postdoc newsletter - university of california, berkeley · the uc postdoc newsletter invites...

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

Postdoc Newsletter» December 2009 | Issue Three

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QUESTION: I recently heard from friends that it has become more di�cult to

be sponsored for a “green card” as an “Outstanding Researcher” or to be

classi�ed as a “Scientist of Extraordinary Ability.” Is this true?

ANSWER: Yes, the immigration offices in both Lincoln, Nebraska, and Dallas, Texas, have dramatically raised the eligibility bench-mark in the last six months. The reason is unknown, but one may assume that it is connected to the overall unemployment figures in the United States. Immigration adjudicators are now asking for far more evidence from the applicant than they have in the past.

For example, formerly, in order to be classified as an “Outstanding Researcher” the applicant had to have four or five publications in print. Now, immigration wants to see that you already have approximately nine or ten publications in print.

Continued on Page 5 »

Ask Adam Green nearlyanything about Visas,

Travel, and Related Topics

September 24, 2009, was the first ever

National Postdoc Appreciation Day. This day

was designated by the National Postdoctoral

Association in hopes that postdocs will be

celebrated annually. To this

regard, the inaugural annual day

of recognition was celebrated by

more than 70 institutions across

the U.S.



Appreciation Day

N A T I O N A LP O S T D O C

UC San Francisco

UC San Diego

UC Berkeley

Postdoctoral scholars make up a large portion of the research enterprise at any established university. The more than 6,400 postdocs in the UC system amount to 8-10% of the total postdocs in the U.S.

Until recently, postdocs everywhere went largely unnoticed as a significant part of the academic community. The UC COGD has long had administra-tive oversight of postdoc matters on nearly all UC campuses, although at UC Berkeley and UC San Diego, postdocs are technically overseen by the Vice Chancellor for Research. Accordingly, as early as

by Christine Des Jarlais, Assistant Dean for Postdoctoral Affairs, University of California (UC) San Francisco and Chair, UC Council of Graduate Deans (COGD) Postdoc Work Group

By Natalia M. Belfiore

Who’s LookingOut for Postdocs?

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Know It All?!Editor’s Column

CPS Editorial

4UCSF Postdoc Association

4NPA Summit

5Write Your Way to Success

Leadership at UCSF

Credits, and Invitation to Submit

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Ask AdamPostdoctorate researchers

as Adam Greennearly anything.

QUESTION: For the past two years I have been a postdoc at UCSD in J-1 status. IBM would like to hire me as a postdoc and told me that they must change my visa to that of H-1b. Do you know why I would need to change my visa? Should I try and stay on the J-1?

ANSWER: Let me explain some di�erences between the two visa categories...


UC Los Angeles Graduate Division, O�ce of Postdoctoral and Visiting Scholars: Esther Chang, Administrative Analyst, Lisa Itagaki, Director of Postdoctoral and Visiting Scholar Services, M. Belinda Tucker, Associate Dean of the Graduate Division, and Jenny Tang, Administrative Analyst.

UCLA Graduate Division Creates Comprehensive “Tool Kit for Postdoctoral Scholars and Faculty Mentors”

Prior to joining the UC Los Angeles Graduate Division as the associate dean responsible for

postdoctoral appointments, M. Belinda Tucker directed a national postdoctoral program

funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. In that capacity, she observed that few

mentors and postdoctoral scholars were familiar with the rules and regulations governing

postdoc appointments in the University of California. Moreover, few knew exactly what

was expected of mentor-scholar relationships and how to address the many issues that

could arise during the course of the training program. Continued on Page 4 »

CPSAnnual Report of the

University of California

Council of Postdoctoral Scholars

In my function as chair of the CPS over the past year, allow me to say that it has been a pleasure to work with postdocs and administors from the ten University of California (UC) campuses. Here is a round-up of recent CPS activities. One of the most successful endeavors this year was the establishment of the UC Postdoc Newsletter—as of this writing, our second issue! In addition, CPS representatives undertook an assess-ment of career development resources for postdocs on each UC campus, based on needs identified in the 2005 Sigma Xi National Postdoc Survey results. This process identified differing career support services to postdocs amongst the UC campuses and underscored CPS’s commitment to promote career development.

