ICS News Archive

DECADE Student Council helps grad students with new 'Bridging the Gap' series

On Sept. 23, the DECADE (Diverse Educational Community and Doctoral Experience) Student Council for ICS & Engineering broke the silence on an event titled “Bridging the Gap.” This event was intended to bring students and professors closer together with the emphasis on clear communication skills. For the first time in the series, students had a chance to hear from two well-known and established professors, Enrico Gratton from the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Derek Dunn-Rankin from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. These professors shared their perspectives on what professors are looking for in graduate students and key elements of student survival during graduate school.

The first part of the session continued with a Q&A on important topics, including communicating across diverse groups, funding and how to deal with unfairness. Discussion continued during a closed session guided by graduate counselor Phong Luong and senior student panelists Sara Sameni, Claudia Ló pez and Julius Edson.

Students also had a chance to hear the other part of the story from their peers. “Attending ‘Bridging the Gap’ was a meaningful and worthwhile experience,” said attendee Phoebe Chua. “Overall, the event was successful in guiding me toward creating an effective work environment.”

This event will be continued as a series. To get more updates please follow us in ICS & Engineering DECADE Facebook page. The DECADE Student Council is comprised of ICS and engineering graduate students and is an initiative of the Office of Access and Inclusion (OAI). Article submitted by DECADE Student Council