Feel Good Tips and Tricks

Hey everyone!

I hope you are all surviving your midterms. The “Feel Good” week we had early this February (along with my own battle with the sudden flood of midterms and labs and assignments) has inspired me to do a little segment here on mental health. Hopefully my experiences and advice I have received will give you some ideas on how to keep a positive mental health and de-stress a bit with the university lifestyle.
 So here are my tips on how to keep feeling good and managing the stress of your hectic life:

1) Think positive!

 For me this is definitely the most important advice I can give myself in regard to maintaining great mental health. It is so easy to get swept up in all the negatives. If you are anything like me, you are constantly thinking about what you have to do when you get home and how you have all these deadlines piling up and you realize one day that the only conversations you have had this week were competitions with your friends about who is the busiest. And once you’re in this dark hole, it can be hard to get out. But try to focus on the little things, like how pretty icicles are when the sun shines through them, or the fact that your prof wears colourful patterned socks every day. If you can’t think of any, try looking at Neil Pasricha’s blog of 100 awesome things to get the mental ball rolling. Try to frame your thoughts in a positive light and remember that all of your hard work here at Carleton is getting you an amazing education that you will one day use to change the world!

2) Do something you enjoy doing.

For me, it’s ballet. I definitely feel better after every ballet class. Pick something that you really enjoy doing, no matter what it is (even if it is weird, like yodeling). Do something that makes you feel absolutely alive every time you do it. And I know, you’re busy, but try to take an hour or two a week. You will be doing what you love and helping your mental health at the same time! Hint: if you find a club or society that does what you love, you can be doing something you enjoy for you and your mental health AND beefing up your co-curricular record or meeting your semesterly quota for school involvement.

 3) Get moving!

We all know we need to exercise and that exercise helps us maintain our physical health. But there has been a tone of research done recently that shows that physical activity is crucial for good mental health as well! Exercise helps relieve your body of all the stress hormones it’s been building up. And who doesn’t want the totally amazing endorphin high you get after a good workout? (It’s like drugs but legal! And free!) If you didn’t get a change to go to our CUWISE Commit to Me super fun fitness classes, you can ask our very own Alicia Gal for some cool exercises you can do at home any time. On top of keeping you fit, regular exercise helps you sleep better, focus more, and gives you an outlet for all of your stress and energy.

 4) Stay social

 Being around others always helps me feel better after a long night of studying. And spending time with my best friend or my boyfriend gives me a chance to have a laugh, unwind, and forget about school for a little bit. You could be surprised at how much good a monthly girls’ night out can do. What fun is university if you don’t go to the occasional party and dance it up?

 5) Go outside

I know its winter. And some days its so cold I lose feeling in my face within two minutes of being outside, but leaving the tunnels for a few hours at a time could be really great for you. Tip: study somewhere with lots of windows and LOTS of sun. It is finally starting to get sunny again, so grab your books and head over to somewhere on campus with a great view of the river (like the Timmies in River. Haha). It has been shown that spending even a couple of minutes in nature increases people’s positivity and decreased their stress levels. So go take a minute out of your day and look at trees. It’s also really cool to see how the water flows through the half-frozen –over river next to campus.

 I know some of these points have been obvious, but it is always good to remind ourselves of what we can do to keep ourselves happy, healthy, and stress-free.

 Hint: to get the most mental wellness bang for your buck (and by buck I mean time), combine a few of the tips above into one great activity! For example, I use ballet to work my body, and do something for myself that I love doing. Or you can do yoga and meditation to get moving and to bring yourself to a more positive mental state. Whatever it is that you do, remember that it is just important to maintain our mental health as it is to keep ourselves in good physical health. ANY effort towards a less stressed you is great.

And don’t forget to HAVE FUN!

-Sarah

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Sarah is a second year student in Carleton's Neuroscience program. When she's not cramming all of science into her brain she likes to watch cartoons and YouTube videos of people playing weird video games.

Useful Study Tips for Exams

It's that time of the year again ….. caffeine filled nights getting ready for exams. I know that this subject may be overdone, but I've decided to summarize a few tips to make this month a bit easier for you.

The first piece of advice that anyone will tell you is to pay attention in class, take great notes and start studying really early in the semester, and not at the last minute. If you are anything like me, that is never going to happen... so, I'll move onto some more useful ideas (If my mother is reading this, I am clearly lying and do all of the above).

I'll start off with my six general steps and then a few specifics tricks that may prove to be helpful. Overall, stress is the worst thing for exams so positive thinking, lots of sunlight and chocolate are a great way to start.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/dr-mike-hart/
8-reasons-to-sleep-more_b_3641933.html

 1. SLEEP First thing first, sleep! I know, I know, everyone tells you this but I bet you ignore this every year. Two hours of studying when you're exhausted will do more harm than good! This is  because  you'll be even more tired the next day, and will remember very little of what you studied. Studies show that students should get 8-10 hours of sleep every night. But, if that's not possible, I'd recommend at least 6 hours of sleep. On that note, don't take this as an excuse to sleep the day away (I have been guilty of this).

http://wejungo.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/organize.gif

2. CLEAN AND ORGANIZE
I'm well aware that this can be both a foreign notion to some of you and a way to procrastinate for others, but it is important! Before you start the never-ending studying session, clean your work area. Declutter, hide the distractions (including your phone), remove any dirty dishes, and give it a quick wipe down and vacuum. This won't take long but it can make all the difference. Please, do not turn this into a three hour cleaning session (or a three hour session of thinking about cleaning). Something else that I find useful, is making lists (I might be addicted) and plans. Make a quick outline of a study plan for the 2-3 weeks of you have left (or more if you're lucky) before exams. Separate the days into hours for specific course subjects, rest, work, etc. You should also make a quick plan for each day of study right before you start that day (ex. get through ch.3-5 of mechanics for today). This will give you a goal to achieve and make it easier to stay on track. Note: DO NOT be like me and spend hours doing this while achieving nothing on the lists.

