Orientation 2018: What you might have missed

This fall, we welcomed 300 new students to our programs in the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies at Dartmouth. This first cohort to begin as students in the newly named School is a diverse one, with 46% coming from non-US countries.

"We are excited to welcome all our incoming students to Dartmouth. They are joining a close-knit and supportive community of graduate students, and a vibrant academic culture that values integrity, inclusivity, and respect for all of its members,” says Dean of the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, Jon Kull. We are so pleased you accepted your Dartmouth offer and chose to join us, and we hope you will find your career at Dartmouth both challenging and rewarding.

This week has been full of sessions, workshops, events, and opportunities to get to know a little more about the resources and facilities on campus. We’ve put together a quick rundown in case you missed anything, and of course, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to be in touch with the School office. We’re happy to help however we can!

Tuesday evening saw the first Outreach Mixer held at the Lounge in 4 Currier, downtown Hanover. This well-attended event brought together those interested in participating in outreach initiatives to further public engagement with Science. Several partners were represented, including the Montshire Museum of Science (who are looking for people to tell stories about experiments gone awry for an upcoming event), and the Dartmouth Science Olympiad. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Amanda Skinner, and stay tuned for an Outreach listserv, details to come. For information on how to reserve this grad and postdoc space, visit the GSC page.

Wednesday was the first mandatory session on lab safety for all programs held in Carpenter Hall. Essential information on minimizing lab accidents and errors was distributed. If you have any questions about your particular lab safety issues, please reach out to your PIs. You can also find helpful information at the Dartmouth Environmental Health and Safety website, and sign up for their safety newsletter.

Thursday was a full day. Starting with sessions for the international students (almost half the incoming cohort!), information on building a respectful community and content discussions on academic integrity, mentoring, authorship, and data integrity was shared at the evening ethics panel. All new students are required to sign up for ethics training, you can find a list of sessions and facilitators here, and sign up for the ones that fit your program in Banner. Hundreds of students and faculty participated in the Guarini BBQ on the Life Sciences Lawn, and even the weather cooperated!

Friday was an important day for all things Dartmouth, including health care, immunizations, and resources for students on campus. You can read about facilities for graduate students on the Life and Community section of the Guarini School website, where you can find all our policies for graduate students as well. The Dartmouth College Health Service is available to answer any questions you have relating to health insurance and health services for graduate students at Dartmouth.

The Graduate Student Council (GSC) organized their student activities fair on Friday afternoon, offering multiple opportunities to get involved in the social side of graduate school. For more information on these groups, and for details on how to set up your own, you can visit the GSC website.

We hope that you all enjoyed the week and we look forward to getting to know you. Welcome to Dartmouth!