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The Society of Postdoctoral Scholars (SoPS) at UCLAby Ajaykumar Gopal, past-President of the UCLA SoPS and Natalia M. Belfiore

Are you getting everything you need from your postdoc?Cathee Johnson Phillips, Executive Director, NPA

Credits, Special Thanks, andInvitation to Submit

» December 2009 | Issue Three


Postdoc Newsletter

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Know It All?!Editor’s Column By Natalia M. Belfiore


Teri, Barb and Lachelle

INVITATION TO SUBMIT:

In her article “Mind Matters: In Defense of Downtime,” December 04, 2009, in Science Careers, Irene Levine argues that workaholics are likely to be less productive and less content with their jobs. This is not just her opinion—she cites a study recently published in the Harvard Business Review, by Perlow and Porter, as well as multiple other studies and observations. The prevailing view seems to be that having predetermined time off or an end-of-the-workday tends to increase focus and efficiency, and overall, enhances the ability of individuals to work well with his or her colleagues. Vacations are good, but not sufficient. [http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2009_12_04/caredit.a0900149]

A recent survey of over 700 postdoc supervisors, conducted by the Science Careers division of AAAS, indicated high concern about the probability and time it may take for postdocs to find a job. Postdocs are spending, on average, slightly less time as postocs in recent years, largely due to new time limits associated with many funding sources. But it is taking longer to find a job. Nevertheless, there is evidence of a trend for greater postdoc fellowship availability in some countries, as well as larger salaries and more benefits, all of which are accompanied by clearer definitions of the postdoctorate. [see “The Evolving Postdoctoral Experience” by Laura Bonetta; www.sciencecareers.org/businessfeatures]

Women make up half the graduates and postgraduates in biological sciences in the US and many countries in Asia and Europe, but only 19% of tenured NIH staff, and 25% of NIH grant recipients. In the U.S., only 26% of applicants for tenure track jobs are women, in spite of a 45% female Ph.D. rate. This editorial cites studies pointing toward some obvious benefits of a gender-balanced faculty, and some factors that discourage women from staying in academia. [Attracting Women, Nature Cell Biology 11, 915, 2009]

There may be some legal recourse, however. Dr. Marc Goulden and colleagues recently published a large study on women and sciences and some of their conclusions point to the need for compensatory action on the part of universities under Title IX [http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/11/pdf/women_and_sciences.pdf]. That connection is laid out in an essay by the study’s co-author, Mary Ann Mason, in a recent editorial [Title IX Includes Maternal Discrimi-nation, The Chronicle of Higher Education, November 19, 2009]

As if that isn’t bad enough, Ben Gose speculates that the deep budget cuts that have shrunk programs and the number of administrators at universi-ties across the country this year will have a disproportionately high impact on underrepresented faculty, students, and staff. [Diversity Takes a Hit During Tough Times, October 11, 2009, Chronicle of Higher Education]

The UC Postdoc Newsletter invites contributions from any UC postdoc, as well as administrators, faculty, or other UC personnel who want to share a story, viewpoint, piece of advice, or inquiry with others in the postdoctoral commu-nity. Please submit your written piece, question, or idea, to [email protected] or contact us with questions.

Natalia M. Belfiore, Editor-in-Chief; UC Berkeley, Visiting Scholar Sam Castañeda, Managing Editor, UC Berkeley, Director, Visiting Scholar and Postdoc Affairs Program; UC Council of Postdoctoral Scholars AdvisorChristine DesJarlais, Assistant Dean for Postdoctoral Affairs, UC San FranciscoFabian V. Filipp, Former Chair, UC Council of Postdoctoral ScholarsKathleen Flint, ADVANCE Project Manager, National Postdoctoral AssociationAdam Green, Law Offices of Adam GreenAmanda Stiles, Chair, UC Council of Postdoctoral ScholarsVuk Uskokovic, President, UC San Francisco Postdoctoral Scholars AssociationCasey Wight, Designer and Layout Editor – www.verritech.com

In 2001, Dr. Christine Des Jarlais of the University of Hawaii answered an advertisement for an assistant dean position at UC San Francisco. The ad was to fill a newly-secured permanent position, created by then-graduate dean Cliff Atkinson. This position was the first of its kind to be a dedicated point person for postdocs on the San Francisco campus. The position was also designed to focus on efforts to increase diversity. Des Jarlais’ prior experience won her the post, which she still holds today.

