Career & Tools
Check out this UCSB series on grad student and postdoc professional development experiences funded by the Individualized Professional Skills (IPS) Program. This week's featured video is by Amanda Ruschel, a graduate student in Materials, who used the IPS funds to attend a symposium on footwear and biomechanics. Read on to watch the video and learn more about the IPS program!
Have you ever wished you had support to take advantage of a professional or career development opportunity that lies outside the scope of your academic research? The UCSB Individualized Professional Skills (IPS) Program is designed to help graduate students and postdoctoral scholars fill in the funding gaps for pursuing opportunities that support your professional development in a variety of career trajectories.
IPS Insights: In our series, "IPS Insights," previous awardees share about their IPS-funded experiences in short informational videos. This week's featured video is by Amanda Ruschel, a graduate student in Materials.
Amanda used the IPS funds to attend a footwear and biomechanics symposium. Watch the video to learn more!
In Amanda's Words: What I Learned
"At the footwear and biomechanics symposium, I was able to understand the current issues in this community and see where materials science developments were needed. I was also able to connect with people holding positions at Nike Research Lab, New Balance, Adidas, and Brooks. By talking with each group, I was able to see where my strengths would best fit and see what research routes each company was taking. Not only did this experience give me valuable connections, but it also helped me pinpoint what additional technical skills I would need to be more valuable to a company."
IPS Program Overview
Awards up to $1000 are granted to eligible UCSB graduate students and postdoctoral scholars from any discipline who wish to individually tailor their career paths with outside professional development opportunities. The purpose of the IPS program is to help grad students and postdocs take greater agency in their own career path by funding exploration of a range of professional development opportunities across a variety of career and skill interests.
The IPS Program is a collaboration between the Professional Development Series at the Center for Science and Engineering Partnerships; Graduate Division; the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; UCSB Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative and CNSI Technology Incubator; Career Services; UCSB's divisional deans; and external donors. Learn more about the program here!