March 2021 - Gradstudents - mailman.cs.vt.edu

Sign up for the 2nd Hike with CS Grad Council!
by Joshua Detwiler 16 Apr '21

16 Apr '21

Hi everyone, On behalf of Grad Council, we would like to invite you to our second Hike this year. Please see the Google Form for more details and to RSVP. https://forms.gle/mqZjtH9kLPx9nRhs9 Feel free to email the organizers if you have any questions, and we hope to see you there! -CS Grad Council

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[MS/PhD] Student activity reports and annual evaluation process
by Cliff Shaffer 12 Apr '21

12 Apr '21

Welcome to the beginning of the annual evaluation process for CS Graduate Students for 2021. Every year, ALL graduate students in the MS and PhD programs in Computer Science are obligated to submit a Student Activity Report. As part of this process, faculty advisers are then required to submit written evaluations for their students (that the students will see). A review process with GPC takes place on Reading Day (known as the "Green Thursday" process), after which students will receive additional feedback from GPC. This process somewhat mirrors the same evaluation process that faculty in the CS Department undergo. The first phase of the process is for graduate students to complete and submit their Student Activity Report. This is done by going to https://hosting.cs.vt.edu/gpc, and signing in. You should then see on the menu bar at the top a pulldown menu labeled "SAR". Click on either "Submit SAR" or "Edit Current SAR" to go to the form. SARs are due from students by April 16, 2021. Faculty will then have until April 30 to complete the evaluations for all of their students. (Faculty will get more information about this prior to April 16.) Note that all enrolled MS and PhD CS students must complete the SAR regardless of whether this is their first semester, last semester, or anything in between. Note that students who are scheduling a final exam this Spring must submit their SAR before I will approve scheduling their exam, so a few of you actually need to complete your form prior to April 16. If you already completed a SAR this semester due to this requirement, then you do *not* need to re-submit for the April 16 deadline. Students in the accelerated UG/G program who have not yet received their undergraduate degree *should* complete the SAR. Most UG/G students are on a rather tight schedule, and the SAR feedback is an important part of staying on track. For those of you who have done this before, this year's form is pretty much identical to last year's. You should be able to upload last year's report into the form, so that all you should need to do is update. A few key points: * Every milestone requires a positive indication for whether it has completed or been planned. (We have found in the past that the semester listed is not always a clear indicator.) * Some indication of funding source is required for every term in the program. If you received no funding support, then indicate this by selecting "self-funded". If you are having trouble with the form letting you submit, missing data is often the cause. Before completing your SAR form, you should read the instructions at https://hosting.cs.vt.edu/gpc/#/sarinstructions. -- Dr. Cliff Shaffer Professor and Associate Department Head for Graduate Studies Department of Computer Science Phone: (540) 231-4354 Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061 WWW: www.cs.vt.edu/~shaffer

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CS Grad Council Coffee Hour
by Alex Hicks 01 Apr '21

01 Apr '21

Hi all, On behalf of the CS Graduate Council, I would like to invite you to join our Coffee Hour this week on Thursday (4/1) at 6:00pm. We will be hosting this event in the Discord server that you can join here. We will be using the Coffee Hour channel in the Grad Council section. If you have any difficulties joining the Discord, feel free to reach out. It may be a little late for coffee but feel free to join and chat with your fellow students about research, music, or anything else. Hope to see you there! Alex Hicks Computer Science PhD Student Pratt Fellow - Virginia Tech New Horizons Graduate Scholar E // awh4kc(a)vt.edu P // (540) 336-1860

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National Capital Region CS grad students only
by Roxanne Paul 31 Mar '21