The formation of this position, one of only two assistant deans that work with graduate dean Patricia Calarco, grew out of a white paper compiled by a group of UC San Francisco postdocs who organized to improve conditions at the campus. Des Jarlais calls it a “top-down, bottom-up venture” which required both the diligence of committed postdocs, and the strong support of the dean.

At UC San Francisco, the Graduate Division is responsible for the appoint-ments and affairs of postdoctoral scholars, a responsibility that has

According to Susan Hockfield of the Wall Street Journal, U.S. conservative immigration policies hurt American progress and competitive ability on the world stage. She argues “that we need the kind of broad new immigra-tion policy that would allow foreign students who earn advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering and math to easily become legal permanent residents” in this global environment. [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704322004574477700761571592.html?mod=googlenews_wsj]

This column is a regular feature of the UC Postdoc Newsletter. It will feature brief comments and notices about articles, events, and resources that are of interest to postdocs.

LEADERSHIPBENEFITS POSTDOCS

at University of California (UC) San Francisco

Dr Patricia Calarco and Dr Christine DesJarlais

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Postdoc Newsletter

by Amanda Stiles, CPS Chair, and Fabian V. Filipp, former CPS Chair

continued to be held in high regard after dean Atkinson’s departure. Patricia Calarco, professor in the department of anatomy, was hired to replace him in 2007, and carries on that same dedication to postdocs. Des Jarlais, assistant dean for outreach and postdoctoral affairs, has a staff member dedicated full time as a postdoctoral affairs assistant, Jeannine Cuevas.

The top-down, bottom-up impetus has sustained postdocs throughout the past decade and more. During a particularly low ebb in organized postdoc activity on the campus, Des Jarlais solicited names of enthusias-tic postdocs from departmental postdoc administrators. After inviting them to a lunch she hosted, she was able to inspire a new crop of postdocs to run the UC San Francisco Postdoctoral Scholars Association (PSA).

UC San Francisco is unusual among UC campuses in that it is dedicated to health sciences and does not have an undergraduate population. Given this, postdocs make up a much larger percentage of the population than a typical campus with undergraduates. Although this did not happen automatically, postdocs are now viewed as a legitimate, unique campus constituency. Services, such as career development, are automatically extended beyond graduate students to postdocs, and the UC San Francisco website now contains “Postdocs” as a button at the top of the homepage.

As a result of this progress, Des Jarlais’ efforts can emphasize leadership at a broader level. She is credited with single-handedly putting the word “postdoc” into the daily vocabulary of campus staff because of her tireless reminder that when one lists members of the campus community, “faculty, students and staff,” “postdocs” need to be listed as well. She is the chair of the UC-wide Council of Graduate Deans Postdoc Workgroup, and a UC San Francisco representative on the UC bargaining team, working with the United Auto Workers on a contract for postdocs.

Dean Calarco’s long tenure at UC San Francisco has allowed her to witness the dedication and hard work of postdoc advocates for more than a decade, including the creation and implementation of APM 390 (see article, this issue, by Des Jarlais) and the postdoc health insurance plan. As a woman who came through the system when there were very few women, she knows that a pressing issue remains to be the attrition of women coming through the “pipeline.” She sees that there continues to be a perception that not working the typical work schedule (to have children, for example) may affect colleagues’ assessments of one’s commitment. Her own policy was that as long as her work met the approval of her peers (in peer-review), she would make it through, despite feelings of alienation. Her personal history informs her commitment to the ongoing challenge of retaining women and allowing them to advance.

Calarco appreciates her transition to being heavily involved in administra-tion. It allows her the opportunity to make a difference in aspects of university life that have greater social connotations than her own research interests do.

Calarco’s strong administrative leadership and institutional devotion to the status and situation of postdocs at UC San Francisco support Des Jarlais’ office and their own dedication. The synergy of these offices, and the efforts of these leaders, means that great things will continue to come out of UC San Francisco with regard to postdocs.

