PaleoSoc: Mental health in academia Webinar

Mental health in academia: a conversation on navigating mental health challenges

Thursday, October 1st at 1:00 pm EDT

Mental health issues pose a major problem in academia and have recently been on the rise. The constant pressures such as producing novel data and research publications, job insecurity, lack of funding, limited institutional mental health resources, and continued societal stigma around obtaining mental health treatment promotes a public health risk among the most talented members of our society. These issues are compounded for members from underrepresented minority, marginalized, and or at-risk groups who face steeper challenges navigating through academia. Graduate student mental health has received the most attention in academia, but these issues don’t disappear when they are hired as faculty or other academic positions. Additionally, early career academics or academics in unstable or transient positions also face mental health risks. 
 
We welcome everyone to join us as we discuss how to navigate mental health issues in academia in this Q&A webinar hosted by the Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the Paleontological Society. We will be joined by psychologist, Dr. Delishia Pittman from George Washington University and Society Representative-At-Large, Dr. Phoebe Cohen who will answer questions from our members. 

To register for the webinar please visit:  https://forms.gle/hnbPmEera9JYkoSe9

We encourage everyone to submit questions before the webinar, which can include topics ranging from mental health issues for graduate students, post-docs, and faculty, how to address student mental health as a faculty member, and approaches for established faculty to support students and junior faculty from underrepresented minority and marginalized groups. You can submit your questions at the link below until September 27th; however, we will have time to address live questions during the webinar.

Please submit questions anonymously via: https://forms.gle/tAe2xBThqmdTkimb9

If you are a current graduate student and would like to participate in the panel, please reach out to us at inclusion@paleosoc.org.

GSA Webinar: Demystifying the Graduate School Application Process

Date and Time: 23 September, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. MDT
Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7916919535640932367

This webinar will discuss all aspects of applying to graduate school in geology, from choosing a research area, contacting potential professors to work with, and assembling the application. We will also cover topics such as different funding sources for graduate school (yes! you can get paid to go to graduate school), whether you should still take the GRE, and other related topics. There will be ample time for Q&A at the end.

Presenters
Lisa Ely, PhD, Central Washington University
Allie Nagurney, PhD Candidate, Virginia Tech University
Alexandra Valencia Villa, PhD Student, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Promotional Partners
Continental Scientific Drilling; Geobiology and Geomicrobiology; Geochemistry, Petrology, and Volcanology; Geochronology; Environmental and Engineering Geology; Quaternary Geology & Geomorphology; Soils and Soil Processes; Structural Geology and Tectonics Divisions; and Mineralogical Society of America.

CPN Events at GSA

The Student Panel of the Conservation Paleobiology Research Coordination Network is starting a networking and peer mentoring program for students interested in conservation paleobiology. Program events will take place virtually alongside select conferences each year and aim to supplement any existing in-person student activities. The goals of the program are to (1) create a safe space for students to share their conference experiences and receive feedback on their talks from peers, (2) facilitate networking, (3) provide a platform for students to promote their presentations, and (4) spark discussions about conference contributions and sessions relevant to conservation paleobiology. 

The inaugural program events will be held during the upcoming Geological Society of America meeting next month. Program events and registration details can be found below. Please distribute this information to any students who might be interested in participating.

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GSA Program Events:

• September 28th -- Tech support and practice (90 mins): Discussion of technical issues (sound, cutting, captions, copyright, format of the contribution) and best practices for the required presentation format. Feedback on contributions (videos, slides, or live talks) in breakout rooms.
• October 19th -- Pre-conference meeting (60 mins): Catch up on the preparation of participants' conference contributions. Share information about relevant sessions and presentations, discuss fears and expectations regarding the conference, and promote student contributions and personal highlights.
• November 2nd -- Post-conference meeting (60 mins): Feedback on each other's contributions. What went well, what went wrong, what to improve next time? Were the expectations met? What were the conference highlights?

The calls will be held at 17:00 UTC via Zoom and will be moderated by Niklas Hohmann (member of the student panel) and Jessica Lueders-Dumont (senior moderator and postdoc).

Registration:
To register, please write an informal email to Niklas Hohmann (Niklas.Hohmann@fau.de). As this program is still in development, the number of participants will be limited to 10 for now (first come, first serve). Participants should ideally be available to attend all three sessions.

GSA GBGM 2020 Student Presentation Awards

Register by October 1st to be considered for a Student Presentation Award!

Hello members of the GSA Geobiology and Geomicrobiology Division!    The GSA Annual Meeting is coming up quickly! The GBGM division is excited to announce that we will be organizing the GSA GBGM student awards for outstanding student oral and poster presentations.     This is a great opportunity to get to know professionals in your field, and advertise the amazing work you’re all doing.    If you are a student presenter at this year's GSA Connects Online, and would like to be considered for one of the GSA GBGM student awards, please fill out our short on-line survey at this link here by October 1st.     GBGM student Reps Amanda Godbold,  Andrew Putt, and Alison Cribb will assemble a team of impartial judges to come see your work, and we will announce the winners via email at the end of GSA. Last year’s winners will be recognized during the Geobiology and Geomicrobiology Division Award Presentation Event & Business Meeting.    We’re looking forward to hearing from everyone! If you have any questions feel free to e-mail either Amanda Godbold, Andrew Putt, or Alison Cribb.    Cheers, Amanda Godbod Andrew Putt Alison Cribb

Next week (6th-12th September) is Black in Geoscience Week!

Next week (6th-12th September) is the first-ever Black in Geoscience Week! A group of Black geoscientists has put together this week to provide people with the opportunity to network and share their stories of what it's like to be Black in geoscience. 

More importantly, this will be used as a platform for everyone to learn and understand what is required for us as geoscientists to work towards an improved representation in our community. In December 2019, it was reported by Nature that geosciences have the lowest amount of diversity in STEM field subjects in the US. The organizers of Black in Geoscience Week hope that this event will lead the field to improve both in representation and diversity. 

A range of activities has been put together (see below), ranging from roll calls and brief bios, to talks and panel discussions, allowing as many people as possible to engage through Twitter, Instagram, Zoom, and Youtube. 

For those who want to get involved, most activity is happening via Twitter and Instagram pages, which you can follow using the hashtag #BlackinGeoscienceWeek. For those not on social media, but who want to get involved, information on live panels can be found here: https://bit.ly/2Dusxf1. 

I'm asking you all to share this project with all of your personal networks, resulting in the week having the biggest impact possible!