Professional Development Workshops

Get a leading edge in your industry or faculty job search! In this semester-long interactive workshop series facilitated by the Professional Development Team, you will learn strategies for crafting effective applications and designing visually appealing documents while building your own web portfolio. Along the way, you will have opportunities to get individual feedback on your application materials and hear from successful peers and leaders about how they navigated the job search by designing effective written and visual materials.

By registering for this workshop series, you are indicating that you are able to participate in all twelve (12) sessions across the semester.

Mondays, Jan. 22-April 15, 3-5 p.m.; College of Textiles Convocation Room 2225

In this two part workshop, we address the challenges of conveying your research story in a persuasive way for technical and nontechnical stakeholders. We will focus on various writing forms in engineering that include organization and interpretation of results. These will include technical/non-technical reports, results & discussion sections or articles and theses, and similar types of writing projects.

Jan. 30 & Feb. 6, 3-5 p.m.; Zoom

Attendance at both sessions is required, and you must attend both sessions to count this workshop towards the writing certificate.

Looking to engage your students? Explore strategies for promoting student engagement through methods such as pair-and-share, social annotation, collaborative projects and interactive polling.

Jan. 31, 3-4:30 p.m. ; EBII 3001-ECE-Seminar Room

Feb. 2, 3-4:30 p.m.; Zoom

Foundational workshop for the career readiness certificate. In this workshop, participants will understand the key components of a professional portfolio for industry roles and how to effectively communicate skills and experiences to a broad audience.

Feb. 1, 9-10 a.m. Zoom

A series of talks led by A2i industry partners to provide you the opportunity to build your network, explore career opportunities, and prepare for the transition to industry.

What is it like to transition from academia to industry? What are the different job functions and roles within industry? How do values play a role in career exploration and preparation for a job in industry? Join Dr. Soma Mukherjee from Eastman as she shares her expertise and insight on how to navigate the transition from academia to industry, and how to prepare through reflection and thoughtful strategy.

Feb. 6, 12-1 p.m.; Zoom

Topic: Navigating the Transition from Academia to Industry

Speaker: Dr. Soma Mukherjee (Eastman)

We all have a myriad of relationships that, hopefully, add positive aspects to our lives. Healthy boundaries is an important aspect of any relationship. This session will cover what healthy boundaries as well as how to establish these with others.

Feb. 7, 12-1 p.m.; Zoom

Collaborative learning research reveals that it offers many benefits, however, students often express resistance to it. Learn how to overcome this hurdle as we explore a variety of technology-enhanced methods for facilitating effective collaborative learning.

Feb. 7, 3-4:30 p.m.; EBII 3001-ECE-Seminar Room

Feb. 9, 3-4:30 p.m.; Zoom

A series of talks led by A2i industry partners to provide you the opportunity to build your network, explore career opportunities, and prepare for the transition to industry.

Feb. 20, 12-1 p.m.; Zoom

Topic: Join NCSU Alum Dr. Matt Melillo and Will Aldridge from Parker LORD on the different types of industry job functions and roles that connect to your graduate-level experience, as well as how to prepare for an interview that will impress the hiring committee.

Speakers: Will Aldridge and Matt Melillo (Parker LORD)

Contact colleagues at NCState and beyond with tact and ease! In this workshop, you will gain strategies for crafting effective professional emails.

Feb. 20, 3-5 p.m.; Zoom

Strive to create a learning environment that accommodates and welcomes all learners by learning about approaches such as Universal Design for Learning and Culturally Responsive Teaching.

Feb. 21, 3-4:30 p.m.; EBII 3001-ECE-Seminar Room

Feb. 23, 3-4:30 p.m.; Zoom

Sometimes it seems as if work and life are out of balance. Discover ways to maintain a healthy equilibrium between the professional and personal aspects of your life.

Feb. 21, 12-1 p.m.; Zoom

Do people say that your writing is wordy? In this interactive workshop, we’ll address the challenge of building clear, concise sentences that represent your science to diverse stakeholders.