The CPS represents all 10 UC campuses with the aim to improve the postdoctoral experience and the career development opportunities for postdoctoral scholars in UC. In July of 2009, outgoing CPS Chair Fabian Filipp traveled from San Diego to the San Francisco Bay Area to pass the torch to Amanda Stiles, postdoctoral fellow in plant and microbial biology, and Vice President of the Berkeley Postdoctoral Association. As Chair of the CPS, Amanda will continue to keep the UC Council of Graduate Deans (COGD) up-to-date on the progress of the CPS and will head up other ongoing CPS activities for postdocs. One of Amanda’s target events will be to fund and organize a local meeting of Bay Area postdoctoral leaders from all regional institutions. This idea has support within the CPS, but will require concerted fund-raising efforts by the group to be successful.

At the 2009 National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) annual meeting in Houston, Texas, more than a dozen CPS representatives shared news and events from their home campuses. UC Los Angeles’ Postdoc Toolkit (reported in the June issue of this newsletter) received special attention at the NPA meeting, and was referenced as a model for postdoctoral career guidance. Also at the meeting, plenary speaker Peter Fiske focused on the importance of professional networking. "Anyone's career options, be they for an academic career, or for a career in public policy, critically depend on the professional network they develop,” he explained. Workshops on identifying transferable skills and Individual Development Plans (IDP) reinforced the need to keep our minds open as we plan our careers. For more on IDPs, go to http://opa.faseb.org/pdf/idp.pdf .

Active members of UC postdoctoral associations are elected to represent their campuses in the CPS and to interact with faculty administration at their own campus. Under the CPS umbrella, common goals are identified and systemwide activities are coordinated and communicated between postdoctoral associations and postdoctoral offices.

With the goal of reinforcing the links between campus administration and postdocs, the CPS hopes to combine its next meeting with the upcoming UC COGD Postdoc Work Group meeting. A strength of the CPS

Ed i to r ia lUniversity of California (UC) Council of Postdoctoral Scholars

Fabian Filipp and Amanda Stiles


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could arise during the course of the training program. Continued on »





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The UC San Francisco PSA was formed in 1995 and, as such, is one of the oldest postdoc associations in the U.S. With between 1,000 and 1,100 active members, it is also one of the biggest.

The executive council of the PSA consists of 17 chairs, dedicated to different issues ranging from organizing social hours, outdoor events, lecture series and mentoring meetings, to outreach, marketing, public relations and sponsorship. The executive council also includes represen-tatives who sit on 14 different UC San Francisco-wide committees.

The UC San Francisco PSA has been supported financially by kind donations from departments who hire the majority of postdocs. Aside from this, the PSA now also actively seeks outside sponsorships for its events and offers various platforms for advertisements of its sponsors.

In the past several years, the PSA has organized numerous social events that attracted postdocs and successfully created a space for socializing and networking. For example, the 2009 Practice of Science Lecture Series gave the PSA an opportunity to host: the founder of Green Chemistry, John C. Warner; the Nobel Laureate, George Olah; the political activist, Stanley Aronowitz; and many other speakers who were invited to inspire postdocs with stories about doing science.

Additionally, the PSA organizes dozens of coffee and social hours on campus, as well as plenty of outside events-- including bowling, ski trips and chocolate tasting. Mentoring dinners are also regularly organized to give postdocs a chance to spend time with some of the UC San Francisco’s faculty and alumni in an informal setting.

The PSA strives to act in accordance with its original ideals, that is, to be a “grassroots organization seeking improvements in the training and work climate of postdocs.” To this regard, institutional history has shown that creating educational and intellectually novel settings provides essential stimuli needed to energize the PSA.

Opportunities for pragmatic networking, for casual socializing and for career development, need to be balanced with an environment in which the fundamental questions relevant to life, ethics, and science are asked in order to keep the PSA momentum. The PSA currently strives to keep optimism and a cheerful spirit among postdocs, not forgetting to address important questions about both the quality of life and the scientific creativity of postdocs.

University of California (UC) San Francisco

Postdoctoral ScholarsA S S O C I A T I O N

By Vuk Uskokovic, President; Daniel Almonacid Coronado, Vice President; and, Evelin Szakal, Director of Maketing/Public Relations, of UC San Francisco PSA

The NPA will hold a National Summit on Gender and the Postdoctorate on March 10-11, 2010. The event will precede the NPA’s Eighth Annual Meeting, to be held in Philadelphia, PA March 12-14, 2010 (for more information go to http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/meetings-and-events/annual-meeting/2010-annual-meeting). The purpose of the summit is to examine the unique challenges faced by women scientists as they seek to make the transition from postdoctoral scholar to faculty. Summit sessions are designed to be of interest to those concerned with workforce diversity and approaches for assisting postdoc women to advance in their careers.

