You are invited to the upcoming MCGILL-KYOTO course and symposium, on “Genomics and Data: The Future for Health Care”

The 4-day training course will provide a practical introduction to genomic analysis applied to human disease. The course provides attendees with a unique opportunity to interact closely with the world-leading researchers who serve as instructors in a workshop setting. The course will be followed by a symposium with invited speakers to provide perspectives on recent advances in genomics and computational approaches in medicine. The symposium will be open to the course attendees and others from the scientific community. There are no fees for the symposium, but advanced registration is required because of limited space.

• When : Sunday Oct, 27 – Friday Nov 1, 2019 

• Where : McGill Executive Institute (1001 Rue Sherbrooke,  Ouest, Montréal) and The Omni Hotel 91050 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal)

• Registration for Workshop + Symposium: https://mcgillkyoto-course2019.eventbrite.ca
• Registration for Symposium only: https://mcgillkyoto-symp2019.eventbrite.ca

• More info: https://www.kyoto-mcgill.org/course2019

Win4Science mentoring program opportunity

The department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics is leading a Women’s Initiative to hack the gender gap (Win4Science) and for a second year they are launching the Win4Science mentoring program specifically designed for women in biological and biomedical sciences.

Win4Science is an initiative that aims to increase awareness regarding challenges that women in science face, by providing tools to young investigators to overcome barriers and obstacles.

With the mentoring program, we hope to create a community, provide female role models, and provide networking opportunities for women in the Biomedical and Life Sciences Departments across McGill University.

Mentoring groups consisting of one mentor and 3-5 mentees are expected to meet about 3 times per academic year. Composition of mentoring groups will change every year so that mentees will have the great opportunity to be exposed to several mentors and peers throughout their training years.

Looking for mentors (professors or postdocs) and mentees (graduate students, postdocs, early investigators, etc.) who will ACTIVELY participate in the mentorship program. If interested, please sign up through this Google Form

Upon registration, mentors and mentees will receive more detailed instructions through the coordinator of the program, Anne-Sophie Pépin .

For more information on Win4Science, visit:

https://www.mcgill.ca/pharma/newsevents/win4science

http://www.munterlab.com/win4science/

Nov 17-20, 2019: Joint CEEHRC & IHEC Conference on Epigenetics, Banff, AB

The Canadian Epigenetics, Environment and Health Research Consortium (CEEHRC) is pleased to partner with the International Human Epigenome Consortium (IHEC) to host the IHEC Annual Meeting and the 6th Canadian Conference on Epigenetics in Banff, Alberta from November 17 to 20, 2019. We are delighted to announce that registration is officially open for the meeting and a provisional programme, a list of confirmed speakers and registration procedures can be found on the event website: http://bit.ly/ihec2019ceehrc and on the event poster.

Registration: The registration fee includes the meeting, accommodation, meals and bus transport between Calgary airport and the Rimrock Resort, Banff, AB.

• Early registration deadline: September 13^th 2019
• Final registration deadline: October 11^th 2019

Abstract Submission: We invite you to submit an abstract to be considered for an oral or poster presentation.

• Abstract submission deadline: October 11^th 2019

Travel Awards: As with last year’s meeting, travel awards will be available for Canadian research trainees and science communicators. Each award will cover the cost of registration, plus reimbursement of travel expenses up to $500.

• For eligibility and application procedures: http://www.epigenomes.ca/travel-awards
• Travel award application deadline: September 13^th 2019
• Note: The early bird registration rate will be honoured for all travel award applicants.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the organizing committee at info@epigenomes.ca. We look forward to seeing you in Banff!

Gryphos: 1-Credit Courses on Writing and Presenting at the Graduate Level

This fall, Graphos is offering 1-credit, pass/fail courses designed to help students develop clear and coherent manuscripts and oral presentations.

Cornerstones of Academic Writing (CEAP 642)
Fundamentals of Academic Presentations (CEAP 652)
Literature Review 1: Summary and Critique (CEAP 661)

If English is not your first language and you are new to academic writing in English, please consider these specialised courses:

Strategies for Effective Communication in English (CESL 631)
Fundamentals of Academic Writing in English (CESL 641)
Pronunciation for Effective Communication (CESL 651)

If you have questions about these courses, other Graphos activities (workshops, peer writing groups, writing retreats), or any McGill Writing Centre offerings (e.g., Tutorial Service), please contact us at graphos@mcgill.ca.

Interesting Read for PhD’s

The Conference Board of Canada has provided a comprehensive overview of career outcomes for Ph.D. graduates in Canada. Read the entire article here: Inside and Outside the Academy- Valuing and Preparing PhDs for Careers_

Pre-announcement of Harmonization of Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGSD) Program

Canada’s three federal granting agencies, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) have announced the harmonization of the Canada Graduate Scholarships – Doctoral (CGS D) Program.

On June 27^th, 2019, the Tri-Agencies will launch the first phase of the CGS D harmonization with a new common CGS D landing page, as well as a harmonized timeline and program description.  In addition, starting with the upcoming CGS D competition, institutions will submit their health research applications to CIHR in a process similar to that of NSERC and SSHRC. As such, eligible Canadian institutions will receive quotas corresponding to the number of CGS D applications they may submit to each granting agency for consideration in the national competition.

It is important to note that applications will continue to be submitted via each of the agency platforms (CIHR: ResearchNet, NSERC: On-Line System, SSHRC: On-Line System). SSHRC will be launching a fully automated online application process, including letters of appraisal for its Doctoral awards competition (SSHRC On-line System).

More information to follow once it is available.

