We are curious to know some of the ways AI is changing your world as a graduate student. Please tell us in a few brief sentences. We will share a compilation of anonymous responses in an upcoming GradLIFE blog post.

Have you demonstrated outstanding leadership as a grad student? Gain recognition for your exemplary service to the campus or wider communities! Winners will receive $500 in professional development funds and be featured in a special video during Graduate Student Appreciation Week (October 9-14) to celebrate their accomplishments. Learn more about the application requirements and apply on our website.

The final version of the Spring 2023 List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students is now available at go.illinois.edu/lotrae.

September 15 is the last day to drop a Part of Term A course via Self-Service. Have questions about registration deadlines or submitting a form? Click here for an advising appointment!

When you're writing your thesis, you probably have tons of files to keep track of. As a graduate student, Emily (who now oversees the Thesis Office) learned the hard way how important having a data management plan is. Learn from her mistakes in our blog "How to Keep Track of Your Stuff, or Four Horror Stories in Two Parts" (Part I and Part II).

Just a friendly reminder to back up your thesis files, including drafts, data, spreadsheets, pictures, and notes. You might consider signing up for Data Nudge through Research Data Service, which will send you monthly email reminders and tips for managing your research. Check out the Research Data Service website for more tips and to schedule a one-on-one appointment to speak with a data management expert. While backing up files might seem like a tedious task, make sure to do so regularly so you don’t lose all of your hard work!

Are you preparing to go on the academic job market? The Writers Workshop will review genre expectations for statements of teaching philosophy and provide examples from a range of disciplines. We will share strategies for brainstorming and drafting your own statement. This event will be held through Zoom. It is open to current University of Illinois affiliates (students, faculty, and staff). Please register with your University of Illinois email account by 11:59pm CT on September 13, and we will send a reminder email with the Zoom meeting invitation on the morning of the event.

Graduate College Career Development advisors specialize in the needs of grad students and postdocs. Meet one-on-one to revise application documents, prepare for interviews, get ready to negotiate, explore new career paths, develop a job search strategy, and more. We work with students/postdocs on any kind of job search, including industry, nonprofit, faculty, and government. Appointments are available in person or on Zoom. 

What skills does an employer want? What does "1-3 years experience" mean? Am I qualified for this job? In this workshop, you will learn strategies for reading and understanding job ads, as well as how to communicate your skills effectively in response. No registration required. This workshop will be held in person AND simultaneously broadcast online. Click here to join the workshop remotely.

Going on the academic job market? You'll likely need a teaching statement and diversity statement. In this informative workshop, you will learn what goes in each of these documents, how they should be formatted, and how to use them effectively in your job search. No registration required. This workshop will be held in person AND simultaneously broadcast online. Click here to join the workshop remotely.

Join a collaborative group that will help you figure out what matters to you and offer support as you explore new paths that align with your values, skills, and interests. This 3-week group will involve hands-on exercises and rich conversation designed to guide you in claiming agency about your next steps. Open to grad students and postdocs in any field whose work involves humanistic inquiry. Learn more and register here.

The Carver Biotechnology Center is announcing a free seminar that will feature lecturers from DNA Services, CMtO, HPCBio, and 10X Genomics. Lecturers will introduce single cell RNA-Seq, single-cell ATAC-Seq, visium spatial, multiome, and more. It will be offered in person and remotely via Zoom. There is no cost to attend this seminar, but registration is required (see link in title).  Light refreshments will be served. Optional office hours after the seminar are available as well.

Are you struggling to keep track of all your sources? Looking for an easier way to cite as you write? Mendeley is a free citation manager that helps you organize your citations, store and annotate your files, and insert formatted citations into papers. You will leave this hands-on workshop with the ability to set up and use your very own Mendeley library!

Is this a good journal to publish in? Is it using predatory practices? Participants in this workshop will learn features to look for when evaluating publication opportunities in order to make an informed choice about where to submit research. Participants will also understand the utility and drawbacks of different journal ranking metrics as a way to evaluate quality.

Are you overwhelmed by organizing your sources? Zotero is a free, open-source citation manager that helps you store and organize your files and insert formatted citations into papers. You will leave this hands-on workshop with a Zotero library set up and ready to use!

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly changing the way that we write and research. But how do tools like ChatGPT work? And how can we use them effectively and ethically in our scholarship? In this hands-on workshop, we’ll explore how AI can help you brainstorm topics, craft titles and abstracts, create outlines, and copyedit. Along the way, we’ll discuss techniques for writing effective prompts as well as copyright considerations and the limitations of AI-generated texts. There will be plenty of room for experimentation and questions!

