Links to Web Resources

 

 
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There are many resources for graduate students on the web - both within Cornell and in the world at large. Below is a partial list of web sites which address issues of interest to graduate students. EGSA does not necessarily endorse any of the opinions given below; our intention is to collect as wide a range of graduate student resources as possible for you here. If you know of a resource that you would like to see linked to here, e-mail egsa@cornell.edu and let us know.

Page Index

Cornell Web Sites
 
External Web Sites
Graduate Student Organizations
Guides to Graduate School
Building Research Skills
Writing Your Dissertation
Getting a Job
Women in Engineering

 


Cornell Web Sites

College of Engineering Home Page
News, Directories of administrators and faculty, Admissions information, Course listings, Graduate student and Women's program information, and links to department, library and other related web pages.
Cornell Employment and Family Careers Institute
The Cornell Employment and Family Careers Institute is a Sloan Center for the Study of Working Families. They study how couples manage duo careers, how policies and practices impact families and facilitate coordination with family roles, the changing cultural images of working families, and more.
Cornell Fellowship Notebook
The Cornell Graduate School has a very extensive collection of fellowship listings. Check it out on the web, or visit them in person at the Fellowship Office in Caldwell.
Cornell Graduate Bulletin - On-line
This official, regularly-updated graduate bulletin lists dates and times important for graduate students, including degree deadlines, thesis adviser hours, registration, and timelines for funding and travel grant applications.
Cornell University Library Page
Information on all campus libraries and what sub-fields are served by each one, including descriptions of services provided, hours open and access to the on-line card catalog.
Cornell University Payroll Office
Answers to your questions about direct deposit, timecards, lost checks, and other payroll issues may already be answered here, as well as information on who to contact if you need information they haven't provided.
CUInfo
The home page for Cornell University, with links to pages on academics, administration, student life, and much more; includes search capabilities.
Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GPSA)
The GPSA is part of the Cornell system of governance and represents graduate and professional student interests to the university. Its web page provides announcements of meetings and meeting minutes as well as information on GPSA resolutions and projects. The College of Engineering has two representatives to the GPSA; the contact information for them and other GPSA representatives is also listed here.
International Students & Scholars Office
The ISSO provides resources and support for international students, including providing information about immigration, visas, tax and labor regulations, and cultural and personal issues. Both their office and the web site are full of information and help.

External Sites

Graduate Student Organizations

Association for the Support of Graduate Students
ASGS is an organization of graduate students and graduate schools that provides services intended to help grads complete quality theses and get the most out of the thesis writing process. These services include a newsletter, a mailing list and listings of consultants who can help with thesis formatting, typing, etc.
National Association of Graduate-Professional Students (NAGPS)
NAGPS is a non-profit organization working to improve the quality of graduate and professional student life. Its web site has information on a variety of topics including taxes and student aid. NAGPS members are eligible for student benefits such as special insurance (health & auto), conferences and participation in their job bank.
 

Guides to graduate School

Graduate Student Advice and Research Survival Guide
A guide from the Stanford Medical Informatics group, structured as lists of concrete suggestions for things graduate students can go to improve their graduate student experience. It includes pointers on the advisor/advisee relationship, making progress on research, finding thesis topics, and avoiding "the research blues".
Graduate Study in the Computer and Mathematical Sciences: A Survival Manual
A guide to graduate student life by Dianne P. O'Leary of the University of Maryland Department of Computer Science. This document directly addresses mathematics and computer science graduate school but it is also hoped to be useful to science and engineering graduate students in general. A postscript version is also available.
How to Succeed in Graduate School
A widely referenced guide for both students and advisors, this paper includes suggestions on picking an advisor, finding a thesis topic, creating a research network, and publishing papers, including advice for what advisors should do to help graduate students succeed.
An Insider's Guide to Choosing a Graduate Advisor and Research Projects in Laboratory Sciences
From the 1992 Journal of Chemical Education, this article describes criteria for new graduate students to use when chosing an advisor, including what traits to look for and avoid, and how to get information about potential advisors. There is also a related discussion on chosing a research project.
Survival in the Academy
From the Indiana University Computer Science Graduate Student Handbook, this guide includes essays on how to chose an advisor, survival skills for graduate women, and a "How to survive and succeed in academia" guide for assistant professors, which may also be of use to grad students.

