Blog

All About COMPASS

Author: Sonali Bahl    Date: 02/19/2018

What comes to mind when you think of a scientist? Do you think of someone working alone, performing experiments and analyses to answer important questions or solve critical problems? In reality, these answers and solutions grow from a variety of factors, such as communicating with the public, networking among fellow scientists, and developing skills outside one’s expertise.

GW COMPASS is an organization targeted towards graduate students in STEM to provide information about campus resources, networking opportunities, and events to build professional skills, and to present a support system of fellow graduate students. The COMPASS executive board includes graduate students from a variety of STEM-related disciplines within the Columbian College of Arts & Sciences (CCAS), School of Engineering & Applied Science (SEAS), and School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS). We hope to combine our knowledge and resources to share with students within our own departments and beyond.

There are several ways in which we hope to help graduate students in STEM strengthen themselves in the present and for the future. We will be hosting career workshops regarding different important topics and skills on every third Thursday of the month, which will be followed by a happy hour during which students can network in a more casual setting. Additionally, and importantly, we are in the process of developing a mentorship program among postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduate students in STEM. We hope that these events will allow students to interact with, and learn from, one another, as peers can offer significant guidance and support to one another by sharing their own experiences.

We also hope to provide our fellow students with access to resources and experiences beyond the university setting. Other COMPASS opportunities for career development include more formal networking events with alumni and professionals, as well as field trips to possible STEM-related employers in the DMV area. These events will present students with the chance to learn about a career path that they may not have known to exist, or to better understand their career-of-interest.

Through COMPASS, we hope to reach out to our fellow STEM graduate students so that we can strengthen our skills to help us in our present work and our future careers. We aim to form a community that fosters the growth of its members through networking, outreach, and critical skill development. We appreciate any input from students about different events that they would like to see in the future, and look forward to seeing everyone at our upcoming events!

Career Options for Graduate Students

Author: Jaclyn Brennan    Date: 03/05/2018

One of the biggest questions PhD students get asked is, “what are you going to do when you graduate?” Despite the fact that we spend all of our waking hours trying to answer detailed scientific unknowns for our dissertation, I would argue that this might be the hardest question to answer. We are told that there are a number of career options we can pursue – from academia, to industry, to government – so how can we possibly know which career path is right for us? While it might feel easier (and less stressful) to just bury our heads in the sand of dissertation research and wait to worry about our career options until we graduate, the more we can hone our interests early and explore what we might want our futures to hold, the easier it will be for us to decide on our ultimate career path(s) before graduation. There are several benefits to this.

First, by identifying your career interests while in graduate school, you can focus on improving any “soft skills” outside of the lab that you might need for success after graduation. While graduate-level research intrinsically provides you with many formidable technical skills (e.g. problem solving, conceptualizing, organizing, and analyzing), employers often also look for candidates with additional “softer skills,” and these vary based on the job (e.g. managing, leading, resolving conflict, and communicating).

Second, if you have an idea of your career interests early, you can try them out! Graduate school offers you the wonderful flexibility of time to pursue extracurriculars. Use this to your advantage. Apply for internships, get practical experience, take tours of the companies and labs you might want to work in, and volunteer for opportunities that can give you the exposure you need to determine if a certain career path is right for you. Time spent now is time saved later.

Finally, you can use your time in graduate school to network. You might have heard that networking is the key to success and that at least 80% of the open positions in the job market are filled through networking. Well, the earlier you can make those important connections for landing that dream job, the better chances you will have for actually landing that dream job! Find a mentor, schedule informational interviews, and learn from experienced people in the field who are doing what you want to do in the next 5, 10, or 20 years from now. So, let’s address some of the specifics: where exactly do PhDs go in the workforce?

In December of just last year, the National Science Foundation (NSF) released a comprehensive report on doctorate recipients in the United States from 2016. From the data tables of postgraduation commitments, the majority of PhDs in STEM fields primarily pursue careers in industry or business, with academic careers coming in second. Thus, it is evident that the “purpose of the PhD” has changed over the past 60 years. No longer are most students going to graduate school to become a tenured-track faculty member as they once were; in fact, tenure track positions are actually much harder to come by these days (~7% of PhDs become professors now, compared to 41% in the 1980s). Instead, many PhDs pursue careers in industry, business, government, and (to a lesser extent) non-profits after graduation. Below is a list of many of the non-academic careers that STEM PhDs pursue.

