BioMASS Mentoring Program

The BioMASS Mentoring Program pairs incoming Biosciences students with current PhD students to facilitate one-on-one (or small group) mentoring. The program commences in the fall with a Welcome Event*, in which all program participants gather for food and a chance to get to know each other. During the remainder of the year, students and mentors meet once a quarter for lunch.

Why should you participate? Free food! That should be reason enough. It’s also a great way to meet people outside of your class and department. For incoming students, this is a valuable opportunity to ask questions and receive advice pertaining to anything related to life as a Stanford grad student. Mentors were once first-year students and have likely gone through a lot of what you’ll experience your first year at Stanford. For current students, mentoring is a worthwhile experience, and a nice way to contribute to the Biosciences community. Wouldn’t you have wanted a mentor your first year? If you did have a mentor, I bet you learned a useful thing or two.

If you’re interested in participating (as an incoming student or mentor), contact Moria Chambers, who has created and directed this program for the past two years. Thanks for making this possible, Moria!

*Information for this year’s Welcome Event:

-  When: September 29^th, 2010 at 4 – 5:30 pm

-  Where: LKSC 4^th floor balcony

-  What: snacks, socializing/group activities with all program participants

Hope to see you there!

Graduate Student Handbook: Answers to All of Your Questions

Whether you’re an incoming student or a student who’s been here a while, the Graduate Student Handbook is an invaluable resource. It contains information pertaining to essentially everything there is to know about graduate life at Stanford. The information is organized into the following categories:

·      Graduate School Contacts

·      University Calendar

·      Useful Stanford Websites

·      Getting Started

·      Computing

·      Academic Resources

·      Graduate Education Resources

·      Graduate Student Advice

·      Life on Campus

·      Life in the Bay Area

·      Day Trips/Weekend Getaways

·      Restaurant Guide

·      Getting Around

·      Maps

As you can see, BioMASS is responsible for the production of the Handbook. Up until two years ago, the Handbook was printed and distributed to every incoming Bioscience class. Due to budget constraints (and concern for the environment), the Handbook is no longer printed. Instead, it’s posted here on the BioMASS website. There are two versions: PDF and HTML. Unfortunately, the latter requires major reformatting (contact me if you’re an html whiz!), so I’d recommend the PDF version.

The MD students have a similar resource, called Medipedia. Information under the “Getting Started” and “Life Outside” headings are relevant to PhD students.

Most Bioscience departments publish or post a handbook relevant to specific PhD program requirements. Check the departmental websites and/or ask your program administrator if you're curious.