Dr. Sundar Christopher [email protected] Navigating Graduate School and Beyond: Sow Well Now To...

Dr. Sundar [email protected]

Navigating Graduate School and Beyond:Sow Well Now To Reap Big Later

Work Ethics: Ownership and

Initiative

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Skills• Work Ethics for the Graduate Student• Take Ownership• Take Initiative• Work Hard and Smart• Be Whole



Work Ethics for the Graduate Student• Poor ethics can ruin your graduate experience.• Take ownership of your project. Good work

habits will follow.• Build a trust relationship with your advisor.• Communicate with your advisor about your

work hours and if they need to be modified.• Maintain an online calendar and share it with

your advisor.



Take Ownership• Think of the project as YOUR project…not your

advisor’s project.• Be innovative and productive.• Research and write papers.• Be patient if advisor is slow to hand off

ownership.



Think of the project as yours• Many students think of themselves as hired

hands on their advisor’s project.• Remember that the proposal was won on the

strength of the advisor’s reputation.• The advisor must give up ownership to the

student while still providing solid guidance.



If the student thinks of the project as the advisor’s…

• The student will not progress.• The student reads papers for the sake of reading

and analyzes data for mundane reasons.• The student is listless in meetings with the

advisor and has few innovative ideas.• The student simply waits for the advisor to issue

the next instruction.



If the student takes ownership of the project…

• Excitement grows about the project.• Innovation flourishes.• Productivity increases.• Independence is nurtured.• Graduate school becomes more meaningful.



Food for Thought• What are some ideas to take ownership of a

project in your research environment? • What are some metrics for success once you

have taken ownership?• What are some challenges for a student taking

ownership of a project?



Take Initiative• Know your end goals.• Don’t allow problems to linger. • Become a resource center.• Create a blog or website for your team.• Present a poster or a talk at a conference.• Write a proposal for a fellowship.• Be in the driver’s seat.



Become a Resource Center• Read the papers your advisor recommends• Read 5-10 papers each week• Write a short discussion about your thoughts

for each reading• Stay up to date with the most current research• Organize the papers you read• Create a blog• Comment about recent articles online• Post ideas about recent breakthroughs


Work Hard and Smart• Publish papers while still in graduate school.• Think of yourself as a resource center.• Read and assimilate at least ten journal papers

per week.• Email your advisor about new research and ideas

in your field.• Read and familiarize yourself with the classic

review papers in your area.• Allocate time to read.


Practical Tips:• Get student memberships to organizations and

societies in your field.• Visit the websites of the most common journals.• Summarize your thoughts about each paper in a

blog. • Learn to code, analyze, and interpret results and

information.• Learn an interactive programming language such

as IDL.


Food for Thought• Put yourself in your advisor’s shoes. What work

ethics would you want your student to have?• List 5 top-notch research habits.• Do a SWOT analysis on your research habits and

formulate a concrete plan to assess these habits periodically.


Be Whole• Manage time effectively• Maintain a balanced exercise regime• Eat healthy and drink plenty of water• Get enough sleep• Take breaks and unwind• Build relationships and bond socially• Remember that productivity is linked to the

well-being of the whole you.


Food for Thought• What are the external stress factors in your life?

How can you manage those stress factors? • What are some specific steps you can take to

incorporate exercise in your life.• How do your peers incorporate healthy

lifestyles (including exercise) into their lives? • How can you help the graduate student

community in your department bond?

Dr. Sundar Christopher [email protected] Navigating Graduate School and Beyond: Sow Well Now To...

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