The National Postdoctoral Association to Host National Summit on

Gender and thePostdoctorate

Gender and thePostdoctorate

By Kathleen Flint, NPA Advance Project Manager

The summit will feature a series of plenary panels presenting (i) data on postdocs and gender, (ii) some of the reasons why postdoc women leave the academic pipeline, and (iii) career success stories from former postdocs. In addition, it will include a series of parallel breakout sessions addressing promising practices for retaining postdoc women. Participants are encouraged to share their own ideas and success stories during the discussions or to contribute to the summit’s poster session. Postdocs in particular are encouraged to attend and should consider applying for one of the summit’s travel grants; applications are due December 18, 2010. For details on the travel grant competition, see http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/programs-resources/npa-advance/advance-summit/317-summit-travel-grants.

The summit is part of the NPA ADVANCE project, a new NPA project funded by the National Science Foundation’s ADVANCE program to increase the representation and advancement of women in academic science, technology and engineering careers. The goal of the project is to promote promising institutional practices for assisting women scientists and engineers in making the transition from postdoc to faculty. For more information go to http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/advance/293-about-npa-advance .

Kathleen Flint is the NPA Project Manager, managing the NPA’s new NSF-funded ADVANCE project to foster postdoc women’s career advance-ment. NPA ADVANCE is supported by the National Science Foundation Grant No. #0819994. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recom-mendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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Science communication is an incredibly diverse field with numerous possibilities for gainful employment. In November, a panel of profes-sional writers provided UC San Diego's postdocs with insight for how to advance their careers and transition into medical, science and technical writing.

"Medical communicators write, edit, or develop materials about medicine and health," said Jennifer Grodberg, Ph.D., Director of Regulatory Affairs with Trius Therapeutics. "They do this by gathering, organizing, interpreting, and presenting information in a manner appropriate for the target audience. Professionals in research, manage-ment, healthcare, pharmaceutical industry, and freelance qualify as medical communicators." She highly recommended the American Medical Writers Association (http://www.amwa.org) as a useful entry platform to get exposure as a young science writer.

Roshni Mitra Chintalapati, Ph.D., translates complex scientific language into a legal format suitable for the patent department at ISIS pharma-ceuticals. "I love talking, writing and reading about science," Chintala-pati said, "but I never liked doing science. During my transition into science writing, my certificate in technical writing from the UC San Diego Extension program was a major factor in getting job interviews."

Recently, there has been an increased demand for medical writers in the pharmaceutical industry. Robin Weaver, freelancer and corporate medical writer explains, "Today, potential risks of drugs on the market have to be communicated with greater transparency. Although jobs in writing are not known for their longevity, the multiple opportunities in a science mecca like San Diego provide reasonable stability." Robyn Leung, M.S., Manager of the Science Writing Division at Illumina, Inc. points out, "A lot that postdoctoral scholars do in their research can serve as marketable experience for a career in writing. Voluntary and part-time assignments are a good way to step into the field."

During the lively panel discussion, Weaver commented on the large population of women science writers due to the flexible hours that are compatible with family plans. She said, "The fact that the field is overwhelmingly female might relate to the feminine attributes like team-spirit, communication skills, and mediator roles that are helpful when you need to integrate and balance different opinions for a writing assignment. However, we are dying for men in the field!"

By Fabian V. Filipp, former Chair of University of California (UC) Council of Postdoctoral Scholars

Write Your Way to SuccessDuring a networking session, postdoctoral fellows interested in exploring a career in science communications got hands-on advice from the experts on how to break into this exciting field.

As you will see below, some University of California (UC) campuses took the call to appreciate their postdocs to heart. UC San Francisco, for example, hosted an outdoor barbecue that was a great success. The event included a variety of sports including volleyball, fun games for the kids, a movie, a display of photos from the previous PDA events, and music. UC San Diego also held an event in the medical school lounge, attended by over 200 postdocs, with pizza and soda, as well as over 25 door prizes and many other giveaways. UC Berkeley hosted a wine and cheese reception at the Bancroft Hotel. It was attended by more than 175 postdocs and featured live music and several speakers.

