand for ongoing counseling services increasing, the insurance co-pay for community providers was eliminated in this year’s insurance plan.
Aware of the importance of the advising relationship to graduate student well-being, the Graduate School’s new advising and mentoring initiative consists of a working group of cross-campus collaborators tasked with identifying and promoting best practices in mentoring. The Graduate School was also recently named a Sloan Center for Systemic Change, which will provide funding to further develop its mentoring program for both babyֱ��app and students.
The Graduate School hired a diversity, equity and inclusion babyֱ��app director to coordinate, promote and assist those efforts both within the college and in the departmental programs. The Graduate School also welcomed the babyֱ��app Diversity Initiative, formerly in the Office of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement (ODECE), which strives to recruit and retain a dynamic community of students from diverse backgrounds.

The gradSERU survey provides CU Boulder with various sources of information about students and programs, which is important to its ongoing planning and decision making. The Graduate School is committed to keeping the graduate student community informed of its progress as it works on crucial issues identified in the data.

A full breakdown of the data is available in the announcement sent earlier this year. More information is available on the gradSERU web page.

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New babyֱ��app Diversity Initiative director transforms longtime program

Cay Leytham-Powell — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 18:15:39 +0000

New babyֱ��app Diversity Initiative director transforms longtime program Cay Leytham-Powell Thu, 02/01/2024 - 11:15

Christina Alston reflects on her first few months with CDI and what the future holds

The babyֱ��app Diversity Initiative (CDI) has been a fixture on the University of babyֱ��app Boulder campus for close to two decades, bringing in and nurturing the next generation of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) leaders. During that time, the program’s seen many changes, but nothing quite like what’s happening now.

Now part of the Graduate School after moving from the Office of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement (ODECE), CDI oversees several programs, including the Summer Multicultural Access to Research Training (SMART) program and the babyֱ��app Advantage program. These programs promote diversity at CU Boulder by preparing undergraduates for graduate school, offering learning and mentoring opportunities for graduate students, and providing broader research support for babyֱ��app and staff.

In July 2023, Christina Alston became the director of CDI after former director Barbara Kraus retired and immediately began transforming the program, rebranding it from a preparation program to one that also fosters community and belonging.

We asked Alston about her plans for the program, including where she sees the program going.

Christina Alston at a conference.

Question: You’ve been the director of CDI for a few months. How’s it going?

Answer: It's going fast! I'm quickly transitioning from the learning phase to the direct-action phase. That is not to say that I am not still learning or that I do not have things about CU Boulder to learn to aid in my facilitation of student recruitment and retention. However, things are currently moving at such a rapid pace that direct programmatic action change is required.

CDI has been on an exciting journey during my time here, from remodeling my office to instituting new programs for staying in direct contact and engagement with potential CU Boulder graduate students, and creating belongingness events for our current historically minoritized and marginalized students.

Q: What are your future goals for CDI? Anything you’d like to accomplish?

A: As part of my five-year plan, one of my objectives is to ensure that the programs, activities and support provided by this office are socially just and equitable. To help support that goal, I intend to form an external advisory board to ensure that I, as director of this office, am not biased in my advocacy for historically marginalized and minority students and am inclusive of their full range of support needs.

Q: What do you think is the significance of CDI?

A: One of the most important aspects of CDI is its potential for growth. CDI has had a relationship with the STEM community for a long time, but it was still in a bubble. Everyone who participated in the engagement was thankful for their efforts and support. CDI has long been the small fish in a large pond, moving upstream quietly. People are now ready for transformation and change.

Q: What would people like to know about CDI?

A: I want current graduate students to know that CDI is more than just a place to get mentorship and career guidance; it also helps you feel like you belong at CU Boulder by hosting at least three social events each semester to help you form community.

I want babyֱ��app members to know that CDI is here to help them understand how they can improve the departmental climate for their graduate student populations. CDI will provide honest and unbiased feedback on your department's recruitment plan through one-on-one or departmental discussions.

Learn more about CDI and their current projects on their website.

Christina Alston reflects on her first few months with CDI and what the future holds.

