Workshops & Events
Past WiSER Activities
In 2007 WiSER launched a postdoctoral award for early-career women academics. In November of that year we held a conference titled "From Surviving to Thriving: Women in Science". To find our more about these events, click on the links below.
WiSER Conference
Postdoctoral Researcher Award
A core strand of WiSER's work since its foundation has involved providing targeted and relevant seminars and workshops offering practical advice on issues affecting women academics and researchers in science. We have covered a wide range of topics to date. You can view details of some of our past seminars and workshops below. Click here to see what seminars are coming up soon.
If you are working in Trinity College and would like to see one of the past topics mentioned below addressed again in a future seminar, please email us at wiser@tcd.ie to let us know.
Thinking Inside & Outside the Box
Two half-day workshops were designed to get participants thinking about their futures and how to effectively manage their careers in years to come.
| Workshop 1 | |
| Date: | Monday, 17th May 2010 |
| Content: | The first workshop focused on identifying strengths and achievements, what motivates you and how this relates to the labour market. The aim was to help participants identify career options and put together a plan of action in relation to those options. |
| Workshop 2 | |
| Date: | Monday, 31st May 2010 |
| Content: | The second workshop concentrated on the practicalities of job hunting including the preparation of effective CVs, networking and optimum performance at interview. |
Academic Writing Groups
| Date: | Thursday, 25th March 2010 |
| Facilitators: | Caroline Roughneen, WiSER Director Fiona Lithander, School of Medicine |
| Content: | Current literature indicates that academics who are members of academic writing groups have increased publication output. This informal seminar discussed the benefits of joining a writing group and the practical guidelines for setting one up.
Why join an academic writing group?
|
Media Skills: Communicating Your Research - Two Part Series
Over the course of two focused sessions we aimed to provide practical and targeted tools for researchers engaging with the media, in order to achieve maximum impact when communicating their research.
| Media Skills 1: | Dealing with the Media – TCD Resources & Experiences |
| Date: | Wednesday, 3rd February 2010 |
| Speakers: | Caoimhe Ní Lochlainn, TCD Press Officer Dr. Aoife McLysaght, School of Genetics & Microbiology |
| Content: | The first seminar focused on the resources within College and the role of the Communications Office, as well as personal experiences of dealing with the media. TCD Press Officer Caoimhe Ní Lochlainn talked about opportunities for engaging with the media, as well as the information required by the Communications Office in drafting a press release and the media to which it is issued. She also gave some tips for media interviews. Dr. Aoife McLysaght then discussed her experiences of building a successful media profile, and the impact this has had on her research career. |
| Media Skills 2: | Practice Media Interviews |
| Date: | Tuesday, 23rd February 2010 |
| Facilitator: | Mary Mulvihill, science journalist |
| Content: | A follow-up workshop run by science journalist Mary Mulvihill provided an opportunity to put the tips learned into practice with mock interviews. This useful exercise involved attendees submitting a draft press release in advance of the workshop. Each attendee was then interviewed individually on the basis of their press release. The short interviews were be audio-recorded, and feedback, tips and suggestions for best interview practices were offered afterwards. |
How to Get the Most from Academic Mentoring
| Date: | Wednesday, 7th October 2009 |
| Facilitator: | Dr. Hilary Geber, Visiting Academic CAPSL, Principal Tutor, Staff Development, Centre for University Learning & Teaching, University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg |
| Content: | Dr. Geber provided a basic understanding of mentoring and how it can be used for the career and personal development of academics in Trinity College. The seminar explored the need for mentoring and the resulting benefits it can yield. Advice on how to get the most from formal or informal mentoring was be offered, as well as some practical suggestions for setting up successful partnerships. |
| Seminar Materials: | Further reading on Academic Mentoring (click to download MS Word document) |
Academic Writing Groups
| Date: | Wednesday, 24th June 2009 |
| Facilitator: | Caroline Roughneen, WiSER Director |
| Content: | Current literature indicates that academics who are members of academic writing groups have increased publication output. This informal seminar discussed the benefits of joining a writing group and the practical guidelines for setting one up.
