Events to develop graduate engineering writing and presentation skills
The Graduate Writing Lab offers workshops, showcases and other events on communication topics relevant to UVA Engineering graduate students and postdocs.
Join us for this showcase of writing & reference management tools to help with your research article writing. Finding tools that work for your writing process is a key step in developing as a researcher. There are many options for writing software (ex. word, latex/overleaf, scrivener), reference management (ex. endnote, mendeley, zotero) and a host of other tools. At the showcase, you'll be able to see a variety of options and hear from people who have used the tools.
Format: Presenters will each provide a short intro to a tool they use, explaining how they use it, the benefits, key aspects, etc. Then the session will be open to questions and discussion.
At the time of the event, sign in with your UVA Zoom account and then use the link to join-
Take control of your paragraphs as you learn strategies to make the most of sentence organization within a paragraph, improve flow, and help key information stand out. This workshop focuses on perfecting paragraph structure in engineering research articles. If you are looking to strengthen your paragraphs through paragraph structure and organization so that your ideas come across clearly to your readers, this is the workshop for you.
This event is designed for UVA Engineering graduate students and postdocs, but faculty and staff are welcome to attend if space allows.
Also join us for a follow up interactive session at the June 18th GWL chat- bring a paragraph to discuss your work.
About the presenter: Natalie Thompson is a GWL consultant and a doctoral candidate in the English department. In addition to years of experience teaching and tutoring writing, Natalie spent a year teaching English as a foreign language in Valenciennes, France.
A roundtable style discussion via Zoom hosted by the GWL. Participants and hosts usually have video and audio on. Event link
This week: Bring a Paragraph
Bring a paragraph or 2 to this week's chat that you want to discuss. Use your paragraph as a jumping off point for discussion of writing, grammar, structure, organization or clarity questions or just bounce ideas off others for how to revise or get a sense of how others understand what you wrote. This is a great follow up to discuss how your paragraph might benefit from or is an example of the techniques and strategies from last week's workshop.
Your paragraph might be an example of a structural issue you want to talk about or a complex organization or flow concern you are trying to sort out. This is a great opportunity to bring a paragraph you were told is unclear for further discussion, explanation or revising help. You could also bring an example you really like or a paragraph you are really proud of. We welcome confusing paragraphs in context. Choose a paragraph within a piece of writing or something stand alone. You may have a chance to get feedback on your paragraph from the group.
GWL staff will be in the chat to help field questions as well.
This is an interactive discussion amongst participants with no prepared content. Join, discuss your experience and learn from others.
A roundtable style discussion via Zoom hosted by the GWL. Participants & hosts usually have video and audio on for these interactive sessions.
This week: Pretty, Clear: Figures/Design
This is an interactive discussion amongst participants with no prepared content. Join, discuss your experience and learn from others.
This week focuses on figures and visual aspects of data display in papers, posters, and presentations. Bring questions, tips that you've learned, favorite software, examples of figures you've found highly effective or particularly ineffective or deceiving, figures you'd like help improving, software questions, etc.
GWL staff will be in the session to help field questions as well.
Some questions to think about:
What is your process for designing your figures?
What software or packages do you use for making figures, diagrams or flow charts? What's a useful feature others might like to know about?
How do you go about choosing colors?
How do your figures or diagrams change from paper to presentation or poster?
What tips do you have for other grad students who are making figures?
What is 1 example of a figure you found to be really effective or that you liked for some reason? Why was it a good example?
What is 1 example of a figure you found ineffective, ugly, misleading, unclear or that you didn't like? Why is this a figure not to emulate?
What are some useful resources you've found related to the topic?
What questions do you have about making figures, diagrams, flowcharts or other visuals for your research?
Join us for this info session to learn more about upcoming offerings & opportunities from the Graduate Writing Lab, share suggestions and ask questions.
A roundtable style discussion via Zoom hosted by the GWL. Participants and hosts usually have video and audio on.
