ATM Installed in Northern Virginia Center

There is now an ATM in the Northern Virginia Center's Community Café. The ATM will dispense five dollar bills for use in the snack machines. The agent for the ATM machine is BB&T Bank; there is a service fee if you are not a BB&T member.

A Review of Graduate Education Week 2010

The week started off with the display of research posters and abstracts for the Graduate Research Symposium as well as entries to the NCR Student Photography Contest, “Through the Graduate Student Lens” in Room T2. It was a great reminder of both the academic and artistic talents of our students here in the National Capital Region!

POS, ETD, GSSO – What does it all mean?!

Monday night the Kick-Off Event was held; students joined GSSO staff to ask questions and learn more about the Graduate School. Current NVC Director and Associate Dean for the NCR, Dr. David Trauger, was in attendance, as well as our new NVC Director and Associate Dean for the NCR, Dr. Sherry Fontaine, who will be joining us in June. Attendees enjoyed tea and cookies and voted on their favorite NCR Student Photography Contest entries.

 

Would you like to work on your public speaking skills in a safe environment?

Tuesday night, Common Ground Toastmasters came to NVC to give a presentation about the non-profit organization, Toastmasters International, as well as our presenters’ local club, Common Ground Toastmasters. They spoke on the mission of the international organization and of their club, the structure of a typical meeting, and the Program tracks available to its members. Through this series of projects, members have the opportunity to practice public speaking, communication and leadership skills with the club. Fellow members give feedback, providing the opportunity to refine your skills and ideas and gain confidence in them before utilizing them in the classroom, research group or workplace.

Toastmasters also offers leadership positions within the organization, including positions in Public Relations, marketing and more. Members may also gain experience by participating in outside recruitment events and presentations.

For more information, go to the Toastmasters International website or the Common Ground Toastmasters website. Contact Common Ground Toastmasters president, Kenneth Fung with any questions at commongroundtm@hotmail.com. The club’s meetings are held even Mondays at 6:45pm Ledo’s Pizza and Restaurant, Best Western Iwo Jima, 1501 N. Arlington Blvd, Arlington, VA 22209 – You are encourage to attend a couple meetings as a visitor before joining the club, so check it out!

 

Looking for research support right here in the National Capital Region?
Look no further – The Virginia Tech NCR Research Methods Consortium is here for you! Professors Bill Frakes and Gabriella Belli lead the VT-NCR-RMC and PhD student Reghu Anguswamy provides research methods and statistics consulting. To reach the extensive pool of information provided by VT-NCR-RMC, visit the website. Additionally, every student is encouraged to join the RMC forum – all you need is your vt.edu email ID! The RMC forum provides a dynamic, interactive source of information that promotes interdisciplinary discussion and critical thinking. Contact the VT-NCR-RMC at researchhelp@nvc.vt.edu, 703-538-8371 or in room 303, Northern Virginia Center.

Virginia Tech National Capital Region reaches out!

Throughout February and march, the GSSO collected new and used books, notebooks and writing utensils for the Reading Intervention program at Shrevewood Elementary School, located across Route 7 from the NVC on Shreve Road in Falls Church. The program was developed for students grades one through six who need extra reading support, as well as materials to practice doing so outside of school. The supply drive culminated at our Spirit Night Event on Thursday where graduate students decorated tote bags to hold the collected items – The group got creative and used illustrations from the donated books to inspire their decorations! The totes look fantastic and will surely inspire the Shrevewood students to start reading their new books!

Thank you kindly to the NCR faculty, staff and students who generously donated to this great cause. Photos of the students with their new supplies will be coming soon!

  

From Blacksburg to NCR…
NCR students were also able to participate in two Graduate Education Week events that took place in Blacksburg – On Wednesday afternoon, the GSA Research Symposium hosted by NCR GSA, and on Wednesday night, the ETD Speaker Series: Graduate School Review of your ETD. Thank you so much for including us, main campus!

Congratulations to the NCR Student Photography contest winners!
After a week of open voting, scores were tallied for our Viewer’s Choice winners of the NCR Student Photography Contest, “Through the Graduate Student Lens”. The poles were neck and neck, but first, second and third place winners were determined: In third place, Nasim Sabounchi for her photo Untitled, in second place, Yinan Li for his photo Dragonfly, and in first place, Bai Zhang for his photo Washington Monument in Cherry Blossom (In photo student Feng Chen accepts on his behalf). Winning photos continue to be displayed in the GSSO office – Great work to everyone who participated!

Notes on “Critical Thinking,” a presentation by author Jean Sausele Knodt

Presented by Phi Delta Kappa International
If you weren’t able to attend “Critical Thinking” on Wednesday, March 10th, I would like to briefly share my experience and encourage you to explore this author independently.

Jean Sausele Knodt, author of Nine Thousand Straws: Teaching thinking through open-inquiry learning, spoke on her Think Tank lab and its principles of the open-inquiry process, critical and creative thinking, innovation, risk taking and multi-generational learning. Wednesday night’s diverse audience of graduate students, alumni, faculty, staff and visitors, coming from backgrounds in everything from art to education to engineering, could equally relate to and benefit from the theories and strategies introduced. I would like to thank Jean for her intelligent, insightful and inspiring presentation and Phi Delta Kappa International for hosting this wonderful event at the Northern Virginia Center.