3. STUDY GROUP As an antisocial and extremely awkward person, this is a hard concept for me to grasp but it really is worth it ; join a STUDY GROUP. Study groups will give you a bit more structure, motivation and focus while you study. It's also great because you can ask your peers for help when you need it and you can help them when they need it. Teaching other people is a great way to cement the knowledge in your brain and ensure that you understand the material. Try to ask some friends or people in your tutorial classes to form a group. In the case that you cannot find a group, remember you always have your TAs and professors that you can go to ask any questions. Also, give yourself or a group of invisible people (I know it sounds silly) a presentation on a topic that you just finished studying. Go full out; diagrams, talking out loud, writing down notes, etc. This will honestly help in the long run.

http://www.pak101.com/c/funnypictures/view/12410/Funny/Group_Studies 

4. BREAKS Breaks are very important to take or you'll burn out and you will not retain as much information. Taking breaks will improve performance, relieve stress and increase your overall well-being. The research differs in terms of the agreed length, frequency, and number of intervals a person should take a break for that will be most beneficial. I personally like to study for long periods of time (roughly two hours) and then take a 30 minute break. In reality a thirty minute break every two hours may be too long of a break, but it’s what has worked best for me. Another great idea which has been instrumental in my studies has been to create a study music playlist. Create the playlist for the length of time you intend to study for and turn it on shuffle. When the playlist ends, you know that it's time for a break without ever having to look at the clock (try not to spend time watching the time on the clock). Also, try not to pick music that will distract you. Ideally, choose music that is instrumental or calming, but make sure to pick something you like. I personally love classical music, orchestra music and soundtracks (they're not necessarily calm but at least you don't get distracted by the music too much).

5. DANCE PARTY This brings me onto my next subject; what to do during those breaks. Have a dance party! Put on some fun music and just start dancing (don't worry if you can't dance, this is why you do this in private). You may think I'm joking but I'm very serious and expect to see a lot of dancing students once this trend catches. It's a great stress reliever; a quick way to loosen up your stiff joints and a great way to have your endorphins released. Doing some exercise and going outdoors are another way to achieve the same benefits. Unfortunately, in the real world (in Canada), there's already snow on the ground, and no one in their right mind wants to go freeze their behinds off for fun. If you do, good for you; but for the other lazy and winter hating people like me, just dance! It's the best workout to quickly get your heartbeat going (I may be lying) but don't worry about technique since you're not getting in shape or showing off your dance moves, you are just shaking some stress off.

Napolean Dynamite(2004) 

  6. CAFFEINE Depending who you ask, this can be a good thing or a bad thing. On a realistic note, it's impossible to get through this without caffeine (if you can, I hate you) and it really should just be accepted. My only note of advice is to try and avoid it at night since sleep is more important and cut down on the caffeine when you start getting the shakes. Honestly, what you eat and drink is purely up to you and I know it is hard but eating healthy can go a long way for your energy levels and retention abilities. So remember moderation and even though caffeine may be one of my food groups, I don't have a drastic increase in my intake. Plus, remember to drink plenty of water.

 Ok, now that you've actually read through the six steps (or scrolled pass), you deserve to know the true secret of my success during exam period (not really a secret).

PRACTICE 

All subjects are different and need to be studied in a different way but in general, science and engineering courses are all about practice. Reading through your notes isn't very helpful once you get to the exams. The only way to prepare is to actually solve or work through the questions (over and over again) until you truly understand how to get to the answer and what to do in all possible scenarios.

HINT#1: My solids II professor gave me this particular word of advice: once you've done a question, do it backwards. Professors like to be sneaky; they won't give you a question in the same format that they've shown you in class. If they always give you A and B to get to C, make sure you can get to A with B and C. It adds more work but is probably the best advice I've ever received; you'll get more comfortable (and therefore confident) about the theories and equations. 

VISUAL, AUDITORY, PHYSICAL

We all learn in different ways and you should concentrate on which way is best for you. So you can rewrite your notes, or read your notes out loud, or do some sort of 'short experiment' to demonstrate a concept. Anything that helps is great; rereading your notes at a high speed in your head is only useful to a small percentage of people. Try to make studying an interactive activity. Note: Even if you learn primarily through one method, I'd advise you to use a combination of all three methods.

HINT#2: You will get annoyed, tired and sore after all the studying. Documentaries are a great way to change it up a bit while still learning the material. The documentary won't cover everything you need to know but it is still covering the same topic from a different point of view. Even better, it allows you to take a break from writing and sit on a comfy couch. Remember that it doesn't need to be a documentary (Aircraft Investigations for engineer students, A Beautiful Mind for neuroscience students, etc.). 

CHANGE IT UP

Do not get stuck on the same material for too long. Your mind will start blurring all the information together and you'll end up making mistakes and forgetting the material. Do a few hours on one subject and then take a big break (work, school, eating, etc.), when you get back start a different subject or at least study a different section of that subject that is completely different. It will do wonders for you in the end. If you find this hard (I do), switch it up between theory and practical (or books and films, etc.) and you will achieve the same results.