This week: Bring a Sentence
Bring a sentence to this week's chat that you want to discuss. Use your sentence as a jumping off point for discussion of writing, grammar or punctuation questions or just bounce ideas off others for how to revise or get a sense of how others understand what you wrote.
Your sentence might be an example of a grammar or style issue you want to talk about or a complex sentence you are trying to sort out. This is a great opportunity to bring a sentence you were told is unclear or ambiguous for further discussion, explanation or revising help. You could also bring an example you really like or a sentence you are really proud of. We welcome confusing sentences in context and those grammar questions you haven't had a chance to ask. What about sentences with which/that? semicolons and commas? Choose a sentence within a piece of writing or something stand alone.
GWL staff will be in the chat to help field questions as well.
This is an interactive discussion amongst participants with no prepared content. Join, discuss your experience and learn from others.
2-3pm Thursdays in April | online, see GWL calendar & emails for links
Join us for these informal roundtable style discussions hosted by the GWL. Each week, participants will be invited to share their experience on a topic & learn from others. There is no prepared content so attendees should come ready to participate. Suggestions for topics & volunteer facilitators welcome.
w/Katie Pelland, PhD | Th. April 2, 2-3:30pm | ZOOM
Join us for this interactive workshop on writing research proposals. Research proposals are a particularly persuasive form of technical writing and are used to move to the next step in a program or acquire funding for your work. The tips in the presentation will be most applicable to funding proposals (grants & fellowships) but can also help with dissertation proposals. Register online.
w/Katie Pelland, PhD | Th. March 26, 2-3:30pm | ZOOM
Join us for this workshop on graduate fellowships and fellowship applications. We will briefly review how to find fellowships and then focus on tips for preparing a solid application. Register online.
with Jeffrey J. Fox, PhD | Wed. March 18, 2pm | ZOOM (updated)
Learn how to find travel grants, fellowships, research grants and post-doctorate positions using Pivot and GrantForward, two funding discovery tools that all UVA students, faculty, and staff can use. Bring your laptops! The goal for the workshop will be for each attendee to leave with at least one customized search and automated email alert. This will be an informal session; the first 30-40 minutes will be an overview of the tools with some example searches that will be relevant to grad students and postdocs. Then each attendee will create a customized search & set up an automated email alert. - UVA Engineering Research Development & The GWL
Accelerate you spring break productivity with these 50 minute pomodoro structured show up and write events. Most sessions will be held in LinkLab. See calendar for details as available.
Tues. Mar. 3, 1:30pm | Rodman Room (Thornton A207)
Get tips to improve your use of PowerPoint in your next presentation. You can submit questions in the online registration form to let presenters know your concerns about power point to help us better tailor the workshop.
with Mahmoud Abdi Tabari, PhD | Wed. Feb. 26, 2:30-4pm | Rodman Room (Thornton A 207)
Learn about the structure of an introduction and how to write one in this interactive workshop on writing introductions for engineering research. Participants may have an opportunity to work on their own introductions during the workshop. Bring an intro you are working on and/or examples from your field.
Tues. Feb 25, 1:30-3pm | Rodman Room (Thornton A207)
A hands-on workshop that sorts out common sentence level issues. Is it that or which? Do I need a comma here? When can I use a semicolon? What’s a comma splice? A dangling what? Clear up your writing by editing for sentence level issues. You can bring work to edit during the workshop. Register online
with Nathan Sheffield, PhD | Tues. Feb. 18 3:30-5pm | Rodman Room (Thornton A 207)
Learn key strategies for improving clarity in your scientific writing in this hands on interactive workshop with examples from published writing and an opportunity to apply these strategies to revising your own work. Attendees are encouraged but not required to bring some of their own writing to work on.
