IMS Magazine - Summer 2012 edition in PDF format - Institute of ...

Ask
Experts
the
Expert Tips: Enriching your Graduate Experience
Column By Laura S. Park & Brittany N. Rosenbloom
Student Involvement in Forming Their PAC
A number of decisions need to be made at
the beginning of a graduate student’s studies.
Aside from the obvious choices, such as
choosing a supervisor and a project, a critical
decision that graduate students quickly face
is who should serve on their Program Advisory
Committee (PAC). As the IMS website
indicates, PAC members should include
faculty who have expertise complementing
the supervisor’s research and within the students’
proposed area of research. The balance
between advisors (i.e. committee members
and supervisor(s)) is one that can certainly
help students thrive in their studies, especially
by utilizing the guidance and encouragement
from each advisor to navigate through
some of the challenges that may arise during
the course of each student’s research career.
As such, students not only need to feel comfortable
with their committee members (e.g.
to ask research questions), but also need to
make sure that PAC members are willing
to be available for additional meetings as
needed. To achieve this, it is imperative that
students are a part of deciding who is on
their own committee. This requires a series
of iterative discussions between student and
supervisor about project goals, the guiding
expertise needed to accomplish these goals,
and the best learning/teaching style that will
maximize the student’s experience. A crucial
factor to consider in this process is how
much time and guidance each potential PAC
member can provide.
Many newly admitted students leave this decision
up to the supervisor, and it is common
for supervisors to choose their close colleagues
or collaborators. Therefore, students
should share any potential PAC members in
mind and take an active role in this process.
Putting together the best-suited PAC is important
for students to be successful in their
graduate training while having a fun and exciting
time!
What Supervisors Expect From Their Students
One of the challenges for many graduate students
is having a productive and meaningful
relationship with their supervisors. Problems
may range from inadequate communication
to more serious issues such as lab bullying
and ethical misconduct. Unfortunately, these
difficulties do arise and it is important to realize
them early on and to seek assistance. Both
the IMS office and the IMS Students’ Association
(IMSSA) provide student-supervisor
relationship advice whether one-on-one, or
through workshops such as the one held last
March.
Listed are some general but key pieces of advice
shared by Dr. Carol Westall, one of our
graduate coordinators.
These are some basic points to keep in mind
as a graduate student. It is likely that most
supervisors will expect more from their students;
it is the student’s job to fulfill more
than the minimum. Also, each supervisor has
their own unique mentoring style and students
should apply these guidelines at their
own discretion. Nevertheless, having a good
student-supervisor relationship is not only in
the hands of the students, but also in those of
their supervisors.
Things Supervisors Wished Students Knew:
Students should/can
1. give regular, written updates regarding
their work
2. know that it takes time to get a PAC/
exam committee together
3. tell their PAC they want to transfer to
PhD/go to medical school
4. refer to PAC members, other students,
lab mates, and IMSSA if they
need help or advice
5. know all deadlines
6. find external funding
7. tell their supervisor if they can’t live
on the stipend amount
8. tell their supervisor if the pressure
and stress is too great
9. tell their supervisor if they are having
problems writing their thesis, grant
applications, or papers
EXPERT TIP
Any discussion with a Graduate Coordinator
will remain confidential unless you choose
otherwise. Don’t shy away from asking for
guidance.
Do you have a question for the experts? Please
send it to theimsmagazine@gmail.com. (ATTN:
Experts).
IMS MAGAZINE SUMMER 2012 GENOMIC MEDICINE | 40