Society of Self Fellows 2021 Spring Newsletter

Society of Self Fellows 2021 Spring Newsletter @ku_selfgraduate

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SSF Board of Governors Current Board of Governors for the Society of Self Fellows: (Elections for the Board of Governors takes place every November.)

Mary Krause, Ph.D. Board: 2018-2021 President

Angela Pierce, Ph.D. Board: 2020-2023 Nikki Galvis, Ph.D. Board: 2021-2024

Kyle Wetzel, Ph.D. Board: 2019-2022

Jennifer Roberts, Ph.D. Vice Provost for Graduate Studies, SGF Managing Trustee

Stefani Buchwitz, Ed.D. Director

Tammie Zordel

Senior Administrative Associate

Mark Bailey, Ph.D. Board: 2017-2020 Past President

Daniel Rivera

Recruitment Coordinator

Michelle Compton-Munoz Program Coordinator

BOARD OF GOVERNORS Thank you to Heather York, Ph.D. (2001-2005 Fellow) for serving the SSF Board of Governors from 2016-2020.

One of the perks of serving on the Board has been the annual return to Lawrence for the Spring Symposium, a �me each year when the redbuds are blooming, the weather is great for strolling along Mass Street, and the fourth-year fellows round out their �me in the program with memories of their experiences and with great an�cipa�on for what lies ahead. The last-minute disrup�on of the past spring's Symposium kept many of us from our much-an�cipated and already-planned trip to Lawrence; indeed, it goes without saying that the pandemic has upended so much of our lives. The silver lining, however, is that we are all exploring how to adapt to this new reality in crea�ve ways, including redefining what it means to communicate and collaborate in the professional realm. Assisted by everyone's newfound familiarity with virtual mee�ngs, Board of Governors has convened more o�en in the past year than it would have in a typical year, and we have given renewed a�en�on to our ongoing considera�on of how to strengthen �es among the Society of Self Fellows, the current fellows, and the University at large--admi�edly a perennial dilemma muddled by the great many other things in which the fellows and Society members are engaged. The ease with which we can now all connect virtually shows that we might forge long-las�ng professional connec�ons in novel, meaningful ways, and the role of the Society of Self Fellows is being explored in this new context. I am hopeful that in the wake of such a tumultuous �me, the Board will emerge with fresh ideas for its role in suppor�ng the current fellows, the members of the Society, and the University.

- Dr. Heather York

Congratulations to Nikki Galvis, Ph.D. (2011-2015 Fellow) for being elected to serve the SSF Board of Governors from 2021-2024.

Dr. Nikki Galvis currently lives in Santa Clara, California where she is a Senior Clinical Development Engineer at Intui�ve Surgical. In her current role, she designs and runs pre-market clinical trials on visualiza�on products, making structures like ureters, nerves, and cancerous lesions visible to the naked eye. She also mentors junior engineers and interns in the ways of medical device product development and shepherds along product development products from idea�on through commercializa�on.

In 2016, she completed her doctoral training at the University of Kansas where she earned her PhD in Bioengineering, focusing on the biomechanics of the adolescent spine. In her free �me, she likes to read all the sci-fi and fantasy novels, research her genealogy with her parents, and explore new na�onal parks with her weenie dog, Royal.

CONNECTING IN A REMOTE WORLD

Join us on Slack In the 2020 Society of Self Fellows Survey we learned that many SSF members would like to u�lize an online pla�orm as a way to stay connected and learn more about current engagements. We encourage you to log on to our Slack workspace, join your cohort’s channel, and start networking with other Society of Self Fellows.

Join us on Slack: http://bit.ly/SSFSlack If you’re unfamiliar with Slack, here are a great series of ar�cles to get started: https://slack.com/help/articles/218080037-Getting-started-for-new-members

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SSF Board of Governors Current Board of Governors for the Society of Self Fellows: (Elections for the Board of Governors takes place every November.)

Mary Krause, Ph.D. Board: 2018-2021 President

Angela Pierce, Ph.D. Board: 2020-2023 Nikki Galvis, Ph.D. Board: 2021-2024

Kyle Wetzel, Ph.D. Board: 2019-2022

Jennifer Roberts, Ph.D. Vice Provost for Graduate Studies, SGF Managing Trustee

Stefani Buchwitz, Ed.D. Director

Tammie Zordel

Senior Administrative Associate

Mark Bailey, Ph.D. Board: 2017-2020 Past President

Daniel Rivera

Recruitment Coordinator

Michelle Compton-Munoz Program Coordinator

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2021 SYMPOSIUM Self Graduate Fellowship Virtual Symposium Thursday, April 15 & Friday, April 16 This year the program will be entirely virtual. Zoom access information is included below. Registration for the lecture with Safi Bahcall, Ph.D. is required. All times are Central Standard Time.

