BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education & Practice (ISTEP) - ECPv6.15.0.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://istep.utoronto.ca
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education & Practice (ISTEP)
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:UTC
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0000
TZOFFSETTO:+0000
TZNAME:UTC
DTSTART:20250101T000000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250917T170000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250917T170000
DTSTAMP:20260423T040300
CREATED:20250819T165659Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250819T170220Z
UID:43252-1758128400-1758128400@istep.utoronto.ca
SUMMARY:The OPTIONS Program: PhD/PDF Application Due
DESCRIPTION:The OPTIONS Program is an initiative to support all engineering graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to explore diverse career options.  \nPurpose & Content  \nTake a deep dive into career management and join a supportive community of like-minded Ph.D. students/candidates and postdoctoral fellows exploring career possibilities. The Cohort Program is an eight week\, non-credit program facilitated by faculty and professional development experts. The program provides:  \n\nEight\, two-hour\, live sessions \n\n\nA short instructional video on resumes and cover letters for viewing on your own time \n\n\nTwo career management tools to develop an individualized\, career exploration plan \n\n\nA one-on-one\, 30 min meeting with a career coach (optional) \n\n\nPersonalized feedback on your resume and cover letter \n\n\nA mock interview\, personalized feedback on your interview skills\, and access to an interview preparation toolkit \n\n\nAn informational interview with an alumni and a database of informational interview questions \n\n\nA Peer Success Team to support your career exploration \n\n  \nSchedule  \nReview the schedule before submitting an application to ensure you can attend all eight sessions. Some sessions occur in-person while other sessions occur online.  \n  \nIf you will experience a visa delay and might not be able to attend the first session on Tuesday\, September 23  in-person\, please contact Joanne at joanne.lieu@utoronto.ca.  \nBenefits  \nIn addition to the programming\, resources\, and one-on-one meeting listed above\, participants who complete the program (attend six of eight sessions) receive a digital certificate of completion approved by the Vice-Dean\, Graduate Studies and the OPTIONS’ Faculty Convenor.  \nSelection Criteria  \n\nU of T Engineering PhD student or Postdoctoral Fellow \n\n\nStrong interest in developing personal and professional skills beyond technical knowledge \n\n\nCurious about career exploration \n\n\nEager to participate in group discussions \n\n\nWillingness to be part of a team and support your peers’ career preparation \n\n\n \n\nProgram Delivery                    \nThis is an interactive program (not a traditional lecture). You will participate in interactive activities and small group conversations. For online sessions\, you will need to use your audio to communicate with peers and (if possible) video.  \nAll eight sessions occur live from Tuesday\, September 23 to Tuesday\, November 18 from 3 – 5 pm EDT (exclusive of October 28). Some sessions occur in-person while other sessions occur online.  \nApplicant Commitment  \nBy applying to The OPTIONS Program\, I commit to attend all eight sessions. Why?  \n\nThis program is designed as an integrated sequence of sessions\, and you will benefit most by attending all eight sessions. We recognize some session titles or descriptions might not resonate with you. We ask that you bring curiosity\, patience\, and an open-mind. Since 2017\, we have delivered thirteen OPTIONS cohorts to over 431 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. The MOST common feedback we receive from participants is that the individual sessions build on each other to form a comprehensive\, structured career management experience. \n\n\nYou are joining a cohort of 30 participants\, and within this cohort you are placed in a Peer Success Team of four to five participants. Over eight sessions\, you will work with the cohort and your team to complete program activities and discussions. By applying to this program\, you are committing to the cohort and your Peer Success Team that you will attend all sessions. \n\n\nYou commit to participate and engage in conversations with your peers. In particular\, for online sessions you will need a quiet space and access to your audio to participate in group discussions (and\, if possible\, your video). During an online session\, you should not be completing work outside the program\, commuting\, etc. \n\n\nThe Vice-Dean\, Graduate Studies and the Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education & Practice invest a significant amount of resources and time in developing and delivering this one-of-a-kind program to you FREE OF CHARGE. We ask that you commit to attend all eight sessions AND\, although not required\, take advantage of the one-on-one meeting\, videos\, and toolkits to make this experience work for YOU! \n\n\nWe receive more applications than the program can accommodate. By committing to this program\, you are taking a spot from another student. \n\nMost importantly\, this program is here for YOU to develop your personal effectiveness\, clarify your career aspirations\, and have a meaningful learning experience with a supportive community of peers and instructors. There is no homework\, only optional activities to accelerate your career exploration\, and no grades. We recognize life happens and there might be unexpected situations that might mean you have to miss a session. That is okay! Remember\, you must attend at least six of the eight sessions to receive your certificate.  \nApplications Due  \nSubmit your application by Wednesday\, September 17\, at 5:00 PM EDT. 
URL:https://istep.utoronto.ca/event/the-options-program-phd-pdf-application-due/
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR