2024-25 Graduate Student Orientation

New Graduate Student Orientation

The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences

August 21-22, 2024

This schedule is tentative and subject to change

Wednesday, August 21

102 Benkovic (Chemistry) Building

8:00 – 8:45 a.m.

Breakfast for New Students – 1st Floor Life Science Lobby

8:45 – 9:30 a.m.Introductions of new incoming class
  • Dana Coval-Dinant
9:30 – 9:45 a.m.Welcome and Opening Remarks

  • Patrick Drew Interim Director, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences; Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics, of Neurosurgery, of Biology, and of Biomedical Engineering

9:45 – 10:15 a.m.Huck Graduate Student Advisory Committee (HGSAC)
  • Avery Sicher (Neuroscience)
  • Junyao Yuan (Integrative and Biomedical Physiology)
10:15 – 11:00 a.m.Graduate student health insurance overview
  • Heather Klinger
11:00 –11:45 a.m.Sexual Misconduct Prevention & Response
  • Sarah Kern
11:45 – 12:15 a.m.Group Photo/Individual Photos
12:15 - 1:30 p.m.Lunch - 3rd Floor Bridge
1:30 – 2:00 p.m.Communications/Recruiting Focus Group
  • Dana Coval-Dinant
  • David Blehi
3:00 p.m.Group meetings with IGDP Program Chairs

Thursday, August 22

102 Benkovic (Chemistry) Building

8:15 – 9:00 a.m.Breakfast for New Students – 1st Floor Life Science Lobby
9:00 – 9:45 a.m.

Faculty Panel Discussion My Path from Student to Faculty: Lessons Learned Along the Way

  • Sonia Cavigelli Chair, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Neuroscience;
    Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health
  • Melissa Rolls Chair, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Molecular, Cellular and
    Integrative Biosciences; Co-Director of the Center for Cellular Dynamics; Paul Berg
    Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
  • Andrew Patterson Professor and Huck Chair of Molecular Toxicology; Faculty
    Oversight, Metabolomics Core Facility
9:45 – 10:45 a.m.T-32 Training Grant Opportunities within Huck
  • Donna Korzick Director of Graduate Training Initiatives; Chair, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Integrative and Biomedical Physiology; Professor of Physiology and Kinesiology
    • Physiological Adaptations to Stress (PAS)
    • Integrative Analysis of Metabolic Phenotypes (IAMP)
    • Center for Neural Engineering (CNE)
    • Eukaryotic Gene Regulation (EGR)
    • Molecular Machines Mechanism and Structure (M3S)
10:45 -11:15 a.m.Q&A with current grad students
  • Savannah Anez (Plant Biology FA 21)
  • Madeline Luthard (Ecology FA 20)
  • Maria Tyree (Physio FA 23)
  • Vyankatesh Zambare (Plant Biology FA 21)
  • Beth Tuschhoff (Ecology FA 20)
  • Praveena Prasad (MCIBS FA 22)
11:15-12:00 p.m

Graduate Life and Well-Being (house in Graduate School)

  • Lesley Jackson
  • Daymond Zweizig
  • Audree Montero
12:00-1:00 PMLunch - 3rd Floor Bridge
1:00 -1:45 p.m

Student Club/Organization Presentations

  • Graduate Women in Science (GWIS) – 10 min
    • Xiaoling Cheng (xze5221@psu.edu)
  • Penn State’s Science Policy Society – 10 min
    • Hanna Leapaldt  (hcl5089@psu.edu)
  • Penn State Graduate and Professional Student Assoc. (GPSA) – 10 min
    • Vaibhav Pal (vfp5149@psu.edu)
  • GenoMix (BG IGDP Group)
    • Maxwell Konnaris (mak6930@psu.edu) – 10 min
2:00 - 2:15 p.m.

Graduate Equity Contact

  • Aaron Mattingly
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.Picnic - Sunset Park


Fox Graduate School New Student Orientation Canvas Course