 

Building Research Skills

Conference Tips
A collection on tips about how to network at conferences, from the ASGS mailing list doc-talk.
CRA Effective Teaching Workshop
The site for the 1998 Computing Research Association's Effective Teaching Workshop has a resources page with many links on how to teach, how to give a presentation, and how to be a professor. This includes essays on many practical teaching issues such as how to write a fair quantitative test, how to encorporate cooperative learning, and how to teach effectively in large classes.
How (and How Not) to Write a Good Systems Paper
A set of 31 questions, written and described by the Ninth SOSP Program Committee Co-chairmen, to help you evaluate your conference paper. Geared towards system work in computer science, but with good advice for all. (in postscript)
How to Have Your Abstract Rejected
A humorous (but on-target) discussion of errors not to make when writing and submitting an abstract.
How to Give a Good Research Talk
A paper out of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Glasgow about how to give a research presentation. The contents include sections on what to say, how to say it without saying too much, using visual aids such as slides, and tips for actually giving the talk.(a zipped postscript file)
How to Present a Paper in Theoretical Computer Science
A guide to presenting a paper which is intended for theoretical computer scientists but not overly specific to computer science. The paper covers what to say and how to say it including what to mention in each section of the talk and how much detail to cover. A discussion of how to tailor your talk to an audience, how to connect with the audience, how to handle questions, and how to use visual/aural aids is also included. (in postscript)
A Letter to Research Students
An open letter to primarily computer science students with tips on what skills are key for research and how to build those skills. Focuses include reading, collaborating, and organization. From a professor in the Department of Computer Science at Williams College.
Networking on the Network
Advice on how to network with other researchers and professionals over the internet, including a discussion of what the possibilities are and some do's and don'ts. An extensive article with lots of details and lots of references.
Some Hints on Mathematical Style
A discussion of writing mathematical text clearly, from a professor of mathematics at Ohio State. (in postscript)
Survival Skills for Graduate Students
Notes on a variety of skills grad students need but may not get taught explicitly, from a neuroscience class at the University of Western Ontario. Skills discussed include effective oral presentations, how to get the most out of a scientific meeting, preparing and writing a manuscript, life-long learning skills, grantpersonship, and getting the next job.

 

Writing Your Dissertation

Dissertation Advice
Advice on writing a dissertation, particularly on general principles for choosing what to include and how to organize it, from a professor in the MIT AI lab.
How to Organize Your Thesis
An essay by a professor of Systems and Computer Engineering at Carleton University on basic thesis organization. The essay is structured around a discussion of a generic thesis skeleton and what is needed to fill out that skeleton.
PHinisheD
"A discussion and support group for people who can't seem to finish their dissertations and theses". Topics of discussion include overcoming research and writing blocks, getting the support you need, facing fears about finishing, and other issues with completing a dissertation or thesis.
A guide to crafting, implementing and defending a dissertation by a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education at Michigan State University. The guide follows a check-list format with sections on "The Thinking About It Stage", "Preparing the Proposal", "Writing the Thesis or Disseration", and "The Thesis/Dissertation Defense".

 

Getting a Job

How to Write Your Vita
A guide to writing a quality vita, with a discussion of what should go in each section, from the Department of Psychology at Hanover College.
Ph.D. Interview Preparation Guide for Positions in Academia
A bullet-point guide to going on job interviews in academia, from the Department of Advertising at University of Texas at Austin. Not all points will be applicable to engineering, but a very comprehensive collection of advice. This includes pointers in such areas as what do interviewers look for, what should you expect, what questions will you get, what questions should you ask, and how should you prepare.

 

Women in Engineering

NAE Celebration of Women in Engineering
This project by the National Academy of Engineering focuses on bringing national attention to the opportunities engineering offers for women in the hope of encouraging their participation. Their page includes information on mentoring programs, career information, obtaining funding or financial aid as well as links to engineering games and information and statistics on present and past women in engineering.
Committee on the Status of Women in Computing Research
The CRA-W committee of the Computing Research Association works to actively increase the number of women participating in computer science and engineering research and education at all levels. Their activities include mentoring programs, a program to help fund undergrad and new grad student attendance at conferences, and providing networking resources.
Systers
Systers is an organization formed to create a network of technical women in computing. This is primarily done through a private mailing list and a database system.