Thursday, August 15, 2013

Chicago Area Organizations of Interest to Postdocs

C2ST -- C²ST seeks to be the preeminent regional consortium for science- and technology-related education and policy and a prominent voice nationally.
      Student membership (including postdocs) -- $35 per year
      Science professional membership -- $75 


AWIS -- The Association for Women in Science (AWIS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to achieving equity and full participation of women in all areas of science, technology, and engineering.  Includes outreach programs, professional development workshops, and social activities for area women scientists.
     Junior membership (including postdocs) -- $65 for national membership + $5 for Chicago chapter
     Students only (not postdocs) -- $5 for Chicago chapter membership without national membership 


Women in Bio (WIB) Chicago Chapter -- The Chicago Chapter of Women In Bio was established in October 2010 under the auspices of the national organization. WIB-Chicago is dedicated to increasing awareness, fostering career development, and facilitating communication among the diverse set of groups and individuals – especially women – in Illinois committed to biotechnology innovation and commercialization. Student Membership: $50 (includes women enrolled in college, graduate and post-docs)
Interested in learning more?  WIB has a "Metro Meet & Mingle,” a summer networking event held concurrently at three different locations across the Chicago area: Downtown, Deerfield, and Oakbrook, on August 21st, 2013.

Biotechnology Association (UCBA) --  The University of Chicago Biotechnology Association's mission is to provide career education and skill development opportunities to University of Chicago students and post doctoral scholars.

Interested in Entrepreneurship?  
The Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is excited to announce D4 Foundations, a new course open this fall to an interdisciplinary cohort of students, faculty, and staff at the University of Chicago.
D4 Foundations is an experiential lab course that teaches an entrepreneurial design method to discover pressing needs in complex problem areas that will enable the design of innovative solutions. This quarter, participants will work in interdisciplinary teams to identify latent, unmet needs in the areas of education and healthcare. By the end of the course, participants will have acquired the skills to 1) discover and develop ideas with a strong foundation in user-centered design, and 2) iteratively test and execute on ideas with the intent of making a meaningful impact to various industries.  The class meets on Thursdays, 9/26/13 - 12/12/13, from 5-8pm.

The UChicago Postdoctoral Association - New members are always welcome to join the PDA!  Join to help plan events for postdocs on campus.

Do you know of any other good groups in the area that UC Postdocs would be interested in joining?  Please leave a comment with the information!