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Explore potential career opportunities, gain insight into labor market issues, and participate in workshops and panel discussions aimed at career enhancement. Workshops are conducted by top science development professionals.
Connecting with New Zealand Science
Friday, 17 February • NOON–1:30PM
America's Center, Lobby Level Washington Room C
Organized by: Brian Young, New Zealand Embassy
A defining characteristic of the New Zealand science system is its world-leading expertise in a variety of niche areas. Some have emerged historically from areas of natural strength, such as working to enhance the primary production that forms the basis of New Zealand's economy or gaining greater understanding of and protecting its unique environment. However, not all niche areas are predictable. Some of the most promising science strengths have emerged through serendipity and the talent of outstanding individuals and teams. Attendees are invited to learn more about the depth and diversity of New Zealand's science from three speakers with divergent research interests who will discuss elements of their work and opportunities for collaborative research.
Essential Software Skills for Research Scientists
Friday, 17 February • NOON–1:30PM
America's Center, Lobby Level Washington Room E
Organized by: Gregory V. Wilson, University of Toronto
Many scientists spend most of their time programming, but few have been taught how to do this efficiently. As a result, most spend far more time wrestling with software than they ought to and have no idea how reliable or efficient that software is. This workshop is an introduction to modern software engineering that is most useful to research scientists who do not have formal training in computer science. The workshop is based on a course that has been taught at government, academic, and industrial laboratories since 1998, and which is now being made freely available under an open source license.
Pathways to Multiple Career Opportunities
Friday, 17 February • 1:45PM–3:15PM
America's Center, Lobby Level Washington Room F
Organized by: Victoria McGovern, Burroughs Wellcome Fund
Training in the basic sciences can lead to excellent career opportunities beyond the bench, but moving from the bench to what lies beyond can be a daunting prospect. In this session, scientists who have taken several accessible pathways out of basic research will describe how they did it and what career options branch from the direction they have chosen.
Careers in Industry: Beyond Bench Research
Friday, 17 February • 3:30PM–5:00PM
America's Center, Lobby Level Washington Room B
Organized by: Patricia K. Lemley, Monsanto Co.
Are you considering a career change? Maybe you are unsure of your next step? Or are you just starting your career and interested in learning about industry roles available for scientists? Join us for an interactive discussion led by a panel of scientists with successful career histories in research and development. You will learn about the variety of careers to which a science education can lead. Hear from individuals whose careers have taken them from bench research to roles in public and scientific affairs, management, sales and marketing, regulatory affairs, operations, project management, and even scientific fellowships.
International Research Opportunities: The Fulbright Network for Students and Professionals
Friday, 17 February • 3:30PM–5:00PM
America's Center, Lobby Level Washington Room F
Organized by: Eric S. Howard, Fulbright Academy of Science and Technology
More than 1 million scientists travel abroad annually as part of a longer-term education or scientific research project. They include tens of thousands of students, academics, and other researchers participating in government-sponsored initiatives. By facilitating the flow of information and ideas, government-funded exchanges are critical to innovation and the professional development of scientists. This workshop will help people understand how to expand their involvement in research overseas through the Fulbright Exchange Program. Each year, 5,000 U.S. students and faculty scientists are involved in an exchange either doing research or lectures abroad or serving as local hosts for visiting scholars. Collaborations in the electronic age will also be discussed; the Internet and global communication advances make collaborations possible without travel abroad. The longer-term personal and professional benefits of international collaboration also will be discussed, using examples from the Fulbright alumni community, now numbering more than 100,000 scientists. Fulbright is the oldest and largest government-sponsored program and one of the more prestigious scholarships.
Interviewing Skills for Scientists Entering Industry Research
Friday, 17 February • 3:30PM–5:00PM
America's Center, Level Two Room 224
Organized by: AAAS Career Center, ScienceCareers.org, and Kelly Scientific Resources
Worried about the dreaded job interview? Wondering what happens, what questions are asked, and how you should prepare? Join your fellow postdocs and graduate students for this interactive workshop. It includes expert panelists from human resources, industry recruiters, and research scientists with Ph.D.s who have gone through the interview process. The program features an interview-oriented skit in which the audience experiences the dialogue taking place between two scientists, a hiring manager, and a postdoc during a typical job interview. Throughout the interview, the panelists provide comments, insights, and suggestions on how to have the best interview possible.
