USD Hosts Spring Workshops for STEM Students
The first workshop on April 18 will be delivered by the Dakota Research and Consulting Organization (DRACO; draco.bio), a recently formed and student-led non-profit corporation which fulfills the needs of the growing biotech sector in South Dakota and the surrounding region. Following the model of similar student-driven consulting programs (e.g., The BALSA Groups in St. Louis), DRACO provides affordable consulting services to biotech start-ups, while at the same time providing professional development opportunities to student consultants. In this workshop the members of DRACO will discuss opportunities for students to become involved and highlight some success stories of completed and ongoing projects. The workshop will occur from 3-5:30 p.m. in Lee Med, room 105.
The second workshop on April 25 will be delivered by Jennifer Griffiths, Ph.D., an Editorial Development Manager for the Americas at the Royal Society of Chemistry. Griffiths will discuss not only her role and how she made the transition from scientific research to publishing, but also outline other career opportunities in the industry, and give advice on skills and competencies to develop to obtain these sorts of roles. The workshop will occur from 3-5:30 p.m. in Lee Med, room 105.
The USD-N3 is a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant that offers novel interdisciplinary training to prepare graduate students for diverse career paths in STEM professions. A key element of this training program is professional development opportunities including public speaking, career planning, and participation in professional workshops for graduate students. Its aim is to host workshops which will be led by distinguished speakers who are STEM professionals working in industry, government and national laboratories to help graduate students develop knowledge and a better understanding of what non-academic workplace environments are like, and what opportunities exist for Ph.D. students outside of academia.
