Conflict Resolution and Negotiation Skills for

Graduate Students and Post-Docs

National Capital Area Chapter

Society of Toxicology

Fall Student Day Symposium

November 3, 2005

Lister Hill Auditorium

National Library of Medicine

Bethesda, MD

PROGRAM AND SPEAKER ABSTRACTS

8:30 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:50 a.m. Welcome and Opening Comments

Mashael Al-Namaeh

Student Representative, NCAC-SOT

Howard University, College of Medicine

Dep’t of Pharmacology

9:00 a.m. The Establishment, Maintenance and Repair of the Relationship Between the Mentor and the Student [from mentor perspective]

Sue Robinson, Ph.D.

Medical College of Virginia

Dep’t of Pharmacology

9:45 a.m. Relationship Between Students and Lab Team:

What to Do and What Not to Do?

Linda Correll

Laboratory Facilities Manager

Virginia Tech

10:30 a.m. Break

10:45 a.m. Conflicts Within the Dissertation Committee:  What to Do

in a Sticky Situation?"

Daniel Minnema, Ph.D.

11:30 a.m. The Powers That Be': How Graduate School Politics Can Get in the Way of Your Degree and What You Can Do About It

Patricia Sokolove, Ph.D.

Director, Interdisciplinary Training Programs, NIH

12:50 p.m. Welcome Back!

Devon L. Graham

Student Vice-Representative, NCAC-SOT

University of Maryland

Dep’t of Molecular Neuropsychiatry

1:00 p.m. The Many Forms of Harassment and How (and how not)

to Deal With It

Nancy Grimshaw, CCP, PHR

1:45 p.m. Break

2:30 p.m. Have You Burned Your Bridges?  How to Survive after a Fallout

Marion Ehrich, Ph.D.

Virginia Tech.

3:15 Break

3:30 The Establishment, Maintenance and Repair of the Relationship Between the Mentor and the Student [from student perspective]

Pierre-A. H. Noailles, Ph.D.

National Institute on Drug Abuse

4:30 Reception

Abstracts

The Establishment, Maintenance and Repair of the Relationship between the
Mentor and the Student
Susan E. Robinson, Ph.D.
Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology
 
The foundation of good interpersonal relationships will be discussed: honesty, respect and tact. Different models of mentor-student relationships will be presented and critiqued. Finally, examples of actual student-mentor conflicts and resolution (or lack thereof) will be discussed.

Relationship between students and lab team: what to do and what not to do

Linda Correll

Laboratory Facilities Manager

The success of any program is determined by the driving forces behind the day to day activities. In an established research program there are many protocols and procedures in place that are critical to the new students success. One must take advantage of the resources that are available. The laboratory team is probably one of your greatest resources. How do you use resources and work with the laboratory team to have a meaningful and productive experience, without developing unpleasant situations.

Learn what to do and what not to do when stepping into a new research environment. Gain insight from the firsthand experience of a laboratory manager who has supervised many undergraduate, graduate students and Post Doc’s.

The Powers that Be: How Graduate School Politics Can Get in the Way

of Your Degree and What You Can Do about It

Patricia M. Sokolove, Ph.D.

Director, Interdisciplinary Training Programs

Acting Director, Fellowship Training Program

Office of Intramural Training and Education, Office of the Director, NIH

(1) The Graduate Program Director is also my mentor. To whom do I turn when we have a serious disagreement? (2) I came to pursue a Ph.D. in one department (and the department supplied my stipend during my first year), but now I would like to work with an investigator in a different department. (3) I came to pursue a Ph.D. in a department (and the department supplied my stipend during my first year), but now I would like to do my dissertation research in a laboratory at the NIH. (4) I started a Ph.D. program in the Department of X and now the institution has reorganized its Ph.D. offerings. Ph.D. degrees are now offered by interdepartmental programs rather than by departments. (5) I came to the University of Y specifically for their new interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program. Now that I am here, I can see that the curriculum is in a state of flux. The format of the qualifying examination is still a matter for discussion; in fact, all of the program requirements are ill-defined. (6) I received some less than stellar grades in my first year of graduate course work. In the old days, I would have been put on probation. The new Dean of the Graduate School comes with new rules; I have just received a dismissal letter.

This session will address issues like those outlined above, using an interactive approach to identify the key players in graduate school politics and the factors that motivate them. We will then discuss general principles that appear to govern the behavior of faculty and administrators and strategies you can adopt to maximize your chances of a graduate career unimpeded by political turmoil and its consequences. Whatever your career stage, please come prepared to contribute to the session.

Workplace Harassment:

The many forms of harassment and how to manage them

Nancy K. Grimshaw, M.S. CCP, PHR

Sexual harassment, gender identity bias and other components of a hostile work environment are frequently the topic of new reports and lawsuits. Sadly, every instance, reported or unreported, can have devastating effects on the harassed person’s work, health and relationships. This session looks at how underlying differences in culture, power and perception breed harassment, and provides some tools for identifying and managing harassing behaviors when they occur.

Have you burned your bridges? How to survive after a fallout.

Marion Ehrich

Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine

If something has happened that appears to be an obstacle to a graduate degree, the student needs to be brutally honest with him/herself as he/she assesses the situation. Questions that need to be answered before initiating any further activity are: (1) Is the problem major or relatively minor? Has there been good communication on the issue in question? How long has it been going on? How long could it continue to go on? (2) Does the problem relate to the area of study? Are there possible alternatives? (3) Is the problem related to the relationship between the student and the advisor? Or to the graduate committee? Who could mediate in this situation? (4) Is the problem associated with graduate school policies? Where can I find help? Once the assessment is made, which is best done with the assistance of a peer and a faculty member, then a plan of action, with alternatives, needs to be prepared. The student should not act in undue haste, as he/she needs to recognize consequences associated with the plan of action before its implementation. Outcomes may include continuation in the program with changes in plan of study, duration of the program, or addition of a co-advisor; modification of the graduate program to better accommodate the needs and interests of the student; or transfer out of a particular program or institution. Perspective and optimism are needed for successful completion of the graduate degree, especially after fallout.