Working with Congress: A Guide for Scientists and Engineers
Friday, 17 February • 3:30PM–5:00PM
America's Center, Lobby Level Washington Room C
Organized by: Joanne P. Carney, Kasey S. White, and Laura Pomerance, AAAS Center for Science, Technology, and Congress
The congressional agenda is increasingly dominated by issues involving science and technology, and many scientists depend on federal funding for research. Yet observers both inside and outside of Congress have noted that scientists and engineers have not been as effective as they could be in their interactions with lawmakers and have suggested that improved communication could benefit both the research community and the quality of national policy-making. This workshop will provide scientists with the necessary tools to successfully engage in a dialogue with policy-makers.
Career Transition? How Can a Scientist Fit into the Human Resource Puzzle?
Saturday, 18 February • 10:15AM–11:45AM
America's Center, Lobby Level Washington Room E
Organized by: Diane M. Barker, Kelly Scientific Resources (KSR)
The workshop will offer scientists the essential skills needed in developing their careers. Topics will include resume and CV preparation, interview insight, and networking skills, based on 60 years of experience advising clients and candidates in career management. Each year, KSR puts thousands of scientists to work globally in the scientific community, assisting the career development of entry-level technicians through Ph.D. scientists. KSR has more than 120 global locations with roughly 150 recruiters who talk to at least 20,000 scientists a year, face to face. KSR is passionate about developing a very candidate-focused culture, discussing career options with employees, and offering valuable training opportunities.
Considering the Mouth as a Whole
Saturday, 18 February • 10:15AM–11:45AM
America's Center, Lobby Level Washington Room B
Organized by: Neal C. Murphy, University of California, Los Angeles
Dentistry is often overlooked as an opportunity to advance one's academic career yet it subsumes all the basic sciences. Basic scientists are sorely needed in dental schools, especially in orthodontics, dentofacial orthopedics, and tissue engineering, because of a demographic shift. Also, material scientists play a significant role in faculty activity, and geneticists, embryologists, and other specialists will have an increasingly important role as their sciences become part of the larger dental and maxillofacial professions. Engineering also is key to understanding bioengineering aspects of facial orthopedics. Many faculty positions go unfilled for months and negotiations can result in earn-and-learn opportunities in conjunction with major medical and basic health science centers that necessarily affiliate with dental schools. This career development workshop is designed to help the young, creative Ph.D. who is looking for work in uncrowded fields or for roads less traveled that allow him or her to directly apply intellectual gifts to patient welfare in adults and children.
Writing and Reviewing Children's Science Books
Saturday, 18 February • 10:15AM–11:45AM
America's Center, Lobby Level Washington Room F
Organized by: Maria Sosa and Heather Malcomson, AAAS Science Books & Films (SB&F)
This workshop will focus on the process of publishing and reviewing children's science books. Attendees will receive a brief introduction to the genre and markets that comprise the field and publishing trends. A panel of successful children's book authors will talk about their work. Discussion will focus on the qualities that make a children's science book successful and the role that these books can play in inspiring young minds to engage in science activities and studies. The workshop will also examine reviewing children's science books (for SB&F or other review journals), including the criteria AAAS uses to identify exemplary science books.
AAAS Fellowship Programs in Public Policy and Mass Media
Saturday, 18 February • NOON–3:00PM
America's Center, Lobby Level Washington Room E
• Part One: Public Policy Fellowships NOON–1:30PM
• Part Two: Mass Media Fellowships 1:45PM–3:00PM
Organized by: Cynthia Robinson, AAAS Science and Policy Programs, and Judy Kass, AAAS Education and Human Resources
This two-part workshop will explore AAAS fellowship opportunities available to working scientists and engineers as well as students and graduate students. In Part 1, hear how AAAS selects 70 scientists and engineers each year to learn about the interface of science and government in one-year public policy fellowships in Washington, DC. A panel of former fellows will share their experiences and explain the career implications for postdoctoral to mid-career scientists and engineers who apply their technical expertise in this nontraditional arena. Potential placements include congressional offices and a dozen federal agencies. In Part 2, learn how to become an AAAS Mass Media Fellow. Fellows are placed for 10 weeks as reporters, researchers, and production assistants at newspapers, magazines, online sites, and radio and television stations across the U.S. to communicate science. A panel of alumni will share their experiences and discuss numerous opportunities that the program offers to advanced undergraduate, graduate students, and post-docs in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering.
