Student Resources
This page has a variety of resources we think may be useful for graduate students in the Biology department. Please take a minute to explore some of the resources here! The Biology department also maintains a separate webpage for graduate student resources, which can be found here.
If you are experiencing issues with degree progress, the program, your advisor, and/or other aspects of your time in the program, the department also offers several forms of reporting:
- The Graduate Student Check-In form is an open-ended form to request help from the department’s Director of Graduate Studies (Dr. Christopher Willett) and/or the Graduate Student Services Manager (Kenlyn Merritt).
- The Grievance Report system, which allows anonymous submission, is intended to support communication of grievance, challenge, discrimination, harassment, or interpersonal conflict at the University and will be reviewed by the Grievance Committee.
The Graduate School Resources:
The Graduate and Professional Student Association website also has tons of information related to graduate student academic, professional, and social issues. The Graduate School also maintains several webpages of graduate student resources on and off campus which can be found here. Below we provide links to some of the resources from the CHART website that we thought were of particular use to graduate students in our department.
CHART Topic | Resource | Link |
---|---|---|
Community | Off-Campus Housing | https://offcampushousing.unc.edu/ |
Community | Residency | https://registrar.unc.edu/academic-services/residency/ |
Community | Exploring Chapel Hill | http://www.townofchapelhill.org/home |
Community | Transportation | https://move.unc.edu/ |
Community | GPSF | http://gpsf.unc.edu/ |
Community | Graduate Student Diversity | https://graddiversity.unc.edu/ |
Community | International Student and Scholar Services | http://isss.unc.edu/ |
Community | Faith-Based Organizations | https://heellife.unc.edu/organizations?categories=6113 |
Community | LGBTQ Center | http://lgbtq.unc.edu/ |
Community | Carolina Women's Center | https://womenscenter.unc.edu/ |
Community | UNC Calendar of Events | https://www.unc.edu/events/ |
Health & Wellness | Campus Health Services | http://campushealth.unc.edu/ |
Health & Wellness | Counseling and Psychological Services | https://campushealth.unc.edu/services/counseling-and-psychological-services |
Health & Wellness | Campus Recreation | http://campusrec.unc.edu/ |
Health & Wellness | Triangle Region State Parks | https://www.ncdcr.gov/things-to-do/state-parks/triangle |
Academic Success & Professional Support | Accessibility Resources and Services | https://ars.unc.edu/ |
Academic Success & Professional Support | University Libraries | https://library.unc.edu/ |
Academic Success & Professional Support | Environment, Health and Safety | https://ehs.unc.edu/ |
Academic Success & Professional Support | Safe@UNC Trainings | http://safe.unc.edu/ |
Academic Success & Professional Support | Graduate Funding Information Center | http://gradfunding.web.unc.edu/ |
Academic Success & Professional Support | Be A Maker | https://beam.unc.edu/ |
Academic Success & Professional Support | University Career Services | https://careers.unc.edu/ |
Academic Success & Professional Support | UNC Print Shop & Copy Center | https://enterprises.unc.edu/printing/ |
Resilience & Resources | Student Emergency Fund | https://odos.unc.edu/student-support/student-emergency-fund |
Resilience & Resources | University Ombuds Office | https://ombuds.unc.edu/ |
Resilience & Resources | Student Legal Services | https://www.uncstudentlegal.unc.edu/ |
The Graduate School | Funding and Fellowships | http://gradschool.unc.edu/funding/ |
Degree Requirements:
The department degree requirements can be found on the Biology department website: for EEOB and MCDB. The institutional degree requirements can be found in the UNC Graduate School Handbook. Each of the degree requirements have accompanying forms that document your progress and should be filled out upon completion of the requirement. The Graduate School maintains a webpage of other useful academic links and information.
Advising:
Good communication is the key to a successful graduate student – research advisor relationship. The BGSA has put together a document to help students and advisors discuss their expectations for each other throughout the student’s graduate career. We recommend that new graduate students meet with their advisors early in their first year to talk about the questions listed on this checklist.
Several graduate students in the department also recommend taking the time each year to fill out an Individual Development Plan (IDP) with your advisor to help facilitate clear communication of the expectations and goals that both you and your advisor have for yourself over your PhD. There are many different versions of the IDP online that you can tailor to fit your own personal goals and career plans, but if you are looking for somewhere to start check out this IDP form.
If you have concerns about your experience as a graduate student, the first person you should talk with is your research advisor. If you do not feel comfortable talking with your advisor about your concern, the following is a list of people and resources who you can talk with. It is suggested that you first talk with those listed at the top and then work your way down. When talking with this person, you should express whether you desire the conversation to be confidential.
