August 31, 2020
Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program
EGG – EEB Grad Group
Meeting: August 31, 2020
Attendees: Miranda Wade, Meaghan Clark, Emily Conway, Isabela Borges, Elise Zipkin, Allison Young, Acacia Ackles, Sara Hugentobler, Maggie Sawyer, Barbara Bloemers, Bruce Martin, Julie Jarvey,
- Updates from Elise (new EEB Director)–What’s up with EEB!
- Elise will be reaching out as graduate student feedback is needed
- New initiatives in EEB that will impact graduate students:
- (1) Communications strategy—
- Website update is coming this fall
- There will be more opportunity for publicity for student research
- (2) DEI initiatives—
- EEB is putting together a committee to complement work already being done at the department level
- Funding is available, potentially for fellowships for grad students to work on DEI issues.
- (3) Graduate student fellowships —
- EEB fellowship funding is now 70K/year, up from 45K!
- Full summer funding is a goal:
- Plan is to revise existing summer support program:
- Students would apply for 1/2, 3/4 or full summer funding, with the remainder matched from advisors.
- The goal is to cover all EEB grad students fully
- This revised program would potentially provide funding to fewer students, but those students would be fully funded for the summer
- Committee to be formed in January, so grad students should think about the right way to go about this!
- Plan is to revise existing summer support program:
- Don Hall Endowed Fund—This fund hasn’t been used in the past, there is the potential to use it for named awards for graduate students (research awards, fellowship awards)
- Grad students should discuss what the best way to distribute summer funding is!
- Opportunities for serving on new EEB committees––look for email later in the Fall
- EEB swag! e.g. Stickers, glasses, mugs, mouse pads, etc.
- Sell at cost/low cost
- What other swag stuff would graduate students be excited to have?
- Social events
- How do we engage new students? Remote students?
- Idea to start a mentorship program
- match new students with more advanced grad student mentor
- We could use Plant Bio program as model. Emily and Isabela can reach out to Plant Bio people involved in forming the program for more details.
- Should we have an EEB orientation? Would be on EGG to organize if we want to do it
- Safety @ events:
- Need to follow East Lansing rules on # of people at gatherings
- How many people will attend welcome back picnic?
- Hold multiple events at multiple parks
- Cheesy welcome video!? Maybe have social media chairs take it on?
- (1) Communications strategy—
- Plan to meet again with Elise after townhall/end of September, possibly open to all students, not just EGG board
Finalize meeting day/time - will monthly meetings on the last Monday at 1:00 pm work?
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- Look out for whenisgood poll to establish monthly meeting time
- Miranda needs to get info (student ID, address, etc.) from someone willing to sign on the University EGG account
- Make note to update EGG bank account to replace Connie’s name with Miranda’s
- No updates from any Committees
- Officer Photo(s)?
- Badly photoshop all of us into one picture?
- Send pictures to Miranda
- Google Drive Access?
- We all should have access now
- https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B7B-OJsS7TXiYjhtNzhfcG9CenM?usp=sharing
- Miranda will start to organize drive
- Revisions to EGG’s page on EEB website
- What does EGG want from new website? Do we want a separate website, or to continue being a page on EEB website? Who would be responsible for updating? If we have changes, we should share them with Elise for the website update.
- Update EGG events and projects doc(?)
- EEB and the modified education experience (aka how to facilitate camaraderie in today’s world)
- Small mentor(ish) groups?
- Ideas:
- Virtual options
- Virtual happy hour ala bio on tap featuring EEB student
- Use breakout rooms
- Virtual game night
- EGG Slack––Miranda will send invite to officers to test out
- Use first colloquium as “Welcome to EEB” event
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- Have introductions and then use breakout rooms, use colloquium introduction as ice breaker,
- Meaghan will ask Elise to share her “intro to EEB slides” from IBIO orientation, and invite her to all colloquium (send dates)
- Include participating departments and numbers of people
- Meaghan will send description/zoom info to Barbara asap
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- EEB Reminders
- Sept 19 Welcome Picnic; Patriarche Park (starts at 12:30)
- Sign up for colloquium!