HINT#3: This may not occur to most people but changing where you study is important as well. Do not study everything all at the same desk; move to the kitchen for a bit, go to the library, sit on the floor. Avoid your bed if possible though studying right before bed and after you wake up has been proven to be helpful at retaining more information * only successful when you're not exhausted*. 

UNIVERSITIES WANT YOU TO PASS

Remember that you're not the only person who wants you to pass the exam. The professors will be available for extra help, and will often provide you a good idea of what to expect on the exam. The university will also help by giving you access to old exams, PASS sessions, workshops, tutors, etc. Utilize the resources available to you because there's a lot more than you may realize. If you don't know where to look on your school's website, don't be afraid to ask.

Hint #4: Humans, including professors, are creatures of habit. Complete all the old exams (not just one) you can find (especially those by the same professor) because I can almost guarantee that your exam will be similar. The old exams should be used as a tool, and you should not purely rely on them. Do keep in mind that certain subjects haven't changed in a very long time (ex. calculus) but some subjects change relatively often (ex. computers). 

TECHNOLOGY

 My final note of advice is a few ways to use technology to your advantage during study periods. We live in a world where technology proves to be one of our greatest distractions but can also be our biggest help.

Google

First and foremost, GOOGLE. Never underestimate the power of Google search when you need help. You can find almost everything you'll need but remember to take it with a grain of salt depending on which sites you use. For engineer and science students, you'll find hundreds of videos online with example of questions and demonstrations.

Self Control

It's hard not to procrastinate and get distracted but there are apps out there that will help. There are a few versions of this idea but one of them is called 'SelfControl', it will block certain sites completely for a set period of time and you will never be able to access them (even if you turn off your computer). Check it out:

http://selfcontrolapp.com/ 

Sleep If U Can

Try some of these alarms clocks if you have trouble getting out of bed. The first one forces you to do a math problem to turn it off and the second one forces you to take a photo of a specified object (ideally not in your bedroom). There's many more like it; find one that works for you. 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/detailsid=com.excelsior.alarmclock.math&hl 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=droom.sleepIfUCan&h 

Exam Time 

My personal discovery of the year that I'm excited for is “ExamTime”! “ExamTime” is an app that will help you study using mind maps, flashcards, notes and quizzes. The reason why it's so great is that it's shared online which means you can look at other people's quizzes and notes as well. As a study group, you can all make quizzes separately (which really does help with your memory) and you can test yourself with their quizzes. Depending on the subject, you can find hundreds (I might be exaggerating) of quizzes/flashcards/etc., that are already completed.

https://www.examtime.com/blog/apps-for-students/ 

My point is that there's help if you need it, I just listed a few free apps that I know of but there are many others out there that may suit you. Of course, don't let the app be a distraction and don't spend hours looking for the perfect app/site either.

I hope you can utilize my six steps and tricks when studying for exams, but keep in mind that there are different ways of studying for different formats of exam. So remember to study using different techniques depending on the exam format (ie. Multiple choice versus essay exams).

Good luck to everyone and enjoy your well-deserved holiday vacation after exams!
-Gabrielle

http://florawhite.deviantart.com/art/Exams-Here-I-come-348346856

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Gabrielle is a 2nd/3rd year aerospace engineer student. She has a bachelor of science in mathematics and physics from Australia where she lived for four years. She's your typical engineer student; loves the classes (well.. most of them) but spends way too much time playing games instead. Her favorite activity is watching Broadways (even though she doesn't have an artistic bone in her body).

Hai! Welcome Back!!!

Darlings!

You’re about three weeks in, but welcome back nonetheless.

Whether this is your first year at Carleton or 10^th (no judgment here). We hope that you have a productive yet fun year!

Since I have been here FOREVER, I've complied a list of tips and tricks of the trade (yes I equated being a student to a trade).

1)   Read your course syllabus… Seriously. All the important information is on there and it acts a contract between you and your professor.

2)   Use your TA’s, they’re job is to make sure you are feeling comfortable with the material.

3)   Use your Prof’s office hours. Again, get comfortable asking questions.

4)   Attend class. I know this seems like a no brainer and granted some classes are bruuutaal. Try really hard to show up. Make an effort. I know this goes without saying, but you guys are paying $500+ per course… Seems like a complete waste if you’re not coming to class or using the Prof and TA’s

5)   Keep up with the material. You don’t need to be making an appearance at a house party every night of the week. You do need to make an appearance at the library or an equivalent place to get your shit done.

6)   Don’t compare yourself with anyone. We all know those students….The ones that party all night, don’t show up to class  (or show up only to fall asleep), that start their assignments 1 hr before they are due, and that seem to never open a text book YET the buggers end up with a fantastic mark…

They are not you. Recognize and appreciate how YOU learn. The earlier you do this the less heart ache and potential awful marks you will experience.

7)   Join at least one “social” group (salsa anyone?) and one “academic” group (every department has a society, get involved).

Shameless self plug here, but ahem CU-WISE is both social (who doesn't love cupcake socials and movie nights?) AND  academic (we have smart people come in to talk about smart things) .

                                      We also are changing the world, seriously.

Our outreach efforts over the last 2 years alone has reached more then 600 girls ranging from ages 10 to 18...   #NBD ;)

Our members are the absolute best (not biased at all) and our events are AH-MAZING (again, cupcakes, roller coasters and nonstop giggling, can’t be beat).

8)   Expand your social horizons, get to know people that are your opposites... Makes for fun evenings

9)   Pack food. Campus food is …well... you know...(unless you go to Roosters… They’re all right for certain things). But seriously, pack food or buy granola bars and stuff them in your locker. Nothing is worse then setting down to study and being hungry. It’s cruel and unusual punishment.