Harmonized competition timeline

New courses

MATH 682  –  Statistical Inference-  Fall 2019

This course is offered by QLS in conjunction with the Math department.  The topics covered  include: Conditional probability and Bayes’ Theorem, discrete and continuous univariate and multivariate distributions, conditional distributions, moments, independence of random variables. Modes of convergence, weak law of large numbers, central limit theorem. Point and interval estimation. Likelihood inference. Bayesian estimation and inference. Hypothesis testing.

EXSU 505 – Trends in Precision Oncology – Fall 2019

This course is designed to provide students with novel and emerging paradigms in cancer detection, management and treatment, and enable them to identify key knowledge gaps that need to be filled by the next generation of clinicians and scientists in oncology.  EXSU 505 will be taught as a series of multidisciplinary lectures based on students active participation. The course will include assigned readings, two group oral presentations combined with short written (individual) assignments, and a final written assignment in the form of a succinct research proposal  Student performance will be evaluated based on participation and successful  completion of written and oral assignments.  For further information please contact course coordinators:  Dr. David Labbé or Dr. Livia Garzia.

5-Week Courses on Academic Writing and Presenting

This spring, Graphos is offering 5-week, pass/fail courses designed to help students develop clear and coherent manuscripts and oral presentations.

Cornerstones of Academic Writing (CEAP 642)
Fundamentals of Academic Presentations (CEAP 652)
Literature Review 1: Summary and Critique (CEAP 661) 

If English is not your first language and you are new to academic writing in English, please consider these specialised courses:

Strategies for Effective Communication in English (CESL 631)
Fundamentals of Academic Writing in English (CESL 641)
Pronunciation for Effective Communication (CESL 651)

Doctoral students and many Master’s students can take the courses without extra fees, thanks to the University’s tuition sponsorship program.  Registration is also open for our fall and winter courses, including CEAP 665 (Lit Review 2) and CCOM 614 (Communicating Science to the Public).

If you have questions about these courses or other Graphos and McGill Writing Centre offerings (workshops, peer writing groups, writing retreats, tutorial service), please contact us at graphos@mcgill.ca.

Graduate Mobility Awards 2018-19

The Graduate Mobility Award, successfully launched in 2016, encourages graduate students to study and conduct research abroad as part of their McGill degree program.

A recent review by the Quebec Ministry of Education has led to changes in the program rules. New regulations concerning award value and eligibility criteria will therefore come into effect as of April 1st, 2019. Applications approved at the Faculty level as of April 1^st  must adhere to the amended regulations.

 Amendments in Value of Award

Going forward, the amount of funding provided by the Graduate Mobility Award must be between $750 and $1,500 per month. The amount of funding for travel of duration shorter than a month will be prorated accordingly.

 Amendments in Eligibility

In order to be eligible for the Graduate Mobility Awards, students:

• May travel for up to 2 terms (period may not exceed 8 months);
• Cannot undertake a research project in a country where they hold citizenship (unless they are a permanent resident or citizen of Canada);
• Cannot undertake a research project at an institution where they have previously completed a degree.

Other Mobility Opportunities

The GPS website lists several external funding opportunities that support international travel. These include, but are not limited to, the Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements for CGSM, CGSD and Vanier holders; the Québec / Foreign Government Scholarship Program with multiple destinations; and the Mitacs Globalink Research Award which provides $6,000 for 12–24-week research projects at universities overseas.

Important update on the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program

On February 14, 2019, Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) made important changes to the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Program. The new guidelines are effective as of February 14, 2019 and apply to applications received on or after this date.

Students now have 180 days from completion of their studies to apply for their PGWP from within Canada or from outside of Canada.

• Be careful: Your study permit becomes invalid 90 days after completion of studies or the day on which it expires, whichever comes first, as per section 222 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. If you don’t apply for your PGWP before your study permit becomes invalid, you must either: apply to change your status to a visitor or leave Canada. See timeline below.

The new guidelines state that students who have changed their status to a visitor before their study permit expires, may subsequently apply for their PGWP from within Canada

• Be careful: If you submit your PGWP application online from within Canada as a visitor, you will not have the authorization to work while you wait for your PGWP. Only PGWP applicants who had a valid study permit at the time they submitted their PGWP application can work full-time while waiting for a decision on their application as per section 186(w) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.

New guidelines now require applicants to include both their transcript and proof of completion of studies when applying for their PGWP. Students that have taken a leave of absence, may still be eligible for the PGWP.

• Be careful: The eligibility requirement for the PGWP is that you maintain a full-time student status in Canada throughout your studies. If you are concerned that you do not meet this eligibility requirement, please meet with an immigration advisor at ISS.

For the full text, please see IRCC’s website.

Important immigration update concerning study permits

As of January 11, 2019, international students must meet the following study permit conditions:

• Remain enrolled until they complete their studies and
• Actively pursue their studies

Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) now provides guidelines on how to determine whether or not an international student is compliant to their study permit conditions. These guidelines highlight the following:

• International students in Quebec must be enrolled in full-time studies in order to be considered actively pursuing their studies.
• International students are expected to make reasonable progress to complete their program.
• International students who take an institutionally approved leave of no more than 150 days will be considered compliant and be considered to have actively pursued their studies.
• If the leave is more than 150 days, then international students will need to change their status to a visitor or leave Canada prior to the end of the 150 day period.
• International students in Canada with a valid study permit and who have deferred their admission can remain in Canada with their study permit up to 150 days, after which they must change their status to a visitor or leave Canada.

For more information, refer to IRCC’s website or contact ISS.