Events

Join us for our kickoff to another semester of Grad Mixer Wednesdays. Meet and greet your Graduate College partners in success and learn about free resources and exciting opportunities. Win swags and enjoy light refreshments. 

This is a come-and-go event, so stop by any time between 9:30 am and 4:00 pm!

9:30 a.m. Grab a cup of coffee and snack

10:30 a.m.  Associate Dean's Welcome Message (Dr. Elena Cotos, Associate Dean)

10:45 a.m. Chris Litten - 3MT Planning Committee Member

12:00 - 1:30 p.m. Lunch (Sponsored by Graduate College Student Success Team) with ISU Resource Jeopardy (Dr. Christine Cain and Erin Conlan)

2:00 p.m. Associate Dean's Welcome Message (Dr. Heather Greenlee, Associate Dean)

2:15 p.m. Chris Litten - 3MT Planning Committee Member

4:00 p.m. End

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.| Coffee Buzz: Curating your System(s) of Support (Dr. Christine Cain, Graduate Enrollment Program Manager and Erin Conlan, Graduate Student Success Specialist)

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Career and Thesis/Dissertation Drop-Ins: Career coaches and thesis/dissertation consultants 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Academic Drop-Ins: Writing and oral Communication consultants

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch & Mingle: Bring Your Own Lunch and Learn about CPT/OPT (Gene Manhattan and Marcus Thompson, International Student Advisors)

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Invited Panels: Strategies for Finding a Dream Job (Dr. Svitlana Zbarska, Graduate College Career Services Lead, Ambar Melendes Perez and Joe Ramstad, Graduate Career Coaches)

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Career Readiness: Beyond the Resume: What HR Really Looks For? (Panelists: HR representatives from companies)

3:00 - 4:30 p.m. | Workshops and Seminars: Career Stations: Resume, CV, LinkedIn, Elevator Pitches, and Career Values

Student Innovation Center, Room 4237

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.| Coffee Buzz

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Career and Thesis/Dissertation Drop-Ins: Career coaches and thesis/dissertation consultants 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Academic Drop-Ins: Writing and oral Communication consultants

Student Innovation Center, Room 1118

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. | CCE Midday Connections 

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. | GPSS and CCE: Driving Engagement and Partnering for Success 

 2:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. | Treats & Chat with GPSS 

Student Innovation Center, Stepatorium

 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. | CCE Stewards’ Stories That Inspire: Start Here, Go Anywhere! 

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.| Coffee Buzz

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Career and Thesis/Dissertation Drop-Ins: Career coaches and thesis/dissertation consultants 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Academic Drop-Ins: Writing and oral Communication consultants

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch & Mingle: Bring your lunch and socialize with graduate and undergraduate students

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Invited Panels: Strategies to Elevate your Professional Identities (Dr. Mahdi Duris, Postdoctoral Scholar, Ambar Melendez Perez, Graduate Career Coach, and Zarina Wafula, GELC 2025)

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Career Readiness: Level Up! Grant Writing as Academic Professionalization (Michelle Thayer, Center for Communication Excellence Consultant)

3:00 - 4:30 p.m. | Workshops and Seminars: Professionalism as a Graduate Student (Dr. Christine Cain, Graduate Enrollment Program Manager and Erin Conlan, Graduate Student Success Specialist)

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.| Coffee Buzz

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Career and Thesis/Dissertation Drop-Ins: Career coaches and thesis/dissertation consultants 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Academic Drop-Ins: Writing and oral Communication consultants

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch & Mingle: Bring your lunch and socialize with graduate and undergraduate students

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Invited Panels: Resiliency (Dr. Christine Cain, Graduate Enrollment Program Manager and Erin Conlan, Graduate Student Success Specialist)

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Career Readiness: 3MT Finalist Discussion (Dr. Sarah Huffman, Center for Communication Assistant Director & Former 3MT Finalists)