Feb. 27, 3- 5 p.m.; Zoom

A series of talks led by A2i industry partners to provide you the opportunity to build your network, explore career opportunities, and prepare for the transition to industry.

March 5, 12-1 p.m.; Zoom

Topic: Professional Development and Company Culture

Speakers: Catherine Doyle Aimone, Kianna Jimenez (BASF)

Stress and anxiety are a normal part of life; however, learning how to effectively cope with these emotions is imperative to well-being. Learn the difference between stress and anxiety as well as how to manage these feelings.

March 6, 12-1 p.m.; Zoom

How do you deal with Artificial Intelligence as a teacher? What classroom policies should you have regarding questions of academic integrity? In what ways can AI be used to support the processes of teaching and learning? We’ll look at this and related issues in this workshop.

March 6, 3-4:30 p.m.; Talley Student Center Room 4270

March 8, 3-4:30 p.m.; Zoom

Make progress on a major writing project–dissertation, thesis, manuscript–with dedicated, structured writing time in a supportive setting. This in-person writing retreat “sprint” requires advance registration and we recommend that you discuss attending with your advisor or PI to get the most out of this event and commit to attending the two days

March 11-12, 8:30 a.m.-5p.m.; College of Textiles Convocation Room 2225

You’ve gathered lots of articles and other sources.  What next? In this workshop, we address tips for effectively structuring and synthesizing sources (“literature”) in journal articles and research papers.

March 19, 3-5 p.m.; Zoom

A series of talks led by A2i industry partners to provide you the opportunity to build your network, explore career opportunities, and prepare for the transition to industry.

March 19, 12-1 p.m.; Zoom

Topic: Join NCSU Graduate Alum (Wilson College of Textiles), Dr. Ashish Kapoor, on his experience of transitioning from academia to industry and the unique aspects of work life at Intel working on state-of-the-art semiconductor innovation. The talk will cover multiple areas including: interview preparation, leveraging graduate school experience and the relevance of communication and teamwork in industry.

Speaker: Ashish Kapoor (Intel)

An aspect of the human experience is sometimes feelings as if we have failed. However, for some, these feelings can become overwhelming and impede our ability to move on. Learn how to best cope with the feelings of failure so that you learn from the experience in a productive way.

March 20, 12-1 p.m.; Zoom

Games can be an excellent means for promoting student engagement. Learn how game design principles can be applied in learning environments and different examples of how these can be implemented in your classroom.

March 20, 3-4:30 p.m.; Talley Student Center Room 3223

March 22, 3-4:30 p.m.; Zoom

This workshop is apart of the A2i professional preparedness series. “Professionalism” is a form of behavior that companies want to see in their employees. As an intern, you can immediately make a good impression through your behaviors and interactions. This seminar provides an overview of the types of professional attitudes and attributes to have as an intern and potential employee.

March 21, 9-10 a.m.; Zoom

Make progress on an article manuscript, research paper, or dissertation/thesis chapter through hands-on writing instruction and feedback. This cohort-style writing workshop is designed to help you revise a draft in progress through strategies for effective–clear, concise, precise, and audience-centered–writing. To get the most out of this workshop series and commit to attending all sessions, we recommend that you discuss attending this series with your advisor or PI first.

March 22, March 29, April 2 & April 12; 1p.m.- 3 p.m.; EBII, Room 3001 ECE Seminar Room

In this hands-on webinar, learn the most common types of English verbs used in academic writing and strategies for choosing appropriate verb tenses for each part of a paper or writing project.

March 26, 4-5 p.m.; Zoom

Explore how technologies such as Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality can be used to create immersive, rich learning experiences.