Identifying where to publish your research can be a daunting task. Should you write a conference paper, a journal article or both? What is peer review, an ORCID ID, a predatory journal and other publication jargon? In this session, IEEE University Partnership Program Senior Manager Jalyn Kelley, will provide insights into publishing with IEEE. Join the talk if you want to learn more! Food will be provided!

Start the semester the "write" way! Our hybrid writing group provides graduate students with dedicated time to make progress on thesis or dissertation writing in a supportive atmosphere. Each meeting consists of a short goal-setting conversation, quiet writing time, and a concluding reflection and wrap-up. Use this time to create or return to a writing routine, make progress and meet deadlines on long-term projects, or jump-start a new writing project. You only need to register once with your U of I email to receive weekly email reminders all semester!

EJP accepts applications twice each year. Our greatest needs this fall are for individuals who can tutor at Danville prison, participate in our anti-violence program (CAVE), and support our prison computer lab and library. These are volunteer positions. We are not currently accepting applications for for-credit course insturctors. Visit the link above for more information about all EJP positions, including with our policy team and reentry guide, and to access application forms. Attend an info session on Sept 12 or Sept 25.

Adobe InDesign is a layout and design software program that allows you to create print and digital media. It is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud, which is available to all UIUC students for free! This workshop is designed for those with little to no experience with InDesign to help you learn the basics of using this document design program. During the workshop, we will create a sample flyer. You will gain experience navigating the features and there will be time to explore.

Learn more about the short-term study abroad opportunities from Illinois Abroad and Global Exchange (IAGE). Customized short-term programs are Illinois courses that are led and taught by either Illinois faculty or professional staff. Traditionally, these programs are brief in duration and take place during academic breaks (e.g., winter break, spring break, and summer). 

Morris Day and The Time generate infectious music and riveting performances that inspire the audience to get up and move! The Time was originally created as music star Prince’s alter-ego. Soon, Morris Day and The Time were cast in Purple Rain, which captured the exploding Minneapolis music scene at its peak. U of I student tickets are $10 each.

Sullivan Playwright-in-Residence and U of I alumnus Matthew-Lee Erlbach returns to develop a new play prior to the opening of his play Revelations (directed by Tony-Award winner Anna D. Shapiro) on Broadway. Erlbach will work with students and faculty to workshop this contemporary dark comedy which speaks to our current moment.

Enjoy music and conversation at Krannert Center Uncorked! The B-Sides play a fun mix of '70s and '80s pop/rock classics. Covers include music by The Eagles, Steely Dan, Jackson Browne, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel, Van Morrison, Hall and Oates, and The Beatles, as well as a few originals soon to be classics! [FREE]

33rd Annual Mortenson Distinguished Lecture | 21 September 2023.  “Reciprocity, Reparative Actions, and Decolonial Work,” by Dr. Ricardo L. Punzalan. Also a keynote presentation at iPRES 2023.  LECTURE: 3:30-5:00 pm CT (iHotel and Conference Center, 1900 S. 1st Street, Champaign, Heritage Hall 2, AND online).  Reception to follow. FREE registration <here>. See the Mortenson Center for International Library Programs  website for more details and other activities: library.illinois.edu/mortenson/lectures/

ECE graduate student Brendan Wolan will present a Beckman Imaging Technology Group Tech Talk at noon Tuesday, Sept. 19. The talk title: "Carbon Nanotube Macromaterials and Graphene Encapsulation." Lunch will be provided to those who register by Thursday, Sept. 14. 

Lü Pin is a prominent Chinese feminist activist and an emerging scholar specializing in Gender and Politics. Her journey in advocating for women's right began in the late 1990s. In 2009, she established Feminist Voices, a pioneering and largest new media platform dedicated to women's issues in China, which was banned in 2018. After relocating to the U.S. in 2015, she spearheaded the organizing of the diaspora Chinese feminist community. Presently, Lü Pin is pursuing her Ph.D. in Political Science at Rutgers University. Lunch is provided with registration at this link

The Humanities Research Institute (HRI) Organize & Analyze: Social Movements Reading Group will discuss readings, films, short stories, plays, and poems on global working class social movements to inform our intellectual development, political education, and praxis. The first meeting will be Tues. Sept. 19, 12:30-2 PM in Levis Faculty Center 304. Open to all & free lunch provided. More info/RSVP here: bit.ly/READMOVEMENTS.

