Call for PAGE Executive Members

The Physics and Astronomy Graduate Executive (PAGE) is looking for individuals to join the executive council. PAGE is a great opportunity for graduate students in the Physics and Astronomy (P&A) department to participate in the community. Through funding provided by the Graduate Student Association (GSA), PAGE not only plans/executes events for the P&A department (socials & the annual PAGE conference), but represents the P&A grads at both the departmental level (by attending departmental faculty meetings) and the university level (by attending the GSA council and Senate). In being a member of PAGE, you hone skills that will be required in your future career, and also add very important experience to your curriculum vitate. It is my hope to have a representative from varying sections of the Physics & Astronomy Department: Astrophysics, High Energy Physics, AMO, Biophysics, Condensed Matter Physics, Planetary Physics.

One year of commitment is expected for those that would like to join PAGE. If you are interested in participating, please send an email to page[at]yorku[dot]ca before the 15th of June 2013.

Please see the ‘Executive‘ link to see the different duties of the PAGE exec. Note that duties are typically shared amongst the group.

Grad Cafe is looking for a name

Please see message below from Brandon Moores, the Management Board Chair of the York University Graduate Student Association. Feel free to send any questions/suggestions his way.

Hi everyone,

       As most of you already know, we are currently on track to have the former Grad Cafe (Ross S167) opened as a space for study and socializing in the near future (there will be a coffee machine and electric kettle for tea, but no more cafe business).  We want to open it with a new name, and that is where you come in!  Please spend a minute or two thinking of a name that you’d like to see attached to the former Cafe and send it on to us.  We’ll bring the best of the submissions to Council to let them choose, and the person who submits the winning entry will be presented with a commemorative (but also edible) prize at the former Cafe’s grand opening event (exact nature TBD after we inquire into any dietary restrictions).  Suggestions should be sent to mbchair@yugsa.ca no later than April 17, 2013.  Looking forward to hearing from you!
-Brandon Moores

Grad Space Tea & Coffee Party

The Grad Lounge was closed last year due to funding issues, however the Graduate Student Association is still interested in using the space. To that end they are having a one-time re-opening of the Grad Lounge on Thursday 21 March 2013 from 1:30pm-5:00pm. The GSA will be serving free tea and coffee (the espresso machine should be up and running!), and there will be pastries and snacks available. The YUGSA Management Board is encouraging all grad students York wide to drop in; this will be a great chance to interact with the people who run the GSA, chat with the grad students running for the positions on the executive of GSA, and chat about where the Grad Lounge is going.

Where: Old Grad Lounge & Cafe, room Ross
When: Thursday, 21 March 2013
Time: 1:30pm – 5:00pm

Contact: If you have questions, contact Brandon Moores, the Management Board Chair. See the GSA exec website.

Two Minute Prof Parade

The PAGE exec, in partnership with the Department of Physics and Astronomy, would like to invite you to the annual Departmental ‘Prof Parade.’ As undergraduates, you can sometimes become too enveloped in your coursework that you may not know what research is happening in our Department, and by who. Understanding the various projects in our Department will not only help your greater view of the world you are a part of, but help guide your path into graduate studies, private industry, or other careers.

The Prof Parade is designed to give a short window into the research world of the various professors in our department. Each professor is given just 2 minutes to succinctly present their work, with emphasis on providing context on significance and direction. In order to preserve the spirit of the event, please hold questions until the end. Once all presentations are done, there will be time to approach any professor who’s work you found particularly interesting.

Details:
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
3:30pm – 4:30pm
Life Science Building (LSB) room 105.
Light refreshments will be served.

For more details you may contact Lauren O’brien or Jesse Rogerson, PAGE executive

Graduate Student Orientation

Each year the department of Physics and Astronomy coordinates a ‘Graduate Student Orientation’ designed to do two things:

1. Introduce new grad students in our department to the ‘rules of the road’
2. Provide a forum for the (old/new) grad students and faculty to meet, and get to know.

This year’s graduate orientation is occurring on Wednesday, 12 September 2012, beginning at 11am in PSE 317.

Agenda
11:00am – Intro to Physics and Astronomy Graduate Executive (PAGE)
11:15am – Dr. Wendy Taylor – Graduate Program Director,
11:30am – Ms. Marlene Caplan – Graduate Program Administrative Assistant
11:45am – CUPE (union) update and questions
12:00pm – Graduate Student Assosciation (GSA) update and questions
12:15pm – Paul Delaney – director of Natural Sciences
12:30pm – BBQ!!!

After all the talking is done, all graduate students, faculty, and staff of the Physics and Astronomy Department are invited to a department BBQ! The BBQ is catered by the Orange Snail pub and grill, and will be located in the courtyard between the Petrie Science & Engineering Bldg (17, on map) and the Chemistry Bldg (16, on map). [RAIN LOCATION: Orange Snail, located in the basement of Stong Residence (13, on map)]