10)  Workout. I know I knooooow. “Sweating is sooo awful” (this is the exact statement that my lazy labmate tells me when we workout... but he’s has a lot of issues we need to sort out) Anyway. Find a physical activity you enjoy, tennis, swimming, weights, running (barf), yoga etc. Get moving. No one wants to be out of breath climbing the Uni Center stairs ;)

I hope I see you folks at our upcoming events!!

As always,

Stay fabulous,

Rim

______________________________________________________________________________

Rim is an institution within Carleton (that is to say she has been here for so long that there has been talk to erect a statue in her honour).  Word on the street is that she’s “finishing up” her PhD in Neuroscience (don’t ever get her started on her research, she’s turns into a 12 y/old on a sugar high..it’s terrifying. No one should be that excited about science). She also happens to be the Science Co-Chair CU-WISE (or as she calls it THE BOSS OF ALL THINGS), where she spends her time hustling , planning events, motivating (coughharrasingcough) students and flirting with her Engineering Co-Chair. You will see her around campus (she lives here) please stop her and say hello. She responds well to cookies.

Environmental Friendliness Isn't As Hard As You Think!

I was thinking about whether we could consider ourselves green in our family after Natalie posted about Ottawa's Green Bin program.  It turns out that our habits are actually pretty good.  We actually do most of these things without even thinking about the impact on the environment, and none of them are inconvenient at all.  Perhaps there are some new ideas for you to try now or in the future!

Green things we do:

• use reusable shopping bags and bins
• refill sports water bottles instead of buying bottled water
• drive very fuel-efficient cars, one of which is diesel (we don't have public transit in our rural town)
• carpool to work (sometimes I drive with my husband to his job and then bus to Carleton)
• line dry laundry outside (don't do this when it's snowy, but probably could)
• cloth diaper our baby and use cloth wipes (it's actually way cheaper and easier than you'd think!)
• breastfeed our baby (lets us avoid unnecessary packaging for formula)
• buy used baby clothing (we'd do this even more if we didn't receive so many clothes as gifts)
• fewer toilet flushes (sounds gross, I know, but it doesn't really need it every time!)
• cook and eat whole foods (less packaging!)
• grow veggies and herbs in the summer
• buy locally from our farmer's market and butcher
• compost in our backyard and use the result in our gardens (instead of the green bin)
• keep our house cool in winter (18 during the day, 15 at night), and air condition only our bedroom and only on the hottest days
• buy the best quality we can afford so we aren't throwing things out all the time

 What else do you do?

Random Advice for an Undergrad

I recently wrote an email with a bunch of advice based on my own undergrad experience and thought, 'why not share!' So here it is, my random and somewhat long list of what helped me be successful in undergrad:

• For math classes, I took notes the whole class, and I worked in the library on the practice problems.  The only way to do well in math is to do all the assigned problems.  It's so easy to let it slip but it's important.  Especially with today's distractions, going to one of those study desks in the library and putting on music on headphones will help a lot.
  
• In computer science classes (which are likely similar to a lot of your technical classes), I didn't really take notes because there were always slides, but I did try to read the textbooks in many (but not all) cases.  When reading or when in class you end up getting to the point of thinking "ugh, I've seen this before."  But that's exactly where you want to get! Without ever reaching that point, you never truly know the topic.  If you read the book and go to class and don't get to that point, you can find other ways to get there.  There are TA's, profs, online resources... (Though one tip is to learn to recognize when little details are less important and when it's a core topic you really really have to know.)
  
• Speaking of TA's and profs, learn how to use them to your advantage.  It's a bit intimidating at first, but seeing the profs and coming with well thought-out questions will actually impress them, and you will get a ton of help.
  
• Study groups can be good, but they can also be a bit of a time suck if it doesn't stay on focus, or if you work on problems you don't need help with.  I recommend getting together with the right people to work on particularly difficult assignments.  Take notes during these sessions but don't write the whole answer.  This will force you to think about it for yourself later on.
  
• Here's what I do for studying for an exam and sometimes larger tests:
• Make a hand-written summary sheet of all the important details.  This is very time consuming so it can't be left to the last minute, but just the act of writing is the first step to remembering it.
• Go through the sheet and try to memorize what needs to be memorized, and understand the rest.
• Ask a friend or parent or roommate to ask you questions based on what's on the sheet.  If you wrote it right, they don't even need to be all that knowledgeable of the material.
  
  
• I guess the last major thing will be time management.  This is always tricky, but if you are having a hard time with it, you might try the time-sheet technique - I did this in my Masters and it was useful.

Another great resource from the CU-WISE archives is the Advice for Undergraduates document.

What else do you do to study and make the grade? Share your wisdom here!

Tips for Choosing a Career in Science

This guest post is contributed by Beatrice Owen, who writes on the topic of bachelors of science. She welcomes your comments via email: owen1.beatrice(@)gmail(.)com.

If you love science and have a natural curiosity, you have a wide range of educational and professional opportunities to tap. It’s easy to choose a career in science today because the field is so varied and vast – the subjects are many, so even if you’re not interested in one kind of science, there’s always another related, yet different branch to jump to. Science careers are both lucrative and fulfilling, and if you’re thinking of one, here are a few tips that are sure to come in handy.

• Know what you want: While it’s ok to take some time and think about your career choice before making the final decision, it’s not wise to keep changing majors as you try to figure out what interests you. Ideally, if you’re interested in a career in science, you must know this during your last few years in high school and plan your college degree accordingly. Also, if you’re prepared and willing, you could take up additional college-level courses while still at school – this allows you to complete your degree faster and save on tuition costs.
  