Thursday, April 15 3:30-5:00p.m.

Symposium Lecture with Public Q&A – Safi Bahcall, Ph.D. Open to the public Register for the virtual lecture: bit.ly/SGFSymposium

5:15-5:45p.m.

Meet and Greet with Safi Bahcall, Ph.D. Society of Self Fellows, Self Graduate Fellows Zoom: h�ps://kansas.zoom.us/j/99625741166, passcode: 1989

Friday, April 16 12:00-2:00p.m.

Career Panel and Networking Lunch 12:00-1:00p.m.

Career Panel featuring Society of Self Fellows 1:00-2:00p.m.

Networking with SSF and Current Fellows Society of Self Fellows, Self Graduate Fellows Zoom: h�ps://kansas.zoom.us/j/8787662232, Passcode: 1989

3:00-5:00p.m.

2016-2020 and 2017-2021 Recogni�on Ceremony

5:00-6:00p.m.

Virtual Happy Hour

Society of Self Fellows, Self Graduate Fellows, guests Zoom: h�ps://kansas.zoom.us/j/8787662232, Passcode: 1989 Society of Self Fellows, Self Graduate Fellows, guests

Career Panel and Networking Lunch: The Networking Lunch is an opportunity for

the Society of Self Fellows and current Fellows to connect. The Career Panel will feature four Society of Self Fellows who will discuss their careers and touch on how the pandemic has impacted their industries or work. Speed Networking will allow for networking between Society of Self Fellows and current Fellows through randomly assigned breakout rooms. Each group of two to four par�cipants will engage for about 10 minutes before being moved to another group. Par�cipa�on in this event is a great opportunity to connect with the current Fellows and find ways to support them through their �me at KU and transi�ons to careers.

Symposium Lecture: Safi Bahcall, Ph.D. Thursday, April 15, 2021, 3:30p.m. CST Safi Bahcall, a bestselling author, biotech entrepreneur, and business consultant will deliver the Madison and Lila Self Graduate Fellowship Symposium Lecture at the University of Kansas.

Bahcall will present “Strategy in Times of Crisis” at 3:30 p.m. on April 15, 2021 via a Zoom webinar. This talk is free and open to the public. Registra�on is required for the webinar and can be accessed via the link below.

Bahcall received his BA summa cum laude from Harvard University and his Ph.D. in physics from Stanford University.

A�er working for three years as a consultant for McKinsey, Bahcall co-founded a biotechnology company developing new drugs for cancer. He led its IPO and served as its CEO for 13 years. In 2001, he worked with President Obama’s Council of Science Advisors (PCAST) on the future of na�onal research.

Bahcall is the author of Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries. His book was the number one most recommended book of the year in Bloomberg’s annual survey of CEOs and entrepreneurs, and selected as a best business book of the year by Amazon, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Forbes, Inc., Newsweek, Strategy + Business, TechCrunch, and the Washington Post.

In Loonshots, Bahcall reveals a surprising new way of thinking about the mysteries of group behavior that challenges everything we thought we knew about nurturing radical breakthroughs. Drawing on the science of phase transi�ons, Bahcall shows why teams, companies, or any group with a mission will suddenly change from embracing wild new ideas to rigidly rejec�ng them, just as flowing water will suddenly change into bri�le ice.

Loonshots iden�fies the small shi�s in structure that control this transi�on, the same way that temperature controls the change from water to ice.

Using examples that range from the spread of fires in forest to the hunt for terrorists online, and stories of thieves and geniuses and kings, Bahcall shows how this new kind of science helps us understand the behavior of companies and the fate of empires.

Learn more about Safi: www.bahcall.com Learn more about Loonshots: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39863447-loonshots

Register for the virtual lecture: bit.ly/SGFSymposium

SOCIETY OF SELF FELLOWS Personal Updates Isaac Allred, Ph.D. (2016-2020) accepted an offer from the Indiana Geological and Water Survey (Indiana University) as a Research Geologist. He will begin this spring and plans to defend his disserta�on this year.

Mark Bailey, Ph.D. (2006-2010) is now the Department Chair of Cyber Intelligence and Data Science, and the Co-Director of the Data Science in the Intelligence Center at the Na�onal Intelligence University (NIU).

Adrienne Harris, Ph.D. (1999-2003) is s�ll an associate professor of Russian at Baylor University. In December of 2019, she and husband Steven Jug welcomed a second child into the family: George Josef Jug. Bri�any Hartwell, Ph.D. (2011-2015) will be joining the faculty in the Biomedical Engineering department at the University of Minnesota this fall 2021! Un�l then, she will be wrapping up postdoc research in immunoengineering at MIT, where she is working on developing mucosal vaccines against viruses including HIV and SARS-CoV-2.