3:00 - 4:30 p.m. | Workshops and Seminars: AI Ethics Fireside Chat: Sticky Situations and Burning Questions (Dr. Kristin Terrill, Senior Program Specialist for Graduate Scholarly Activities and Dr. Lily Compton, Center for Communication Assistant Director)

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.| Coffee Buzz

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Career and Thesis/Dissertation Drop-Ins: Career coaches and thesis/dissertation consultants 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Academic Drop-Ins: Writing and oral Communication consultants

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch & Mingle: Bring your lunch and socialize with graduate and undergraduate students

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Invited Panels: Crafting While Procrastinating: Graduate Voices from the Makerspaces (Bella Guyll, Courtney Barbour, Corinne Dengler, Shayegan Mortazavi - Makerspaces graduate students)

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Career Readiness: Sparks from the Workshop to Academia (Dr. Jo Mackiewicz, Professor in English)

3:00 - 4:30 p.m. | Workshops and Seminars: Beyond the Prompt: Exploring Creativity with AI (Dr. Abram Anders, Jonathan Wickert Professor of Innovation and SICTR Associate Director and team)

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.| Coffee Buzz

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Career and Thesis/Dissertation Drop-Ins: Career coaches and thesis/dissertation consultants 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Academic Drop-Ins: Writing and oral Communication consultants

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch & Mingle: Bring your lunch and socialize with graduate and undergraduate students

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Invited Panels: Foundations of Competitive Writings (Kelli Fitzpatrick, Coordinator of Nationally Competitive Awards, and Dr. Emily Dux Speltz, Assistant Professor, Applied Linguistics & Technology)

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Career Readiness: The Role of Data Representation in Professional Communication - (Dr.Ben-Tibbs, Research Data Specialist)

3:00 - 4:30 p.m. | Workshops and Seminars: Going Up? Elevator Pitches That Boost Your Impact (Caleigh Grote, GELC-2025)

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.| Coffee Buzz

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Career and Thesis/Dissertation Drop-Ins: Career coaches and thesis/dissertation consultants 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Academic Drop-Ins: Writing and oral Communication consultants

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch & Mingle: Bring your lunch and socialize with graduate and undergraduate students

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Invited Panels: Developing Strengths in the Age of AI (Dr. Abram Anders, Jonathan Wickert Professor of Innovation and SICTR Associate Director, Dr. Taea Bonner, Office of Student Conduct, Dr. Jessica Jorgenson Borchert, Associate Teaching Professor of Technical Communication)

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Career Readiness: Preparing Future Faculty (Karen Menzel, Graduate Lecturer, Program Specialist III)

3:00 - 4:30 p.m. | Workshops and Seminars: Interpersonal Skills for Professional Success (Dr. Lily Compton, Center for Communication Excellence Assistant Director, and Amanda Schickel, CHHS Career Services Specialist III)

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.| Coffee Buzz

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Career and Thesis/Dissertation Drop-Ins: Career coaches and thesis/dissertation consultants 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Academic Drop-Ins: Writing and oral Communication consultants

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch & Mingle: Bring your lunch and socialize with graduate and undergraduate students

--

Location: 2142 Patterson Hall (VMPM Conference Room)

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Invited Panels: Graduate student Panel : Tips and tricks for a successful graduate school journey (Mehak Kapoor, Muskan Kapoor, Dr. Isadora Machado, Postdoc, Maria Hakimi, Christina Meyer)

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Career Readiness: Funding Opportunities in a Challenging Environment ( Dr.Kristin Terrill, Senior Program Specialist for Graduate Scholarly Activities, Center for Communication Excellence, Graduate College)

3:00 - 4:30 p.m. | Workshops and Seminars: AI Ethics Fireside Chat: Sticky Situations and Burning Questions  (Dr. Kristin Terrill, Senior Program Specialist for Graduate Scholarly Activities and Dr. Lily Compton, Assistant Director, Center for Communication Excellence, Graduate College)

