"The Department of Biological Sciences is now the largest undergraduate department in the Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences. There are almost 1,200 students declared across our majors (Biological Sciences, Computational Biology, Ecology & Evolution, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology) and many (MANY) other students who take classes in the CLC complex. While we are very proud that so many students love biology enough to call it their home during their time at Pitt, some of our students report feeling a bit overwhelmed by the numbers - having a hard time finding their "place", feeling anonymous, not knowing how to get to know their teachers and build their network. This year, the Bio Peer Advisors received a Forge Your Own Path grant to build opportunities for biology students get to know each other, alumni, and faculty. We will be doing this both on-line - through Pitt Commons, a newish digital networking tool, and in-person with regular professional development and social events. We will also publish a series of interviews with biology faculty that will bring in-person one-on-one meetings to the community. On-line Community Building Pitt Commons is a new on-line networking site - similar to LinkedIn, but focused on building community among Pitt-affiliated students, alumni, faculty, and staff. Within Pitt Commons, students can join interest 'Groups' to find others on-campus - and beyond campus (in the 'real world') to build "networking or mentoring relationships". We have recently formed a Department of Biological Sciences interest group and are now recruiting current and former undergraduate students from the department to join. Want to hear from former BIOSC students currently in medical/dental/optometry school? Now we have a place to build those connections! Thinking about a career in nursing v. physical therapy - how about asking former students how they decided? As we build our on-line group, we will also begin invited alumni back to campus to move some virtual relationships into the real world! Students can join by signing up for Pitt Commons and joining the Department of Biological Sciences group. In-person Community Building Last week we held our first student-faculty breakfast where we brought together a small group of students to have breakfast with Dr. Debbie Chapman, Dr. Stefanie Hedayati, and Dr. Erica McGreevy. (before FebrNext month, we will be holding our second student-faculty breakfast with Dr. Jeff Brodsky, Dr. Nathan Brouwer, and Dr. Suzanna Gribble. Start building your network now by reading a bit more about these faculty:
Students can earn the opportunity to join by signing up for Pitt Commons and joining the Department of Biological Sciences group - before February 7th. Biology Faculty Interviews
To break down some barriers, our Bio Peer Advisors will be interviewing faculty in our department so that the whole community can get to know them a bit better. These interviews - as blogs and/or videos - will be shared on our PittBioBlog and give you the opportunity to find out some behind the scenes info on your favorite (or not) teachers - where did they go to school? Which classes did they like (or note!)? How did they choose their current career? What do they do when they are not in the CLC complex? Have your own ideas of how to build our community? We are looking for suggestions for professional development and social events, faculty to invite for breakfast or lunch, and faculty who you would like to see interviewed. Please share your ideas here or email to Jessica at [email protected]. And don't forget to follow us on facebook (www.facebook.com/pittbioadv) and/or instagram (pittbioadv) to find out about blogs and events
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Pitt Bio BlogThe Pitt Bio Blog is maintained by the Department of Biological Sciences Advising Office. Posts are authored by our students Archives
January 2022
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