The National Postdoctoral Appreciation Day


CONTINUEDFROM PAGE1

ANSWER (CONTINUED): In addi-tion to the publications in print, immigration wants to see extensive citation of these publications by others for the purpose of being classified as an “Outstanding Researcher”.

To be classified as a “Scientist of Extraordinary Ability,” immigration apparently wants an applicant to have completed his/her postdoc several years prior to the application. This is because this category is reserved for scientists who have reached the very top of their fields.

Despite this new standard, there are still possibilities for postdocs. You are still able to apply under the “National Interest” or “Exceptional Ability” green card categories. At this time, both of these green card categories are easier to qualify for than the above two categories in question.

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“ ”Ask Adam

anything about Visas, Travel,

and Related Topics

Ask Adam nearly

Adam Green, Attorney at Law, Los Angeles, CAwww.employment-familysponsoredimmigration.com

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January 1997, the COGD formed the UC Work Group for Postdoctoral Affairs (Work Group) to address the needs and concerns of the UC postdoc community.

Under the dedication and driving force of the first Work Group chair, associate dean Jean Fort from UC San Diego, the COGD created both a systemwide postdoc policy in the Academic Policy Manual (APM), called APM 390, and the UC Postdoctoral Scholars Benefits Plan, which were implemented in 2003 and 2005 respectively. These two new programs placed the UC system on the national forefront of finding ways to improve the treatment of postdocs.

The Work Group is made up of staff from all ten UC campuses, hard-working leaders who are in the trenches working with postdocs on a daily basis. The size of the Work Group fluctuates based on the issues at hand. For example, when APM 390 and the benefits plan were pending implementation, campus staff from human resources, academic personnel, payroll, and programming all contributed to bringing these new policies to fruition. During less hectic times, the agenda only requires that each campus send one representative. Generally, however, the Work Group meets at an annual retreat and attends monthly conference calls to share successful practices and to discuss new issues that postdocs are facing.

Issues of regular importance to the Work Group include professional development, travel grants to professional conferences, access to an ombudsman and career centers, regularized postdoc social events, annual postdoc recognition events, the UC system’s obligation and role regarding increasing diversity among postdocs, development of an exit survey, postdoc data and tracking, institutionalizing Individual Develop-ment Plans (IDP) [for more about IDPs go to http://opa.faseb.org/pdf/idp.pdf], postdoc annual reviews, and mentoring of postdocs. The Work Group also occasionally meets with the UC Council of Postdoctoral Scholars to share ideas and coordinate priorities.

Currently, the major focus of the Work Group is to serve as a resource for the UC bargaining team during contract negotiations with the United Auto Workers (UAW)—the union that currently represents UC postdocs. All UC postdocs, regardless of their source of funding, have been represented by the UAW since November 2008, after the California Public Employment Relations Board certified that the card-check method of unionizing was successful (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Card_check).

The UC bargaining team is made up of faculty, postdoc office administra-tors, academic personnel administrators, and labor relations experts. (Des Jarlais is the UC San Francisco campus representative on the bargaining team.) This combination provides expertise and a balanced

Who’s LookingOut for Postdocs?

By Natalia M. BelfioreCONTINUEDFROM PAGE1

perspective on the issues being discussed during negotiations. Bi-weekly phone conversations between the UC chief negotiators (members of the UC bargaining team) and the Work Group provide a forum for information sharing and feedback, and allow both sides to stay up-to-date about the content and process of the negotiations. These negotiations will result in a contract that governs the terms and conditions of employment for postdocs in the UC system.

Postdocs are free to contact the union directly to ask questions and provide input. For more information on the status of negotiations go to http://atyourservice.ucop.edu/employees/policies_employee_labor_relations/collective_bargaining_units/post_docs/index.html

University of California (UC) Council of Postdoctoral ScholarsEditorial

by Amanda Stiles, CPS Chair, and Fabian V. Filipp, former CPS Chair

CONTINUEDFROM PAGE 3

is its academic advisory role which connects the voices of postdocs to local campus postdoctoral offices so it can be carried upward to the UC Office of the President.

One of the goals of the CPS for 2010 or 2011 is to host a UC Systemwide postdoctoral research symposium at UC Berkeley. This regional meeting will allow postdocs to interact with each other, to exchange successful building blocks for 21st century career paths, and to showcase original research.

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