University Groups I Have Organized

 

Student Grant Writing Group (SGWG) - 2012 to present

I founded the SGWG at San Diego State University in 2012. Since its initiation, it has helped both undergraduate and graduate students write clear and concise grant proposals, personal statements, and/or graduate school application essays. The SGWG works through a peer-review process whereby small groups of 4-6 students edit each other’s writing samples once per week over the course of 8 weeks. The group’s schedule is largely focused on refining essays for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (which two SGWG students have received!); however students also work on writing samples for other types of awards.

 

 

Joint Doctoral Program in Ecology (JDPE) Student Committee - 2014 to present

I founded the JDPE Student Committee after several students in the program compiled a list of concerns. I felt we needed a professional way to work with administration on making the joint-doctoral program with SDSU and UC Davis better for current and future students. Thus far, we have addressed many of the original concerns, mainly by creating a website that lists resources for students. We also started a retreat for new students that occurs the first weekend of the Fall semester. At the retreat, we hold a mini research symposium and inform new students of research opportunities they can access through the doctoral program. In the future, we will hold fundraising events that will raise money for professional development workshops such as an introduction to R, and tips for applying to higher education jobs.   JDPE Student Website