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Student Resources

Do you have a favorite helpful site?  Send it to us, and we'll post your suggestion!

Funding

Funding FAQs See the Funding FAQ section here.
How to Apply for Grants, the Process for Geography Dept.

For Grad Students and Faculty applying for Grants:

The Graduate Student Coordinator is responsible for all Grad Student proposals: this includes assisting with T-Forms, signatures and retaining a department copy, and submitting the proposals to Linda Johnson. Submit all proposals through the department and not directly to the grantor. If you have any questions on this see the Graduate Student Coordinator.

Trina is responsible for all Faculty proposals: assisting with T-Forms, approving budgets, getting the Chairs signature, and submitting the proposals to Linda Johnson.

 

Financial Aid at UW

http://www.finaid.wisc.edu/
and
http://info.gradsch.wisc.edu/admin/fellowships/url.html
and
http://info.gradsch.wisc.edu/for/current.html

Wisconsin Workshops & Seminars: Grants Research & Nonprofit Funding

 

Foundation Center Library Network

A fantastic database resource for finding all types of grants, fellowships, jobs, etc. for anyone from graduate to faculty.

http://grants.library.wisc.edu/individuals/individuals.html
and
http://grants.library.wisc.edu/individuals/databases.html

 

Jobs on campus

www.jobcenter.wisc.edu

 

Jobs in libraries on campus (usually time to study at these jobs!) http://www.library.wisc.edu/libraries/jobs.htm
Cornell Fellowship Database http://cuinfo.cornell.edu/Student/GRFN/
Geography Department Funding

Several types of financial aid are available through the Department.

See the Grad Funding page for guidelines...

Global Studies links to grant and fellowship opportunities http://global.wisc.edu/
Undergraduate Grants, Fellowships, and Awards http://www.provost.wisc.edu/undergrad/scholarship.html
Nelson Institute funding

The Nelson Institute funding for graduate work in environmental studies also has a funding opportunities:

http://www.nelson.wisc.edu/grad/funding/

 

AAG Grants and Awards

Check the Association of American Geographers' page on grants and awards here.  Also watch the bulletin boards every winter for student paper awards and travel grants.

 

Internships

AAG Internships List http://www.aag.org/Careers/Intro.html

PLANETIZEN http://www.planetizen.com/ A good site that sometimes features planning internships, and for anyone interested in the general field of planning, it is definitely worth subscribing to their daily email update service, which culls the latest planning news, jobs, internships, etc., into one notice.

Environmental Careers Organization http://www.eco.org/ This site will definitely be of interest to anyone seeking an internship in a variety of environmental fields, and it contains a search engine that allows users to hone in on particular subfields, sponsoring agencies, etc.

EarthNet: Environmental Jobs and Interships

Idealist.org http://www.idealist.org/   This site contains a very nice search engine that will allow students to look for internships and jobs around the world in a variety of fields, including economic development, agriculture, environmental conservation, etc.

 

Outside Funding Sources

National Science Foundation (NSF) http://www.nsf.gov/ and at http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf05601

National Institutes of Health (NIH) http://www.nih.gov/

Fulbright Program
http://www.iie.org/TemplateFulbright.cfm?section=Fulbright1

e-Scholar, a federal database    http://www.studentjobs.gov/e-scholar.asp

FedMoney.org   http://www.fedmoney.org/grants/0-fellowships.htm

Guggenheim Dissertation Fellowships http://www.hfg.org/df/guidelines.htm

Columbia University Graduate School Fellowship Database (while most of the fellowships in this database are external to Columbia University, some that are only open to Columbia students):
http://www.ais.columbia.edu/sws/gsas/search.php

Social Science Research Council International Dissertation Field Research Fellowships http://www.ssrc.org/programs/idrf/

The Wisconsin Land Information Association (WLIA) scholarship
www.wlia.org

Federal Government grants.

Winterthur Research Fellowship Program

The McNeil Center for Early American Studies Dissertation Fellowship Program

The Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship

The Woodrow Wilson Dissertation Fellowship in Women’s Studies

US Department of Education

 

Important Procedure for Off-campus Funding

If you are applying for funding from an off-campus source, you may need to start with a T-Form and have the Department process your proposal before you send anything out. Please see the University's Research and Sponsored Projects site for more information:    http://www.rsp.wisc.edu/html/proposalsub.html

When you do this, it ensures that any award/grant that you receive is tax free and administered by the university. If your advisor is involved, then you definitely have to follow these procedures to have the money processed through the University.

There may be some cases in which the awarding institution gives the money directly to you and in that case you don't have to go through the University. But, be aware that that money is considered personal income and you'll be responsible for the income tax on it.