31 Mar '21

Dear NCR CS students, Please see below an email from Jing Chen, who runs the Thinkabit Lab at the Northern Virginia Center, which hosts free field trips to middle and high school students in northern Virginia, to introduce them to computer programming. Jing requests that our students review their 5 minute video and short write-up (see below). It will take less than 15 minutes to review. If you have 15 minutes to spare, please send your review by close of business, this Friday, April 2. Thank you for your consideration. Roxanne Nersesian Paul Administrative & Program Specialist Computer Science and Electrical & Computer Engineering Northern Virginia Center 7054 Haycock Road, Room 312A Falls Church, VA 22043 703-538-8370 roxpaul(a)vt.edu *From:* Jing Chen <jingc(a)vt.edu> *Sent:* Tuesday, March 30, 2021 1:29 PM *To:* roxpaul(a)vt.edu *Cc:* stemexpo(a)vt.edu; stem(a)vt.edu *Subject:* Review of Innovative Middle/High School Projects Dear Ms. Roxanne Paul, I am Jing Chen, an instructor and the arts-Integrated STEM programs manager at Virginia Tech’s Northern Virginia Center Thinkabit Lab. We recently launched a pilot Global STEM Expo for middle and high school students. This Expo, unlike traditional science fairs, has professors, graduate students, and related professionals providing encouraging feedback and suggestions for students, rather “judges” scoring their projects. Our participants would benefit greatly from your advice/comments to refine and improve their projects. Given your expertise in Computer Science, I hope you would enjoy reviewing the project listed below. It has a brief written summary description and a short video of 5 minutes. *We would greatly appreciate your graduate students’ feedback in a reply to this email by **Friday, April 2, 2021.* *Project title*: An Efficient Algorithm for State Propagation on Graph with Lockable Vertices *Video link*: https://video.vt.edu/media/An Efficient Algorithm for State Propagation on Graph with Lockable Vertices/1_2f74ze6p <https://video.vt.edu/media/2021+VT+Global+STEM+Expo+-+Computational+explora…'s+mantle+pressure/1_qj5obkn8> *Project description*: An O(|V|+q * sqrt(|E|)) algorithm for problems which requires maintaining a binary state carried by each vertex of a graph, where there also exists an operation where all true state vertices propagate simultaneously to their false state neighbors. And moreover, it is required to be able to lock a vertex from both inbound and outbound state propagation. We value your students' time, and the expected effort required for the project review is less than 15 minutes. *We will present their feedback to participants anonymously and in an aggregated form, unless they wish to be explicitly identified.* Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you! Jing Chen

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MEng CS Final Exam/Evaluation
by Samantha Pipkin 31 Mar '21

31 Mar '21

Good afternoon MEng CS students, This email is intended ONLY for MEng students who are graduating in Spring 2021. Please read this email carefully to the end. If you are an MEng student not graduating, you can review this for future reference. All Graduate students must schedule a final exam/evaluation in the VT Graduate School Approval System (ESS). Virginia Tech will NOT CONFER YOUR DEGREE if you do not schedule a final exam/evaluation. Your approved Plan of Study (POS) must reflect the actual courses that you have taken. If you have deviated from your approved Plan of Study, you must submit a POS Change Form <https://graduateschool.vt.edu/content/dam/graduateschool_vt_edu/GAAPforms/p lan-of-study-change-fillable-072920.pdf> . Please check the status of your POS under the Degree Menu link in <http://hokiespa.vt.edu> Hokie Spa. The MEng CS program does not have a final exam. What you are actually scheduling is an administrative trigger to the Graduate School to review your record for graduation. For MEng CS students the final evaluation is for degree verification purposes only. Please do NOT report in person at the scheduled time. Blacksburg and Northern Virginia Campus students schedule their exam/evaluation in the same room in the Falls Church campus. If you are in Blacksburg, please use the same room number listed in the instruction, it is just fine. The department requires an exit query as part of the final exam scheduling. Please complete the MEng Exit Query <https://virginiatech.qualtrics.com/jfe/preview/SV_aWsWi3QvUR0Wy5D> to complete this very short questionnaire. Please follow the attached instructions to schedule your final exam/evaluation in the VT ESS system and complete exit query. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to return email. Best, Samantha Samantha Pipkin, Program Coordinator Blacksburg & Northern Virginia Campus Virginia Tech | Master of Engineering 7054 Haycock Road, Room 478 Falls Church, Virginia 22043 samanthap(a)vt.edu <mailto:samanthap@vt.edu>

