Seeking executive board members

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The EECS GSA is seeking three executive board members for the remainder of the current term (until December 31, 2018).

Interested in joining our executive board? Looking to give back to the larger department community? Consider joining us for the current term. This is also a great opportunity if you are interested in running for any position on the EECS GSA Executve Board in 2019 in order to familiarize yourself with the organization and the roles.

We have openings for the following positions:

  • Treasurer: Manage the GSA budget and finances
  • Academic Chair: Help organize academic events, such as faculty dinners, along with the VP Academic
  • Coffee Hour Chair: Organize the weekly GSA coffee hour

If you are interested, please contact eecs-gsa-president@mit.edu.

EECS welcomes new PhD students

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The beginning of another academic year always brings with it the eager shouts of a new cohort of PhD students joining our ranks. Welcome new students!

The EECS GSA hosted a variety of orientation activities to get our fellow students up-to-speed on the MIT PhD experience and Boston living… and hopefully meet a few friends along the way. Check out some photos of our events below.

EECS GSA Orientation activities included a board games and sushi social, a frisbee and cupcakes social, an Insider’s Guide to the PhD, Cambridge pub night, a beach outing, a rock climbing outing, and a How to Communicate in Grad School panel.

Constitution beach outing

One of everyone’s favorite orientation week events is our outing to Constitution Beach in East Boston. Students enjoyed a picnic lunch and a day of games and waves to unwind after a busy first week on campus. If this ends up being the only time you go to the beach in Boston during your entire PhD tenure, then rest assured it can’t get better than this!

Rock climbing

Those forearm muscles look great! Are they from the climbing gym or from mashing code at your keyboard? It didn’t matter to first year students as they scaled the walls at Rock Spot Climbing in South Boston.

New student?

Make sure to follow the EECS GSA for more social and academic events like these.

Recent academic events lead the way to semester’s end

Blog, Events

As MIT EECS graduate students begin to study for final exams, prepare course projects, submit research papers, and write up results in Masters and Doctoral theses, the EECS GSA has held several events to put students in the right mindset.

In March, EECS GSA and EECS REFS cohosted a wellness dinner for students to learn and discuss with each other how they tackle stress and stay fit while keeping up with the demands of research. Speakers included representatives from EECS GSA, EECS REFS, VPR, Physical Education, Community Wellness, and Title IX.

Students enjoyed a healthy meal
Students listened to presentations at the wellness dinner from various Institute groups

Then, we heard from Professor Vivienne Sze at the latest installation of our Faculty Dinner series. Professor Sze shared insights on her unique path to academia, the transition from an industry career to a faculty position, and her advice for graduate students to make the most of their training.

Professor Vivienne Sze (center) chats with students at a Faculty Dinner series event in April 2018.

Then, as graduate student thesis writers rev their engines in advance of Institute deadlines for submitting theses, the EECS GSA held a Thesis Panel featuring Professor Leslie Kolodziejski, Graduate Officer of EECS and Professor of Electrical Engineering, and Phoebe Ayers, EECS Librarian. Though it may have been the 10th time we learned about the specific requirements for earning graduate degrees from the department, this was the time students truly felt the impending deadlines. As a reminder, you can check out a variety of department resources to help you write your thesis:

EECS Graduate Officer Professor Leslie Kolodziejski speaks at the EECS GSA Thesis Panel in April 2018.

Stay tuned for more academic events from the EECS GSA!

Annual Pi Day celebration features pies galore

Blog, Events

The digits of π begin with 3.14… and if you’re reading this, you can probably name the next 50 as well. This March 14th, (3/14), EECS GSA hosted a Pi Day celebration featuring over 20 pies from local favorite Petsi Pies. Timeless favorites like Apple, Pumpkin, Banana Cream, and Chocolate Bourbon Pecan were served, as well as gluten-free and vegan choices. After an initial rush in which students maneuvered to get a slice of their favorite pie, the delectable desserts where quickly consumed.

The annual Pi Day celebration brought over fifty students to eat pies from local bakery Petsi Pies.
EECS GSA Co-President Maz Abulnaga (left) and VP Social Farnaz Jahanbakhsh (right) rejoice in the wafting scent of a Apple Pi Pie.
EECS students made a mad rush for the first, decadent slices.
EECS students enjoy slices of pie.

Taza Chocolate Factory Tour

Blog, Events
Taza Chocolate Factory Store

It’s not far into the semester, but we still thought you might be in need of chocolate. The EECS GSA is organizing a tour of the Taza Chocolate factory store on February 20, 2018. Yes, there will be sample tastings!

Sign up at https://goo.gl/forms/GKzPoNTazw8T1Pmy2 if you want to come. Space is limited so make sure you can attend before signing up. (Filling out the form does not guarantee you a spot.)

For further questions, email Farnaz Jahanbakhsh, VP of Student Life.

EECS Graduate Thesis Panel

Blog, Events, Uncategorized

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Are you currently writing your masters/PhD thesis? Or thinking about it, but don’t know where to start? The EECS GSA presents a Graduate Thesis Panel to guide you in writing first-rate masters’ and doctoral theses.

