Dr. Sundar Christopher Navigating Graduate School and Beyond: Sow Well Now To Reap Big Later Work Ethics: Ownership and Initiative

Dr. Sundar Christopher Skills Work Ethics for the Graduate Student Take Ownership Take Initiative Work Hard and Smart Be Whole

Dr. Sundar Christopher Work Ethics for the Graduate Student Poor ethics can ruin your graduate experience. Take ownership of your project. Good work habits will follow. Build a trust relationship with your advisor. Communicate with your advisor about your work hours and if they need to be modified. Maintain an online calendar and share it with your advisor.

Dr. Sundar Christopher Take Ownership Think of the project as YOUR project…not your advisor’s project. Be innovative and productive. Research and write papers. Be patient if advisor is slow to hand off ownership.

Dr. Sundar Christopher Think of the project as yours Many students think of themselves as hired hands on their advisor’s project. Remember that the proposal was won on the strength of the advisor’s reputation. The advisor must give up ownership to the student while still providing solid guidance.

Dr. Sundar Christopher If the student thinks of the project as the advisor’s… The student will not progress. The student reads papers for the sake of reading and analyzes data for mundane reasons. The student is listless in meetings with the advisor and has few innovative ideas. The student simply waits for the advisor to issue the next instruction.

Dr. Sundar Christopher If the student takes ownership of the project… Excitement grows about the project. Innovation flourishes. Productivity increases. Independence is nurtured. Graduate school becomes more meaningful.

Dr. Sundar Christopher Food for Thought What are some ideas to take ownership of a project in your research environment? What are some metrics for success once you have taken ownership? What are some challenges for a student taking ownership of a project?

Dr. Sundar Christopher Take Initiative Know your end goals. Don’t allow problems to linger. Become a resource center. Create a blog or website for your team. Present a poster or a talk at a conference. Write a proposal for a fellowship. Be in the driver’s seat.

Dr. Sundar Christopher Become a Resource Center Read the papers your advisor recommends Read 5-10 papers each week Write a short discussion about your thoughts for each reading Stay up to date with the most current research Organize the papers you read Create a blog Comment about recent articles online Post ideas about recent breakthroughs

Dr. Sundar Christopher Work Hard and Smart Publish papers while still in graduate school. Think of yourself as a resource center. Read and assimilate at least ten journal papers per week. your advisor about new research and ideas in your field. Read and familiarize yourself with the classic review papers in your area. Allocate time to read.

Dr. Sundar Christopher Practical Tips: Get student memberships to organizations and societies in your field. Visit the websites of the most common journals. Summarize your thoughts about each paper in a blog. Learn to code, analyze, and interpret results and information. Learn an interactive programming language such as IDL.

Dr. Sundar Christopher Food for Thought Put yourself in your advisor’s shoes. What work ethics would you want your student to have? List 5 top-notch research habits. Do a SWOT analysis on your research habits and formulate a concrete plan to assess these habits periodically.

Dr. Sundar Christopher Be Whole Manage time effectively Maintain a balanced exercise regime Eat healthy and drink plenty of water Get enough sleep Take breaks and unwind Build relationships and bond socially Remember that productivity is linked to the well-being of the whole you.

Dr. Sundar Christopher Food for Thought What are the external stress factors in your life? How can you manage those stress factors? What are some specific steps you can take to incorporate exercise in your life. How do your peers incorporate healthy lifestyles (including exercise) into their lives? How can you help the graduate student community in your department bond?