why graduate

EDGES Graduate Fellowship

August 8, 2022

The EDGES program in the College of Science seeks to increase success for graduate students in STEM fields, enhance the academic environment for the campus community, and broaden the STEM workforce in Utah. Awardees participate in several networking, career development, and social events throughout the year, and are expected to attend at least two events per semester.

This program provides funds (up to $10,000 per student) to recruit, retain, and promote the success of outstanding graduate students who have the potential to bring unique perspectives and contributions to their academic fields and departments. Awards can be spent any time for up to five years after acceptance, or until the student graduates, whichever comes first.

Selection Criteria:

  • Applicants must have received an offer of admission to a College of Science graduate program.
  • Applicants must submit a brief application answering four questions listed below.
  • Applicants will be prioritized based on the following criteria:
    • Articulation of specific plans, experiences, and goals to succeed in their discipline and broaden the STEM workforce.
    • Likelihood of impact on graduate program and STEM community at University of Utah (e.g. recruiting opportunity, alignment with department priorities, etc.).

Application Questions:

  1. What factors have influenced your decision to pursue graduate studies in STEM, and how do you envision cultivating your career while participating in EDGES?
  2. What support or resources would be most beneficial in helping you succeed academically and professionally in your graduate program, particularly in relation to mentorship, networking, and community building?
  3. In what ways do you think your background, experiences, or perspective could contribute to innovation, problem-solving, or leadership within STEM at University of Utah?
  4. How do you cultivate belonging in STEM, either through previous experience or goals for your graduate studies?

THE 2024-25 APPLICATION WILL BE LIVE JANUARY 15, 2025.

Applications will be due by 5pm MT on March 10, 2025.

 

Monetary awards are divided into two allocations:

  1. An up-front disbursement of 50% of the award amount to assist with a student’s transition to graduate school, and
  2. A second allocation of 50% of the award amount that can be drawn on for research and professional development (RPD) expenses. The RPD funds can be spent any time during the award period.

 

"It has helped me with access to resources relevant to my research. I have been able to attend conferences and purchase equipment with the EDGES funds, which I would not be able to do otherwise"

"EDGES has helped me learn to set different types of goals and manage my time well." 

"The EDGES fellowship has helped financially and in making connections. It is good to connect with people to get advice and talk about a lot of things students face in grad school, especially as a first year." 

Contacts

Program Committee

Committee Co-Chair

Lauren Birgenheier

Committee Co-Chair

Lauren Birgenheier
Faculty Fellow, College of Science; Associate Professor, Geology and Geophysics
 Contact Lindsey DeSpain: 801-581-7214

Student Representative, Biology (EEOB)

Vinayak Gopalakrishna Kamath

Student Representative, Biology (EEOB)

Vinayak Gopalakrishna Kamath

Student Representative, Geology & Geophysics

Laura Wilcock

Student Representative, Geology & Geophysics

Laura Wilcock

Committee Co-Chair

Akil Narayan

Committee Co-Chair

Akil Narayan
Faculty Fellow, College of Science; Professor, Mathematics

Student Representative, Chemistry

Kim B. Weaver

Student Representative, Chemistry

Kim B. Weaver

Program Coordinator

Lindsey DeSpain

Program Coordinator

Lindsey DeSpain
 801-581-6958
 lindsey@science.utah.edu

Student Representative, Chemistry

Niharika P. Kaushik

Student Representative, Chemistry

Niharika P. Kaushik

Director of Special Projects

Cassie Slattery

Director of Special Projects

Cassie Slattery

Student Representative, Physics & Astronomy

Anukitri Ghimire

Student Representative, Physics & Astronomy

Anukitri Ghimire

 

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Faculty Development

April 1, 2022

Faculty development program

Supporting Faculty in Professional Growth

The College of Science Faculty Development Program provides funding for tenure-line and career-line faculty to participate in professional development opportunities that will enhance their academic trajectory and/or ability to enrich the college community through ongoing projects.  Examples of opportunities suitable for this program include, but are not limited to, workshops and trainings related to increasing research productivity, effective practices for teaching and/or mentoring, improving time/workload management, and leadership development.   Those who receive funding will also have the opportunity to enrich the college community by sharing what they've learned with their colleagues.

This program covers the cost of registration, travel, and local expenses for a faculty member to attend a professional development event of their choosing.   Remote events and programs are also eligible.  All tenure-line and career-line faculty may apply.

