NeuroTech Buzz in Review 2020

Thursday, January 9 from 5:30pm to 8:30pm

New Residence Hall

 NeuroTechX (the largest global community focused on neurotechnology), in collaboration with Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives (HBHL), are putting together an exciting networking event where you’ll be provided with a yearly recap of everything you should know about what happened in neurotechnology in 2019 around the world.

All are welcome. Learn more and register

Science Communication Day

Friday, January 24 from 9:00am to 5:00pm

Thomson House Ballroom

 Join HBHL and SciComm Collective for a full day of science communication events! The program includes a panel discussion on academic writing, workshop on data visualization and workshop on sharing science through social media.

The event is targeted towards graduate students and postdocs, though all are welcome.

Learn more and register

3MT/MT180 competition launched – share your research!

Looking for an opportunity to communicate your leading-edge research to a non-specialist audience? Want to build on your communication and public speaking skills? Excited by the chance to tell the story of your research—all in three minutes?

Then don’t miss registering for 3MT/MT180, a research presentation competition that takes place at universities across the globe. The challenge: you only have three minutes and one slide to explain your research to a lay audience. The benefits? A chance to hone your skills, receive training and feedback from experts, and show your community why your research matters.

Speaking of training: by signing up to participate in 3MT/MT180, you’ll receive extensive public speaking and presentation skill training from communications specialists, industry leaders, and academics. Winners of the McGill-wide 3MT competition, and the French language concours MT180, will receive cash prizes and advance to participate in regional and national-level competitions.

• Learn more about the 3MT/MT180 training program and eligibility for participation here.
• Register now to secure your spot!

We encourage applications in both English and French from all research disciplines.

Don’t miss this opportunity to share your passion!

Science Exposed: Showcase your research through images!

The Science Exposed contest welcomes researchers in the public or private sector to submit images in the context of their research either individually or as a group. While organized by NSERC in collaboration with Acfas for the French segment “La preuve par l’image,” the contest is open to scientific research in all fields of study.

The contest is open to student researchers at the Master’s or doctoral level, postdoctoral researchers, research professors, and researchers in a public or private research centre. They are invited to submit a single image of their research.

Images can relate to any field of study: natural sciences and engineering, social sciences and humanities, or health sciences, with the exception of images from the arts, including visual arts, media arts, and research/creation. They must be submitted in English or French with a three-part description: a catchy title, a plain-language explanation of the research presented in the image, and a description of the techniques/technologies used to create the image.

NSERC and Acfas will work together to share the winning images with all Canadians.

For more details on the Science Exposed contest, please visit the NSERC website.

Submission deadline: Monday, January 13, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. (ET)

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/

January 16-17, 2020: GCRC Graduate Student Recruitment Event

McGill’s Goodman Cancer Research Centre (GCRC) is hosting its third annual graduate recruitment event on January 16 and 17, 2020.  This event provides prospective students with an opportunity to meet current students and faculty members and receive a one-year studentship to study at the GCRC.

More information can be found on our website @ https://mcgillgcrc.com/recruitment

2020 National Essay Challenge (NEC) / Concours national d’essais de 2020 (CNE)

The Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is launching a National Essay Challenge for graduate students in Canadian universities to promote innovative policy-relevant research. The NEC is designed to generate evidence-based insights on IRCC policies, encouraging graduate students to learn more about immigration research and policy, and raising awareness about the availability of data and supporting resources.

The NEC is open to all disciplines and welcomes empirical research papers related to IRCC’s mandate using qualitative or quantitative methodologies. Graduate students with selected essays will be invited to present their research to policy makers in Ottawa (with travel paid) and will receive $500 towards attendance at an academic conference of their choice.

[Read More]

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.

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.