The CLIMB-HI program is a professional development program designed to mentor PhD students and introduce them to the skills they will need as professional scientists. It is a 2-year program that students complete in addition to other graduate program requirements.
CLIMB-HI Scholars now have the opportunity to earn digital badges as part of the PhD STEM Professional Readiness Micro-Credential for successful completion of all CLIMB-HI Program Workshop Series. Detailed information regrading each digital badge provided below.
We expect you to attend all sessions and come prepared to share your writing progress. If for any reason you cannot attend a session, please let the Instructor ( damcloug@buffalo.edu) know prior to the session.
CLIMB scholars participate in weekly workshops during the first 2 years of their PhD program. These workshops are designed to help students get a successful start to graduate school and eventually secure funding by submitting a training grant. The workshops are led by the CLIMB leadership, but peer-reviewing and mentoring are essential components as well.
Fall Semester, 1st year
Overview: These workshops are intended for all 1st year CLIMB High Impact participants to provide guidelines to successfully transition to graduate school and teaches skills to become successful scientists. Workshops are designed to give participants practical skills for choosing a mentor, effectively working with others, preparing curriculum vitaes (CVs) and individualized development plans (IDPs).
Structure: CLIMB High Impact participants will attend eight in person workshops through ought the course of the fall semester. The sessions are tailored for topics that are open to discussion and dialogue. In order to be eligible to receive a digital badge for the Professional Development Catalyst Series, participants must complete workshop assignments as described below. Workshop assignments are to be uploaded to UB Learns no later than the start of the following workshop. If a participant cannot attend a workshop, they will still be required to upload the workshop assignments to UB Learns by the due date. Any questions may be directed to the CLIMB Program Coordinator ( damcloug@buffalo.edu / 716-829-4717)
Participation: Participants are expected to attend all in person sessions in order to be eligible to receive a digital badge for the Professional Development Catalyst Series. If a participant cannot attend a workshop, they will be required to communicate with the CLIMB Program Coordinator ( damcloug@buffalo.edu / 716-829-4717) and arrangements will be made for the dissemination of workshop materials (i.e. PowerPoint presentations, handouts, etc.) The participant will be required to review the workshop materials and complete the workshop assignment.
Session | Topic for the Professional Development Catalyst Series |
Welcome and Introductions | |
1 | Time Management |
2 | Choosing a Mentor |
3 | Myers Briggs Personality types |
4 | Curriculum Vitaes (CVs) and Individualized Development Plans (IDPs) |
5 | Reserach Misconduct |
6 | Cultural Competency |
7 | What Would You Do: Bystander Intervention Training |
8 | Stress and Anxiety in Grad School |
Spring Semester, 1st year
Overview: These workshops are intended for all 1st year CLIMB High Impact participants to learn how to prepare hypothesis-driven research proposals during the spring semester. Workshops are designed to give participants practical skills practical skills for giving a scientific presentation, how to develop a good hypothesis-driven research proposal, and how to create an abstract.
Structure: CLIMB High Impact participants will attend thirteen in person workshops through ought the course of the spring semester. These sessions are tailored for topics that are open to discussion and dialogue. In order to be eligible to receive a digital badge for the Research Communication Workshop Series, participants must complete workshop assignments as described below. Workshop assignments are to be uploaded to UB Learns no later than the start of the following workshop. If a participant cannot attend a workshop, they will still be required to upload the workshop assignments to UB Learns by the due date. Any questions may be directed to the CLIMB Program Coordinator ( damcloug@buffalo.edu / 716-829-4717).
Participation: Participants are expected to attend all session sin order to be eligible to receive a digital badge for the Research Communication Workshop series. If a participant cannot attend a workshop, s/he will be required to communicate with the CLIMB Program Coordinator ( damcloug@buffalo.edu / 716-829-4717) and arrangements will be made for dissemination of workshop materials (i.e. PowerPoint presentations, handouts, etc.). The participant will be required to review the workshop materials and complete the workshop assignment by the due date.