- Another faculty member with whom you are comfortable. For example, a committee member.
- The director of graduate studies (DGS). For EEOB and MCDB, this is Dr. Christopher Willett. It is best to set up a meeting with the DGS via email.
- The Biology Department chair (Dr. Kerry Bloom) or the Graduate School’s Associate Dean of Student Affairs (Dr. Hoi Ning Ngai).
- The University Ombuds office is a source of advice outside of the Biology Department.
Biology Administrative Contacts:
While we benefit from the efforts of all the staff in our department, there are particular people that graduate students will often find themselves needing to contact. Here is a brief list of the people that provide useful administrative resources, their contact information and a description of what graduate students typically contact them about. This list is by no means complete, but hopefully it will prove helpful!
Name: | Useful to contact for: | email address |
---|---|---|
Kenlyn Merritt | Registration issues, TA/RAship assignments, stipend support | kenlyn@email.unc.edu |
Sonya Watson | Reimbursements | spwatson@email.unc.edu |
Lori Shamblin | Shipping packages, Reserving Rooms | lori_shamblin@unc.edu |
Trisden Coughlin | IT help | trisdenc@bio.unc.edu |
Hinar Polczer | IT help | hinar@bio.unc.edu |
Kerry Bloom | Department Chair | kerry_bloom@unc.edu |
Corey Johnson | Department Associate Chair | johnsonc@bio.unc.edu |
Oral Examination Committees:
If you are wondering what sorts of questions or expectations particular committee members have of students during oral examinations and want to chat with someone about their experiences during their own oral exam with those committee members, check out this list of graduate students in the department who are happy to talk with you on the subject!
If you want more information on what style of questions are typical of an oral examination in this department contact the current webmaster or president for more information.
Opportunities for Research Funds:
Looking for sources of funding for your research? Check out this list of grants that students in the department have applied for previously or considered applying for. This list summarizes some of the specific requirements, amounts, application due dates, and graduate students to contact if you want to know about their experience with the grant application.
Opportunities for Outreach:
Looking for some outreach events? Check out this list of events that other graduate students in the department have attended!
Outreach Event | Brief Description | Location of event | General date of event | Contact info |
---|---|---|---|---|
SciREN Triangle (also Coast) | Make a lesson plan for any grade grade level Pre-K - 12 and market it to NC teachers | NC Museum of Natural History, Raleigh | Each Semester, training workshop in August and January, and networking event in September and Febrary | https://sciren.org/ |
ComSciCon Triangle | Two-day science communication workshop; note there is also a national ComSciCon event that is more difficult to get into | Varies | March | https://comscicon.com/ |
Morehead Planetarium Science Communication Ambassador Program (IMPACTS Program) | Recieve an ambassador certificate and participate in outreach events coordinated through the planetarium | Morehead Planetarium, UNC Campus | Throughout the year | https://www.ncsciencefestival.org/IMPACTS |
DNA Day | Visit a NC classroom to teach a pre-made module about DNA | Varies | April/May | http://ncdnaday.org/ |
Darwin Day | Present about topic of choice (related to evolution) to audience at museum | NC Museum of Natural History, Raleigh | February | Miranda Dowdy (miranda.dowdy@naturalsciences.org) |
Science Expo (aka NC Science Fest) | Present about topic of choice (related to evolution) to audience at museum | UNC campus | April | https://www.ncsciencefestival.org/ |
FEMMES (Females Excelling More in Math, Engineering, and Science) | Conduct activity/workshop about topic of choice to groups of 3rd and 4th grade girls | UNC campus | October | uncfemmes@gmail.com |
Shadow a Scientist | New outreach event supported by TIBBS; Sign up to show a group of middle school students around your lab and/or prepare an experiment/learning activity for them based on your research | UNC campus | Orientation meeting January 2019, lab visits planned for Jan-Feb and Mar-Jun | email sas_team@unc.edu to be added to event listserv |
Skype a Scientist | Skype with a class of students about a topic of choice | Online | Throughout the year | https://www.skypeascientist.com/get-involved.html |
BugFest | Present about arthropods to audience at museum | NC Museum of Natural History, Raleigh | September | Miranda Dowdy (miranda.dowdy@naturalsciences.org) |
Reptile and Amphibian Day | Present about reptiles or amphibians to audience at museum | NC Museum of Natural History, Raleigh | March | Miranda Dowdy (miranda.dowdy@naturalsciences.org) |
WinSPIRE (Women in Science Promoting Inclusion in Research Experiences) | Summer mentorship program for woman-identifying and nonbinary high school students | UNC campus | June - July | https://winspireunc.wixsite.com/website |
Recommended Blogs:
Looking for some useful/fun blogs related to biology, academia, graduate life? Check out this list of blogs that other graduate students in the department read!