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.| Coffee Buzz

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Career and Thesis/Dissertation Drop-Ins: Career coaches and thesis/dissertation consultants 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Academic Drop-Ins: Writing and oral Communication consultants

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch & Mingle: Bring your lunch and socialize with graduate and undergraduate students

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Invited Panels: How to Engineer Your Time Wisely (Dr. Thomas J. Brumm, Dr. Steven Freeman, Dr. Gretchen Mosher, and Dr. Amy Kaleita)

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Career Readiness: Strategies to Explore Careers in Engineering (Ambar Melendez, Career Coach and Philip Rockson)

3:00 - 4:30 p.m. | Workshops and Seminars: Conflict Management: Strategies for Constructive Conversations (Dr.Denise Vrchota, Professor Emeritus in Communication Studies)

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.| Coffee Buzz

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Career, Thesis/Dissertation, and Statistical Consultation Drop-Ins: Career coaches, thesis/dissertation, and statistical consultants 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Academic and Statistical Consultation Drop-Ins: Writing & oral and statistical communication consultants

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch & Mingle: Bring your lunch and socialize with graduate and undergraduate students

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Invited Panels: Spring 2026 Grad Mixer Think Tank (Dr. Lily Compton, Assistant Director, Center for Communication Excellence, Graduate College and Natasha Lambert, Graduate Engagement Leadership Committee Chair)

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Career Readiness: Strategic LinkedIn Use for Career Growth (Dr. Svitlana Zbarska, Graduate Career Services Lead, Graduate College)

3:00 - 4:30 p.m. | Workshops and Seminars: Part I: GenAI Literacy for Research and Research Integrity (Dr. Kristin Terrill, Senior Program Specialist for Graduate Scholarly Activities, Center for Communication Excellence, Graduate College)

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.| Coffee Buzz

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Career, Thesis/Dissertation, and Statistical Consultation Drop-Ins: Career coaches, thesis/dissertation, and statistical consultants 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Academic and Statistical Consultation Drop-Ins: Writing & oral and statistical communication consultants

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch & Mingle: Bring your lunch and socialize with graduate and undergraduate students

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Invited Panels: Copyright and Publishing Licenses - Protect Your Scholarly Works and Reputation (Dr. Lily Compton, Assistant Director, Center for Communication Excellence, Graduate College)

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Career Readiness: Developing Leadership Skills - Graduate Engagement Leadership Committee Recognition and Celebration 

3:00 - 4:30 p.m. | Workshops and Seminars: Part II: AI-Facilitated Literature Review (Dr. Kristin Terrill, Senior Program Specialist for Graduate Scholarly Activities, Center for Communication Excellence, Graduate College)

Join us for our kickoff to another semester of Grad Mixer Wednesdays. Meet and greet your Graduate College partners in success and learn about free resources and exciting opportunities. Win swags and enjoy light refreshments. 

This is a come-and-go event, so stop by any time between 9:30 am and 4:00 pm!

9:30 a.m. Come and mingle

10: 00 a.m.  Opening Remarks (Dr. Elena Cotos, Associate Dean)

10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Meet and Greet the Graduate College Dean, Associate Deans, and staff from different units

1:00 p.m. Opening Remarks (Dr. Heather Greenlee, Associate Dean)

1:30 - 4:00 p.m. Meet and Greet the Graduate College Dean, Associate Deans, and staff from different units

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.| Coffee Buzz

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Career and Thesis/Dissertation Drop-Ins: Career coaches and thesis/dissertation consultants 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Academic Drop-Ins: Writing and oral Communication consultants

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch & Mingle: Bring your lunch and socialize with graduate and undergraduate students

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Invited Panels: Taking Stock: Identifying and Promoting Your Greatest Strengths (Dr. Kristin Terrill and Karen Menzel)

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Career Readiness: Bringing Accountability to your Writing Process (Dr. Sarah Huffman)

3:00 - 4:30 p.m. | Workshops and Seminars: Writing the Literature Review (Dr. Sarah Huffman)

