The Bridge - Issue 1, 2022 - 10

2021 Year in Review
In 2021, the IEEE-HKN Board of Governors
restructured the organization to better serve all
members, no matter what stage of their career
they are in. Two Ad Hoc Committees were
formed: Alumni Engagement and Professional
and Graduate Activities. As of 1 January 2022, the
two became full committees of the Board charged
with enhancing programming and opportunities
for these audiences.
In this issue of THE BRIDGE, we will focus
on the programming created for Graduate
Student members. These students are at a
pivotal point in their engineering journey, some
deciding to go into industry, others into academia,
and others trying different paths.
A core group of HKN Graduate Students has
begun a monthly newsletter focused on topics of
interest to this demographic. IEEE-HKN's YouTube
Channel is growing weekly with professional
development sessions, podcasts, and tech talks
focused on this group.
The following is an example of the new Grad Lab
series of webinars developed and coordinated by
Dr. Karen Panetta, 2019 IEEE-HKN President and
Dean of Graduate Education for the School of
Engineering, Tufts University.
Grad Lab
Webinar Series
by Karen Panetta, 2019 IEEE-HKN President,
Dean of Graduate Education for the School of
Engineering, Tufts University
IEEE-HKN has created a series of Grad Lab webinars
that discuss topics to help graduate students survive
and thrive in graduate programs. The sessions are
free and designed with the input and topics proposed
by IEEE-HKN student members and from the many
lessons learned advising and supervising graduate
students from my years as a faculty member and
Dean. Some of the topics are summarized here and
we are always seeking more ideas for future sessions.
The Secrets of Graduate School
No One Ever Told You
Pursuing a graduate degree is a wonderful way to further
one's career and build new skills and competencies that
can propel a career and boost salaries. The process of
applying for a graduate degree program differs significantly
from applying to undergraduate programs, yet no one ever
tells students this! As a Dean of Graduate Education, I have
learned all these insider details of the graduate application
process and want to share these with students to help
them navigate the process easier and have a much more
successful experience.
Graduate school is about building a partnership between
faculty and students. For Ph.D. programs and other thesis
programs, it is not all about the student just taking courses.
This is especially important if the student is going to receive
a stipend and tuition scholarship.
Let's review all the stages of navigating a graduate program
and reveal the recipe for succeeding in graduate school.
First, applications for graduate programs are reviewed by
the faculty members in the program and department to
which the student is applying. Thus, the faculty whose
classes students will be taking and conducting research
with, will be providing input on a student's application.
Faculty members on the graduate review committee are
looking for applicants who possess good scholarship, but
they are also considering whether they think they can work
with the student and if the candidate would work well with
THE BRIDGE
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The Bridge - Issue 1, 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Bridge - Issue 1, 2022