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Christina Alston (second from the left) with the Fall 2023 babyֱ��app Advantage cohort.

Two doctoral candidates receive funding to research abroad

Cay Leytham-Powell — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 15:04:46 +0000

Two doctoral candidates receive funding to research abroad Cay Leytham-Powell Tue, 01/16/2024 - 08:04

Graduate students from music and education receive funding to study educational systems abroad and music at the tip of the world

Two University of babyֱ��app Boulder graduate students have been awarded the 2023-24 Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) fellowship, the Department of Education announced.

The DDRA fellowship provides doctoral candidates who have shown mastery of a language with the opportunity to conduct dissertation research in area studies or foreign languages for six to 12 months abroad.

Lydia Wagenknecht from the College of Music will use the award to travel to Chile to study the effect of climate change on local music while Kyle Kopsick from the School of Education will go to Costa Rica to research international education organizations.

Both expressed gratitude for the fellowship, commenting that this funding offered them a chance to do research that might not be otherwise possible.

Affordances and limitations of international education organizations

Kyle Kopsick, a doctoral candidate in education, will be studying in Costa Rica.

Originally from Chicago, Kopsick arrived at CU Boulder by way of Quito, Ecuador, where he taught history and philosophy at a school run by an international education organization for roughly five years.

International education organizations are organizations, mainly from Europe, that affiliate with schools throughout the world to accredit, assess and offer diplomas or certificates to students who successfully go through their programs.

“Some are known to be pretty demanding, and while they do certain academic things very well, there are also all sorts of questions about what it means for teachers to have to follow educational standards that are set by governing bodies outside their local and regional contexts,” Kopsick commented.

And it is those questions about the affordances and limitations of the organizations that Kopsick will be researching with the help of the DDRA fellowship.

Kopsick will conduct qualitative research at a school in Costa Rica, working with teachers to do class observations and focus groups, and talking with them “about their experiences teaching under these kinds of organizations.” Kopsick will use this information to figure out how it ultimately affects their teaching practices, which, in turn, affect how and what students are learning.

“I came (to CU Boulder) with the intention of doing international field work, which I knew I could. But I also knew things needed to be set in place properly, and having the support of Fulbright really clarifies that,” said Kopsick. “Dissertation work can often be a challenging and isolating pursuit, so anytime you have this kind of additional support, it’s nice validation.”

Sound at the edge of the world

Lydia Wagenknecht, a doctoral candidate in ethnomusicology, will be studying in Chile.

For Wagenknecht, an ethnomusicologist (someone who studies music and sound in culture), the route to the DDRA fellowship was a bit more serendipitous.

Already a Fulbright student grant recipient, she first heard about the fellowship during an orientation for Fulbright scholars where other DDRA fellows were present. Aware that her research was going to take longer than nine months, which is what the student grant provides, she decided to apply and was accepted.

“It was a really big relief,” said Wagenknecht, who was also the people’s choice winner during last year’s Three Minute Thesis competition.

During the DDRA fellowship, Wagenknecht will be researching the music and sound in Punta Arenas, Chile, which is at the southern tip of South American. In particular, she’ll be working with a diverse array of artists and researchers to explore how the sound and music of humans and nonhumans (e.g., landscapes) is changing in response to climate change.

“Punta Arenas is a major jumping off point for Antarctic research, so the city has branded itself as an Antarctic city and there’s a bunch of Antarctic research initiatives going on here,” said Wagenknecht, adding, “This is a part of the world where there’s a lot of really dramatic climate change events happening.”

Through field recordings, ethnographic interviews and concerts, Wagenknecht will pull together a series of case studies, one of which will be Antarctic soundscape projects.

“Ethnographic research can take a long time,” Wagenknecht commented. “I feel like this grant will help me build more reciprocal relationships. I can help my community partners, they can help me, and we can trust each other more. That’s really important.”

For more information, including how to apply, please visit the Fulbright-Hays website or reach out to Patty Stanfield at patricia.stanfield@colorado.edu. Applications for 2024 cycle typically open in the spring.