Why join an academic writing group?
|
Negotiation Skills
| Date: | Wednesday, 20th May 2009 |
| Facilitator: | Dr. Martin Fellenz, Senior Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour at the School of Business, Trinity College. |
| Content: | In this seminar, Dr. Fellenz facilitated a discussion about key issues and questions relating to negotiation, such as:
|
Workshop: Writing an Article for Publication
| Date: | Wednesday, 18th February 2009 |
| Facilitator: | Professor David Taylor. Professor Taylor is Professor in the department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering and is the editor of the "Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials". He has experience as an author and reviewer of articles in areas ranging from materials engineering to biomedical science. |
| Content: |
In this seminar, Prof. David Taylor facilitated a discussion about the preparation and processing of articles for journals in science, engineering and technology. Topics included:
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Writing Group Master Class - in association with CAPSL
| Date: | Wednesday 9th April 2008 |
| Facilitator: |
Prof. Rowena Murray. Rowena studied at Glasgow and Pennsylvania State Universities. She worked in the Centre for Academic Practice for fifteen years and is now Reader in the Educational and Professional Studies Department at Strathclyde University. She has developed writing programmes for academics and researchers and delivers them at universities in the UK and overseas. Her latest book is Writing for Academic Journals (2005).
|
| Content |
This workshop brought together academic staff already engaged in writing groups to share their experience to date and built for their collaborative and collective writing futures. Rowena Murray led the session and provided techniques and approaches to increasing individual and group writing outputs, as well as sharing emerging principles and effective practices for writing groups from the international literature and her own practice. |
Workshop: Managing Maternity
| Date: | Monday 28th January 2008 |
| Facilitator: | Dr. Suzanne Doyle Morris. Suzanne complete a PhD at Cambridge University in looking at the experiences of women in the field of engineering. She set up Doyle Morris to help companies recruit, retain and develop their talented female employees. |
| Content: | This workshop explored how women can balance the dual roles of being a mother and a professional. It addressed childcare and working options tailored to individual values, and helped women to create a strategy for maintaining professional relationships whilst setting appropriate boundaries. |
Workshop: Career Planning for WiSER Researchers
| Date: | Wednesday 31st October 2007 |
| Facilitators: | Ms. Cliona Hillery & Ms. Sarah Ryan Careers Advisors, Trinity College Dublin |
| Content | The Careers Advisory Service facilitated this workshop, which discussed strategies to help plan a career either within or outside research including:
|
International Women's Day 2007
8th March 2007
International Women's Day was marked by a number of events throughout Trinity College. Professor Ruth Byrne, Vice Provost of Trinity College launched the 'gender statistics' event in the Printing House.
More info here.
Workshop: Management Development for Women in Universities
| Date: | Wednesday 25th April |
| Facilitators: | Professor Kathy Monks, Centre for Learning, Innovation and Knowledge, DCU Professor Patricia Barker, Centre for Learning, Innovation and Knowledge, DCU |
| Content: | Prof. Monks and Prof. Barker explored the issues involved for women academics undertaking management and leadership roles in universities, offering insight into the skills and abilities required in such roles and advice regarding career-planning. |
Funding Mechanisms & Opportunities (SFI & EI)
| Date: | Wednesday 21st March |
| Facilitators: | Dr. Sean Mulvany, Enterprise Ireland Dr. Mary Kelly, Science Foundation Ireland |
| Content: | Dr. Mulvany gave an overview of Enterprise Ireland supports available to researchers (Postdoctoral & Principal Investigator) to aid the development of ideas with commercial potential.
Dr. Kelly discussed SFI funding mechanisms including opportunties and guidelines. |
Managing Writing-Time Effectively
| Date: | Wednesday 14th March |
| Facilitator: | Dr. Tamara O'Connor Learning Support & Development |
| Content: | This seminar explored some of the blocks that may prevent writing and tried to identify possible solutions and strategies. We looked at how to find time in a busy schedule, strategies for getting the writing started and for dealing with procrastination. |
Sourcing Government Funding
| Date: | Wednesday 14th February 2007 |
| Facilitator: | Ms. Rhona McSweeney Gender Equality Unit, Department of Education & Science |
| Content: | Rhona raised awareness of the Gender Equality Unit, the National Women's Strategy, issues surrounding women and work and work-life balance, and discussed how to deal with government departments.
Rhona is an active trade unionist, a former president of the Public Service Executive Union and former chair of the ICTU Women's Committee. She has also served two terms on the Board of Directors of the National Women's Council of Ireland. |
Making Effective Presentations
| Date: | Wednesday 17th January2007 |
| Facilitator: | Ms. Sylvia Huntley-Moore Director, Staff Education & Development |
| Content: | This seminar highlighted the key points to making and delivering effective presentations for seminars and conferences |