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.| Coffee Buzz

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Career and Thesis/Dissertation Drop-Ins: Career coaches and thesis/dissertation consultants 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Academic Drop-Ins: Writing and oral Communication consultants

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch & Mingle: Bring your lunch and socialize with graduate and undergraduate students

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Invited Panels: Preparing Elevator Pitches (Dr. Denise Vrchota, Dr. Lily Compton, and Dr. Agata Guskaroska)

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Career Readiness: Networking at Conferences (Michelle Thayer)

3:00 - 4:30 p.m. | Workshops and Seminars: Managing your Audience; Managing Yourself (Dr. Denise Vrchota)

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.| Coffee Buzz

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Career and Thesis/Dissertation Drop-Ins: Career coaches and thesis/dissertation consultants 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Academic Drop-Ins: Writing and oral Communication consultants

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch & Mingle: Dinner interviews and social etiquette (Dr. Erik Goodale)

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Invited Panels: How to secure an internship as a graduate student? (Arslan Ahmad, Wren Bouwman, Vishal Muralidharan, Mahdi Ishtiaque)

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Career Readiness: Round-table discussion: Your values for a job market (Dr. Svitlana Zbarska, Ambar Melendez Perez, Joe Ramstad)

3:00 - 4:30 p.m. | Workshops and Seminars: The most recent updates about OPT and CPT applications (Elliot Uhl)

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.| Coffee Buzz

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Career and Thesis/Dissertation Drop-Ins: Career coaches and thesis/dissertation consultants 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Academic Drop-Ins: Writing and oral Communication consultants

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch & Mingle: Bring your lunch and socialize with graduate and undergraduate students

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Invited Panels: From Coursework to Publication (Dr. Kristin Terrill & Becca Yowler)

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Career Readiness: Writing Productivity (Dr. Kristin Terrill )

3:00 - 4:30 p.m. | Workshops and Seminars: Thesis Dissertation Informational Session (Dr. Kristin Terrill )

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.| Coffee Buzz

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Career and Thesis/Dissertation Drop-Ins: Career coaches and thesis/dissertation consultants (by appointment only)

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Academic Drop-Ins: Writing and oral Communication consultants (by appointment only)

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch & Mingle: Bring your lunch and socialize with graduate and undergraduate students (canceled)

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Invited Panels: Building Your Brand (Jamie Sass, Director of Ivy Writing and Speaking Center) (Click to join.)

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Career Readiness: Student Perspectives on Academic vs. Industry Job Seeking (Kaushik Gala, PhD Candidate in Management and Entrepreneurship, Amanda Thomas, MBA student, Reindl Weaver, Concurrent MBA and Industrial Engineering Undergraduate student), Hui Zhang, PhD Candidate in Marketing) (Click to join.)

3:00 - 3:30 p.m. | Student Networking Break (Click to join.)

3:00 - 4:30 p.m. | Workshops and Seminars: Effective Negotiation Skills (Dr. Ryan Bhattacharyya, Professor of Practice in the Ivy College of Business Department of Management and Entrepreneurship ) (Click to join.)

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.| Coffee Buzz

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Career and Thesis/Dissertation Drop-Ins: Career coaches and thesis/dissertation consultants 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Academic Drop-Ins: Writing and oral Communication consultants

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch & Mingle: Bring your lunch and socialize with graduate and undergraduate students

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Invited Panels: Recent changes, advancements, or findings in the College of Engineering (Dr. Amy Kaleita, Dr. Sri Sritharan, and Dr. Jennifer Heinen)

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Career Readiness: Identifying what is wanted from engineers vs other majors (Amanda Pearson, Engineering Career Services)

3:00 - 4:30 p.m. | Workshops and Seminars: AI impact on engineering and future skills needed (Dr. Young Woong Park and Dr. Eric Weber)

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.| Coffee Buzz

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Career and Thesis/Dissertation Drop-Ins: Career coaches and thesis/dissertation consultants 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Academic Drop-Ins: Writing and oral Communication consultants

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch & Mingle: Bring your lunch and socialize with graduate and undergraduate students

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Invited Panels: Teaching Research & Extension at ISU (Dr. Denise Crawford, Dr. Sarah Smith, and Dr. Sarah Francis)

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Career Readiness: Preparing Future Faculty (Karen Menzel)

3:00 - 4:30 p.m. | Workshops and Seminars: Grant/Funding (Dr. Jennifer Margrett)

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.| Coffee Buzz

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Career and Thesis/Dissertation Drop-Ins: Career coaches and thesis/dissertation consultants 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Academic Drop-Ins: Writing and oral Communication consultants

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch & Mingle: Bring your lunch and socialize with graduate and undergraduate students

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Invited Panels: Navigating Interdisciplinary Collaborations (Dr. E. J. Bahng, Dr. Clark Coffman, and Dr. Sinem Sonsaat-Hegelheimer)

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Career Readiness: From Graduate Student to Founder: Launching Your Own Venture (Dr. Kimberly Becker)

3:00 - 4:30 p.m. | Workshops and Seminars: Grantsmanship Skill Development (Dr. Corey Welch, Dr. Gustavo Macintosh)

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.| Coffee Buzz

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Career and Thesis/Dissertation Drop-Ins: Career coaches and thesis/dissertation consultants 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Academic Drop-Ins: Writing and oral Communication consultants

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch & Mingle: Bring your lunch and socialize with graduate and undergraduate students

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Invited Panels: Balancing Research, Life, and Sanity (Dr. Lee Burras, Dr. Derek Franklin, and Dr. Brenda Allen)

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Career Readiness: Navigating Career Paths in Ag & Life Science (Dr. Jay D. Harmon, Dr. Katie Dentzman, and Clayton Mooney)

3:00 - 4:30 p.m. | Workshops and Seminars: How to Explain Science to Non-Scientists (Dr. Sara Merritt)

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.| Coffee Buzz

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Career and Thesis/Dissertation Drop-Ins: Career coaches and thesis/dissertation consultants 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Academic Drop-Ins: Writing and oral Communication consultants

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch & Mingle: Bring your lunch and socialize with graduate and undergraduate students

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Invited Panels: Crafting a Portfolio with Purpose (Prof. Rob Whitehead and Tiffany Atilano)

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Career Readiness: Career Prep at Every Stage: Hands-On Job Application Material Workshop (Ambar Melendez and Tiffany Atilano)

3:00 - 4:30 p.m. | Workshops and Seminars: Vision, Voice, and Process: Conversations on MFA Thesis Work (Prof. Alex Braidwood and Dr. Kristin Terrill)

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.| Coffee Buzz

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Career and Thesis/Dissertation Drop-Ins: Career coaches and thesis/dissertation consultants 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Academic Drop-Ins: Writing and oral Communication consultants

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Career Poster Presentations

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Career Poster Presentations and Graduate Research Posters

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Graduate Research Posters

3:00 - 3:30 p.m. | Graduate Engagement Leadership Committee Recognition

3:30 - 4:30 p.m. | De-stress and Unwind with Fun Activities: VR Simulation, Cupcake Decoration, Swag, and More!

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.| Coffee Buzz

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Career and Thesis/Dissertation Online Drop-Ins: Career coaches and thesis/dissertation consultants 

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Academic Online Drop-Ins: Writing and oral Communication consultants

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch & Mingle: Bring your lunch and socialize with graduate and undergraduate students

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. | Invited Panels: Successful transition from grad school to the job market (academia and industry) (Dr. Joseph Thomas, Dr. Edison Magalhaes, Dr. Zoe Lambert, Dr. Nicolle Barbieri, and Dr. Bruna Petry)

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Career Readiness: Strategic LinkedIn Use for Career Growth (Dr. Svitlana Zbarska)

3:00 - 4:30 p.m. | Workshops and Seminars: Managing your audience and yourself (Dr. Erik Goodale)