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Fwd: FW: Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans
by Cliff Shaffer 30 Mar '21

30 Mar '21

---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Akers, Nicole <snakers(a)vt.edu> Date: Tue, Mar 30, 2021 at 9:47 AM Subject: FW: Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans To: COE Grad Directors <coegraddirectors-g(a)vt.edu>, coe-grad-coordinators-g(a)vt.edu <coe-grad-coordinators-g(a)vt.edu> Sharing this opportunity for students. *From:* Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships <pdsoros(a)pdsoros.org> *Sent:* Wednesday, March 24, 2021 1:33 PM *To:* Waller, Tremayne <trwaller(a)vt.edu> *Subject:* Thank you for Recommending a New American Greetings, I'm writing to thank you for taking the time to recommend an applicant to The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans in our 2021 application cycle. Each year the Fellowship provides up to $90,000 in funding to 30 outstanding New Americans—immigrants or children of immigrants—who are pursuing graduate school in the United States. The Fellowship celebrates the immense achievements and contributions of continuing generations of New Americans to our country. On April 13, 2021, we’ll announce our newest group of Fellows on our website <https://pdsoros.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=41afa1af7969ed7f207d7756d…>. I hope the applicant you recommended is included in the group! This year we received another record-breaking number of applications: 2,445. Regardless of whether or not the person you recommended wins the Fellowship, we believe that applying for the Fellowship is a valuable experience for all applicants. Through our application, we ask applicants to reflect on what it means to them to be a New American, to think about how their experience has shaped their worldview, and to consider how they hope to contribute to society through their work. We think these are important questions and we hope that, win or lose, applicants come away feeling empowered by answering these questions. One thing we’ve noticed about our most accomplished applicants is that they succeeded, in part, because someone believed in them. It’s people like you who help to send the message that they can achieve whatever they set their minds to, that they can make a difference, and that they should dream big. Thank you for being that supporter, that believer, that advocate. We know our applicants couldn’t do it without you, and we couldn’t either. *If you know of any immigrants or children of immigrants who are thinking about graduate school or who are just starting graduate school, please let them know about our Fellowship! Our new application will open on April 13th.* Thank you for your support. We could not do this without you. Craig Harwood Director The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans PS: We will not e-mail you again unless you sign up for our e-mails, which you can do so here <https://pdsoros.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=41afa1af7969ed7f207d7756d…> . [image: Facebook] <https://pdsoros.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=41afa1af7969ed7f207d7756d…> [image: Twitter] <https://pdsoros.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=41afa1af7969ed7f207d7756d…> [image: Website] <http://www.pdsoros.org> [image: Instagram] <https://pdsoros.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=41afa1af7969ed7f207d7756d…> *Copyright © 2021 Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans, All rights reserved.* You recommended someone for the 2021 Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships application cycle. You will not continue to receive e-mails. *Our mailing address is:* Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans 11 W 42nd St New York, NY 10036-8002 Add us to your address book <https://pdsoros.us9.list-manage.com/vcard?u=41afa1af7969ed7f207d7756d&id=68…> update subscription preferences <https://pdsoros.us9.list-manage.com/profile?u=41afa1af7969ed7f207d7756d&id=…> to receive fewer e-mails or unsubscribe from this list <https://pdsoros.us9.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=41afa1af7969ed7f207d7756d…> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "COE Grad Directors" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coegraddirectors-g+unsubscribe(a)vt.edu. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/a/vt.edu/d/msgid/coegraddirectors-g/BN6PR05MB2820… <https://groups.google.com/a/vt.edu/d/msgid/coegraddirectors-g/BN6PR05MB2820…> . For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/a/vt.edu/d/optout. -- Dr. Cliff Shaffer Professor and Associate Department Head for Graduate Studies Department of Computer Science Phone: (540) 231-4354 Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061 WWW: www.cs.vt.edu/~shaffer

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CS Grad Council: Nomination Form
by sdavari＠vt.edu 29 Mar '21

29 Mar '21

I've invited you to fill out the following form: CS Grad Council: Nomination Form To fill it out, visit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfcvu7QPAT-cVoyqR13YO8b0TTgDGgRLtG… Google Forms: Create and analyze surveys.