  
• Decide on a specialization: Science is a vast field, one that encompasses hundreds of subjects and sub-categories. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage – you have many options to choose from, but the plethora can make the choice confusing as well. If you know which field of science you favor, it’s easy to find the path you should take and focus on achieving your degree and finding a job in that sector. Some areas of science overlap, so it’s easy to major in one yet find a job in the other. So make your choice based on your interest and the opportunities available.
  
  
• Focus on technology: No matter what kind of science you choose to major in, it’s important to pick up some technological knowhow if you don’t want to be left behind. Technology is a part of every aspect of our lives, and when it comes to science, it’s even more important because it forms an essential part of every kind of advancement and innovation. If you neglect technology, it is at your own peril.
  
  
• Don’t count out the value of experience: When you envision a career in science, you’re not going to be thinking about an entry-level job; however, you have to start somewhere in order to make it big in your chosen field. So instead of wasting your time searching for the perfect job, accept offers that are relevant to your chosen career just so you can add to your experience. Use your free time to earn a graduate degree – you’re improving your educational qualifications and gaining experience at the same time.

Building Self Confidence II - Tips from CRA-W Grad Cohort 2010

Further to my previous post about the 2010 CRA-W Grad Cohort, here is a summary of an excellent session on building self confidence led by Prof. Mary Jane Irwin.

Prof. Irwin states that self confidence can be learned and built on. She offers 10 tips on how to do this:

1) Admit the problem
- Take stock
- Realise that noone is perfect
- Have faith in yourself

2) Find support
- Find someone "safe"
This preferably should be some person who you can talk to freely and who will not judge you in the future based on some momentary lapses of confidence
- Surround yourself with nurturing friends
If these friends are outside the tech. area, then it's even better. This allows you to maintain the right perspective on your problems.
- Be sure to be there to support others

3) Establish reachable goals
- Make a list of things that will get you moving
- Identify the first small step needed to accomplish each item and have a plan for making that first step

4) RECOGNISE your successes

5) Take a break
- Exercise regularly, have a nice meal, go shopping, pamper yourself - make time to refresh yourself and reflect

6) Beware of the "triple low"
- Be prepared to recognise the times when you're faced with a triple whammy i.e. challenges coming from multiple areas of life. Don't let yourself get too down.

7) Fake it till you make it
Fake self confidence by:
- Speaking slowly and clearly
- Standing tall, making eye contact
- Accepting greetings and compliments gracefully
By performing confident actions, you will feel more positive and confident internally.

8) Be extra prepared
- Study hard
- Prepare slides for that important meeting
Go above and beyond the requirements of the task - preparation will help your confidence.

9) Take a risk a day
Don't be afraid to push yourself. Pushing your boundaries will make you better prepared for and more receptive to the surprises thrown your way.

10) Stick to your principles
- Live the Golden Rule
- Live your passion
- Pay it forward

Remember to beware the Imposter Syndrome, where you convince yourself that you do not deserve something.

For some self-assessment tools on building confidence, you can visit http://mindtools.com/selfconf.html

I would love to hear feedback on which of these strategies you have used and how, as well as any other tips that have worked for you.

E-Waste Recycling

This guest post by Jesse Herman of Repair Launch is all about how to recycle your electronics responsibly, and why you should care.

The overall issue of recycling has placed a high importance on plastics. This is important because of the volume and ultimate long term problem it poses. What has been overlooked is electronics recycling. It is estimated that only 3% of electronics are disposed of correctly. While these devices don't occupy much of the physical space occupied in landfills, they account for over 70% of the toxins.

This all is staggering but even more troubling is our methods of disposing, which is often to ship the materials to countries like India, where cost goes down and profits go up, due to regulation standards, which are very poor.

Keeping all of that in perspective, the stage is set for a movement, provided that measures are taken to preven the exporting of electronic waste to under regulated countries. 13 new e-waste recycling centers have been opened in the United States recently and there are a number of services (in larger populated areas) that may offer pick-ups or nearby dropoffs. It is important to do your research first. Some of these 'services' are a disguise for improper disposal, with companies like Target being accused of not knowing where their 'recycling drive' ewaste is going.

It is important that the public grows a conscience in order to properly dispose of these materials on an individual and corporate level. Here is a good place to start for recycling.

Digging further it can be said that consumers are fully aware of the parameters that have been set. A reaction to job losses and pay cuts people have reduced their spending on new items. Compounded with that is an overall eco-minded general public, who has spent a ton of money the latest gadgets over the past 20 years, along with a quickly growing DIY repair resources base to compliment services and it's easy to see that there is a real market on all levels.

The more popular the device, the more information you can find for repairs. On the cell phone end of thing iPhone repair is a well documented issue. If the information war is any indication, Apple is doing very well.Blackberry's are firmly established online as well, along with a bunch of other models. Repair services at every level are rapidly growing though, right along with a proactive role from users to preserve their purchases and as a result, value there electronics.

DIY Information is searchable for many products and repair services are forming to generate profitable options for those looking for local repairs or those wanting a local business to walk into.

CRA-W Grad Cohort 2010

I was lucky enough to be able to attend this year's Grad Cohort organized by CRA-W, the Committee on the Status of Women in Computing Research, with CU-WISE Officer Svetlana and member Shruti. We were even luckier to be able to work in some sight seeing before and after the conference as well - it was held in Seattle, so we went to Vancouver first.

