Beyond The Bench: Stemulating Career Conversations

One advantage of breaking goals down into smaller pieces is that it lowers anxiety caused by the overwhelming nature of large and complex goals. When the goal is dissected into smaller pieces, you have a clearer view of what needs to be done. You can then prioritize the smaller pieces and create a realistic action plan that leads to achieving the larger goal.

Growth is being able to celebrate small success and big failures.  What are YOU going to celebrate today?

Dr. Levon Esters' approach to mentoring has led to the creation of a very successful program.  The nationally recognized and award winning Mentoring at Purdue, or M@P program plays a significant role in cultivating an environment where students can be their whole selves. Find out more about M@P by visiting the website. Follow Levon on Twitter @Levon_Esters

As we enter into Day 33 of the partial government shutdown in the United States, how can leaders encourage and motivate their team during this difficult time?

Whether it was an undergraduate trying to identify the best graduate school and lab, or the recent graduate student or postdoc who is on the market for their first "real' job, Elizabeth Wu and Danika Khong recognized the need to prepare students for a career path in the sciences and developed a SCISMIC solution.  Join in this week's conversation to learn more about their exciting and entrepreneurial journey beyond the bench. Visit their website to complete the "Lab Seeker" or the "Job Seeker" assessment. SCISMIC

A conversation recapping the Price-Babson Symposium for Entrepreneurship Educators highlights important topics that are applicable in every aspect of our lives and careers.  In this episode with Latane Brackett, we discuss how entrepreneurial thinking has a direct relationship with mentoring, feedback and conflict resolution.   Follow Latane Brackett on Twitter @enatal3

Happy New Year! January marks the season of goal setting and mentoring.  This hot topic explores and sets a charge for us to achieve those goals through the use of a mentor.  

January is National Mentoring Month and mentoring expert Dr. Beronda Montgomery shares thoughts on mentoring from her two unique perspectives:  a principal/primary investigator (PI) and a biologist who shares 'life lessons from plants". We discuss: --the importance of delineating the role of the PI into mentor and advisor --the effectiveness of formal mentoring programs --tips on cultivating mentoring relationships Referenced in this episode: Vanguard STEM with Jedidah Isler National Research Mentoring Network Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) Critical Mentoring by Torie Weiston-Serdan Understanding Interventions Conference University of New Mexico Mentoring Institute Follow her on Twitter: @berondam

Tis the season for giving, and that includes making sure that you gift yourself something too. If you don't invest in yourself, you can't expect anyone else to do so.  How do you determine the best gift for you this year?  It's simple, but will require you to reflect on some things. 

In this hot topic I share a few thoughts on a paper  published in the December 10, 2018 Proceedings for the National Academy of Sciences entitled the Changing Demographics of scientific career:  The rise of the temporary workforce.  Click here to read full article

It all began by pursuing a job posting on a bulletin board during his postdoc. Now, a little over 10 years later, he is the Senior Vice President of Science and Education at The Franklin Institute, one of the oldest and premier centers of science in the country.  Whether you are a student, postdoc or professional, this is a conversation that will shed much light and perspective on the critical skills needed along a career path.   Learn about The Franklin Institute  

What career would you have if there were no self-imposed constraints on what you could do or be?  Dr. James Tarver challenges us in this week's conversation to be open minded and open to opportunities. 

Reflecting on conversations held at the 2018 ABRCMS meeting in Indianapolis, IN.  Students wanted to know about a career in consulting.  This also led to a discussion of ensuring that the brand you want speaks to the work you are doing.  Establishing credibility and depth of expertise is important in the STEM field, especially when you want to your scientific voice as a platform to advocacy.     

We learned about the 5 W's in grade school English as an approach to writing.  A hallmark of a good story meant that we answered the Who, What, Where, When and Why questions.  In this episode, I use simple 5 W questions to share advice, challenge and encourage those in STEM graduate programs.   Why are you in graduate school? What are you willing to sacrifice? Who are you seeking guidance and counsel? When do you want to finish? Where are you going upon completion? Bonus:  How are you getting it done?  

True to Entropia's meaning, today's episode are random thoughts, but intended to be an encouragement to all who listen!

She's always been about the SMARTs, so it's no surprise that Dr. Sherry Marts is doing what she has always done since her graduate school years at Duke- being an advocate.   Over the past few years, Sherry has been raising the awareness about harassment at scientific meetings, and providing the training to organizations' leadership. Sherry realized early on that she wanted a career BEYOND THE BENCH. However, she credits her graduate and postdoctoral training, along with a series of nontraditional career roles, as the foundation  that has enabled her to garner the credibility to make a real impact in this area.   Mentioned in this episode: What Color is Your Parachute by Richard Bolles To learn more about Sexual amd Gender-based Harassment Training for Scientific Meetings, visit Smartsconsulting.com

On a recent trip to the local library with my niece and nephews, I noticed a sign on the shelf entitled Five Finger Rule. Since children are often drawn to books because of pretty pictures and bright colors on the cover, this guide is used to help the young [new] readers determine appropriate books for their reading level. If the child is simply reading the book and doesn’t know the words, all they are doing is flipping pages and never fully enjoying everything the book has to offer. What if we had a Five Finger Rule to help us determine if we are in the appropriate job or career? Are you in your career because of the external appearances it gives, or are you walking in your called profession?

Dr. Karita Ambrose spent her entire undergraduate career doing research and continued on to receive a PhD in Biology.  Her thoughts were on a life in academia and teaching and found the perfect post-doc that combined her love of research and teaching.  But then, she did what many of people shy away from when it comes to their career--she was open to an opportunity.  She left her postdoc early and began her career in industry.  Starting out as an entry level bench scientist, then transitioning into a role that would ultimately turn into her career in scientific communications.  

Enjoy this rebroadcast of one of the more popular episodes--How do you prioritize your priorities?