March 27, 3-4:30 p.m.; Tally Student Center, Room 4270

March 29, 3-4:30 p.m.; Zoom

This workshop is apart of the A2i professional preparedness series. Knowing your communication style is the first step in having effective interactions with colleagues and co-workers. Those who register for this seminar will receive a “pre-work” assignment that helps them identify their communication style. Once you understand your style, you can begin to recognize the different communication styles in others – which leads to better outcomes and successful exchanges.

March 28, 9-10 a.m.; Zoom

A series of talks led by A2i industry partners to provide you the opportunity to build your network, explore career opportunities, and prepare for the transition to industry.

April 2, 12-1 p.m.; Zoom

Topic: Current Issues in Biosciences Management

Speaker: Patrick Downie (BD)

Is your writing choppy or boring? In this hands-on webinar, learn about major sentence types and strategies for writing strong, interesting sentences that explain complex concepts in clear, accessible ways. Topics will include types of sentence structures, tips for sentence variety, using transition phrases and more.

April 2, 4 p.m.-5 p.m.; Zoom

Ever feel like your communication with another person does not go as well as you had hoped? This wellness workshop offers strategies for how to effectively communicate with others.

April 3, 12-1 p.m.; Zoom

How do you assess student learning? In this workshop, you will learn about different approaches to assessment. You’ll also learn about rubrics and how they can help promote consistency and efficiency in your grading.

April 3, 3-4:30 p.m.; Tally Student Center, Room 4270

April 5, 3-4:30 p.m.; Zoom

This workshop is apart of the A2i professional preparedness series. You have made a good impression at your internship site; now you just need to be sure you are networking! This seminar provides guidance on how to effectively network with others as well as the importance of building connections to help you along your career path.

April 4, 9-10 a.m.; Zoom

In this hands-on webinar, learn about tips and tools for making more precise, professional word choices for your audience and discipline.

April 9, 4-5 p.m.; Zoom

Learn ways to interpret end-of-course evaluations so they can be a helpful tool for reflecting on your teaching and also as a resource for generating new ideas for change (e.g., continuous improvement).

April 10, 3-4:30pm; Tally Student Center, Room 4270

April 12, 3-4:30pm; Zoom

This workshop is apart of the A2i professional preparedness series. One dimension to diversity in the work environment is that of generational differences. There are now five different generations in the workforce, and knowing how to work with each of them is imperative to one’s career success. As a graduate student intern, having an understanding of generational differences and how to bridge the gaps will help you communicate better and work more efficiently with your co-workers, colleagues and supervisors.

April 11, 9-10 a.m.; Zoom

A series of talks led by A2i industry partners to provide you the opportunity to build your network, explore career opportunities, and prepare for the transition to industry.

April 16, 12-1 p.m.; Zoom

Topic: Professional Networking: LinkedIn & Beyond 

Join NCSU Graduate Alum, Dr. Suman Das, from Nephron Pharmaceuticals on the power of LinkedIn and networking, specifically on how to effectively grow and foster meaningful relationships that will support your graduate career and beyond.

Speaker: Suman Das (Nephron Pharmaceuticals)

How would you describe your teaching philosophy to someone who has never observed your teaching? In this workshop, you’ll learn strategies for distilling the most important elements of your teaching philosophy and expressing it in a clear, succinct narrative. We will especially think about how it can be used to highlight your strengths when applying for academic teaching positions.

April 17, 3-4:30 p.m.; Tally Student Center, Room 4270

April 19, 3-4:30 p.m.; Zoom

Self-care is a vital aspect of well-being. There are a myriad of ways for one to engage in self-care. Learn about the various resources both on- and off-campus available to you to help you engage in self-care activities that help you maintain your wellness and provide ways for you to thrive!

April 17, 12-1 p.m.; Zoom

This workshop is apart of the A2i professional preparedness series. Want to stand out from others in the work environment? Exhibiting accountability is one of the best ways to show peak performance as an intern – and a potential employee. This seminar provides an overview of what accountability is, how it relates to responsibility, and the behaviors in which to engage to demonstrate a high level of accountability.

April 18, 9-10 a.m.; Zoom