Month: April 2021

Categories
Announcements Interfaces of Global Change IGEP

Announcing the Interfaces of Global Change Fellow-to-Fellow Mentoring Program

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 May 3, 2021

 

[Header image: a word cloud generated from faculty and Fellow input during the IGC Graduate Research Symposium on April 23, 2021]

 

The Interfaces of Global Change (IGC) Graduate Student Organization has launched a new Fellow-to-Fellow Mentoring Program! Highlighted at the IGC Graduate Student Symposium on April 23, 2021, this Fellow-initiated peer mentoring program seeks to foster a support system composed of incoming, current, and alumni IGC Fellows.

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Since the inception of the IGC Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program (IGEP) in 2013, the number of graduate Fellows and affiliated university departments has grown rapidly. While a marker of the program’s success, the growth also presents a challenge to maintain the small-knit community and network that is so valued by the program’s participants. Seeking to bolster the IGC’s inclusive community, Fellows Jessica Hernandez, Brenen Wynd, and Jennifer Brousseau developed the Fellow-to-Fellow Mentoring Program in the autumn of 2020.

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The purpose of this initiative is to provide senior IGC graduate Fellows the opportunity to guide incoming IGC Fellows and foster inclusivity by sharing the wisdom they have gained from their graduate school experiences. As mentees rise through the program, they will have the opportunity to transition to the role of mentor and gain critical mentorship skills themselves. The program aims to create a safe environment for graduate students to seek advice and openly communicate with their peers outside of their home department or research group. Current alumni and graduating students will also be encouraged to participate in both a mentorship capacity as well as a resource for career-orientated topics. This will include a new alumni network and invitations to future panel discussions and IGC-sponsored events.

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]While the global pandemic has put many things on hold for the first IGC peer mentor groups, small groups gatherings, one-on-one meetings and larger virtual discussions have already been held throughout this spring semester. Jessica, Brenen and Jennifer look forward to welcoming new participants in the IGC Peer Mentoring Program as well as expanding training opportunities and social events in the near future.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Global Change Center faculty and IGC Fellows should be on the lookout via email and in the GCC Weekly newsletter for updates regarding future opportunities to engage with the program’s activities. With enthusiastic support from Fellows, Global Change Center faculty and leadership, we hope to establish the peer mentoring program as an integral facet of the IGC experience.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”55490″ img_size=”medium” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_border”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]Information about the new IGC Fellow-to-Fellow Mentoring Program can be found in the Mission Statement & Program Description document linked here.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_column_text]

IGC Fellow-to-Fellow Mentoring Program committee members:

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Jess Hernandez

Biological Sciences

IGC GSO Professional Development Co-Chair 2020-21

IGC Fall 2016 Cohort

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Brennen Wynd

Geosciences

IGC GSO Social Committee Chair 2018-19

IGC in Fall 2017 Cohort

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Jennifer Brousseau

Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation

IGC Fall 2019 Cohort

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Categories
Interfaces of Global Change IGEP News Special Events

IGC Community convenes virtually for the 6th Annual IGC Research Symposium

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Sixth Annual Interfaces of Global Change (IGC) Graduate Research Symposium was held virtually over Zoom on April 23, 2021. Although the forum was a little different this year, this annual meeting provides a space to showcase and celebrate the important and impressive work of the IGC Fellows.  It’s also a time for Fellows and GCC faculty to interact and explore connections between labs across campus.  This year’s symposium agenda included 12 platform presentations, 12 research power talks, introductory videos from the 12 newest Fellows in the Spring 2021 cohort, and an overview by Fellows leading a new IGC Peer Mentoring Program.

The symposium highlighted the latest research from the program’s graduate student fellows, whose collective work addresses critical global changes impacting the environment and society. This includes problems surrounding climate change, pollution, invasive species, disease, and habitat loss.

Platform awards for Best Presentation were selected for the top three platform presentations and top three research power talks.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Platform Presentation Category:

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/5″][vc_single_image image=”54109″ img_size=”250×250″ style=”vc_box_border”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”4/5″][vc_column_text]First Place and recipient of the 2021 Karen P. DePauw Outstanding Interdisciplinary Presentation Award:

Alaina Weinheimer (BIOL)

Too big to see: large viruses are overlooked players in the ocean’s nutrient cycles[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/5″][vc_single_image image=”34002″ img_size=”250×250″ style=”vc_box_border”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”4/5″][vc_column_text]Second Place:

Sarah Cathey (SPES)

Experimental evidence that biodiversity stabilizes communities through asynchrony[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/5″][vc_single_image image=”55377″ img_size=”250×250″ style=”vc_box_border”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”4/5″][vc_column_text]Third Place:

Joshua Rady (FREC), Daniel Smith (BSE), Kerry Gendreau & Isaac VanDiest (BIOL)

V-SCI: Connecting Science with Local Environmental Advocacy[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]

Research Power Talk Presentation Category:

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/5″][vc_single_image image=”44151″ img_size=”250×250″ style=”vc_box_border”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”4/5″][vc_column_text]First Place:

Mary Lofton (BIOL)

Thermocline deepening deepens maximum phytoplankton biomass and affects community phytoplankton community structure in a eutrophic reservoir[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/5″][vc_single_image image=”45564″ img_size=”250×250″ style=”vc_box_border”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”4/5″][vc_column_text]Second Place:

Sara Teemer Richards (BIOL)

Effects of temperature on contact rates in house finches[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/5″][vc_single_image image=”48820″ img_size=”250×250″ style=”vc_box_border”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”4/5″][vc_column_text]Third Place:

Korin Jones (BIOL)

Community Assembly in the Amphibian Microbiome[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]Kudos to all the student participants!  Your research never ceases to inspire and give us hope for a bright future.  Thank you to the GCC Faculty and other researchers on campus who came out to show their support for the IGC Fellows![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator style=”shadow”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Categories
Announcements Interfaces of Global Change IGEP Student Spotlight

Congratulations to inaugural GCC Diversity Fellows, Gabriel Borba and Okeshola Idowu

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April 19, 2021

Congratulations to our first Global Change Center Diversity Fellows, Idowu Okeshola and Gabriel Borba! The new GCC Diversity Fellowships are awarded to incoming Ph.D. students from underrepresented communities, providing them with a 12-month assistantship and tuition. The aims of this fellowship are to engage students in difficult discussions of complex socio-environmental problems, learn from their diverse perspectives and life experiences, and equip them with the skills needed to drive change in communities of the U.S. and abroad. The focus of their research includes an emphasis on the social and/or environmental challenges associated with rapid global change, such as pollution, invasive species, climate change, and habitat loss.

Please join us in welcoming both of these exemplary Ph.D. candidates to our program!

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In the fall of 2021, Idowu Kayode Okeshola joins the research group of Dr. Peter Vikesland of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Through his research with the Vikesland group, Idowu intends to build upon his interdisciplinary background to gain expertise in the development of nanotechnology-enabled platforms for the detection of environmental contaminants. Knowing the impact that environmental contaminants have on climate change, species extinction and agriculture, his research will explore methods to reduce the production of pollutants for sustainable growth in areas undergoing urbanization.  Before joining Virginia Tech, Idowu completed his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta in Nigeria followed by a M.Sc. in. Environmental Engineering at the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany. Upon completion of his Ph.D. research, he intends to return to Nigeria to continue his work in addressing the consequences of environmental contaminants and creating early detection systems to eradicate them.

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Gabriel Borba, also joining the Hokie community in the fall of 2021, will conduct his research in the laboratory of Dr. Leandro Castello of the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation. As a direct descendant of the Pardo ethnicity of South America, which refers to descendants of the collective European, Amerindian, and West African diasporas, Gabriel intends to study the impact of climate change, habitat loss, and overfishing on the lives of indigenous Amazonians. Specifically, he intends to investigate how climate change and floodplain deforestation affects the hydrology of Amazon rivers and fish habitat, thus impacting fish catch and the livelihood of Amazonians. Prior to joining Virginia Tech, Gabriel completed his undergraduate degree in Biological Science at the Federal University of Rio Grande in Rio Grande, Brazil followed by a Master’s in Ecology at the National Institute for Amazonian Research in Manaus, Brazil.

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Categories
Announcements Undergraduate Experiential Learning

New Global Change Scholars program expands opportunities for undergraduate research

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April 1, 2021

 

In ongoing efforts to foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community, the Global Change Center is proud to announce a new partnership with the Multicultural Academic Opportunities Program (MAOP).  We have launched the new Global Change Scholars Program, a companion program to MAOP’s Undergraduate Scholars Program. The new partnership provides financial scholarships ($750 – $1,500 per year) to undergraduate students with unmet financial need so that they can participate in undergraduate research with GCC faculty affiliates.

Within the university landscape, economic considerations prevent many students from participating in experiential learning opportunities such as undergraduate research and study abroad programs.  These financial barriers to entry are unevenly distributed across society, limiting opportunities for students from lower and middle income families.  As a result, many incredibly talented undergraduate students never get exposed to potential career paths in research or the other life skills gained under the mentorship of faculty and graduate students.  Unfortunately, these disparities have only gotten worse over the last year due to COVID 19. Importantly, these scholarships are not meant to replace the pay that some students might receive for contributing to faculty research programs. Instead, a Global Change Scholar award is intended to make it possible for students to explore and prioritize research opportunities over other forms of employment often needed to make ends meet.

The Global Change Scholars will be part of a larger community of MAOP students and will engage in professional development workshops and 1:1 mentorship meetings, and be provided with support from the larger MAOP community.  They will also engage in GCC and IGC IGEP activities to experience what it is like to be part of a community of innovative scientists from diverse fields.  Scholarships will be competitively awarded and renewable each year pending satisfactory academic and research performance, and continued research with GCC faculty affiliates.

The deadline for applications is April 30th for awards beginning in fall 2021.

More information and the application details are available on the Global Change Scholars Program webpage.

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