Take control of your paragraphs as you learn strategies to make the most of sentence organization within a paragraph to improve flow and help key information stand out. Includes hands on practice with paragraph structure revision. Example paragraphs may be submitted during registration. Register online
Join us for a tour of online resources for research writing. This presentation will offer a quick introductory overview of some online resources that may be useful in research writing. Most of these resources are informational rather than interaction based. Submit specific concerns in the online registration form to help customize the event.
w/Aaron Williams | Tues. Jan. 28 | 1:30-3pm | Rodman Room, Thornton Hall
Good data visualization doesn’t just mean pretty pictures, it’s an essential step in turning your research into a compelling message. Just like the text content of a poster or paper, visualizations should be tailored based on the audience and what you want to communicate. In this session we will have a crash course on the history of data visualization, the science behind it, and some practical examples of how to make your visualizations better. Bring your own data or use ours!
Join us for this interactive workshop on writing abstracts about engineering research. Bring an abstract you are working on, an example from your field and/or content you need to write an abstract on to get the most out of the workshop. Cosponsored by GESC.
Th. Jan. 16, 2pm | Wilsdorf 200 | cosponsored by the MSE GSB
Learn about engineering-specific support for graduate students and opportunities to improve your research writing, presentations, posters, and overall writing processes. For engineering grad students, postdocs and staff/faculty who work w/grad students. Snacks included.
Join us for snacks, language-based board games, and scicomm games. You may even learn about GWL spring offerings. We will have some games, but you are welcome to bring more.
Get tips and practice for summarizing and paraphrasing research literature at this hands on workshop for graduate engineering students. Register online
with Mahmoud Abdi Tabari, PhD | Mon. Nov. 4, 3-4:30pm | Link Lab Arena (Olsson 2nd floor)
Learn about the structure of an abstract and how to write one in this interactive workshop on writing abstracts for engineering research articles. Participants will have an opportunity to work on their own abstracts during the workshop.
Take control of your paragraphs as you learn strategies to make the most of sentence organization within a paragraph to improve flow and help key information stand out. Includes hands on practice with paragraph structure revision. Register online
Bring your NSF GRFP application essay drafts to this editing swap to give and receive surface level editing feedback and notes. Attendees should bring 2 paper copies of their application essays and pen/pencil to the event. Attendees will exchange papers and given written corrections and notes on one another's drafts before having brief explanatory conversations. The event is expected to focus on late stage editing, minor corrections, formatting improvements, and targeted feedback suggestions in preparation for the midOctober deadline.
All attendees will be expected to bring drafts and to give corrections and feedback on the drafts of others. GRFP Mentors will be on hand for questions.
with Nathan Sheffield, PhD | Tues. Oct 8, 3-4:30pm | Rodman Room (Thornton A 207)
Learn key strategies for improving clarity in your scientific writing in this hands on interactive workshop with examples from published writing and an opportunity to apply these strategies to revising your own work. Attendees are encouraged but not required to bring some of their own writing to work on.
Join us for this interactive, hands on workshop where you'll learn and apply techniques for strategically revising and refining your application materials. Working with authentic samples and your own drafts, you'll be guided by our GRFP mentors to apply strategies to make it easier for reviewers to understand and rate your materials. Attendees are encouraged to bring currrent drafts of their application materials.
A hands-on workshop that sorts out common sentence level issues. Is it that or which? Do I need a comma here? When can I use a semicolon? What’s a comma splice? A dangling what? Clear up your writing by editing for sentence level issues. You can bring work to edit during the workshop. Register online
Thurs. Sept. 19, 1-2pm | Rodman Room (Thornton A 207)
Need a way to keep track of all those pdfs? Wish you had software that made dissertation writing easier? Tired of struggling with Word? Then stop by this software showcase and explore your options. See software first hand and talk to people who actually use it and find out about upcoming how to trainings and resources.
Planning to submit an NSF GRFP application? Join us for this hands on workshop for early stage application strategies to help you plan your content, organization and story as you draft your application. Attendees are encouraged to bring their ideas, notes, outlines and partial drafts related to their application.