Handouts of the article, “Cultivating Curious Minds: Teaching for Innovation Through Open-Inquiry Learning”1 were provided. Virginia Tech employees and students can access this and other articles by going to http://www.lib.vt.edu/ and searching “Journals”. Jean also brought copies of her book, Nine Thousand Straws: Teaching thinking through open-inquiry learning 2 and two were raffled off at the presentation. I encourage anyone looking to polish his or her critical and creative thinking skills, or to inspire someone else’s, to check them out!

Publications by Jean Sausele Knodt
1 “Cultivating Curious Minds: Teaching for Innovation Through Open-Inquiry Learning.” Teacher Librarian. 2009. 37 (1), 15-22.
2 Nine Thousand Straws: Teaching thinking through open-inquiry learning. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, Teacher Ideas Press. July, 2008.

“Creative Collaborators: Teaching for Innovation Through Open-Inquiry.” School Library Journal. (Publish date, May, 2010).
“The Think Tank: A Discovery Room for Young Learners.” Harvard University Graduate School of Education. ALPS. January, 1999. http://learnweb.harvard.edu/alps/thinking/pop2.cfm
“Discovering Giftedness.” Apple, Fairfax County Schools, 1998. 17 (2), 16-17.
“A Think Tank Cultivates Kids.” Educational Leadership. September, 1997. 55 (1), 35-37.

Visit http://www.pdkintl.org/ to explore Phi Delta Kappa International, the experts in cultivating great educators for tomorrow and ensuring high-quality education for today.

Graduate Education Week 2010

ALL VIRGINIA TECH NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION GRADUATE STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND THE EVENTS OF GRADUATE EDUCATION WEEK 2010.  HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

All Week
GRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
Room T-2

The research exposition assembles visual and written descriptions of the most exciting research and work conducted at Virginia Tech. Posters and abstracts will be displayed for the entire week of March 22nd. They will be voted on and prizes will be awarded. Submit mounted posters and abstracts no later than March 19th to the Graduate Student Services Office (GSSO) in Falls Church. For more please contact the GSSO at gsso@nvc.vt.edu.

THROUGH THE GRADUATE STUDENT LENS, NCR STUDENT PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST
2nd Floor Lobby Windows

The GSSO is sponsoring a photography contest for all National Capital Region graduate students. Photos may be entered in one of the following categories: Life in the DC Area (photos taken locally, including Virginia Tech NCR facilities, area historical sites, monuments, nature or cultural events) or in the Open Category. Limit two entries per category per person. Photos may be color or black and white. Submit digital or printed photos, 8”x10”, to jesstodd@vt.edu or to the GSSO office, Room 200, NVC, by March 16th.

Monday, March 22
GRADUATE EDUCATION WEEK KICK-OFF EVENT
6:00 pm, Room 217

Come and enjoy tea and cookies with the Graduate School, GSA and Faculty Association! The GSSO staff will be available to answer questions about the Graduate School. Voting for the NCR Photography Contest will take place - Winners will be announced and awards presented. Please bring a donation for our community service project (Details below).

Tuesday, March 23
THINKING ON YOUR FEET AND PUTTING YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD
6:00 pm, Room 217

Want to be better prepared for interviews? Want to effectively present your ideas? Want to hone your leadership skills in a safe environment? Check out Common Ground Toastmasters! It is part of a worldwide organization dedicated to helping people develop communication and leadership skills through practice, not lectures.

Wednesday, March 24
LET'S TALK RESEARCH!
6:00 pm, Room 217

Professor William Frakes will speak about the Research Methods Consortium at NCR. The purpose of the VT-NCR-RMC is to provide better support for research at NCR by coordinating research methods across Colleges with improved information importation and sharing, consulting support and coordinated teaching. The RMC is funded by Dean Karen DePauw of the Graduate School.

Thursday, March 25
SPIRIT NIGHT - GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY
6:00 pm, Room 217

The GSSO is collecting supplies for the Reading Intervention Program at Shrevewood Elementary School in Falls Church. Bring pencils, markers, crayons, colored pencils, journals, notebooks, and new or used books appropriate for grades 1-6 (fiction and non-fiction) to Room 200, NVC. Graduate students are invited to assemble and decorate literacy bags during the Spirit Night event. Wear your VT colors and give back!

VT NCR attends the Army National Guard Bureau Education Fair at the Army National Guard Readiness Center in Arlington

March 1st and 2nd I had the opportunity to attend the Army National Guard Bureau Education Fair at the Army National Guard Readiness Center in Arlington. There were quite a few attendees who had a serious interest in pursuing Graduate degrees at Virginia Tech, NCR. Our table was very popular due to our accessible location, wide variety of graduate-level degrees, class schedules catered to working professionals, and Commonwealth Campus program.