Better Science Through Storytelling
Saturday, 18 February • NOON–1:30PM
America's Center, Lobby Level Washington Room F
Organized by: Victoria McGovern, Burroughs Wellcome Fund
Storytelling is an essential art for the scientist. Experiments fit together to make small stories that assemble into larger stories. Over a career, research will build a complex and enduring account of how life works. How can scientists learn to find the great plot lines in their research and use them to create better grants, talks, and papers, and to better explain their work to friends, relatives, and the world? This session will give real-world examples that will help scientists understand how to see the Big Picture behind their science and to use that understanding to better shape and present their work. A postdoctoral student will provide a brief work sketch, and three panelists will address how and why to pull the stories out of it that will make better grants, talks, papers, and public science.
How To Introduce Inquiry-Based Teaching into Science Laboratory Courses
Saturday, 18 February • NOON–1:30PM
America's Center, Lobby Level Washington Room C
Organized by: Phyllis S. Laine, Carl T. Hayden Medical Center
Participants will work in groups and through a guided activity to learn the skills and approaches used in inquiry-based teaching and learning. The activity includes developing a method, gathering data, and presenting findings, just as students would do in an inquiry-based laboratory course. The steps and practical considerations involved in incorporating inquiry into traditional science courses will be discussed. This approach supports the findings and recommendations of the National Science Educations Standards, which emphasize science teaching through inquiry. The workshop is based in part on experiences from the development of an inquiry-based non-major laboratory course, Discovering Life Science, at Xavier University, Ohio. Details on the new course and its evaluation will be discussed. A DVD of the course in action will be shown.
Science Writers on Science Writing
Saturday, 18 February • 1:45PM–3:15PM
America's Center, Lobby Level Washington Room C
Organized by: Victoria McGovern, Burroughs Wellcome Fund
This session will give scientists who are daydreaming about a career in science writing a chance to talk with a panel of science writers about the day-to-day work experience of working writers and the various pathways into the field.
Power Search Strategies: Mining Gems from the Hidden Job Market
Saturday, 18 February • 3:30PM–5:00PM
America's Center, Lobby Level Washington Room C
Organized by: Leigh Deusinger and Arlene Taich, Washington University
While media and colleagues report a paucity of appropriate positions for highly educated and scientifically specialized job seekers, these conclusions fail to recognize the plentiful supply of career-making opportunities that exist within the "hidden job market." This interactive workshop will provide tools, techniques, and practical application of search strategies to maximize access to the wealth of possibilities inherent in this market both in academe and industry. In addition, presenters will discuss how to read organizational culture as an integral tool in job selection and within one's ongoing career management process.
Personal Public Relations for the Scientist: Brand Yourself as an Expert in Your Field
Sunday, 19 February • 10:15AM–11:45AM
America's Center, Lobby Level Washington Room B
Organized by: Alaina G. Levine, University of Arizona
This comprehensive, interactive, and humorous workshop addresses key professional skills to help the scientist become publicly established as an expert, in an effort to lead him or her to professional triumph. Among discussion topics are the concept of a brand (which is simply a promise) and why building and promoting a personal brand is so vital in developing, guiding, and planning a career path. Key tactics in self-promotion, such as networking, seeking leadership positions, and dealing with the media, will be addressed. Participants will leave with not only specific knowledge of the how and why of science personal PR, but also an individual strategic plan that will serve as an essential career advancement tool.
Preparing for the Future: Understanding Retirement Investments
Sunday, 19 February • 10:15AM–11:45AM
America's Center, Lobby Level Washington Room F
Organized by: AAAS Center for Careers in Science and Technology and TIAA-CREF
The goal of this presentation is to help participants grasp the basic strategies and information they need to make sound investment decisions, including how they should allocate their retirement contributions. Presenters will also review some simple strategies and concepts including: assessing your current financial situation, establishing and prioritizing your goals, forming a plan, understanding basic types of investments, investment options, balancing risk and return, and asset allocation—maintaining diversification.
Polishing Professional Presentations: Presenting Your Work and Yourself
Sunday, 19 February • NOON–1:30PM
America's Center, Lobby Level Washington Room E
Organized by: Paige Turner and Kathleen Farrell, Saint Louis University
This workshop will enable participants to adapt oral presentations of their work to different professional settings, which include job interviews, professional conferences, and institutional seminars. Workshop staff will provide practical information about how to present ideas clearly and effectively, structure presentations for different purposes, overcome stage fright, use visual materials such as PowerPoint and visual images effectively, and increase speaker credibility. Participants will be given an opportunity to ask questions and get additional materials in small groups in the second half of the workshop.
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