2012 PASSHE Graduate Research Symposium

I just want to quickly give a huge round of applause to all the presenters of this year's symposium. Congratulations to all of you!! (and me!)

Oral presentations:

Jason Keyser – A Fabled Attempt to Move Forward in the Discussion of Human Rights

Chris Mich – Loving the Alien, Hating the Hybrid: A Cultural Study of Robotech

Tommy Moore – Roleplaying Relationships in Videogames:  The Virtual Decentering of Heteronormativity through Homosexual Romance Options

Fayth Kelly – Reaching Anne Stevenson’s Intimate Worlds: Feminine Creative Spirit and Nature Imagery

Alhaji Saccoh – Collective Bargain: The Roles of Parents and Administrators in Eliminating Childhood Obesity

Elizabeth Schroeder – iLead Leadership Series: Applying Leadership in your Everyday Life

Jenna Krier – New Kid on the Block: Medico-military History and its Importance in the American Historical Framework

Dominique Williams – Alcohol Outlets and Violence in Philadelphia: The Role of Land Use

Margaret Haag – The Use of Evidence-Based Strategies to Increase Independence in Adults with Asperger’s Syndrome in Competitive Employment Settings

Samantha Keys – Essential Components to Comprehension Achievement

Poster presentations:

Megan Gross – The Impact of Comprehensive Diabetes Management Classes on Patient Outcomes

Christopher Ketcham – The Phantom Limb of Equality

Next Steps 3 - JOBS

So sorry for the lack of updates, it has been QUITE a busy time for me. Here's a quick update: after my last post about conferences and the like, I found out I was ACCEPTED to present at the Graduate Symposium in Harrisburg, PA; presented like the history baller that I am at said conference; I have found two more conferences to apply to; researching for my semester papers on Native American disease epidemics due to European colonization and the relgious versus secular aspects of Islamic medicine; bartending and working in the office; received not one, not two, but THREE AWESOME History of Med/Science journals in the mail (nerd alert!!); and here I am updating you all now. :)

Real quick about the conferece. It was awesome. It was really small (I presented to about 8 students ALL from West Chester), but the experience was still priceless. There was an embarrasing moment for me when I realized the Sahara Desert decided to transport itself magically to my mouth. See, our room moderator did not think there was enough time between the one and two o'clock sessions to take a break. This meant no water finding - which subsequently meant me feeling like I had just eaten a full sleeve of saltine crackers. One of the others in the room, however, thought I looked like I was in pain (which I kind of was) and ran out to the water fountain. She returned with a cup of water for me. For that, I believe I owe Margaret Haag a HUGE shout of of THANKS!!! You saved my presentation!! What's the lesson from this? Well one, make sure you have a bottle of water with you. And two, if the worse thing that happens during your presentation is NOT the content of your presentation or the way you present, but something completely human such as the Sahara Desert in your mouth... YOU DID FINE!!! :)

Ok, so on to the next chapter on what to do when you graduate. It is time for that dreaded word... JOBS. *shiver* Real World. I am clearly trying to put that off as long as possibly by staying in school for as long as possible. Today with social networking sites being such a part of nearly everyone's daily lives, many employers are also using them in their hiring process. For the rest of this blog I am going to link you to an article I received the other day from a reader (I have a READER!) that I found quite helpful. Jasmine Hall sent me this article from her blog all about how to use your Facebook page to your advantage. I think it's quite interesting!!

http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2012/05/01/the-new-networking-ultimate-facebook-guide-for-2012-grads/

Check it out! Let me know what you all think!! :)

Thank you!
Jenna

Next Steps - 2

What else can you do to further your career or educational aspirations during your time at West Chester or any other Master’s program? Last time I talked about presenting your research, showcasing the upcoming Graduate Symposium this month. Today I want to talk about other ways to search for conferences and getting published.

Due to my deep entrenchment in the world of history and historical societies, all of my links here will be for history based conferences and publications. That does not mean, however, my means of research are not valid for you as well. Let's start with online networks.

If you were to go to Google and type in history networks, one of the first things that pops up is H-Net. This is a VERY valuable tool for any historian, and I know there are other "nets" out there for other academic fields. What is great about finding one of these online networks is that everything is sent via email - so there is no website you have to check every day. I get at least 20 emails a day (some of which I do delete) that discuss reviews of new books, conferences, and calls for papers. I even had the ability to specialize my threads by selected History of Science and Medicine. Perfect for me!

It also helps to email other professionals in your field. Networking does not have to be as hard as it sounds. I was a bit overwhelmed at the idea of trying to find a PhD program for my seemingly over-specialized, academically bi-polar brain. Since I want to study medico-military history, I contacted the Army Medical Department because they have an excellent program - but it's only for military personnel. The response I got was awesome and he helped push me in the right directions.

Because of the likes of H-Net and the AMD, I have been able to connect with historical societies for history of medicine and military history. I joined both the HSS (History of Science Society) and the AAHM (American Association for the History of Medicine), both of which had student rates that were VERY affordable! All together I think it's 60 bucks for both for the whole year. I get journals in the mail and email updates as well as access to all past journals on JSTOR. We all know JSTOR! It's awesome.

H-Net and the two societies also make Calls for Papers public on a daily basis. While many of the conferences are currently still out of my league, it does not hurt to apply and get your name out there. Don't see yourself short. Make sure you really dive into the nitty gritty of your field and make yourself known. You have gotten this far for a reason; let's push it just a bit more!!