All three of us learned a lot at the many informative talks. I met up with some people I knew from last year's Grad Cohort, and networked with some new folks as well. Definitely well worth the time to attend.

Here are some articles I posted on my own blog that summarize the talks we saw. I'm including those from last year, as well, since I think all of the topics are of interest.

• PhD Academic Career Paths
• Being a Woman in Technology
• Balancing Graduate School and Life
• Presentation Skills
• Finding a Research Topic
• Tips for Finishing Your PhD
  

How the WISE Steps to Success event came to be - Part 2

Barbara posted earlier this month on "How the WISE Steps to Success event came to be" and I just wanted to add some comments from my perspective.

I had attended quite a few workshops, network events, and career fairs put on by Carleton's Career Development and utilized some of their other services such as resume reviewing and mock interviews. For those of you that have not taken advantage of these, I urge you to do so, they are usually a fun break from school and very useful. Also, if you aren't aware, you maintain free access to these services as alumni, which is awesome. Again, I'd encourage everyone to start attending these events before you graduate though as there are far fewer services offered during the summer and you want to transition into the working world with full confidence in your professional skills.

As I was saying, I had taken part in a lot of these events, but found there was something missing. I often felt like I could use some more specific advice for my discipline of engineering and for being a woman in a male dominated field.

In terms of the gender issue, as an example, I feel like I'm in a different position than my male counterparts when it comes to networking. At a workshop I attended on networking, we were advised to first take a tour of the room to subtly see who was there and who you wanted to meet. However, when I go to an event in my field, I walk into the room and notice immediately that there are only one or two other women in the room and the rest are men. This can be quite intimidating and make you feel self-conscious. It seems like it would be very hard to walk around the room without other people noticing. I know there must be ways to turn this to an advantage, and those are the kinds of tips I was looking for.

Other workshops I'd attended did not have enough time to be customized to each attendee's background. For instance, when it comes to negotiating your salary, someone with a science or engineering degree is in a very different position than someone with a different degree and there are huge differences in starting salaries within the science and engineering disciplines. Furthermore, I was unsure of how a graduate degree should impact my salary expectations.

I had attended a salary negotiation seminar by APEGBC for women in engineering during my undergrad at UBC, and this addressed a lot of issues that I think are important. Woman continue to be underpaid on average as compared to their male equivalents in the engineering fields. I think this is ridiculous nowadays, but I don't believe it is generally intentional or due to discrimination. My understanding of the issue is that women (on average) take a less aggressive approach to negotiating their starting salary and this sets them on a lower course throughout their career. Of course there are other issues that come into play later on, such as taking time off for maternity leave or choosing not to pursue higher paying, more time consuming position, but in terms of entrance salaries fresh out of school, I see no reason why women and men shouldn't be earning equivalent salaries.

So I felt that Carleton could use an event similar to the one I had attended in my undergrad to address these issues. I feel it's important for WISE Carleton members to learn about how to be assertive in the professional world, have confidence in themselves, and earn what they deserve. That's why I approached career services and helped get the ball rolling for what culminated in the WISE Steps to Success event two weeks ago.

I hope those of you that attended enjoyed the event and that all of you make use of the career services offered at Carleton and elsewhere.

A Night of Tips, Treats, and Revelations

On Tuesday night Carleton's Porter Hall was transformed into an elegant meeting space for young minds to mingle and learn how to thrive outside of the classroom at the WISE Steps to Success event. The white tables slowly gathered the often shy audience, providing treats for snacking and food for thought.

Many excellent points where brought up by the experienced mentors and guests who generously volunteered their time for the event. We were once again reminded of the importance of self-presentation to make that crucial first impression. Teresa and Terry Lee McCarthy of the Image Solutions Group shared their expertise on dressing and grooming for a business meeting. For a credible, formal business look wear a blue suit with the hair pulled back and just enough make-up to accentuate your best features. Invest in a good briefcase and a comfortable pair of closed-toe pumps. And, of course, don't forget to smile.

As important as your image is for leaving positive impressions and making connections, you can't go far without hard work as Dieter Hollweck was quick to emphasize. To advance in your career you have to be good at what you do and that takes work. Of this the Ambassador of Croatia, Vesela Mrdjen Korac, one of Dieter's guests, was an excellent example. She arguably stole the show and impressed many a young lady in the audience with her incredible career achievement and eloquent speech.

Pierre Lemasson addressed a rather important but sticky issue of salary negotiations. You might not know it, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with negotiating you salary once you get that coveted job offer. The trick, however, is not to think of it as a competition with the employer, but rather as a respectful discussion and to be aware of your fair worth.

The most important revelation of the evening for me, however, was a subtle yet extremely important point that Dieter brought up about networking. It's not a secret that you have to prepare for meetings and interviews. But more important, perhaps, then doing your background research is figuring out what your goals, values and aspirations are! Before you can effectively present yourself to others you need to know yourself and what you want!

It was delightful to see that by the end of the evening so many people were mingling among themselves and the mentors taking the opportunity to apply what they have learned about networking in a comfortable relaxed atmosphere created at the event. I hope that Steps to Success will become a yearly tradition of WISE and many more people will get the opportunity to benefit from the experience of the excellent speakers and mentors that WISE brought together.

How the WISE Steps to Success event came to be

The WISE Steps to Success Professional Development event occurred on March 2, 2010 at Carleton University. The goal of this event was to show students how important it is to gain skills outside the classroom in order to be successful in their career. The event was elegant, had great food, great company and great speakers. There was a lot to learn, many opportunities to mingle and lots of contagious energy to catch. But I will let someone else write to you about the speakers and the atmosphere. I am here to talk about how this event came to be and why we hope it will become an annual event.