 

Crisis Loans

In a money mess? A Dean of Students Crisis Loan may be just what you need to be able to stay in school. *** To be eligible, you must be currently enrolled as an undergraduate, graduate or professional student.***

Download an application form . Call 263-5700 to schedule an appointment with the On-Call Dean or just come to Room 75 Bascom Hall.

 

Department

Student Handbook

Download the graduate student handbook (.pdf) Paper copies are available in the grad student coordinator's office.

Department Overview Read the Department Overview
Student Blog

http://sciencehall.blogspot.com/

Postings about geography and your research--

About Science Hall

Find interesting facts about Science Hall and the UW-Madison campus here at the Wisconsin Alumni website.

Also read a historic essay and see photos or browse the Department News archives on the Geography website.

Building maintenance issues Email the building manager for issues with maintenance or parking behind Science Hall.
Audio-visual equipment As of September 2006 you will need a personal passcode to operate the AV systems at http://www2.fpm.wisc.edu/support/PersonalPasscodes.html . Write it down. You may keep your AV keys indefinitely, or until you leave campus. Once you've got a key and your passcode you're set to go, regardless of which room you are scheduled for. When leaving the university, please campus mail your key back to Box 5050 Humanities. You can anonymously submit AV concerns/comments using the forms on this page: http://www2.fpm.wisc.edu/support/ContactUs/ContactUs.htm .
Computer and multimedia help desk See the Computer Support webpages and IT wiki...
Get listed on the Department website Email the webteam to add your graduate student name to the directory, to highlight your research, or to let us know about geography news.
Get computer help Go the the Help Desk for Science Hall or email them directly.
Get webspace for your CV or files Go to http://www.doit.wisc.edu/mywebspace/index.asp and read about the webspace we get. Students can use it for storage for presentations, notes, photos, CV and personal webpages.

They also have free classes for students to learn web software. Go to http://stt.doit.wisc.edu/ .

Sexual Harrassment policies at UW

http://www.oed.wisc.edu/sexualharassment/

http://www.secfac.wisc.edu/governance/legislation/Pages300-399.htm#307

Campus climate webpages

UW Travel Office

Resources for UW-funded travel

http://www.uwsa.edu/fadmin/travel.htm

 

Classes and Professional Development

Summer Enrollment Tips About summer enrollment. Wondering how many credits to take during the summer? Will you be using Science Hall facilities for research?
Dept of Geography Grad Student Checklists

Manage your progress and plan your courses for your graduate degree.

Online Checklists to dowload

Reference Letter Center

http://www.lssaa.wisc.edu/careers/students/reference.php

Your student portfolio can be placed online in an Interfolio account and accessed 24/7. Can include letters of recommendation, curriculum vitae, writing samples, dissertation abstracts, teaching certifications, student evaluations, or even confidential recommendations. The Interfolio system accepts and stores almost any type of information.

CV samples
Cover letters

The Grad Student Coordinator has binder in the office with sample CVs if you'd like to take a look.  Below are some examples of cover letters for those of you looking for a job.  Also, the AAG site that suggests you start and keep a portfolio:

Tips for a great CV

http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/CovLetter_structure.html

http://ecs.engr.wisc.edu/student/letters.cfm

http://careers.education.wisc.edu/industrynonprofit/coverletters.htm

http://www.aag.org/Careers/UW/Profportfolios.html

 

Graduate Student Professional Development Resources

Graduate Student Professional Development

Graduate School Seminar and Workshop Series

Professional Development Workshops and Events for Graduate Students

Wisconsin Workshops & Seminars: Grants Research & Nonprofit Funding

 

Campus Computer Labs http://www.doit.wisc.edu/computerlabs/
How to Avoid a Boring Presentation

How to Avoid a Boring Presentation, a resource of The Society for the History of Technology

Presentation Zen

Resources for Scientific presentations recommended by DIALOG and DISCCRS participants

Tufte's Tips for Successful Presentations - (scroll halfway down page)

More on How To Create Effective PowerPoint Presentations

Acting and Confidence Techniques for Public Speakers

 

The Writing Center

http://www.wisc.edu/writing/index.html   offers classes and personalized one-to-one help for most writing tasks. Graduate students can get 1 hour of free writing help each week.