Hope this was informative... Any questions, email me. :)

Next Steps - 1

Ok, I know I have not written in a long time. It's been crazy in the office, at my other job, and this semester is very busy with papers and the like. I am attempting to write two term papers on two totally different topics... It should be interesting. At least they are both on two different aspects of the History of Science and Medicine so I can get some background on that before I go apply for my PhD... Which brings me to the topic of this blog.... Next Steps.

Some of you may stop at your Masters, some of you may want to continue on (which is what I would like to do), but no matter your decision you can always keep learning. So, what are some of the next steps?

1) Present your research. At every Masters level, each student has the experience of writing a very intricate, research intense paper. These are the ones we are all most proud of. The time we put into these papers is far beyond anything we have done before, we may even have the chance of presenting to your class. These are the papers you should try to present at graduate conferences. One such conference is coming up in April.

This Graduate Student Symposium is a great way to get your feet wet in the Conference world. You will get feedback from your peers and wash away those public speaking fears. I applied to present, and you should too.

Since I know we all have so much to do as well as seriously short attention spans, I am going to make this a series of blog entries. The following entry, hopefully tomorrow or Friday, will be about finding that right PhD or other graduate program.

New Semester, New Goals

Well the Real World came up and bit me this week, just as the semester started no less. Haha. It's back to school, back to two jobs, and back to letting you all know how great West Chester is!

So I should probably start by giving myself a pat on the back. I did really, really well in my classes last semester. They were both a lot of hard work, but both extremely rewarding. I owe it all to the great professors I had. believe it or not, I really wish both classes extended into this semester so I could have both of them again. The other students in both of those classes were all very insightful and intelligent. Combined, the professors and students made for an excellent work environment.

Next, I want to let you all know that I will be discussing my PhD journey on here as well. I finally feel comfortable enough in my abilities to really start looking for programs to matriculate into in the fall of 2013. I did a lot of research over the break, sent a lot of emails and received a lot of great responses. So look forward to a bunch of anxiety ridden rants!! haha.

Finally, I would like to know if there is anything you all would like me to go over. Please leave comments so I know what you would like me to cover.

Thank you all!

Jenna

Area of West Chester

Hello, again, everyone! I hope you all are doing well this fine, dreary December day! Well, at least it is a bit dreary here in West Chester, PA.

Today's post is going to be a bit about West Chester and the surrounding areas, so you know what you are getting yourself into if you choose to go to school here.

A lot of you have been asking me if it is worth coming to West Chester when most of the good internships are in Philly, Baltimore, Wilmington, and even DC. The answer my friends, is yes.

First, West Chester is a great place to live. Whether you live right in the borough or in the surrounding area (like myself) there is always something new to see and/or do. The borough, consisting mainly of Gay, Market, High, Walnut and Church street is a tight-knit comnunity of small business owners. There are an incredible amount of unique shops in the area. The FOOD scene here is West Chester is incredible as well! I could go on and on about all the amazing place to eat and buy groceries right in town. There is also a farmer's market from May to December. AWESOME produce.

On a more academic level, West Chester houses the Chester County Historical Society as well as several law firms. There are plenty of places to get internships and research opportunities right here in town.

Then of course there is Philadelphia. Perhaps the Mecca of academic and social scenes in this particular area. If you want to venture to Philadelphia, which of course I always would suggest, it is a very easy commute. You can drive yourself (though that might not be so easy with traffic) but then you have to find a place to park. I recommend using the bus/train systems. Super easy, super affordable, and you can get anywhere you want in Philly. The bus stops here on campus and there are train stations less than 4 miles away.

The train is your best bet for Baltimore and DC as well. 30th Street station in Philly can easily get you to both of these places.

As for Wilmington or other places in DE, you would have to drive. It's super close, but traffic can sometimes be a bit much on 202.

West Chester is such an amazing place to be. From the food, to the resources, to the peace and quiet I have living just outside the borough. It's such a perfect place to go to school because it's far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the city taht I can get stuff done easily without too much distraction. However, when I want a distraction, I head on down to the city for some good food or even to watch my Phillies and Eagles!!

(I go to Chester for my Union. :) )

Thanks guys!
Jenna

GSA and Social Networks

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a fabulously overfilled Thanksgiving. I know I did. I do love some celery soup and cranberry sauce! YUM! And now it is December. YAY!


Anyway, I apologize for the lack of updates. Between a crashing computer (with two papers due no less) and the Holiday, I was out of the Internet world for quite some time. But I am here today with a new blog on some very important topics: The GSA (anyone guess what it stands for?!) and the grad studies social networks.


We will start off with the simpler, but just as important, portion of this post. The social networks. I am sure we all know the story on how facebook took down myspace with one fell swoop, right? Well, if not, it doesn't matter. What is important is that you know how to get the most info as possible on West Chester.


Please follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/wcupa_grad
Please "like" us on facebook at www.facebook.com/wcugrad.


I work very hard to update all of these for your benefit! Show me some love!


The next portion is on the importance of the GSA to graduate life here on campus. The Graduate Student Association (did you guess that?) is THE group for graduate students here at WCU. As an executive member of the GSA, students can become involved with many of the committees here on campus. Last year I was active in the CAPC committee which voted on changes and additions to various curriculum. It was an awesome experience.


More importantly, the GSA helps out with conferences and research. There are two different grants one can apply for to complete various research projects. For more info go here: http://www.wcupa.edu/_admissions/sch_dgr/gsa.asp


They also throw social events for graduate students. The next one is December 9, 2011 at Landmark Americana in West Chester. Please email gsa@wcupa.edu if you would like to attend!


Leave comments people! I am starting to think no one reads these :(


Have a great day!
Jenna