Blog Title | General Description | Link |
---|---|---|
Dynamic Ecology | Advice and news blog for ecologists and evolutionary biologists | https://dynamicecology.wordpress.com |
Eco Evo Evo Eco | Advice and news blog for ecologists and evolutionary biologists | http://ecoevoevoeco.blogspot.com |
TreeThinkers | Website and blog geared towards phylogenetics | http://treethinkers.org/blog/ |
Parasite Ecology | New symbiont science and comics | https://parasiteecology.wordpress.com |
The Molecular Ecologist | Website geared towards applications of population genetic data in studies of evolution, ecology, and diversity. | http://www.molecularecologist.com |
PLOS Ecology Community | Provides informal online avenues for researcher collaboration and discussion of timely ecology, environmental and climate science research. | https://plos.org/research-communities/ecology/ |
Benchfly | Using technology to move scientific research forward | https://www.benchfly.com/blog/ |
Scientist Sees Squirrel | Advise for academic writing and publishing such as writing an effective methods section, handling peer review, journal rejection, etc. | https://scientistseessquirrel.wordpress.com |
Claus O. Wilke | Advice on career development and academic writing related topics | https://clauswilke.com/blog/ |
The Thesis Whisperer | Advice and news blog on the topic of getting a PhD | https://thesiswhisperer.com |
WebMz | Science, women in science, failure in science, career options | http://www.webmz.nyc/words/ |
DoctoralWritingSIG | Tips and information about academic writing | https://doctoralwriting.wordpress.com |
From the lab bench | All things science | http://www.fromthelabbench.com/ |
Get a Life, PhD | Succeed in academia and have a life too | http://getalifephd.blogspot.com |
Human evolution | News blog about human origins | https://thehumanevolutionblog.com |
Nature's Science blogging | Why blogging matters | https://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/scholarcast/how_science_blogging_can_lead |
Why blogging matters | Why blogging matters | https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-01414-6 |
Science blogging | How to science blog | https://www.theopennotebook.com/2016/02/16/science-blogging-essential-guide-at-ton/ |
Teaching | List of teaching blogs for grad students | https://www.unl.edu/gradstudies/current/news/teaching-blogs-you-should-be-reading |
gradhacker | Advice Blog | http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/gradhacker |
General Biology | List of Blogs | https://blog.feedspot.com/biology_blogs/ |
Nature's recommendations | List of Blogs | https://www.nature.com/news/2006/060703/multimedia/50_science_blogs.html |
Evolution | List of Blogs | https://blog.feedspot.com/evolution_blogs/ |
Ecology | List of Blogs | https://blog.feedspot.com/ecology_blogs/ |
Genetics | List of Blogs | https://blog.feedspot.com/genetics_blogs/ |
From PhD to Life | Understand the process of finding and applying for non-academic jobs | https://fromphdtolife.com/blog/ |
Recommend List-Servs:
Looking for some useful/fun list-servs related to biology, UNC, and academia in general? Check out this list of list-serv that other graduate students in the department have joined and some of the reasons why they joined them!
Organization/group | How to get added to Listserv | Useful for |
---|---|---|
Tibbs | email tibbs@listserv.unc.edu | *Everything* Networking events, professional workshops, career panels, free stuff, outreach, other List-servs |
CAP | email capnews@move.unc.edu | Commuter events and prizes |
UNC ITS | email mass_storage@listserv.unc.edu | Workshops for computing and coding, planned maintenance |
GPSF | email gpsf@listserv.unc.edu | Funding and advocacy group for graduate students |
Graduate Funding | email grad_funding@listserv.unc.edu | Upcoming grant and funding oppotunities |
LGBTQ Center | https://lgbtq.unc.edu/news-and-events/listserv-submission-form | General support and services for all people |
University Office for Diversity and Inclusion | https://diversity.unc.edu/volunteer-listserv/ | Network with affinity groups on campus |
University Career Services | email listmanager@listserv.unc.edu with subscribe grad_prof_careers in the body of the email | Workshops for preparing for interviews and other career activities, symposiums with professionals, employment and fellowship opportunities |
Science Policy Advocacy Group | http://spag.web.unc.edu/contact-us/ | Networking with professionals working in science policy, learning about courses and certificate programs offered in science policy, and fellowship opportunities |
The Odum Institute | Email oduminstitute@unc.edu | Statistics and programming short courses, data science job opportunities |
Graduate Student Professional Development | Email gradprofdev@listserv.unc.edu | Professional development resources, workshops, and courses |
If you have suggestions for other information that should be included on this page, please contact one of our officers!