Graduate students from music and education receive funding to study educational systems abroad and music at the tip of the world.

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Doctoral student recognized for innovative Tibetan research

Cay Leytham-Powell — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 21:56:10 +0000

Doctoral student recognized for innovative Tibetan research Cay Leytham-Powell Wed, 06/14/2023 - 15:56

Sanggay Tashi, a doctoral candidate in anthropology, will use this award to do on-the-ground research into Tibetan nomads as they adapt to a changing world

A Tibetan scholar at the University of babyֱ��app Boulder is part of the inaugural class of dissertation innovation fellows, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) and Mellow Foundation announced recently.

Sanggay Tashi, a doctoral candidate in anthropology, is one of 45 recipients of this award, which supports doctoral students in the humanities and interpretive social sciences as they pursue bold and innovative approaches to dissertation research.

Tashi will use the $50,000 award to learn from Indigenous scholars and travel to his home on the Tibetan plateau to study how Tibetan nomads creatively assert their cultural identity amidst structural and developmental modernization. He’ll do this by immersing himself in the culture, working with and within the community, and involving himself as part of the projects already underway there—which, he says, are innovative in-and-of themselves.

Sanggay Tashi is part of the inaugural class of dissertation innovation fellows.

“Historically, research in Tibetan studies in the West has been conducted predominantly by outsiders,” said Tashi. “I believe that the enthusiastic support for this project is a promising sign for the future of Tibetan studies.”

Growing up in a Tibetan nomadic family, Tashi says that he became interested in this subject because “it’s part of who I am,” adding:

“I have a special kind of connection to the people, and I understand what they’re going through because it’s also part of my experience of growing up in that culture.”

Tashi studied at Duke University before coming to CU Boulder, but his Tibetan roots continue to inspire him to this day, which led him to apply for this fellowship.

The Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship is designed to intervene at the formative stage of dissertation development and promote research methodologies, project formats and areas of inquiry that challenge traditional norms of doctoral education.

As part of the award, each fellow receives a $40,000 stipend for the fellowship year; $8,000 for project-related research, training, professional development and travel expenses; and a $2,000 stipend to support external mentorship and advising that offers critical perspectives and expertise on the fellow’s project.

Tashi will use this fellowship to take part in comparative and collaborative research with other Indigenous communities and scholars, including Professor Ty Tengan at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. There, he’ll learn how to do ethical, practical, meaningful and community-based research while also participating in several community-based and community-supported projects in Hawaii.

“I will be trained in cultural protocols, research ethics, ethnographic methodologies and the practice of responsible relationship building. Additionally, I will help share my knowledge and research as a Tibetan PhD student that will benefit UH Manoa and the local communities,” Tashi added.

He’ll use what he learns in Hawaii when he returns to Tibet to research Tibetan communities from both an insider and outsider’s perspective. This exchange, he says, is part of his innovative approach to learning how to do ethical, practical and meaningful research, which will advance anthropological research knowledge and skills.

Formed a century ago, the ACLS is a nonprofit federation of 79 scholarly organizations that is committed to principles and practices in support of racial and social justice. As the leading representative of American scholarship in the humanities and interpretive social sciences, ACLS collaborates with institutions, associations and individuals to strengthen the evolving infrastructure for scholarship, upholding the core principle that knowledge is a public good.

The Mellon Foundation is the nation's largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Mellon believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence and freedom to be found there. Through its grants, Mellon seeks to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive.

“ACLS is thrilled to partner with the Mellon Foundation to support these exceptional emerging scholars as they pursue pathbreaking research,” said ACLS President Joy Connolly in the press release. “By expanding the range of research methodologies, formats and areas of inquiry traditionally considered acceptable for the dissertation, we can forge pathways toward a more diverse and inclusive academy.”

Sanggay Tashi, a doctoral candidate in anthropology, will use this award to do on-the-ground research into Tibetan nomads as they adapt to a changing world.

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Tibetan landscape with sheep in the front. Header photo by Jack L/Flickr.

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Tibetan landscape with sheep in the front. Header photo by Jack L/Flickr.