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Data Science Engineer Job
by Sara Hooshangi 29 Mar '21

29 Mar '21

FYI- A job opportunity for US citizens in Northern VA. > > This job opportunity (see attachment) came to us through our local alumni chapter and may be of interest to some of your students. Please note that it is only open to U.S. citizens due to the security requirements. >

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Do you have a current Plan of Study on file?
by Trey Mayo 26 Mar '21

26 Mar '21

Every graduate student at VT is required by the Graduate School to have a Plan of Study on file. This document is a requirement for graduation and the awarding of your degree. What is the Plan of Study? The Plan of Study is an official University document that serves as a “contract” between the student and the department. It details the degree program you are pursuing (i.e., M.Eng., M.S. or Ph.D.), the list of courses and semesters you have taken or will be taking, and the advisory committee (only required for M.S. and Ph.D. degrees). When do I submit (or need to submit) the Plan of Study? A Plan of Study can be submitted only once for a given degree, but can easily be amended by submitting a change form. Part-time students should submit their Plan of Study after they have completed 12 credit hours in the program and before they complete 24 credit hours. Full-time students should follow the timeline below: - M.Eng. Students - submit your Plan of Study prior to the last semester of study in the program. You do not need an advisory committee for your program. - M.S. Students - submit your Plan of Study no later than the end of the second semester of your program. You will need to have your advisory committee established and approve the Plan of Study. Please make sure your POS is signed by your committee. - Ph.D. Students - submit your Plan of Study by the end of your third semester in the program. You will need to have your advisory committee established and approve the Plan of Study. A PhD advisory committee may have only four members when the Plan is filed, but must have five members before the preliminary exam is scheduled. Please make sure your POS is signed by your committee. - Accelerated Undergrad/Grad program students (MS and MEng) should submit the Plan right at the start of their first semester in the graduate program (i.e., the start of the semester after their BS graduation). Once the student prepares the Plan of Study following the guidelines above, the Plan of Study is submitted to the responsible Graduate Coordinator identified at the bottom of this email. Once the Graduate Director approves it, the Plan of Study is submitted to the Virginia Tech Graduate School for its approval. Once it is approved, it can be changed by filing a Request for Plan of Study Changes form <https://graduateschool.vt.edu/content/dam/graduateschool_vt_edu/GAAPforms/p…> . No matter what, an approved Plan of Study must be on your academic records before you can apply for graduation, and before you can schedule a PhD preliminary exam. You can check the status of your Plan of Study in Hokie Spa <http://hokiespa.vt.edu> (under the Degree Menu link). How long does it take for a Plan of Study to be approved? Plans of Study require a fair amount of processing for approval. The department checks that your plan meets departmental degree requirements. The Graduate School checks for University requirements. As a result, the Plan of Study takes at least a month (sometimes longer) of processing time from the moment you submit a form to the Graduate Coordinator until it is finally approved. Be aware that this is a slow process and do not expect it to be approved overnight. How do I find the Plan of Study form? Use the appropropriate form for your degree found at the forms page to prepare your Plan of Study: - M.Eng. Plan of Study form <https://hosting.cs.vt.edu/gpc/forms/PlanMEng.pdf> - M.S./Ph.D. Plan of Study form <https://hosting.cs.vt.edu/gpc/forms/PlanMSPHD.pdf> Need assistance? As always, should you have any questions concerning the Plan of Study and its process, please do not hesitate to contact your respective Graduate Coordinator listed below: - M.Eng. - all students - Samantha Pipkin (samanthap(a)vt.edu) - M.S./Ph.D. students - NCR campus - Roxanne Paul (roxpaul(a)vt.edu) - M.S./Ph.D. students - Blacksburg campus - Sharon Kinder-Potter ( skpotter(a)vt.edu) ============================================================== *Trey Mayo, M.S.Ed.* *Director of Graduate Programs* Virginia Tech | Department of Computer Science treymayo(a)vt.edu http://cs.vt.edu

