Welcome to the 10th year of the FIU Faculty Mentoring Program! This academic year we continued our partnerships with the Colleges of Arts, Sciences & Education, Engineering & Computing, and the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, as well as the Division of Research, in order to bring you an expanded assortment of speakers and workshops.
Fall 2020
Mentor Orientation
Tuesday, September 16 OR Wednesday, September 17
1:00-2:30pm, remote
Hosted by Dr. Suzanna Rose, AWED associate provost
Research Innovation: A Guide to Knowing if Your Idea Will Sell
Tuesday, September 29
1:00-2:30pm, remote
This workshop will be presented by Dr. Robert Hacker, Director of StartUP FIU. A Q&A session will follow the presentation.
Hosted by StartUP FIU and co-sponsored by the Faculty Mentoring Program and the FIU Office of Postdoctoral Scholar Services.
It's Not All About Startups: Three Paths to Commercializing Research
Tuesday, October 20
1:00-2:30pm, remote
This workshop will be presented by Dr. Robert Hacker, Director of StartUP FIU. A Q&A session will follow the presentation.
Hosted by StartUP FIU and co-sponsored by the Faculty Mentoring Program and the FIU Office of Postdoctoral Scholar Services.
Keeping it Real, Lively and Strong: Mindfulness-based ColorInsight Practices for Resilient Antiracist Learning Communities
Thursday, October 29 and Friday, January 30 (Identical Sessions)
9am-12pm, Zoom sessions
As part of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching's Contemplative Practices in Education initiative, and in collaboration with the Office to Advance Women, Equity, & Diversity, Rhonda V. Magee, Professor of Law at the University of San Francisco and author of The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness, will facilitate virtual workshops to lead the FIU teaching community in an exploration of how mindfulness and other contemplative practices can assist in:
- (i) examining issues of race and contemporary racism with compassion,
- (ii) cultivating learning environments that are inclusive and equitable, and
- (iii) promoting and supporting social engagement and social change.
Read more about the event and about the CAT Contemplative Practices in Education initiative
Timing the Research Opportunity: Crossing the Chasm
Tuesday, November 10
1:00-2:30pm, remote
This workshop will be presented by Dr. Robert Hacker, Director of StartUP FIU. A Q&A session will follow the presentation.
Hosted by StartUP FIU and co-sponsored by the Faculty Mentoring Program and the FIU Office of Postdoctoral Scholar Services.
Successful Commercialization Grant Strategies
Tuesday, December 1
1:00-2:30pm, remote
This workshop will be presented by Dr. Robert Hacker, Director of StartUP FIU. A Q&A session will follow the presentation.
Hosted by StartUP FIU and co-sponsored by the Faculty Mentoring Program and the FIU Office of Postdoctoral Scholar Services.
Spring 2021
Successful Commercialization Grant Strategies
Thursday, January 28
1:00-2:30pm, remote
This workshop will be presented by Dr. Robert Hacker, Director of StartUP FIU. A Q&A session will follow the presentation.
Hosted by StartUP FIU and co-sponsored by the Faculty Mentoring Program and the FIU Office of Postdoctoral Scholar Services.
Tenure and Promotion Workshop
Wednesday, February 3
Non-tenture track promotion: 10:00am-12:00pm
Tenure track promotion (including promotion to full professor): 1:00pm-3:00pm
Please join the United Faculty of Florida (UFF) and Florida International University (FIU) in our annual Tenure & Promotion Workshop. Each year, individuals from the provost’s office, as well as deans and associate deans who examine promotion files, offer their advice regarding what’s expected at FIU with respect to promotions.
Feel free to come prepared with key questions regarding the processes and approaches administrators tend to take when reviewing files.
Intellectual Property: Things You Should Know and Pitfalls (postdocs)
Thursday, February 4
1:00-2:30pm, Zoom
Presented by Peter Hernandez, Director of Technology Management and Commercialization in the FIU Office of Research and Economic Development.
This workshop, led by an industry veteran with 30 years of experience, will cover key elements of intellectual property management, including patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and copyrights.
Sponsored by the Office of Postdoctoral Scholar Services and the Office to Advance Women, Equity & Diversity.
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Funding Opportunities Webinar
Friday, February 5
2:00-3:30pm, Zoom
Presented by the Office of Research Development at Florida State University, this webinar will cover different funding opportunities at the National Endowment for the Humanities. Our special guest and Program Officer for the NEH, Meaghan Brown will walk through some select NEH funding opportunities and be available for a Q&A.
Women and Covid: A "Pink Recession" in Higher Ed?
Thursday, February 11th
1:00-2:30pm, Zoom
Join us as we examine how women faculty have experienced COVID-19 in their professional and personal lives and explore ways to cope with the pandemic's ongoing gendered impacts as individuals and an institution
Panelists are Rene Price, Professor, Earth and Environment; Diana Sheehan, Asst. Professor, Epidemiology, and Carleen Vincent, Assoc. Teaching Professor, Criminology.
Commentary will be provided by Martha Meyer, President, UFF-FIU, and Kathleen Wilson, Vice Provost, Office for Faculty Leadership and Success.
This event is free and open to the public.
Identifying, Countering and Eliminating Microaggressions in Higher Research
Monday, February 22nd
2:00-3:30pm, Zoom
Microaggressions are subtle verbal or nonverbal insults or denigrating messages communicated toward a marginalized person, often by someone who may be well-intentioned but unaware of the impact their words or actions have on the target. In higher education, microaggressions accumulate on top of other disparities and have a real impact of the experience of minoritized students, faculty and staff.