Join the Education Justice Project and HRI for a lecture by Arthur Longworth, author of Zek: An American Prison Story (Gabalfa Press, 2016). He is also a six-time PEN America Prison Writing Award winner, a 2018 Pushcart Prize nominee, and a 2019-2020 Writing For Justice Fellow. Arthur’s work has been presented onstage by such renowned literary figures as Francine Prose, among others, and rapper/poet Talib Kweli. He has written for The New Republic, New York Review of Books, Medium, VICE News, and numerous other venues around the country. Supported by the Mellon Foundation. 

The Community Police Academy is an opportunity for you to participate in important conversations about policing, with hands-on and interactive presentations. Deadline to register is Monday, Sept. 11. It is free of charge and open to U. of I. students, faculty and staff. Space is limited. Evening classes Sept. 13 through Nov. 8. Register at go.illinois.edu/CPAregistration.

Don’t judge a book by its cover! Turn the pages of human books and 'read' or hear about the different countries represented in our community and increase your intercultural competency! Each station will feature a specific country where you can read and/or interact with the "book" (i.e., a person) and learn about different aspects from that country such as culture, language, cuisine as well as sample international delights and food.

Are you tired of seeing the same names in science over and over? Do you wish for increased representation in STEM? Be the change you want to see on the internet! Come to this in-person kickoff event and learn how Wikipedia can perpetuate inequalities in STEM representation and what you can do about it. Guest speaker: Mackenzie Lemieux, who has written over 100 Wikipedia biographies of women in STEM. 

Learn about our new SCIM Lab, an advanced A/V recording studio for 360 video and motion capture, equipped with advanced AR/VR headsets, 4k cameras, immersive audio systems, greenscreen, and much more. Need a space for game development or 3D modeling? The Immersive Learning Lab and 3D Design Labs include advanced gaming computers, equipped with Unity/Unreal, 3D modeling software, and the latest AR/VR headsets. Want to explore VR more? Bring your i-Card and borrow one of our many headsets in our loanable tech pool. Library tech spaces are available to all campus users.

Welcome to GradSWE, the Graduate Women in the Society of Women Engineers! Getting involved with GradSWE is a great way to meet outstanding women in STEM, connect to faculty, and gain valuable leadership experience. Come learn about the events GradSWE puts on throughout the year and ways to get involved. Anyone in STEM is welcome, and Pizza will be provided! 

Ride your bike to campus on Thursday, Sept. 14, and get a free T-shirt! Welcome stations will be set up across the area from 7 – 10 a.m., including eight U of I locations. Celebrate Champaign County Bike to Work Day with others by stopping in for refreshments and snacks. You must bring your bicycle and pre-register at https://go.fs.illinois.edu/BiketoWorkDay to get the shirt!

Please join us on Tuesday, September 19th from 4-6 pm in the Heritage Room of the ACES Library (1101 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana). RSVP preferred, by September 18th to 217-265-5363 or psmdegree@illinois.edu. We look forward to celebrating our students' internship experiences and accomplishments with you! 

Roughly three out of every four people face some degree of anxiety when speaking in front of others. Tremors, butterflies in the stomach, and "blacking out" are common, but that does not make them any less uncomfortable. In this Speaking Center workshop, learn strategies to help cope with these and more related to presentation anxiety. This workshop is open to all students on the Urbana-Champaign campus. Please use the link above to register ahead of time.

This retreat is for faculty and graduate students about the landscape of public humanities at Illinois. Our starting point will be the report from the National Humanities Alliance, which curates a variety of examples of public humanities practice nationally. Review these documents, which will guide the collective conversation: go.illinois.edu/PHAreadings. Please register for this event.

Join the Interseminars Initiative’s first cohort for a symposium brimming with scholarly panels, installations, exhibitions, and performances, concluding with a reception and book release celebration. Nine graduate student fellows will be showcasing 18 months’ worth of interdisciplinary experiments, findings, speculations, and pedagogical suggestions. This event also features keynote speakers and guest performer. View symposium schedule.

The Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies invites students, faculty, and staff to the Spurlock Museum to enjoy food trucks, free snow cones, and the screening of a short film by Victor Font, lecturer in the Department of Media & Cinema Studies, and collaborator Cristobal Bianchi, assistant professor in the School of Art & Design. We will gather to celebrate film, announce opportunities for funding, and share upcoming screening events. Join us to help welcome students to campus and to learn more about the Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies!

McKinley Health Center serves on-campus students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The University of Illinois Counseling Center provides mental health counseling and well-being education for students.

If you or a student you know may need support with their basic needs or financial stressors, please reach out.