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Current Grad Students Newsletter

Graduate Students News

Welcome everyone to the first day of winter term. The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs (FGPA) distributes this newsletter to all graduate students. The next issue will be available on Wednesday, January 16. For up-to-the-minute news, follow us on Twitter @CUGradStudies or visit our website: gradstudents.carleton.ca. To comment, email us at: fgpa_newsletter@carleton.ca


Have You Registered Yet for Winter Orientation?

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs (FGPA) is hosting a winter orientation session on Friday, January 11 for new incoming graduate students and Teaching Assistants. Registration is now available by clicking here. We strongly encourage all new students and TAs to attend. As well, the International Student Services Office is offering new international students their choice of two orientation sessions. Find out the details by clicking here.


To Do List for New and Returning TAs

The Education Development Centre is hosting a TA training day on January 19 for all teaching assistants. If you are a new TA this term, there are several things you need to know.

Read More →


Are You Eligible for a Scholarship Balance?

If you are eligible to receive a scholarship balance for the winter term, you can request your balance through Carleton Central by clicking on “Refund or Scholarship Balance Request”. Depending on the amount of your scholarship balance, you will have up to four options: campus card transfer, e-transfer, cheque, or donate to Carleton. Although you can submit your request prior to the financial drop date, it will not be processed until after January 31, 2019. If you have any questions, please contact Student Accounts at: student_accounts@carleton.ca or phone 613-520-2600 ext. 3626.


The 3MT is Back. Come to an Info Session!

Carleton’s 2019 Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT) can help you build confidence, develop your presentation skills and focus your research. If you are interested in participating, we invite you to come to an information session on January 14 or January 22. Please register as soon as possible.


How to Promote Your SSHRC Research - Become a Storyteller

The SSHRC Storytellers competition is back. Your task is to tell the story, in 3 minutes or 300 words, of a SSHRC-funded research project – your own or a professor’s. Submissions will be accepted from now until January 31 at 5 p.m.

Find Out More →


NSERC Researchers - This One is For You

NSERC’s Science, Action! Video contest is offering 15 cash prizes for videos that tell a 60-second story about fascinating science research. You have until 4:59 p.m. on January 18 to enter. NSERC is also encouraging students to enter its Science Exposed competition. This photographic competition closes January 15.


Professional Development

When choosing successful candidates, employers typically look for more than just technical skills or subject expertise. You can enhance your employability skills by attending some of our professional development workshops. There are several new listings on our Grad Navigate page including a 4-part series on financial matters (budgeting, debt management, income tax, children and your money).

Read More →


Having Trouble Writing Your Thesis?

Recently, FGPA conducted a survey asking graduate students what their needs are when writing a thesis or dissertation. More than 260 students responded. We are now analyzing your feedback in order to offer even more assistance in this area. If you are finding that the writing process is getting you down, take the time to watch Dr. Alexis Shotwell’s Suffering-free Academic Writing video series. You might also benefit from reading the writing series by PhD student Brittany Amell. Amell is a third-year doctoral student in the School of Linguistics and Language Studies, and her current research focuses on the writing that doctoral students do.


Need Support?


Unpaid Internships

Are you currently on or thinking about participating in an unpaid placement? If so, you need to read this.

Read More →


U-Pass Reminder

For students wanting to opt out of the U-Pass, you have until January 14, 2019 to receive a full refund. Read on to find out if you are eligible.

Read More →


Grad Research: Sustainable Energy Graduate Students Help Out Moose Factory

Carleton graduate students Joshua Russell and Keelia LaFreniere are helping the MoCreebec Eeyoud First Nation in Moose Factory, Ont., to reduce energy costs and take ownership of power consumption. Find out how.

Read More →


Grad Research: Kathy Dobson's Journey

Kathy Dobson is an instructor, journalist, author, Vanier award winner and PhD candidate at Carleton University whose research and non-academic writing revolve around media representations of poverty and her own first-hand experiences of living in poverty respectively. She recently released her second book.

Read More →


Grad Research: Indigenous Water Rights in Canada

PhD student Shaun Stevenson has been looking into Indigenous land and water rights issues throughout his graduate studies. He successfully defended his thesis last fall and will be graduating in February.