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Graduate School Sessions on anti-Asian violence
by Daphne Yao 25 Mar '21

25 Mar '21

An opportunity to talk with Grad School Dean Karen P. DePauw about the anti-Asian violence. ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Ha, Nina <nha(a)vt.edu> Date: Thu, Mar 25, 2021 at 1:03 PM Subject: Fw: Graduate School Sessions on anti-Asian violence to share please Hello Everyone, Here is an event hosted by the Graduate School to support the APIDA graduate students : 1. *Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA)Student Support: Graduate School *Join Dean Karen P. DePauw and the Graduate School for an opportunity to share your concerns and other emotions related to the anti-Asian violence that occurred as well as to the race-based trauma that continues and provide space to strategize about ways your graduate student experience can be improved . There are two opportunities to join these sessions: March 30th at 2pm (Register at http://bit.ly/AsianStudentSupport-Session1) and March 31st at 11am (Register at http://bit.ly/AsianStudentSupport-Session2). VT zoom authentication required for registration. All are welcome to attend including allies of the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) community. For questions or additional information, please email the Office of Recruitment, Diversity, and Inclusion at ordi(a)vt.edu. Please circulate widely to your departments, programs, students, student organizations, etc.... Thank you, as always, for your continued support. Sincerely, Nina Nina Ha, Ph.D. Director, Asian Cultural Engagement Center (Room 140) Appointed Member of the Virginia Asian Advisory Board (VAAB) (https://www.vaab.virginia.gov/board-members/) Squires Student Center (Room 142) Virginia Tech Tel. 540-231-6023 Pronouns: She/Her/Hers Office for Inclusion and Diversity (OID) Cultural & Community Centers | A Unit of the Office for Inclusion and Diversity InclusiveVT is the institutional and individual commitment to Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) in the spirit of community, diversity, and excellence. [image: signature_1383675297] ------------------------------ *From:* Shernita Lee <shernita(a)vt.edu> *Sent:* Thursday, March 25, 2021 12:45 PM *To:* Ha, Nina <nha(a)vt.edu> *Subject:* Graduate School Sessions to share please 1. *Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA)Student Support: Graduate School * Join Dean Karen P. DePauw and the Graduate School for an opportunity to share your concerns and other emotions related to the anti-Asian violence that occurred as well as to the race-based trauma that continues and provide space to strategize about ways your graduate student experience can be improved . There are two opportunities to join these sessions: March 30th at 2pm (Register a t http://bit.ly/AsianStudentSupport-Session1) and March 31st at 1 1am (Register at http://bit.ly/AsianStudentSupport-Session2). V T zoom authentication required for registration. All are welcome to attend including allies of the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) community. For questions or additional information, please email the Office of Recruitment, Diversity, and Inclusion at ordi(a)vt.edu . The flyers are attached. Thanks, Shernita Lee, Ph.D Assistant Dean and Director, Office of Recruitment, Diversity, and Inclusion - Graduate School 111 Graduate Life Center (0325) 155 Otey Street Blacksburg, VA 24061 Phone: 540-231-6529 Pronouns: She/her/hers -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ACEClistserv" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to aceclistserv-g+unsubscribe(a)vt.edu. To post to this group, send email to aceclistserv-g(a)vt.edu. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/a/vt.edu/d/msgid/aceclistserv-g/DM6PR05MB4155080B… <https://groups.google.com/a/vt.edu/d/msgid/aceclistserv-g/DM6PR05MB4155080B…> . -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "APIDACaucus" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to apidacaucus-g+unsubscribe(a)vt.edu. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/a/vt.edu/d/msgid/apidacaucus-g/DM6PR05MB4155080B4… <https://groups.google.com/a/vt.edu/d/msgid/apidacaucus-g/DM6PR05MB4155080B4…> .

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