Industry

  1. Industrial R&D Scientist
  2. Consultant
  3. Product Specialist or Technical Marketing Specialist
  4. Technical Support Scientist
  5. Manufacturing/Operations Scientist
  6. Sales (i.e. Field Application Scientist, Inside Sales)
  7. Project Coordinator
  8. Technical Applications/Support and Customer Education

Business

  1. Science Communicator/Writer 
  2. Technical Writer
  3. Medical Science Liaison 
  4. Entrepreneur

Government

  1. Governmental R&D Specialist
  2. Regulatory Affairs Specialist 
  3. Science Policy Advisor
  4. Patent Lawyer
  5. Technology Transfer Specialist

For more information on any of these careers, and to get a first-hand perspective on these job titles, a great resource is “What Are All the PhDs,” an online project aimed at putting all the various career paths for PhDs into focus. Science Careers also provides a variety of articles, career tools, columns, and job postings. If you are interested in hearing personal testimonials of how PhDs transitioned into top non-academic careers, check out videos of success stories from the Cheeky Scientist. Still not sure where to start? Create an Individual Development Plan (also known as myIDP) created by AAAS. This tool allows you to examine your skills, interests, and values, then matches you up with a personalized list of 20 scientific career paths based on your responses. Why wait? Your future starts today.

Fun things to do in D.C.

Author: Kristy Johnson    Date: 04/11/2018

Sometimes it’s hard to remember that you live in one of the greatest cities in the world fully loaded with fun things to do and see when you are stuck in the lab all day or writing proposals. Take advantage of all that DC has to offer and leave GWU solo or with friends; many of these activities are free and available to the public! If you want to have a fun get away from your lab and go easy on the wallet here is a list of fun (and cheap) things to do in DC.

Winter

  • Play some winter sports like curling and broomball then eat s’mores and warm up by the fire pit at The Wharf
  • Grab your barely used yoga mat and enjoy some Saturday morning yoga at the Kennedy Center. All levels welcome and classes start at 10:15AM
  • From mid-November to March enjoy some ice skating at Georgetown or the Sculpture Garden
  • In February, the Library of Congress has a movie series in its Pickford Theatre. Secure tickets beforehand and enjoy a free movie!
  • Zoo Lights at the National Zoo is great for after-hours fun! Sip on some beer, hot chocolate and other holiday goodies while walking by animated lights!
  • Visit the US Capitol during the off-season and get great pictures of the Capitol Christmas Tree or the National Christmas Tree in front of the White House
  • Enjoy goodies and treats at the Downtown Holiday Market in Chinatown
  • Dec 2nd is the annual Swedish Christmas Bazaar from 11AM-5PM. Don’t miss out on their main event: St. Lucia procession and caroling

Spring

  • Stroll along the tidal basin during the cherry blossom festival
  • Southwest Waterfront Firework Festival on April 7th
  • Anacostia River Festival: Canoe and Bike-related activities as well as lawn games everyone can enjoy on April 15 from 1-5PM
  • Check out more flowers at either the Bishop’s Garden at the National Cathedral or U.S. Botanic Garden
  • Passport DC on May 5th and 12th let you go inside foreign embassies and try cultural food, see live dance performances and art of participating countries including: Japan, Turkey, Brazil and many more
  • Catch some rays and swing at your leisure on The Wharf’s Recreation Pier. You can also picnic and play mini-golf here!
  • White House Garden Tours are free of charge! For more ingo and to reserve your tickets, visit the White House’s website.

Summer

  • 4th of July fireworks on the Mall
  • Take a night stroll around the monuments and memorials. They are spectacular at night!
  • Google outdoor movie screenings to find a neighborhood hosting a free movie near you!
  • Smithsonian Folklife Festival runs June27th- July1st and July 4-8th this year. Celebrate Africa, Armenia and Catalonia by walking through market places and eating food from around the world!
  • Listen to Jazz while sipping on some wine at the Sculpture Garden.
  • From May through September enjoy a picnic while listening to live music hosted by Golden Tringle BID, Farragut Fridays. Outdoor movie screenings at night!
  • The 40th anniversary of Adams Morgan Day is this year! Enjoy live music, food from vendors and activities for all on this fun and lively event.

Fall

  • Take Instagram worth pictures at the National Arboretum
  • National Gallery of Art hosts free concerts in the West Garden Court
  • While on your way to the mall, visit the Old Post Office clock tower between 9AM-5PM Thursday to Sunday.
  • Get decked out in your best Halloween costume and participate (or cheer on participants) in the 17th Street High Heel Race in DuPont.
  • Oct 21st The National Air and Space Museum will host their Air and Scare event in Chantilly, VA.
  • Take a free ghost tour! Google DC by Foot for more info.
  • H street Festival hosts live music, food and family friendly activities every year

Location George Washington University, Washington DC E-mail compass@gwu.edu
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