Featuring:

  • A talk by Prof. Leslie Kolodziejski about thesis requirements
  • A panel of graduate students with thesis writing experience
  • Dinner will be served

When: Monday, April 25 @ 530PM

Where: Grier Room A (34-401A)

RSVP here

2015 Elections!

Blog, Elections

*EECS GSA Elections*
*Wednesday 12/2, 6:00 – 7:30PM*
*32-G449 (Kiva Room)*

Nominations for elected officer positions in the EECS Graduate Student Association (GSA) for 2016 are now open! Joining the EECS GSA leadership team is a great way to give back to the graduate community and plan fun events with your friends. We are seeking nominations for the following positions:

Co-President (2)
Vice President of Academics and Diversity
Vice President of Orientation
Vice President of Student Life
Vice President of Publications
Treasurer

A description of these positions is available here. Please submit nominations by email to eecs-gsa-advisors@mit.edu. Nominations will be open until Tuesday 12/1 at 11:59 PM. All MIT EECS graduate students, including MEng students, are eligible to nominate or be nominated. To secure a nomination, you must be nominated by at least two EECS graduate students; self-nominations are encouraged. Candidates will be asked to submit a short personal statement to be posted on the GSA website prior to the elections.

Feel free to contact the current executive team with questions about officer positions, nominations, or  the electoral process.

EECS Orientation 2015

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The GSA will be running orientation events between August 30 and September 7. During orientation, the new EECS graduate students mingle with other students from the department.

Welcome Dessert Social – Sunday, August 30

8:00pm to 9:00pm, 8th Floor lobby of Building 36

Welcome to Cambridge! The GSA would like to kick things off with a pie and ice cream social. This is an informal event, for you to mix and mingle with GSA members before you start the official orientation events the next morning.

Pizza-Making Challenge – Monday, August 31

6:00pm to 9:00pm, The Warehouse Graduate Residence, Colbert Room

In this event, you are going to collaborate with your new EECS classmates to build the nicest looking and tasting pizza! Engineer the perfect pizza, using a rich assortment of ingredients, and try whatever others prepare. Both main course and dessert pizzas are more than welcome.

EECS Information Session (Strongly recommended for new students) – Wednesday, September 2

9:00 am to 2:30 pm, Grier (34-401)

This EECS graduate student information session is very important.  Faculty, administrators and fellow grad students will present important details about coursework requirements, research, and resources in our department. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Frisbee and Frozen Yogurt Social – Thursday, September 3

3:00 pm, Stata Lawn

Come enjoy free frozen yogurt on the Stata Lawn and Amphitheater with the GSA and current EECS graduate students!  We will have plenty of frozen yogurt and plenty of toppings for you to design your own delicious creation!

The Insiders’ Guide to MIT EECS: Working toward a PhD with joy – Friday, September 4

12:30 pm to 2 pm, 3rd Floor lobby of Building 34

Come meet the current EECS students who will share their journey toward getting a PhD. Ask any questions you might still have about grad life or the degree requirements, e.g. the TQE, RQE, etc. Meet various student groups as well as staff from MIT Libraries. Lunch will be provided.

Game Night – Friday, September 4

8:00pm to 10:00pm, Kiva Room (32-G449)

Come play some fun games and meet new peGames-Night-mediumople. We will have board games, and some other fun games!  This is a great chance to meet some of the other new students, and relax after the information overload of the orientation week.

Constitution Beach Outing – Saturday, September 5

11:00 am to 6:00 pm, Meet outside Building 34

This event is also highly recommended, because it is so incredibly fun. The GSA hosts this annual retreat, and we’ll be travelling to Constitution Beach, MA for a fun day of frivolity, possibly including beach volleyball, board games, sandcastle competition, and many other recreational activities, as well as a great lunch!
There is a RAIN PLAN for this event: We will start off with food around MIT and then make the trip to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston’s Fenway district.

Capture The Flag – Monday, September 7

9:00 pm to 10:30 pm, Stata Lawn

Come play a capture the flag game with many of the EECS students.  Run around campus as fast as you can, or just use your engineering skills to win this one.

GSA Rock Climbing

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Here are some photos from the event! Join us again next year! – EECS GSA
IMG_20150530_144834 IMG_20150530_144901 IMG_20150530_144927 IMG_20150530_144937 IMG_20150530_144815 IMG_20150530_144826 IMG_20150530_145006
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Join us for some rock climbing this Saturday, 5/30, starting at 1PM at Central Rock Gym in Watertown, MA (accessible by T…see below!). The day-pass access to the gym is free for EECS Graduate Students (gear not included, but available for rent at the gym).
 
Space is limited to 20 people! Sign-up below
If you have any questions, please email me.
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Directions by T (from Central Square)
– Walk to Green St at Magazine
– Take the 70(70A) bus towards Cedarwood(North Waltham) (~25 min)
– Get off at Main @ Olney…walk to

74 Acton St. Watertown, MA 02472 (~5 min)
 

Visit Days

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The MIT EECS visit days was a huge success. Thank you all for coming and making it so awesome!

Hope you had a great time. We enjoyed meeting you all and are looking forward to seeing you again in the Orientation in August!

— Orhan on behalf of the EECS GSA executive team

The new EECS GSA website is live!

Blog

Welcome to the redesigned EECS GSA website!

We have redesigned and simplified the website to focus on our activities. You will find information about past, current and future events in the Events and Blog sections. We will also be running polls to serve the GSA community better.

There will be more developments to come over time, so stay tuned!

—
Orhan on behalf of the EECS GSA executive team