President Phil Hanlon ’77 and Gail Gentes hosted a reception to welcome this year’s incoming graduate student and postdoc cohort. Faculty, students, and Guarini School staff mingled at the Hanover Inn, sharing their research goals and aspirations.
Many had recently arrived on campus and were adjusting to life at Dartmouth. One incoming Earth Sciences student had arrived in Hanover as recently as this week. “This is not only my first time in Hanover,” he noted. “I’m from India, and this is my first time in America!” He is happily connected to the International Graduate Mentor Program, which has been invaluable in helping him settle in.
On the other end of the arrival spectrum, graduate student Brian North, who is enrolled in the Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) program, is from just across the river in Hartland, Vermont. He is not only familiar with campus, having worked as a research assistant in MCB before making the leap to join as a graduate student, but very motivated by his experiences here. "I spent 7 years supporting research at Dartmouth as a technician in the CCMR and then in Dr. Leib's lab. That experience showed me that Dartmouth was the place for me, and I look forward to pursuing research of my own as I develop and polish my skills as a researcher," he told us.
Dartmouth Postdoc Association co-President, Britney Privett, was also mingling with the crowd and was pleased to see presence of a number of new postdocs. She encouraged everyone to find connections across the stages of academia — graduate student, postdoc, and faculty. “We all have something to offer along this trajectory,” she noted. Privett is co-president with Emily Weybourne. Graduate Student Council (GSC) Communications Chair, Savannah Barnett, agreed, stating “These events are great incubators for collaborative partnerships. We’re working to make more of them happen more often.”
Dean Kull thanked President Hanlon and Gail Gentes for generously welcoming the new cohort to Dartmouth, and noted that this would be the first group to enroll in programs in the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, newly named in Spring, 2018. Dean Kull encouraged everyone to make the most of their time at Dartmouth by making connections, setting realistic goals, and enjoying all campus has to offer.