Faculty of Engineering Graduate Research Symposium organizing committee members Ahmad Al-Dabbagh, Mohsen Mohammadijoo, Sourayon Chanda, and Ben Wiltshire.
Edmonton-A series of workshops being held to kick off the annual Faculty of Engineering Graduate Research Symposium will give students tools they need to succeed at school and beyond.
"We've tried to make it as comprehensive as possible so that it covers many different areas of professional development for graduate students," said Ahmad Al-Dabbagh, who leads the symposium's organizing committee.
"We have a software workshop, a teaching workshop, a job-search workshop and even a session on requirements for permanent residency."
The workshops will provide information on subjects such as making the transition from teaching assistant to instructor, and how to network and conduct a strategic job search.
"In one day you can begin to develop better communication skills that lead to more effective instruction, which helps you on the road to becoming a professor if that is the career you've chosen," said Al-Dabbagh. "But these skills are important in any area and are transferable to any field."
A session of developing job-finding skills will benefit every graduate student, added committee member Ben Wiltshire.
"It's always a popular workshop. There are a lot of students who really have been in school for most of their lives," said Wiltshire. "You pick up a lot of skills but not necessarily the ones you can use to get into the workforce-we will get a lot of good information out of this."
There are great jobs waiting for graduate students, Al-Dabbagh says, adding that people who earn advanced degrees "have a lot of specialized skills" and the workshop will help them find the jobs that fit those skills.
The day ends with a mixer where graduate students can meet and mingle with engineering master's and PhDs, to talk about their professional experiences and the kind of work they do.
The symposium runs June 15 to 16 and brings all graduate students from all engineering departments together to share their research projects, make new connections and find potential collaborators.
There is also a Research Elevator Pitch competition being held June 15, in which graduate students are given three minutes to explain their research in non-technical terms.
For a full schedule of events visit the symposium website.