This presentation will introduce students to the basics of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program & its application process. Additional fellowships and search, resources, and basic tips for grad fellowships relevant to early grad engineering students will also be touched on. If you are a new domestic UVA engineering graduate student in a research degree (MS/PhD), consider attending this workshop to see how you might be able to apply for this or other prestigious fellowships. Primarily for 1st & 2nd yr UVA Engineering grad students, but advanced engineering graduate students, engineering faculty and staff are welcome to attend. Grad students outside of engineering can attend if space permits.
This event presents strategies and tips from current and former NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) fellows and honorable mentions for preparing a GRFP Application. This workshop is reccommended for rising 1st and 2nd year UVA engineering graduate students considering applying for the fellowship this fall. It will cover how to plan out an application, tips for success, discussion of how to decide whether you should apply as a first or second year student, and more.
with Natalie Thompson | Thurs. June 13, 2-3pm | Rodman Room (Thornton A207)
Take control of your paragraphs as you learn strategies to make the most of sentence organization within a paragraph to improve flow and help key information stand out. Includes hands on practice with perfecting paragraph structure. Register online
Learn about and practice a number of hands on strategies for revising and editing your own work (primarily writing) on a variety of concerns. And hopefully find an editing buddy. Register online
Feedback on your work is a critical part of academia, engineering and science. Join us as we go over types, sources, and stages of feedback and some practical ways to make it work for you. This work shop focus most on feedback for writing, presentations and posters but principals can be applied to other areas as well. Register online
Planning to get some work done this summer? Join us for tips on planning your summer writing, presentations and posters. This hands on workshop includes goal setting, analogue and digital tracking, accountability, motivators, ways to break down large projects into scheduled manageable goals, keeping track of all those papers you should be writing, and more. Get your card stamped at this event. Register online
Need a way to keep track of all those pdfs? Wish you had software that made dissertation writing easier? Tired of struggling with Word? Then join us for this software showcase and see what else is out there.
An interactive workshop about word choice in graduate academic writing. The workshop was designed for students whose first language is not English but aspects may be helpful for all. Register online
with Nathan Sheffield, PhD | 2-3:30pm Mon. March 4 | Eichenthal Room (Thornton B228A)
Come learn strategies for improving clarity in your scientific writing. The workshop offers an intro to the strategies through a presentation with examples from published writing and an opportunity to apply these strategies to revising your own work or working in peer review.
Monday March 4th, 2pm-3:30pm, Thornton B228A (Eichenthal Room) | A Graduate Wriiting Lab Workshop
The 2019 Abstract Writing Contest is now accepting entries. UVA Engineering graduate students are invited to submit abstracts to this writing contest via the online form. Submissions are due by the end of the day March 3, 2019. See the link below for details.
2-3:30pm Thur. Feb 28 | Rodman Room (Thornton A207)
A hands-on workshop that sorts out common sentence level issues. Is it that or which? Do I need a comma here? When can I use a semicolon? What’s a comma splice? A dangling what? Clear up your writing by editing for sentence level issues. You can bring work to edit during the workshop. Register online
This 4 day intensive focuses on topics related to graduate level engineering writing for students whose first language is not English. Each day includes workshops, editing, and structured writing sessions. Participants are expected to attend all 4 days. Apply online.
Come learn 4 strategies for improving clarity in your scientific writing. The workshop offers an intro to the strategies through a presentation with examples from published writing and an opportunity to apply these strategies to revising your own work or working in peer review.
Thursday November 15 2pm-3:30pm, Thornton A 207 | A Graduate Wriiting Lab Workshop
Join us as we explore free software for exploring writing in engineering. Go beyond a basic thesaurus and see how to get contextually specific answers to language questions and use corpus tools for editing and revising your own work. Attendees should plan to download the free software ahead of time and bring an internet enabled laptop in order to follow along. To get the most out of the workshop, attendees may want to have a folder of pdfs or text files related to the type of writing (for example research articles from a target journal) they will be doing and if available, also a folder of their own writing. Register online at https://virginia.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6MuGJcUZjPzyGoZ
Learn about the structure of an abstract and how to write one in this interactive workshop on writing abstracts for engineering research articles. Participants will have an opportunity to work on their own abstracts during the workshop. Lunch provided courtesy of GESC.
