Wednesday 1 February 2012

Research Poster Conference 2012

Each month there will be an update on the Research Poster Conference (to be held on June 19th 2012) by myself (Kimberley Loynes, project manager) or one of the 3 postgraduate researchers who are working as project support assistants (PSAs).  Rebecca Isaacs, College of Arts and Law, 2nd year PhD (PSA), provides the first update:
'Hi, I’m Rebecca, one of the Project Support Assistants working to plan this year’s Research Poster Conference, hosted by the University of Birmingham’s Graduate School. We’ve only just started planning the event, but we’re already pretty confident that it’s going to be a great day, and well worth the effort! So far we’ve completed some events management training, kindly provided for us by the Graduate School, and created an online application form which we’re particularly proud of. Who knew Google Documents was so clever? We’ve also begun to plan the different ways in which we can help you to maximise the skills you’ll gain from entering this year’s conference, such as training sessions and networking opportunities, both on the day and beforehand. Finally, we’ve also started to work on the budget. This of course included making decisions on the size and distribution of this year’s prize fund, and how much to spend on the (free) lunch, so get your applications in soon to make sure you don’t miss out!  Applications will open in the next week.  You will be able to apply on this webpage.'

Library Services: supporting your research

Library Services welcome all postgraduate researchers who have recently joined the University and looks forward to providing you with help and support in your time here. Supporting your research is part of the Library Services web site and provides links to all the Library resources and services you need for your research in one handy listing at:
Everyone wants access to online journals, so the eLibrary link is the first one on the page, along with the link to the Library Catalogue. For older material and archives there is a link to the Card Catalogue Online and to the Archive Catalogue created by Special Collections. You can also trace recent research articles, working papers and theses produced at Birmingham in UBIRA, the University’s institutional repository.
If you want any help using all this material there are contact details for the Library specialist in your subject.  Keeping track of all the books and articles you have found using Library resources can be a problem, so find out about reference management software such as EndNote and Reference Manager and download the guide Preparing & Quoting References using the Harvard System.  Training courses for IT and research skills are also included and range from advanced Word (useful for creating large documents like theses) to using Excel for data analysis.
When all your hard work is over and your thesis is completed the section on “thesis and dissertation presentation” has everything you need to do just that, including all the necessary forms to download in order to present your thesis in the required electronic format.
For those of you who do your research part time, or do not come on to campus often, there are also details of all the services available to you, including postal loans and photocopies and how to gain access to other research libraries.  
If you have not already done so, please take a look at this useful webpage, and bookmark it for future reference.

Excellence in Doctoral Researcher Supervision Awards 2012

We are pleased to announce that nominations for the second University Awards for Excellence in Doctoral Supervision are opening soon.
As a research-intensive university, Birmingham is committed to carrying out research that is world-leading in terms of its originality and distinctiveness, significance and rigour. The awards recognise the significant contribution made by academic supervisors to the successful completion of high-class doctoral research at the University.
Current PhD researchers and academic members of staff make the nominations so if you know a Supervisor who you think should win the award go to the webpage for more information.
Five winners will be selected, one for each college.  The selection process will involved senior academics and doctoral researchers and the winning supervisors will each receive a prize of £1000 to support their research.
For more information and how to nominate please visit the web page

Monday 30 January 2012

Postgraduate Research Support Fund 2011-12 (2nd round)

All postgraduate students (on taught and research programmes) in the College of Arts and Law are eligible to apply to the College of Arts and Law Graduate School Postgraduate Research Support Fund.
 
Applications are invited for this 2nd round of funding by 27th February 2012
If you would like an application form/guidance notes please go to the funding folder in WebCT or email calpg-research@contacts.bham.ac.uk    Please send queries to the CAL Graduate School: calpg-research@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Get Involved: Tuesday 31st January, 10.30-3.30pm, Great Hall

The Guild has teamed up with the University to give you a chance to find out how you can get involved in societies and volunteering, as well as get information on key University services. It’s never too late to join a group or to start volunteering, and this is a great chance to find out more about what’s on offer and how you could benefit. With 200 groups, the chances are that they’ll be at least one that interests you, and they’re open to everyone – not just undergraduates.

For details about the groups attending the fair, see https://www.facebook.com/events/195958737162582 If you miss the fair, see the www.guildofstudents.com/groups for details about all of the groups you could join.