There is a great support for education from the community at the Center, and I was very happy to be a part of it. It was a wonderful opportunity to recruit students with distinctive work experience and a strong interest in and motivation toward higher education, and who have unique funding opportunities through the military (see below).

The group is working to expand the Education Fair for next year - I highly recommend it to other local universities!

Veterans Affairs Benefits page at the VT Registrar's site
GI Bill at the US Department of Veterans Affairs website
Education Benefits at goarmy.com
Army National Guard website

Thank you to the Army National Guard for including Virginia Tech NCR in your event, thank you for your fearless service to our country, and the best of luck to you all in your pursuit of higher education.
 
~Jessica Todd, Graduate Student Services Coordinator

Notes on the ETD Speaker Series on Copyright with Gail McMillan

If you weren’t able to go Thursday night’s ETD Speaker Series on Copyright, presented by VT Director of Digital Library and Archives, Gail McMillan, I’d like to share with you my notes of the main points and resources that were highlighted during the presentation.

An overall important web page to keep in mind is the Graduate School’s “Degree Completion and Commencement” page: http://www.grads.vt.edu/academics/completion/. The “Graduation Requirements and Commencement Deadline” link will bring you to a timeline of graduation deadlines, Completion Checklists and Completion Guidelines. If you’re planning to graduate, it’s a great place to start!

Also on this page is a link to the “Electronic Thesis and Dissertation” page, a wiki created as a central guide to all things ETD. Here you will find a wide range of useful information.

From the wiki you can also jump to the “ETD for VT Authors” website: http://etd.vt.edu/. Here, you can click on the “Awards” tab to find out about both Virginia Tech and Non-VT awards for ETD’s. (Some are monetary!) The “Develop your ETD” tab contains information about formatting options and citations, provides templates and gives examples of well-formatted ETD’s. The “Graduate School” tab gives information about what the Grad School is looking for when they review your ETD. This topic will also be covered in the next ETD Speaker Series, “Graduate School Review of your ETD,” which takes place March 24th, 7:00-8:30pm (location TBA). The “Help” tab contains FAQ’s and contact information, and lastly, the “Submit an ETD” tab gives step-by-step instructions for submission, as well as a “Practice ETD Submission” link where you can actually go through a trial run of the entire process.

During this discussion, the focus was on information found under the “Copyright” tab (http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/copyright/cprtetd.html). Within this tab, the tab “© for Authors,” contains a layout of the fundamentals of copyright, including your rights as a copyright holder and restrictions on the use of copyrighted work. On a side note, Ms. McMillan recommended not giving up your entire copyright to a publisher because the publisher will then own your work. Instead, negotiate to share rights or to maintain the rights on the original work while giving the publisher rights to the specific version of the work that you created for that publication.

Along with protecting the rights to your own work, you must also take into consideration the use of copyrighted materials in your work. On the right side of the screen, you will see guidelines as to the use of copyrighted materials that do not require permission. One of these bullet points, fair use, has its own tab on the page. Fair use should be carefully considered before moving ahead with the inclusion of copyrighted work in your ETD.

Digital Library and Archives has created several tools to help determine fair use, including the VT Fair Use Analyzer tool and the Fair Use Checklist. The VT Fair Use Analyzer tool provides you with a list of simple questions: Answer them as accurately as possible and click the “Analyze Fair Use” button at the bottom of the page. The tool will determine whether you are in favor of or against fair use. Demonstrating that you have used the Analyzer tool by printing out your Fair Use Analysis Results for each fair use item used in your ETD will show that you have carefully considered fair use and will help to protect you and your ETD in the future.

If you determine that you will need permission to use an item, see “Help Getting Permission” on the bottom right of the “© for Authors” screen. Note that stating that the item will be for “sole use in a thesis/dissertation” may be helpful when obtaining permission.

On behalf of the GSSO, I would like to thank Gail McMillan for a wonderful, informative presentation, and for including the National Capital Region in the discussion.

~Jessica Todd, Graduate Student Services Coordinator, NVC

19th Annual National Capital Region Job Fair

19th Annual National Capital Region Job Fair

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

2:00pm – 6:00pm

Don't sit around waiting for that perfect job to land in your lap... Come to the 19th Annual National Capital Region Job Fair at the Northern Virginia Center, 7054 Haycock Road, Falls Church, VA (adjacent to the West Falls Church - VT/UVA Metro Station). More than 70 professional and high tech companies from Virginia, Maryland and DC will be recruiting for all levels and disciplines. No cost to attend and all job seekers are welcome! Parking is very limited so please take Metro to the West Falls Church VT/UVA Station (Orange Line)

Register to attend and submit your resume by March 5 by visiting http://www.ncrjobfair.org

Professional dress is required. Come early to enjoy the best opportunities to speak with recruiters! A complete list of participating companies may be found at http://www.dchokies.org/JobFairCompanies.aspx  

*Help! It has been a while since I have been to a job fair!* - Attend the "How to Make the Most of a Job Fair" Session at 1:00pm. Learn how to work the room, what to say to employers, and what they'll expect to hear from you!

Sponsored by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association - National Capital Region Chapter.