How do I say this technical term I’ve only read? What preposition do I use with this verb? This quick overview of free online tools to help with speaking and writing can help you answer questions like these and explore language in use. We’ll focus on tools that draw from real language use, including Youglish, Ozdic, Word & Phrase, and CoCA.
Attendees are encouraged to bring an internet enabled device to try the tools during the workshop.
organized by Keisha John, PhD | 12-5pm (10 minute appointments) Fri. Oct 12 | New Cabell Hall (various rooms)
Discuss the review of your complete application by faculty members and current NSF Graduate Research Fellows. Each participant will be assigned a 10-minute appointment to receive verbal and written feedback on their application. Note: You need to have participated in session 2 and have sent your complete draft and a CV/resume, to keishajohn@virginia.edu by 5pm on Thursday, October 4 to attend this session. Each application is reviewed by faculty members and experienced NSF GRF recipients in preparation for this final session.
A National Science Foundation Series Workshop
This workshop series includes three sessions intended to help eligible applicants learn about the fellowship and craft competitive applications, with individual feedback offered by experienced faculty and NSF GRFP recipients. The goal of the series is for applicants to have a completed application by mid-October, with time before the final deadline to make additional edits (See here for the list of deadlines and eligibility information: https://www.nsfgrfp.org/applicants/important_dates).
Organizer: Keisha John, PhD | Director of Diversity Programs, Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs
10 minute appointments between noon and 5:00pm | Oct. 12 | New Cabell Hall (various rooms)
Graduate Fellowship Student Panel: NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP)
with past award winners | 2:30-3:30pm Mon. Sept. 24 | Wilsdorf 200
Hear from engineering graduate students who have applied for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) and won or recieved honorable mention. Learn from their experiences, get advice and ask questions. Discussion may be applicable to other fellowships as well. Questions may be submitted in advance here or asked at the panel. No registration required but attendees are asked to sign in at the event.
2:30-3:30pm Mon. Sept. 24 | presenters: NSF Graduate Research Fellows from Engineering | Wilsdorf 200
with Professor John R. Scully | Thur., Sept. 20, 1:30pm-2:30pm | Wilsdorf 200
Come learn about the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) and how to apply. This opportunity to increase your stipend to $34,000/year and earn a pretigious fellowship is open 1st and 2nd year engineering graduate students who are US citizens, nationals or permanent residents.
Wilsdorf 200, Thursday. Sept. 20, 1:30-2:30pm | presenter: Professor John R. Scully, MSE
Need a way to keep track of all those pdfs? Wish you had software that made dissertation writing easier? Tired of struggling with Word? Then stop by this software showcase and explore your options. See software first hand and talk to people who actually use it and find out about upcoming how to trainings and resources.
with Keisha John, PhD | 4pm Thur. Sept 13 | Robertson Hall 221 (McIntire School)
Attend this session to learn everything you need to know to draft a full application. Over the course of the meeting, we will go over each section of the application in detail (the information form, the personal statement, and the proposal), and will provide tips for how to make each section resonate with reviewers. We will focus on strategies for persuading reviewers to fund your proposal through your stated broader impacts, intellectual merits, and the personal statement. Although the application does not explicitly ask for a CV or resume, the session will also help you think strategically about how to incorporate information from these documents into your proposal.
Following session 2, prospective applicants should draft their applications and send the complete draft and a CV/resume, to keishajohn@virginia.edu by 5pm on Thursday, October 4. Each application will then be reviewed by faculty members and experienced NSF GRF recipients in preparation for the final session.
