When: Wednesday, September 23, 2009, 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Where: Kane Hall 130
Sponsored by The Graduate School & The Center for Instructional Development and Research

Welcome to the University of Washington research community!

The Annual Workshop for Graduate Research Assistants will help you prepare for your roles and responsibilities as an RA.

We know from the Re-envisioning the Ph.D. initiative (led here at UW) and from other, national studies that graduate students in new roles value greatly the opportunity to interact with more experienced students and to think reflectively about the challenges the role presents. Whether you are just beginning graduate school or not, if you are preparing to undertake a research assistantship, you probably have many burning questions:

• What will it be like as I step into the RA role?
• How do I navigate the wealth of student resources at such a large institution?
• How can I find funding opportunities?
• How can I build good relationships with my supervisors?
• How can I prepare for working in a research team?
• What cross-cultural aspects of working as an RA should I be aware of?
• How do I balance multiple demands on my time?
• How can I find good mentors for my career?
• How can I define a long-term professional development plan that meets my goals?

You can explore these and other important topics at the RA Workshop. The Graduate School offers you many resources to help you achieve success. This event complements your departmental activities by providing you a unique, multi-disciplinary venue to talk about the challenges and rewards of working as an RA, collaborating with supervisors and peers, mentoring, and more.

Hear from great speakers and the graduate student union, and meet experienced RA panelists eager to provide you with tips for achieving your goals as a UW RA. See you there!