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Professional Development

Programs and Resources

The Graduate Affairs and Admissions Office provides a academic and professional development programs and resources for all graduate students and postdocs on the Homewood Campus.

Mentoring Resources

Online resources for working with advisors and mentors (and how to be an effective mentee):

Responsible Conduct of Research

Researchers at all levels of their career spend time and effort on two aspects of responsible conduct of research. First, researchers are concerned that their behavior is always characterized by others as ethical. In the area of ethical research, many components are very straightforward and "black and white", such as behavior that is scientific misconduct (research fraud). However, many aspects of ethical research behavior are more nuanced or "grey", such as how many different statistical approaches does one use to analyze data. Second, researchers must remain up-to-date about the various regulations that apply to their research. These research regulations cover research using humans, animals, recombinant DNA, and radioactivity, to just name a few.

Perhaps the most effective way to learn about responsible conduct of research is as part of a research group, with the research mentor articulating what is ethical behavior and what is the appropriate way to deal with regulation. The behavior of the research mentor, in addition to his/her articulating various aspects of responsible conduct of research, is an important aspect of mentorship. Another way to learn about responsible conduct of research is to periodically take a formal course on the topic. This course, taught by Dr. Sharon Krag, combines didactic material and extensive discussion of case studies to effectively teach researchers during the first years of their work.

The curriculum is based on the principles given by the U.S. Federal Office of Research Integrity (www.ori.dhhs.gov) and includes approaches by researchers throughout the world. Specific topics covered include scientific misconduct, conflict of interest, mentorship, academic integrity, data management practices, publication practices, and human and animal subjects research regulations. These topics are discussed from the point of view of researchers in laboratory-based, qualitative, and quantitative disciplines.

During the academic year, the Homewood schools offer this week-long (10-hour) discussion-based course in Responsible Conduct of Research. The course is free of charge and for credit (Pass/Fail). Anyone wishing to register must do so in person with the Graduate Registrar. The course number is AS.360.625 The course is typically offered during winter intersession, then once during the fall and late spring.

Please note: In the spring of 2010, the Krieger and Whiting Schools instituted a campus-wide Responsible Conduct of Research Policy which requires certain graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to complete this course. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are asked to check with their department as to eligibility.

Policy for the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences
Policy for the Whiting School of Engineering

Practicum in Higher Education Administration

Led by Vice Dean Ben Vinson III, this four-day intersession course focuses on administration in higher education in four key areas: departmental leadership, divisional leadership, inter-divisional leadership and other forms of academic leadership.

Each discussion-based session will incorporate distinguished guests from the Office of the Provost, Dean's offices of the Krieger and Whiting Schools, former deans, department chairs, graduate studies and center directors, and members of Academic Council.

The January 2012 program features:

Course Number: AS.360.690
Course Enrollment: 25 (maximum)
Course Time/ Location: January 23 - 26, 2012, 10:00 - 11:30 A.M., Trustee Boardroom, Hodson

Writing

Research Writing Course
Graduate students in the Homewood schools have access to the Center for Leadership in Education's (CLE) Research Writing course offered at various times of the year. Because space is limited, it is recommended that students sign up early. There is no fee for taking the course. A full description of the course is posted on CLE's website. The course number is 661.610.

Writing Center
The Writing Center offers student writers free, individual conferences with experienced tutors trained especially to consult on writing assignments in the humanities and social sciences, though they may also be of use to students working in other disciplines.  The Writing Center welcomes all Johns Hopkins undergraduate and graduate students in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and Whiting School of Engineering.

Lattman Graduate Student Community Lectures

In recognition of the importance of facilitating interdisciplinary research opportunities, training graduate students, and strengthening the graduate student community at Homewood, the Deans of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the Whiting School of Engineering have established the Eaton E. Lattman Graduate Student Community Seminar Series - named after former Krieger School Graduate Dean and faculty member, Dr. Eaton "Ed" Lattman. Through this series, Homewood graduate students will present broad-based research seminars to fellow graduate students and the entire Homewood community in an environment of collaboration and support.

The Homewood schools sponsor one seminar per academic semester. Each seminar spotlights three graduate students each presenting a 20-minute talk on their area of research or a closely related subject, allowing for an additional 5-minute question-and-answer session.

All Homewood graduate students are invited to submit a proposal for the spring and fall seminars. The deadline for submission is typically early fall and spring. All applicants will be notified of the final selections. A proposal should be no longer than one page, single-spaced, and it should include the title and a description of the presentation. For more specific information and deadlines for the current academic year, graduate students should contact the Graduate Affairs and Admissions Office.

Professional Development Day for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows

Each academic year a day is set aside for the professional development of our advanced graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Topics encompass career development, how to secure funding, dissertation completion strategies, choosing a postdoctoral position, finding a position in academia vs. industry, and more.

This year’s Professional Development Day will be hosted on December 15, 2011. To register and review the day's program go here.

Career Centers

Homewood Career Center
The Homewood Campus has a Career Center which has, among other things, a 'Writing your CV' workshop, an 'Academic Job Search for Graduate Students' workshop, workshops on career opportunities outside academia, individual consultation, and on-campus recruiting. There is a section of their website expressly for graduate students.

JHMI Professional Development Office
The East Baltimore Campus has a Professional Development Office with resources such as career panels and speakers, online 'Tools for the Upwardly Mobile Scientist' and guidelines for CVs, letters, networking, and interviewing, individual consultation, and ongoing visits by industry representatives such as McKinsey & Company, Merck, Novartis, and others.

Faces of JHUCoveted Courses

Coveted Courses
For graduate students in the School of Arts and Sciences, the highly competitive Dean’s Teaching Fellowships provide an invaluable opportunity to gain teaching experience and further their own research—or take a break from it. Read about the challenges and triumphs of a few recent fellows here.