Help also includes “Letters, resumes and applications,” “Writing graduate research proposals," "Writing statements of teaching philosophy," "Developing and delivering conference papers," "Writing research posters," "Writing with powerpoint" and more…

Working on Your Master's Degree?

http://info.gradsch.wisc.edu/admin/academicservices/mdegree.html

Procedures to Help You Work Through the Master's degree process from the Graduate School

How to Plan International Research

http://irn.tccs.tufts.edu/research_planner/

 

Delta Program: Integrating Research, Teaching and Learning

http://www.delta.wisc.edu/

Offers a number of rountables, training programs, and discussion dinners for grads. Delta offers a teaching and learning certificate with the following goals and requirements:

The Delta Certificate in Research, Teaching, and Learning confers recognition of a student’s achievement in:

  • Experience in teaching, broadly defined to include the college classroom and beyond.
  • Awareness of how to promote successful learning with diverse student audiences.
  • Knowledge of foundational research and scholarship on teaching and learning.
  • Demonstrated application of research skills to the improvement of student learning.
  • Engaged membership in a learning community that is focused on teaching and learning.
  • Development of a reflective teaching and learning portfolio.

The Delta Certificate program is designed to serve both pre-dissertator and dissertator graduate students, as most appropriate in each student’s graduate career. The Delta Certificate is also available to post-doctoral researchers.

 

Technology Training for Students

http://www.doit.wisc.edu/training/student/classes/schedule.asp

Software Training for Students offers free computer training to registered UW-Madison students. Classes vary from basic desktop applications to advanced Web design. STS strives to offer training that is linked to degree-credit course work or future job placement, and helps students stay current with software updates. STS is funded through the Student Information Technology Initiative fee, a portion of student tuition.

 

Learning about Qualitative Methods

http://tqm.wceruw.org/index.html

A UW-Madison website. Created for teachers of qualitative research methods, the TQM site provides an online resource center intended to support teachers in their advancement of qualitative research in any and all disciplines.

My professional development at WISC.edu

http://www.myprofdev.wisc.edu/

A site that connects to learning opportunities, workshops, seminars, and classes on campus such as "How to lead effective meetings," "Advanced GIS skills," "Conflict resolution," art, technology and other opportunities.

Teaching and Learning Excellence at UW Madison (teaching focused)

http://www.provost.wisc.edu/tle/

Examples of offerings include “Ethics, rights, and academic (mis)conduct”, etc.

Center for Biology Education

http://www.wisc.edu/cbe/

Focus here is mostly K-12 and undergraduate, but many resources are available for teaching biological-related sciences

Get webspace for your CV or files Go to http://www.doit.wisc.edu/mywebspace/index.asp and read about the webspace we get. Students can use it for storage for presentations, notes, photos, CV and personal webpages.

They also have free classes for students to learn web software. Go to http://stt.doit.wisc.edu/ .

Arts on Campus

Central website for film, theater, art, music, writing, and dance.

http://www.arts.wisc.edu/

International Human Subjects Protocols

Office for Human Research Protections has developed an International Compilation of Human Subject Research Protections. The Compilation lists the laws, regulations, and guidelines of over 50 countries where DHHS funded or supported research is conducted. The Compilation provides direct web links to each country's Key Organizations and laws, whenever available.

The Compilation can be accessed on the OHRP website: http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/international/index.html#NatlPol . To use the Compilation, go to page 3 and then click on the country of interest.

Archival Research switchboard

Archive Grid indexes hundreds of archives at:

http://archivegrid.org/web/jsp/index.jsp

 

Groups

AAG Association of American Geographers. Student memberships are affordable and a link to the community of geographers world-wide. See the membership page at http://www.aag.org/Membership/member.html
Beer n Loafing A Science Hall tradition. Check out our webpage...
Geography Club Undergraduates meet every month during the semesters. See the webpage...
HERD Human-Environment Research and Discussion. HERD meets every other week on Tuesdays for research presentations, reading discussions, or debate on the latest H-E topic. These are informal lunch meetings open to all geography faculty members and graduate students.
WIG Women in Geography. An informal meeting-place for women in geography or for those who support them. Irregular schedule of WIG discussions, events, speakers, and fellowship. Contact a senior student for information.
THUGS Theoretical, Human, and Urban Geography Scholarship is a discussion group consisting of grad students and professors that meet weekly during the semester. Each THUGS session is organized by a different grad student on topics from presentations of current research projects to analyses of cutting edge theoretical and methodological issues in human geography. See page...
Graduate School’s Outreach http://info.gradsch.wisc.edu/admin/outreach/gspd.html
Graduate Student Collaborative

http://info.gradsch.wisc.edu/admin/gsc/aboutgsc.html

Connecting grad students to one another, the university, and the community.

Connections with Other U.S. Libraries UW students may now obtain a card that may be used to borrow items from libraries at other Big 10 schools, and a few other schools. In other words, if you find yourself visiting a city with a Big 10 school, you can now have library privileges while you are there. Check with the Library for further details.
ASM Associated Students of Madison needs volunteers for events and student council, interns, jobs, political action, more... See their site...
Multicultural Student Center A place for meeting new friends and learning about our multicultural campus.
http://msc.wisc.edu/msc/
LGBTCC

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Campus Center. Support and fellowships for all students. Events, listserve, discussion groups, meetings.

http://lgbtcc.studentorg.wisc.edu/

   

 

Jobs

UW Job Center http://jobcenter.wisc.edu/
Letters and Science / Human Ecology

http://www.lssaa.wisc.edu/careers/

 

Summer Research Opportunities Program (for undergrads from around the country). http://www.union.wisc.edu/conferenceservices/srop/
Go Global! The International Careers Go Global! The International Careers Website is: http://go.global.wisc.edu/  . If you can't find what you are looking for, send an email to the center and Mark will try his best to help you find what you are seeking.
Career resources The career resources in the collection in College Library may be of help too.
Networking on the Network: A Guide to Professional Skills for PhD Students http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/pagre/network.html
Environmental Jobs and Career Resources Go to the Nelson Institute's page on careers and job sites...
Higher Education Jobs

The database allows people to search for jobs by location, category, and also affords individuals the opportunity to post their resume/vita.

http://www.higheredjobs.com

   

 

Contacts

Dept of Geography Grad Student Representatives

Graduate Student Representatives in the Department are members of on committees that affect you, and can help you negotiate through processes and put you in touch with the right people. 

Undergraduate Advisors See the webpage for the list of advisors.
Graduate Coordinator Room 144. Coordinates all graduate student progress, course authorizations, submittals, schedules, and more. Email at gradschool@geography.wisc.edu .
Graduate Affairs Committee Chair A-zing Zhu. Is the liaison between the Dept of Geography Graduate Affairs committee and students. Email or see him.
Computer Help Science Hall Computer Support:    help@geography.wisc.edu
Campus Calendar http://www.today.wisc.edu/
Faculty Office and Class Hours - Fall 2007 See the Faculty Office and Class Hours for Fall 2007.
CIVC

The Campus Information and Visitor Center has a extensive searchable database about all kinds of resources on campus, such as legal help, counseling, entertainment, etc.

http://dir.civc.wisc.edu/?open=TOP/BROWSE/

 

Office of Child Care and Family Resources Jennifer Gonzales, Parent Resource Specialist

611 Eagle Heights, Room 148, Madison, WI. 53705

Phone: (608) 265-9123,    Fax: (608) 262-4622

WEBSITE:  http://www.housing.wisc.edu/universityapartments/childcare.html

 

Occasional Babysitting There is an office and a binder in the Union (Women's Center) with a list of students willing to babysit -- they have lots of info and you can ask for references, they don't evaluate the babysitters.
Transcripts Order UW transcripts online at:    http://ordertranscript.wisc.edu/

 

Summer Enrollment for Grad Students

During the summer, if you are using university facilities (including faculty and staff time), you must be enrolled. See the Graduate Student Coordinator for details.

Course Work and Program

Non-Dissertators

A full-time program for non-dissertators is four to eight graduate-level credits (300 and above) for the summer (four to nine graduate-level credits for master's students in business and social work); audit and pass/fail courses do not satisfy this enrollment requirement. You may not enroll for more credits than there are weeks in a session.

Non-dissertators who hold summer appointments as research assistants, trainees, and fellows must enroll in the eight-week general session for at least two graduate-level credits (300 and above); audit and pass/fail courses do not satisfy this enrollment requirement. This constitutes full-time enrollment for loan deferral.

Non-dissertators expecting an August PhD degree must enroll in the eight-week general session for at least two graduate-level credits (300 and above); audit and pass/fail courses do not satisfy this enrollment requirement.

Non-dissertators who have an obligation to be enrolled (because of loans or other funding sources for example) should enroll for the appropriate credit load.

Master's candidates expecting an August degree must enroll for at least two graduate-level credits (300 and above) that can be in any session (short session or eight-week general); audit and pass/fail courses do not satisfy this enrollment requirement.

Dissertators

Dissertators who hold summer appointments as research assistants or trainees must enroll in the eight-week general session for three graduate-level credits (300 and above); audit and pass/fail courses do not satisfy this enrollment requirement.

Dissertators who expect to graduate in August must enroll in the eight-week general session for three graduate-level credits (300 and above); audit and pass/fail courses do not satisfy this enrollment requirement.

Graduate students who hold summer appointments as TAs or PAs need not be enrolled in the summer if they do not fall into one of the categories above. In these situations the decision whether a graduate student should enroll is left to the adviser and department chair, subject to college/school policies.

 

 
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