Read More About His Research →


Carleton's Online Safety Tool

CU WorkSafe is an integrated online environment that facilitates injury and hazard reporting, remediation and data analysis that will improve safety at Carleton. Find out how it works.

Read More →


Slips, Trips and Falls

Every year thousands of Canadians are injured from slips and falls. Environmental Health and Safety says that we can all play a part in keeping the campus safe by following simple procedures and reporting hazards that are out of our control. Good Catch Reports can be submitted online with using CU WorkSafe.

Read More →


Important Dates and Deadlines

ACADEMIC DEADLINES

January 7:  Winter term classes begin.

January 14:  OSAP deferral deadline. Late payment charges and late registration charges applied to the student account on or after this date for eligible OSAP students.

January 14:  Deadline to receive a full refund if opting out of the U-Pass

January 18:  Last day for registration for winter term courses. Last day to change courses or sections (including auditing) for winter term courses.

January 18:  Graduate students who have not electronically submitted their final thesis copy to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs will not be eligible to graduate in winter 2019 and must register for the winter 2019 term.

January 18-20 and January 25-27:  Fall term deferred examinations will be held.

January 31:  Last day for a fee adjustment when withdrawing from winter term courses or the winter portion of two-term courses (financial withdrawal). Withdrawals after this date will create no financial change to winter term fees and will result in a permanent notation of WDN appearing on your official transcript.

February 15:  April examination schedule available online.

February 18:  Statutory holiday. University closed.

February 18-22:  Winter Break. Classes are suspended.

March 1:  Last day for receipt of applications from potential spring (June) graduates. Application deadline to study at another institution on a letter of permission for the summer term.

March 1:  Last day for graduate students to submit their supervisor-approved thesis, in examinable form to their department.

March 21:  Registration opens for summer term.

For a complete list of all official academic and financial dates and deadlines, please go to the Registrar’s website. For all financial matters, go to Student Accounts.


EVENTS/OTHER

International students! Check out these events just for you.

January 11:  Orientation for new grad students and TAs

For information about Carleton events, go to the university events calendar.


TRAINING & CAREER WORKSHOPS

January 14 or 22Information sessions for students interested in participating in the Three Minute Thesis (You can attend either session)

January 19: EDC’s TA training day

January 16-March 27  Contract Instructors –  Certificate in University Teaching

Many Grad Navigate workshops for the winter term are posted. MyGradSkills.ca has been discontinued. However, students now have free access to Lynda.com, a self-service training site designed to help students gain new skills and advance their careers. You can log in by clicking here.


AWARDS & COMPETITION DEADLINES

Jan. 7: Carleton deadline to apply for a Trudeau Foundation doctoral scholarship

January 15:  Deadline to enter NSERC’s Science Exposed competition

January 18:  Deadline to enter NSERC’s Science Action competition

January 31:  Deadline to enter SSHRC’s Storyteller competition.

February 1:  Deadline to apply for a Mackenzie King Memorial scholarship

July 1, 2019Deadline to apply for a bursary from the Centre for Research and Education on Women & Work

Mitacs offers several funding opportunities for graduate students. You can apply any time, except there are two deadline dates each year for the Mitacs Elevate program. Check out:
(a) Mitacs Accelerate (Funding starts at $15,000 for research internships with industry or non-profit partners)
(b) Mitacs Elevate ($57,500 annual grant for two-year postdoctoral fellowships with industry or non-profit partners)
(c) Mitacs Globalink Research (Travel funding for research projects with international universities)
Note: For information about Carleton awards, go to our awards and funding website.


TA DEADLINES

The deadlines to apply for a Leave From Duties are: April 30 (summer term), August 31 (fall term) and December 31 (winter term) (access form via Carleton Central).

Deadlines to apply to be an “out-of-priority” TA are as follows: April 15 (Spring/Summer term), August 15 (Fall/Winter term) and December 15 (Winter term).

“Pedagogical” training hours must be completed by March 30 for a full academic year TAship or a winter-only TAship. Fall-only TAs must complete their hours by November 30.

TAs – Please note that it can take up to two weeks before your attendance at workshops is recorded. You are strongly encouraged to track your progress independently of the TA Management System in order to ensure its accuracy. In the event of a discrepancy, you are responsible for ensuring your training is captured in Carleton Central.