Join us for a discussion on what microaggressions look like in academic settings, how we can intervene when we hear one, and how we can create an environment that is inclusive and welcoming for all.
Venture Capital Investment: Another Path to Commercialize Research
Thursday, February 25th
1:00-2:30pm, Zoom
StartUP FIU will lead a panel discussion featuring three venture capitalists: Neil Cohen, Chairman, Emerald Development Managers LP, Jim Graham, Managing Director of Investments, Research Bridge Partners, Alain Hanover, Senior Partner, Alumni Ventures Group.
Hosted by Robert Hacker, Director, StartUP FIU. A Q & A will follow the presentation. Co-Sponsored by FIU Faculty Mentor Program and FIU Office of Postdoctoral Scholar Services.
Tips for Mentoring Graduate Students
Friday, March 12th
1:00-2:00pm, Zoom
Mentoring graduate students can be one of the most rewarding, yet challenging experiences of faculty life. Fostering emerging professionals into the field can have a great impact on the lives and careers of both the students and faculty alike. Join us for a discussion on tips for effective mentorship of graduate students including guidance on how to motivate struggling students and how to balance mentorship with other competing responsibilities.
Future Grant Funding and Commercialization Opportunities
Thursday, March 25, 2021, 11:00 – 2:30 PM
Presented by Robert Hacker, Director, StartUP FIU. Q & A will follow the presentation.
Co-Sponsored by the FIU Faculty Mentor Program and FIU Office of Postdoctoral Scholar Services.
Forum: Understanding the Rising Anti-Asian Violence
Friday, March 26, 1:00-2:30pm, Zoom
Join us as we discuss the recent acts of violence against members of our nation’s Asian community. This forum aims to provide a broader understanding of the origins of anti-Asian violence and discuss potential responses.
AWED invites everyone to discuss support for our Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) colleagues at FIU and the community at large.
Panelists include Lei Guo, Associate Professor, Physics, Xuan Jiang, Assistant Director, Center for Excellence in Writing, and Maria Elena Villar, Associate Director, Communication.
Summer Planning Workshop: What I Wish I Had Known
Tuesday, April 6, 2021 1:00-2:00pm, Zoom
Bill Anderson, Associate Vice President and Professor, Office of Research and Economic Development, will discuss topics such as summer planning and advice for early-career faculty who have research goals for summer. Often academic research lives can be rather unpredictable, but with a flexible approach, progress can always be made.
Additionally, Dr. Anderson will reflect on “what I wish I would have known,” as based on faculty and institutional perspectives.
FIU Faculty Panel: Commercializing Your Research
Tuesday, April 27, 2021, 1:00 – 2:30 PM
Presented by Robert Hacker, Director, StartUP FIU. Q&A will follow the presentation. StartUP FIU will lead a panel discussion featuring four experienced faculty:
- DeEtta Mills, Ph.D. Dr. Mills is Associate Professor of Biological Sciences and Director of the International Forensic Research Institute. She is also part of the team that implements odor detection in canines to address agricultural and medical problems. She participated in the NSF I-Corps and holds one patent.
- Sharan Ramaswamy, Ph.D. Dr. Ramaswamy is Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and directs the Cardiovascular Therapeutics Laboratory. He holds a patent in the area of bioreactors for cardiovascular regenerative medicine. He participated in the NSF I-Corps and received an NSF PFI grant. He is a Fellow of the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Society for Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
- Adela Timmons, Ph.D. Dr. Timmons is Assistant Professor of Psychology and the Director of the FIU Technological Interventions for Ecological Systems Lab. She participated in the NSF I-Corps and was awarded an STTR grant from the National Institute of Mental Health. She is the CEO of Colliga Apps.
- Selcuk Uluagac, Ph.D. Dr. Uluagac is an Eminent Scholar Chaired Associate Professor in Computer Engineering at FIU, leading the FIU Cyber-Physical Systems Security Lab. His research in cybersecurity has been funded by numerous government agencies and industry, including the NSF, the DOE, Air Force Research Lab, Dept. of Labor, Cyber Florida, Trend Micro, and Cisco. He is very entrepreneurial and visionary with his research. Many of his research ideas have resulted in patents (16 disclosures and 7 granted) with one licensed to a company recently.
Co-Sponsored by the FIU Faculty Mentor Program and FIU Office of Postdoctoral Scholar Services.
Scholar(ly) Devaluation as a Barrier to Faculty Diversity | FIU Women Faculty Leadership Institute 2021
Thursday, May 6, 11:00am-1:00pm, Zoom
Keynote Address: NiCole Buchanan, professor, psychology, Michigan State University, and Isis Settles, professor, psychology and Afroamerican and African Studies, University of Michigan
Racial minority faculty (i.e., Black, Hispanic, and American Indian) remain underrepresented within academia, with each of these groups holding fewer than 4% of full-time faculty positions according to 2013 data (U.S. Department of Education, 2013). Further, their representation declines as rank increases. Scholarly devaluation may act as a barrier to the number, retention, and advancement of underrepresented racial minority (URM) faculty in the academy, as it leads to their research, teaching, and scholarly identity being diminished, seen as illegitimate and lacking merit. Drawing from our program of research, we detail how this scholarly devaluation operates formally and informally, the consequences of such exclusion, and strategies for universities seeking to enhance diversity and inclusion on their campus.
Co-sponsored by FIU's NSF ADVANCE Grant.