I took some time to search through my WISE e-mails until I finally found what I was looking for. On March 10, 2009, some of the CU-WISE officers were writing blogs about recent events we held. One of the officers was unsure of herself and sent the executives her draft for feedback. Her post was great and she was very excited to hear that we liked it. Her appreciation for our compliments got me thinking and I immediately wrote back talking about how CU-WISE should encourage students to gain more experience in using non-technical skills like writing, public speaking and networking. Rosalyn then wrote back suggesting that we organize an event for these skills. Soon after that, Rosalyn and I met with Carleton Career Services to discuss ideas, collaborations and funding. The planning was not easy, and furthermore, Rosalyn and I graduated soon afterward. Thankfully, the External Affairs Executive, Shafagh, and the Outreach Executive, Heba, were happy to take over. They were the principle planners from then on and I would like to again thank them for making this happen.

So that's the story, but let me leave you with some advice to help you gain those soft skills and stand out when you graduate:

Get involved in your community and volunteer in something you enjoy well before you start looking for work.

Focus especially on venturing out of your comfort zone and working on your weaknesses. Mine were public speaking, networking and writing... so I became the External Affairs Executive.

Ask for feedback, that way you will improve faster.

Don't make excuses that you are too busy. We are all busy. If you want to develop these skills, you must take as many opportunities as you can to practice them.

If anyone has any advice of their own or stories to share please don't hesitate to comment on this post! I would love to hear from you!

The Wonders of Social Networking

This post was written by Opportunities Officer Laura Mutu.

Last Tuesday I attended a CU-WISE speaker event focused on Social Media presented by Natasha D’Souza. I felt that I should attend since I am interested in exposing myself to good techniques of keeping oneself image in the virtual space, being at the verge of getting into the work force in my field.

Companies have marketing offices and human resources, but each individual only has 24 hours a day, and each of us needs to know a little bit of everything in the end to be able manage ourselves better. A lot of the communication today takes place online, and even if you think you know what it’s about, you never really understand all the consequences or all the opportunities.

What I found neat during the presentation was Natasha’s way of twisting the usual usage of a social tool, or just revamping some old technology, underused in the present.

Then, although I took good notes during her speech (without knowing I will end up writing a blog using them; you can imagine my happiness for finding them now heh), I also found the slides and a summary of her speech online.

Why I found that as neat? Well, I have a short spanning memory and it often happens that I go to workshops and create mental notes on the speaker’s slides, but then I can’t come back to review them, hence I take written notes. All that in the hopes that these talks will contribute to my growth and that it won’t just be an attended session, a check mark in my agenda, but I’ll make sure to actually absorb and check what the person was talking about.

Now, we’ll take a look at what I took out from the session, and hopefully, it will be useful for you as well.

When it comes to social bookmarking, a new way of keeping track of interesting links online, also adopted by a few of the girls present at the workshop, Natasha suggests Diigo.

I personally use Google bookmarks, just because I like how simple and slick Google is.

As a general rule, whenever you save something, remember to register a few key words that might help you decrypt what the link/fact/person/picture was all about. We know we all think we will remember that something later, but as programmers know, it’s possible to work on heavy programs for months and then not remember anything about that little piece of code from the beginning. So, take those few more precious seconds and throw in the right words that will save you some grief later in times of need.

Some of the rules for right tagging:

• should be searchable online, if public
• create own standard of how to use it will take a while, like a couple of years, so start now!
• make documents (scientific or pdfs) relevant to target audience

Natasha encouraged us to use RSS feeds to keep up to date with events or people’s blogs that we find interesting. On the reverse note, anyone maintaining a website should consider adding social buttons so that if visitors find certain info on your website worth sharing, they can do so right away. In fact, the presence of social buttons can just click a reminder in the person’s mind that your page is available for sharing, so they get an incentive to do so.

Alongside the popular blogs and Facebook notes, why don’t you try contributing to a Wikipedia page? It’s a great activity anyone can take on actually. MediaWiki has a few tags that you need to get accustomed in the beginning, but then it’s just your speedy fingers contributing content to the international community and the wealth of knowledge. Doesn’t it look great on your resume?
Especially if you are passionate about the subject you are contributing to, it shows that you are ready to go the extra mile; that you are also a giver, not just a taker; that you can share and give back.

If you are a little software inclined, even better, because wiki itself is getting quite old and looks like it would need some review to become more automated. So, get out there and see how you can volunteer in the development of this amazing website each and one of us keeps coming back to.

Blogs are available everywhere for you to share your passions, but it’s not as easy as you thought, is it? It takes discipline and goal setting; and about a year to define your style and get comfortable to writing for the masses. As strange at it may seem in this informational boom, it seems that there are not so many Canadian tech female bloggers. So start participating, find your own pace and rhythm, your inner voice, and give HR personnel something you want them to read about you.

Also in blog formats, e-newsletters can be tag-able and provide a conversation medium. Flipping the coin on the other side, they are great opportunities for you to start conversations online about things that interest you. You can give people an idea of who you are as a person and so, generate good, professional information beyond parties for other to grasp in the cloud.

Amongst the questions of the evening there was one that kept in creeping up: “Do you use LinkedIn?”