Session | Topics for Research Communicatio Workshop Series |
Welcome and Introduction | |
1 | Finding, Reading, and Organizing Scientific Papers |
2 | Guide to Oral Presentations |
3 | Student presentations: background, research question, and hypothesis |
4 | Crafting Specific Aims |
5 | Student presentations: translating a hypothesis into specific aims |
6 | Student presentations: translating a hypothesis into specific aims |
7 | Best Practices in Writing an Abstract |
8 | Student presentations: from specific aims to experimental techniques |
9 | Student presentations: from specific aims to experimental techniques |
10 | Abstract Writing Workshop |
11 | Final Student Presentations |
12 | Final Student Presentations |
Fall & Spring Semester, 2nd Year
Overview: These workshops are intended for all 2nd year CLIMB High Impact participants to learn how to prepare fellowship applications during the fall and spring semester. Workshops are designed to enhance participant writing skills through guided peer review and structured lectures regarding the development of strong, competitive research proposals.
Objectives: CLIMB High Impact participants will attend twenty-one in person workshops, ten in fall semester and elven in spring semester. These sessions are tailored for topics that are open to discussion, dialogue, and writing practice. In order to be eligible to receive a digital badge for the Scientific Communication for Success Workshop Series, participants must complete workshop assignments as described below. Workshop assignments are to be uploaded to UB Learns no later than the start of the following workshop. If a participant cannot attend a workshop, they will still be required to upload the workshop assignments to UB Learns by the due date. Any questions may be directed to the CLIMB Program Coordinator ( damcloug@buffalo.edu / 716-829-4717).
Participation: Participants are expected to attend all sessions in order to be eligible to receive a digital badge for the Scientific Communication for Success Workshop Series. If a participant cannot attend a workshop, s/he will be required to communicate with the CLIMB Program Coordinator ( damcloug@buffalo.edu / 716-829-4717) and arrangements will be made for dissemination of workshop materials (i.e. PowerPoint presentations, handouts, etc.). The participant will be required to review the workshop materials and complete the workshop assignment by the due date.
Session | Fall Semester Topics |
1 | Searching for Fellowships and Scholarship |
2 | Preparing Fundable Proposals: Getting started |
3 | Mini-Learning Community Session |
4 | From 6 Sentences to Specific Aims |
5 | Mini-Learning Community Session |
6 | Signficance |
7 | Mini-Learning Community Session |
8 | Approach |
9 | Mini-Learning Community Session |
10 | Student Presentations |
Session | Spring Semester Topics |
1 | Preparing fundable proposals: Panel discussion |
2 | Background and Goals |
3 | Mini-Learning Community Session |
4 | NIH Biosketch |
5 | Mini-Learning Community Session |
6 | Selection of Sponsor and Institution |
7 | Mini-Learning Community Session |
8 | Responsible Conduct of Research |
9 | Mini-Learning Community Session |
10 | Project Summary and Project Narrative |
11 | Mini-Learning Community Session |
3rd Year and Beyond
This workshop is intended for all CLIMB, IMSD and iSEED scholars on the 3rd year of training or above preparing for fellowship/grant application. This workshop is designed to enhance your writing skills through guided peer review and structured lectures regarding the different components of the Research Strategy component of various awards. During each session, there will be time allotted for establishing writing goals, sharing accomplishments, peer review and learning about writing in the sciences. You will work on your writing project outside of class and provide a sample for the class two days prior to the scheduled session. Depending on your writing project, a set of accomplishments are expected to be obtained to meet your writing goals (see table below).
Session | Topics on the Art of Publication and Preparing Grants | |||
Project Accomplishment | Presentation | |||
1 | Introduction to workshop, planning for the semester, FOA discussion | |||
2 | Presentation on B+C Forms Peer review of upgraded specific aims | Yes | ||
3 | Presentation on research strategy (significance, preliminary data, approach) Discussion of section B+C forms | |||
4 | Presentation on section D+E forms Peer review of research significance | Yes | ||
5 | Discussion of section C + D with peer review of updated significance with preliminary data | Yes | ||
6 | Peer review of approach | Yes | ||
7 | Peer review of approach | Yes |