As a first-year intimidated PhD. student, the CRA-W Grad Cohort was exactly what I needed to rejuvenate and learn how to become a better graduate student. The CRA-W provided a welcoming and warm environment in which I along with other underrepresented graduate students could voice their questions and concerns. We were able to receive advice from many computer scientists and researchers that successfully through graduate journey, despite their circumstances. Hearing their stores and journeys was very inspiring and motivating. Additionally, the breakout sessions were extremely relevant and provided actionable insights! This was extremely beneficial because in session I was able to learn the relevant strategies and how to approach the respective situations. Overall, the CRA-W Grad Cohort was an immensely useful workshop that provided both actionable solutions and motivation!

Key takeaways:

• How to find a research topic: In this session, we were presented with advice to keep in mind while thinking about potential research topics. Dr. Sandhya Dwarkadas and Dr. Ming Lin highlighted several opportunities and ways from which research topics often emerge. These opportunities included:
  • extending class projects
  • thinking outside of the box: no one thought of doing X but here are reasons why it is crucial, no one thought we could do X but in fact we can, our field thought X but in fact Y is true, and etc.
  • scut work
  • conference talks
  • inspiration (often unpredictable)
  • data challenges
  • senior students
  • industry

Things we were suggested to think about: scale/scope of topic, funding, how many activate researchers working on that topic, do you have the tools to do the topic, metric of success, what will you compare against, and etc.

Slides from the talk: Find a Research Topic

• Publishing Research: This session was spilt into two parts:

1) The Publishing Process

2) The Writing Process

First, Dr. Margaret Martonosi and Dr. Andrea Danyluk highlighted several factors to consider when deciding where to submit your work. They noted that the venue of the publication is extremely important as it varies from field to field. They also explained that typically journals are often prestiges, whereas international conferences provide recognition in the field and visibility. Workshops and posters are great for receiving feedback for early works. They also described the peer review process which included how reviewers are selected and what they look for. Reviewers are typically selected based on keywords, cited works, literature reviews while making sure there are no conflicts of interest. They will look for technical soundness, clear contribution, and solid evidence. In the second part of the talk, Drs. Martonosi and Danyluk presented useful tips for clear writing. They suggested using short sentences, structuring the writing to help the reader, and using an outline to help kickstart the writing process!

Slides from the talk: Publishing Your Research

• M.S. Career Opportunities & Job Search: During this session, Drs. Deb Agarwal and Ramón Cáceres give several key insights for the Job Search process. They recommended using the services at our universities, leveraging the network of our peers and professors. Additionally, they highlighted the importance of practicing for the coding interview. They also encouraged us to negotiate offers and look at the benefits that are included. Another, factor they stressed was the company culture and growth opportunities. They also provided sample interview questions:
  • What do you consider to be your greatest strength?
  • Describe a time when you had to work on a project with someone difficult and how you handled it.
  • Tell me about an error in judgment you made in the last year or two, what was the impact of it?
  • Describe a decision you made that was unpopular and how you handled implementing it. How did you handle the negative feedback?
  • Tell me about a recent achievement that you are particularly proud of.
  • Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
• Perspectives from Grad Cohort Alums: This session was different from most of the other sessions because we were able to hear personal PhD. journeys! Drs. Bushra Anjum, Nada Attar, Zadia Codabux, and Siobahn Day talked about that helped them through their PhD. careers. The main takeaways included: its okay to ask for help, finding mentors, volunteering, finding role models, always preserving, having a work-life balance, and supporting each other!

Slides from the talk: Perspectives from Grad Cohort Alums

• Finding an Advisor: This talk was presented by Drs. Siobahn C. Day, Lori A. Clarke, and Lori Pollock. During this session, the speakers explained the differences between an advisor and a mentor.
• Summer Internships: This talk was presented by Drs. Sujata Banerjee (VMWare), Kim Hazelwood (Facebook), Shamsi Iqbal (Microsoft Research). The gave great insights on how to have a successful internship!
  • Before the Internship:
    • Determine the general direction of your project by connecting with your mentor
    • Read the relevant research papers to start compiling the related works
    • Brush up on technical skills (i.e. coding language and statistical tools)
    • Create goals for yourself
    • Connect with other interns to determine logistics (i.e. housing and transport) and bond!
  • Beginning of the Internship:
    • Make sure you have access to all the resources you need and complete required training
    • Brianstorm project direction and details by establishing research questions and possible ways to approach them
      • Identify collaborations
    • Set up a communication channel with your mentor(s) (i.e. how often do you sync in and etc.)
    • Create a notebook for yourself and use it to take detailed notes!
    • Set a tentative timeline
  • After the Internship
    • If you collaboration continues understand constraints of the organization (i.e. IP issues)
    • Take lead to write the paper
    • Maintain contact with your mentor
    • Connect with people from the company you interned with
      • Talk to them at conferences and other visits!
    • Explore future internships
  • Slides from the talk: Summer Internships