The reason is that LinkedIn is a very powerful tool if you keep your profile up-to-date since it is feature rich ( you can add Amazon books you like, your blog, twitter, website) and you can use it to participate and generate discussions, to demonstrate your expertise and differentiate yourself in job market. Recruiters and potential employers use it, so why don’t you? Found that event interesting, go ahead and give your two cents on why you think that is so. Provide feedback to your contact database and keep in mind that any person needs to meet another person six times before they remember each other.

Hmm, wondering how Facebook can be used besides sharing pictures and checking out your friends’ friends? Why don’t you start looking for something that is really important for you, like that company you like. You can become a fan of it and even start a discussion and share your views.

There is also, of course, the universe of the microblogs, such as Twitter, where you can quickly update people on cool projects and ideas. You can also try Youtube and contribute to video sharing and make Carleton, for example, more interesting with your own input, something authentic and original that would easy the marketing’s task, and improve your image in the public community’s eyes.

Other sites mentioned included meet-up and bringITon.

In conclusion, you need to realize that this is a new world we’re living in and you can’t control everything, and need to take things into perspective. If you put anything out there, it will be there forever, so if you don’t want your boss to read it, don’t post it. Everything is out there for the world, regardless your false sense of privacy, and people will always judge you. In the end, you need to take the time and figure out and try to see what is good for you.

Natasha was also kind enough to invite us to “Connect the Dots” Ottawa, an event where the various women organizations of Ottawa come together, and where she was to speak in a few days. I got to the opening evening which was really interesting and fun and all the women had a story to tell, I would highly recommend attending if you have the opportunity. You can read a lot more details about the event on their website and also on Natasha’s website: http://www.virtualeyesee.com/

How to Use Social Media to Benefit Your Career

I attended the CU-WISE November speaker event on Tuesday and wrote about it in my blog. It was about how you can use social media to benefit your career. I hope we'll find several posts about reactions to the event here on the CU-WISE blog as event attendees become motivated to start creating their online image. :)

Carleton's Women in Science and Engineering's November guest speaker event last night was about How to Use Social Media to Benefit Your Career. With a general theme of "just do it," our guest speaker Natasha D'Souza of VirtualEyeSee explained how to get our names out on the social web, and why we should care.

Read the entire post here.

People aren't very good at predicting what will make them happy

Cutting-edge research shows that people aren't very good at predicting what will make them happy. In my own experience, that explains a lot. So I'm hoping this article, titled "Psychologists now know what makes people happy", will help me understand it more. I recommend reading the whole article (which I found from more than one source, such as this one). But if you prefer a quick run through, here are snippets I found most interesting:

- The happiest people spend the least time alone. They pursue personal growth and intimacy; they judge themselves by their own yardsticks, never against what others do or have.

- A person's cheer level is about half genetic.

- Plenty of healthy people take their health for granted and are none the happier for it... Meanwhile, the sickly often bear up well, and hypochondriacs cling to misery despite their robust health.

- Life satisfaction occurs most often when people are engaged in absorbing activities that cause them to forget themselves, lose track of time and stop worrying.

- Everyone has "signature strengths"... and the happiest use them.

- Gratitude has a lot to do with life satisfaction, psychologists say. Talking and writing about what they're grateful for amplifies adults' happiness, new studies show. Other researchers have found that learning to savor even small pleasures has the same effect.

- Forgiveness is the trait most strongly linked to happiness.

- In pursuing happiness... we should have more trust in our own resilience and less confidence in our predictions about how we'll feel. We should be a bit more humble and a bit more brave.

Good luck in your journey to find real happiness!

Advice for undergraduate students

I recently re-wrote last year's "Advice for Undergraduate Students" document on helpful tips and advice about University life because the transition from high school to university can be a challenging experience. It's amazing how much more I have to say after only one year of CU-WISE and grad school. I included a few snippets from the document below and I strongly encourage you to check out the entire document. It can be found on our website under "Planet WISE" here.

The Carleton Student Academic Success Center (SASC) stated that the number one academic problem students face is procrastination. I am not surprised at all as I’ve been there and so has everyone else I studied with.

Attending class is important (and please remember to put your cell phone on silent and don’t answer it in class!). A survey done by engineers concluded that there is a direct correlation between the DFW (Drop Failure Withdrawal) rate and low class attendance.

There are plenty of ways to get help in your courses other than using the Internet or relying on your notes and textbooks. Talking to your classmates, your professor, your TA, etc. is very important as well. I don’t know how I would have survived university if it wasn’t for these resources and, many times, I felt I learned the most by discussing course material with my classmates.

Many students make the mistake of putting very little effort into their assignments. They copy some, they don’t do others, and when they do them and get a poor mark, they never look at them again. This is a big mistake. Someone once told me that by not doing your homework, you effectively lower your GPA by 7.

Getting involved is something I didn’t do in my undergrad and I thoroughly regret it. It would have made my university experience fuller and much more rewarding. I know it might seem like between classes and assignments there isn’t much time for anything else, but it’s worth it to make time for activities outside of classes. Not to mention the energy you get from being involved in extracurricular activities that you love will make you more productive!

There is one textbook I would recommend for every engineering student. It basically has all the mathematical relations you will need in undergrad in one book. It’s called “Schaum’s Outlines: Mathematical Handbook of Formulas and Tables”. Mine is a second edition by Murray Spiegel and John Liu, and I still use it to this day.

Be sure to apply to all the scholarships you can. There are often scholarships designed to encourage women to continue pursuing science or engineering. Check out the list of scholarships available on the CU-WISE website.

Take advantage of the services at Carleton University. Honestly, I wish I had taken even more advantage of them.

On behalf of CU-WISE, I wish you all the best of luck in your studies and don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. Feel free to leave comments below.