Brian Miller, Ph.D. (1994-1998) took a par�al step away from the private sector and is working as a Quality Assurance Officer for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture laboratory services division. He also has a consul�ng firm, Miller cGMP, LLC. He provides pharmaceu�cal services for Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC), Development, Manufacturing, and Quality Systems. For anyone that thought they might want to run their own consul�ng business, he highly recommends it.

Dave Minnick, Ph.D. (2012-2016) and Lawren Minnick (Kavulich) were married on Sept. 5, 2020. They live in Marie�a, OH. Dave con�nues to work for DuPont as a research inves�gator at the Washington Works plant in Parkersburg, WV. Rachel Robson, Ph.D. (2000-2004) was appointed to be Associate Dean of Basic Sciences at Saba University School of Medicine as of January 1, 2021. In addi�on to con�nuing to teach about infec�ous diseases at Saba University School of Medicine, Dr. Robson is also the top administrator for the first two years of medical students’ educa�on at the school. Saba University School of Medicine is an interna�onal medical school on the Dutch Caribbean island of Saba. It is accredited in all US states, as well as in the European Union. It was founded in 1992 and has a 94% first-�me residency placement rate. Saba, where Dr. Robson has lived with her husband Dr. Vaughn Huckfeldt for the past eight years, is also unique in that it has had no transmission of COVID in the past year and has already vaccinated over 85% of its popula�on against the disease. Dr. Robson was heavily involved in the vaccina�on awareness campaign that led to this result.

Julie Sergeant, Ph.D. (2002-2006) reports that this has been an interes�ng and exhaus�ng year to work in public health. In addi�on to her usual work, she has been helping to provide COVID support to local health departments and working in vaccina�on clinics one day a week. This year she is also par�cipa�ng in the CDC’s Training in Place Program. Julie is working on policy and evalua�on projects to be�er understand the public health role in addressing social determinants of health from the perspec�ve of state chronic disease and injury preven�on programs. There are some interes�ng parallels between this CDC leadership program and the Self Fellowship such as bringing together par�cipants from varying backgrounds through monthly training and discussion sessions. 2020 also brought her 2nd and 3rd granddaughters, born just two months apart and she is thoroughly enjoying being a grandma!

Jus�n Williams, Ph.D. (2016-2020) will be defending his disserta�on on May 10th and has accepted a job at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab in Laurel, MD.

DEPARTMENT UPDATES Department Name Change The Self Graduate Fellowship department changed names in fall 2021 due to now managing two dis�nct graduate educa�on programs funded by Madison and Lila Self.

Self Graduate Programs administers the Self Graduate Fellowship and Self Memorial Scholarship. Both programs support KU graduate students and align with the mission of the late Madison and Lila Self to “iden�fy, recruit, and provide development opportuni�es for excep�onal students who demonstrate the promise to make significant contribu�ons to their fields of study and society as a whole.”

Read about the name change here.

SGF Society Mentor Program A big thank you to all SSF members who opted into the SGF Society Mentor Program this year. We had more SSF members than needed and are thankful for your willingness to help support the current Fellows.

Pairings were made and no�fied in January. To best pair mentees and mentors, current Fellows were asked to rank characteris�cs for pairing including desired career, preferred city/loca�on, and same academic unit.

This year, with help from SGF Board of Governor’s President Mary Krause, the Fellows were also provided with a Mentee Guidelines handout to help them lead the partnership and maximize the opportunity. This handout outlined mentee expecta�ons including se�ng and managing mee�ngs, poten�al topics to discuss, and instruc�ons for bringing goals to the conversa�on. This is now an annual program and new mentors will be sought each fall semester to serve as mentors for one academic year.

FELLOW DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Spring Books Read what the fellows are currently reading within the Fellow Development Program.

https://amzn.to/3bgklx5

https://amzn.to/3uXkSvm

https://www.press.umich.edu/elt/compsite/ETRW

Public Policy Since our last newsle�er we have con�nued to host virtual Public Policy Luncheons on the topic of Crisis Policy.

November 3

Mariana Ramírez, LMSW, and Vicki Collie-Akers, Ph.D., MPH COVID-19: Its Unequal Burden on Vulnerable Populations

February 9

Elizabeth Keever, CEO, Just Food of Douglas County Food Insecurity Policies

February 23

Ward Lyles, Ph.D., AICP, Associate Professor Climate Change, COVID, and Compassion

March 9

T’Risa McCord and Lee Brown Economic Development Policy in Kansas City, Missouri