Interested joining GPS-BIOMED? Take some time to learn more about our program:
Q) Who can join GPS-BIOMED?
Most GPS-BIOMED events and activities are open to all graduate students and postdocs across campus. However, in order to take full advantage of our BEST program, we encourage you to register! Graduate students within participating Ph.D. programs can register at the beginning of their 1st year and beyond. Postdoctoral fellows from participating departmentscan register after serving at least 6 months of their postdoctoral appointment.
Q) What types of activities does GPS-BIOMED offer?
GPS-BIOMED offers a variety of professional development and career planning activities within the following categories:
- EXPLORE: Events that increase awareness of diverse careers
- TRAIN: Interactive workshops that develop professional soft skills
- EXPERIENCE: Hands-on experiences within the workplace
- TRANSITION: Networking and mentoring opportunities that foster career transitions
A complete description of GPS-BIOMED activities can be found on our Activities page. Up to date information about upcoming events can be found on the GPS-BIOMED calendar.
Q) What are the benefits of becoming a GPS-BIOMED member?
Although most GPS-BIOMED events and activities are open to all graduate students and postdocs across campus, GPS-BIOMED members receive the following benefits:
- Priority access to career & networking nights at the University Club featuring prominent PhD Alumni
- Free enrollment in UCI Continuing Education Courses ($700 value)**
- Priority and reduced cost of admission to the SciPhD Business of Science Program**
- Priority enrollment in Science Communication Skills taught by Sandra Tsing Loh
- Exclusive enrollment in GPS-BIOMED Excellence in Science Communication Program taught by Bri McWhorter
- Priority enrollment in Teaching Apprenticeship in STEM (TAP-STEM)
- Internship & Job Search Advising
- Exclusive access to the GPS-BIOMED LinkedIn Group
- Exclusive access to our 1-on-1 Alumni Mentor Program (launching Jan 2017)**
- Reduced cost of admission to local professional group networking mixers
- NIH-BEST Professional Development Certificate that can be listed on resumes and LinkedIn profiles**
**To encourage participation, we assign Professional Development (PD) credit to each event or activity that we sponsor. Our members accumulate credit by attending GPS-BIOMED events granting further access to higher level activities (asterisk activities listed above). After accumulating at least 20 credits, members receive a NIH-BEST Professional Development Certificate of Completion that can be shared with employers.
Q) What will be required of me during my time as a GPS-BIOMED member?
GPS-BIOMED activities are never mandatory. Members are free to participate in the activities they see fit within a suitable timeline. We encourage attending career exploration events early on in graduate or postdoctoral training followed by higher level activities once specific career interests are determined. In order to help our members pinpoint careers of interest and build supportive networks, we require:
- Completion of the Science Careers myIDP skills, interests and values assessments
- Creation of a LinkedIn Profile
Members are also expected to provide on-going feedback by completing event evaluations (for the events attended) as well as yearly evaluations that analyze the execution of project goals.
Q) Will I be required to discuss my career goals with my faculty advisor?
We understand that each mentor-mentee relationship is unique and developed a PI-Trainee agreement to help our members establish honest dialogs with faculty advisors. The exercise (2016-GPS-Biomed-PI-trainee-agreement) was developed to foster discussion on the following topics:
- Careers of Interest
- Professional Development & Career Planning
- Balancing Academic & Career-related Goals
This agreement is recommended for members who would like to participate in GPS-BIOMED activities that require significant time commitments. It is required only for members who would like to participate in an internship. Additionally, the Graduate Division offers a campus-wide Individual Development Plan (IDP_form) that is now required for specific graduate programs. If you are required to complete the Graduate Division form, we suggest using our agreement as a supplement for the career planning section (excluding the PI signature page).
If you would like further coaching on how to prepare for difficult conversations, please contact: Associate Director, Emma Flores Ph.D. (eflores@uci.edu).