Examples of suitable programs:

  • National Center For Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) Faculty Success Program: This 12-week online program helps tenure-track and tenured faculty with the skills necessary to increase research and writing productivity while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
  • American Chemical Society (ACS) Leadership Development Program: The ACS LDP curriculum includes both self-paced e-learning courses, and facilitated courses that provide hands-on learning and networking opportunities. Facilitated courses are offered throughout the year at national, regional and local section meetings as well as at the ACS Leadership Institute.
  • Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) STEM Leadership Institute:  This Institute is uniquely designed for early- and mid-career STEM faculty, principal investigators, and administrators who are engaged in leading initiatives and interventions aimed at transforming undergraduate STEM education in their classrooms, departments, and institutions.
  • HERS Leadership Institute: The HERS Leadership Institute is a transformational, leadership development program for women in higher education, founded to fill leadership pipelines across the United States with dynamic women, each capable of ushering their respective institutions into a more inclusive and equitable future.
  • American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) IMAGE Grant-Writing Workshop: The ASBMB Interactive Mentoring Activities for Grantsmanship Enhancement grant writing workshop is designed to help early-career scientists and senior postdoctoral fellows write winning proposals for federal research funding.

Application Process

The application includes three parts:

  1. A one-page narrative that describes the program you are applying to attend, the time commitment, what you hope to learn, and how it may impact your professional life or activities.  Include a link to the program's webpage as well as any relevant deadlines.
  2. A budget that includes all necessary expenses to enable your participation.  If the request is for more than $5000, please also include a statement from your chair/director specifying what resources the department/school can supply.
  3. Your CV.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed by a committee of three academic leaders, at least one of whom is from the broader campus community.  You can expect a response within two weeks of submitting your application.

Expectations

Faculty who receive funding to attend an event or complete a program are expected to attend, participate, and complete any assignments as required by the program.  They will also be expected to share some of what they've learned with others in the college community through an organized activity within 90 days of the event or completion of the program.  This may be done, for example, through a 45 minute presentation to junior faculty or any other appropriate subgroup of faculty.  The Dean's Office will work with you to coordinate this event.

Those who attend leadership programs will also be asked to debrief with their chair/director and the College of Science dean and associate deans upon completion of the program.

For questions, please contact Pearl Sandick, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs (pearl.sandick@utah.edu).

Submit application packages (as a pdf file) to office@science.utah.edu

 

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Graduate Research Opportunities

September 24, 2019

opportunity is knocking

The University of Utah continues to develop groundbreaking research on a local, national, and international level. In addition to the U’s diverse research portfolio, the institution is also a catalyst for economic growth and innovation, creating over 280 spin-out companies—and 16,000 jobs – from the university’s inventions and technologies (BEBR Report, 2011). With the determination and support of our research community, the University of Utah will continue to develop cutting-edge research to enhance the lives of current and future generations to come.

 

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Graduate School Faculty

September 24, 2019

Faculty Profiles

Meet Your Mentors.

   

 

Jamie Gagnon, Biology

A Vermont native, Gagnon arrived at the University of Utah in January 2018 from Harvard. Previous to that he earned a PhD from Brown University and a BS from Worcester Polytechnic west of Boston.

In Utah Gagnon went from post-doc to principal investigator and Assistant Professor of Biology. In his lab at the Center for Cell and Genome Science, Gagnon curates 10,000 fish in 1,000 controlled tanks carefully labeled for experiments.

 

 

 

Ming Hammond, Chemistry

Pearl earned her PhD in Physics from the University of Minnesota and served as a postdoctoral fellow at the Weinberg Theory Group at the University of Texas at Austin before joining the University of Utah in 2011.

Her research interests are in particle physics beyond the Standard Model, including possible explanations for the dark matter in the universe.

Pearl currently serves as the Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs as the College moves forward on many new academic fronts.

 

 

 

Ming Hammond, Chemistry

A Vermont native, Gagnon arrived at the University of Utah in January 2018 from Harvard. Previous to that he earned a PhD from Brown University and a BS from Worcester Polytechnic west of Boston.

In Utah Gagnon went from post-doc to principal investigator and Assistant Professor of Biology. In his lab at the Center for Cell and Genome Science, Gagnon curates 10,000 fish in 1,000 controlled tanks carefully labeled for experiments.

 

 

 

Pearl Sandick, Physics

Pearl earned her PhD in Physics from the University of Minnesota and served as a postdoctoral fellow at the Weinberg Theory Group at the University of Texas at Austin before joining the University of Utah in 2011.

Her research interests are in particle physics beyond the Standard Model, including possible explanations for the dark matter in the universe.

Pearl currently serves as the Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs as the College moves forward on many new academic fronts.

 

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Graduate School Application Process

September 24, 2019

Graduate Students

A broad range of graduate programs up through and including the Ph.D. is offered through the individual departments. For information on individual graduate programs in each area, visit the departmental website.

Professional Masters of Science and Technology (PMST)

The PMST degree is a professional, non-thesis, interdisciplinary program that combines graduate studies in science and mathematics with skills from other professional domains, such as business, communication and management.

Masters of Science in Computational Engineering and Science (CES)

The CES degree is an interdisciplinary program that provides experience in the computational solution of scientific or engineering problems, including an understanding of the scientific context of the problem, the mathematical modeling of the problem, the choice of mathematical and numerical methodology, the selection of computer architecture and algorithms, and the visual and/or statistical rendering of computational results.

 

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