A Career Development Workshop for Early Career Geotechnical Engineering Faculty; Cleveland, Ohio; Fall 2017

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This project supports the 2nd USUCGER (United States Universities Council for Geotechnical Education and Research) workshop for early career geotechnical engineering faculty. The workshop will be a two-day event including keynote speeches, panels, facilitated group discussions, and mock Project Description review sessions. The workshop will help junior geotechnical faculty understand the role of the geotechnical engineer in addressing grand engineering and societal challenges. Participants will be actively engaged thorough the facilitated group discussions, mock Project Description review session, and a poster session where they get share their research interests with other participants. The workshop will be an integrated program that facilitates experience-sharing and mentoring between early career professionals and successful midcareer and senior professionals and promotes peer-to-peer interaction and relationship-building among early career professionals. The workshop will provide a forum for junior faculty to exchange their experiences on important issues affecting their career path with other both junior and senior faculty members. The targeted outcome is to help young geotechnical scholars launch their academic career productively, avoiding common pitfalls and enhancing the probability if successful on their academic journey. The workshop will feature structured programs to engage the participants and facilitate interaction among them and with mid-career and senior professionals. It will update early career faculty on current research priorities and funding trends for NSF and other funding agencies. The program will feature keynote sessions and keynote panels on important academic issues, including tenure and promotion. It also will enable early career professionals (junior faculty, postdocs, and senior graduate students) to share personal experiences (both successful and unsuccessful) and avoid common pitfalls in starting an academic career. Participants will be asked to submit a mock Project Description prepared in NSF format, peer review two such descriptions prior to the workshop, and then participate in a panel review of the Project Descriptions at the workshop, providing training in proposal preparation and in peer review. Participants will also have the opportunity to build relationships with their peers that will be invaluable as they progress in their academic careers. The workshop will also provide participants with essential skills that they can share with other early career faculty at their home institutions. And, by facilitating the success of early career professionals, it can maximize the potential for a successful return on the investment made by their home institution and other stakeholders in their career development.