A National Science Foundation Series Workshop
This workshop series includes three sessions intended to help eligible applicants learn about the fellowship and craft competitive applications, with individual feedback offered by experienced faculty and NSF GRFP recipients. The goal of the series is for applicants to have a completed application by mid-October, with time before the final deadline to make additional edits (See here for the list of deadlines and eligibility information: https://www.nsfgrfp.org/applicants/important_dates).
Presenter: Keisha John, PhD | Director of Diversity Programs, Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs
4:00-5:00pm | Sept. 13 | Robertson Hall 221 (McIntire School)
3:30-5:30pm, Thurs. Sept. 13 | Online, register by Sept. 11
This national workshop includes two recorded videos and a live interactive webinar. After registering, participants are given access to a video introduction to the GRFP to watch prior to the Sept. 13th webinar. After the webinar led by past award winners, participants are provided with a video on addressing broader impacts. Register by Sept. 11th through CIRTL.
with Keisha John, PhD | 4pm Wed. Sept 5 | Robertson Hall 221 (McIntire School)
This session will include an overview of the fellowship as well as an informational panel with current UVA NSF GRF recipients.
An National Science Foundation Series Workshop
This workshop series includes three sessions intended to help eligible applicants learn about the fellowship and craft competitive applications, with individual feedback offered by experienced faculty and NSF GRFP recipients. The goal of the series is for applicants to have a completed application by mid-October, with time before the final deadline to make additional edits (See here for the list of deadlines and eligibility information: https://www.nsfgrfp.org/applicants/important_dates).
Presenter: Keisha John, PhD | Director of Diversity Programs, Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs
4:00-5:00pm | Sept. 5 | Robertson Hall 221 (McIntire School)
Write Here! Tues. afternoons & Thurs. morning/midday in June
Need to get that paper out? Make progress on your thesis or dissertation? Prepare that fellowship app? Join us for the June Jump Start, a series of structured writing sessions to help you make progress on your summer writing goals. Each Tuesday & Thursday join us for goal setting & writing sessions in person or online.
Tuesdays: June 5, 19 1:30-3:30pm (2 hour sessions); June 12, 26 12:30-3pm (2.5 hour sessions)
Thursdays: June 7, 14 10am-12pm (2 hour sessions); June 21-28 9:30am-12pm (2.5 hour sessions)
Need a way to keep track of all those pdfs? Wish you had software that made dissertation writing easier? Tired of struggling with Word? Then stop by this software showcase and explore your options. See software first hand and talk to people who actually use it.
w/Aaron Williams, Tues. April 10, 2018 | 3:30-5pm | Rodman Room, Thornton Hall
Good data visualization doesn’t just mean pretty pictures, it’s an essential step in turning your research into a compelling message. Just like the text content of a poster or paper, visualizations should be tailored based on the audience and what you want to communicate. In this session we will have a crash course on the history of data visualization, the science behind it, and some practical examples of how to make your visualizations better. Bring your own data or use ours!
3:30-5pm Tuesday, April 10, 2018 Rodman Room (Thornton Hall)
A Graduate Writing Lab Workshop with Nathan Sheffield, PhD | Mon. March 26, 1-3pm, Rice 011
Join us for our first Graduate Writing Lab workshop. Come learn 4 strategies for improving clarity in your scientific writing. The first hour offers an intro to the strategies through a presentation with examples from published writing. During the second hour, attendees will apply these strategies to revising their own work.
The Graduate Writing Lab has compiled a selection of online resources relevant to the writing and communication needs of UVA Engineering graduate students.
The Graduate Writing Lab provides a number of opportunities for faculty, post docs, and graduate students to get involved. Those with research or grant writing experience might considering being on a panel or leading a workshop. Future opportunities may exist for assisting with research projects, text cleaning, text analysis, qualitative coding, resource development, consultant training and more. See our current opportunities including position announcements by following the link below.