MITACS Student Council meeting

MITACS Student Council meeting : MITACS Student Council meeting Saturday May 14, 2005 University of Calgary

Outline : Outline Students in MITACS MITACS resources for students Student Advisory Committee Past: Achievements to Date Present: Current Initiatives Future

Students in MITACS : Students in MITACS Approximately 80% of MITACS spending goes towards supporting students. Currently includes about 400 MSc, PhD and PDF students. "The highest priority for MITACS – and its defining aspect – is the recruiting, training, and eventual placement of graduate students."

Students in MITACS : Students in MITACS Canada has witnessed an unprecedented increase in graduate mathematics and computer science enrolments since the creation of MITACS. MITACS Canadian students boast an 82% employment placement rate upon completion of their studies.

MITACS resources for students : MITACS resources for students "By creating new opportunities for young people allowing them to develop their mathematical skills in relevant fields, MITACS keeps many students in Canada through its world-class research activity." "MITACS expands the reach of network research outside of major urban centres, which helps to ensure that opportunities are available to potential students."

Slide6 : $500 for a paper presentation for out-of-town travel. $1000 for participation in a MITACS event. $5000 to spend up to four months visiting a MITACS node outside of the home university. The Mobility Fund

Slide7 : Expanding in B.C. and Atlantic Canada: up to 150 interns per year! Expanding nationally in two years. The MITACS internships program is unique in Canada. Internship Program

Slide8 : Internship projects are 4 months in duration with opportunities for a second Internship. An Internship involves a research project related to a graduate students Master’s or PhD thesis.  Each internship project receives $15,000 in funding. Internship Program

Slide9 : The Student Awards Program recognizes outstanding achievements of MITACS students and post-doctoral fellows. Each award consists of a certificate and a monetary prize of $1,000. Student Awards Program

Student Advisory Committee : Student Advisory Committee organizing student orientated events advising the Scientific Director on student affairs collecting ideas from the students about things they would like to see within MITACS. The SAC serves as a voice for the students within MITACS by:

Student Advisory Committee : Student Advisory Committee British Columbia Western Canada Ontario Quebec Atlantic Canada There is representation from across Canada:

Past Achievements : Past Achievements 1. Student Notes Newsletter 6 issues of the SAC Newsletter so far Most recent issue published May 2005

Past Achievements : Past Achievements 2. Student Sessions at MITACS conferences: The SAC has successfully organized Short Courses at the 4th Annual Conference and the 2003 Quebec Interchange. The SAC has successfully organized a Student Feedback Session in Ottawa. Students were given the opportunity to present their research in a lecture hall environment to their peers at the Quebec Interchange. Social events are organized by the SAC to encourage an informal environment to network with fellow students.

Past Achievements : Past Achievements 3. SAC section of the MITACS website Provides information about : Available resources for MITACS students (Mobility Program, Internships, Career Information and Job Postings). Upcoming events at the local, regional and national levels. Provides electronic versions of current and past newsletters. Enables communication with the SAC.

Past Achievements : Past Achievements 4. National contact list: SAC members have compiled a nation-wide email list of contacts. Events and other MITACS related announcements are sent to these contacts for distribution within their universities.

Past Achievements : Past Achievements 5. Networking with other student groups: CMS has a student representative, Adriana Dawes, sitting on the student committee. This increases the exposure of MITACS and provides opportunities to cross promote each association’s events and news.

Current Initiatives : Current Initiatives Two soft skill sessions Managing time and stress Best employment strategies Registrations available at www.mitacs.ca/AC07 1. Student activities at CMS-MITACS Joint Conference 2007 May 30 - June 3 in Winnipeg

Current Initiatives : Current Initiatives 2. Student Notes Newsletter: Student Notes is a bilingual newsletter published quarterly by the Student Advisory Committee. A printed version of Student Notes is also distributed to all MITACS universities.

Current Initiatives : Current Initiatives Student Notes includes: announcements reviews of current and past events student and industry interviews job postings brain teasers book reviews  other items of interest to students

Current Initiatives : Current Initiatives 3. Student Council: To promote communication of MITACS events and information to students in the mathematical sciences. Currently: 17 universities represented out of 36 universities involved with MITACS.

Current Initiatives : Current Initiatives Student Council Responsibilities: Act as a contact and information source about MITACS events and programs. Organize MITACS information sessions for students. Provide input and suggestions for student sessions at MITACS conferences and Interchanges. Act as a liaison to the Student Advisory Committee.

Current Initiatives : Current Initiatives 4. SAC Seminar Series and Sponsorship: Seminars: Help to organize short seminars in mathematics or in computer science throughout Canada Funds are available for up to 400$ per seminar, 10 seminars a year. To promote mathematics at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Current Initiatives : Current Initiatives Sponsorship: Join existing conferences and offer a sponsorship in exchange for some visibility. When an opportunity presents itself and money is available. Cyber security expert Peiter “Mudge” Zatko at the University of Alberta. Sponsors of the 2005 Canadian Undergraduate Mathematics Conference.

Current Initiatives : Current Initiatives 5. Potential extension of mobility fund: Extend the actual Mobility Fund program to accept proposals for visits outside of MITACS nodes. International travelling allowed. Funding should be awarded according to the needs of the proposed travel and to the other sources of funding of the trainee.

Current Initiatives : Current Initiatives Stimulate interest in mathematics for high school students. Presentation “But what’s math good for?” 6. Promotion of mathematics:

Current Initiatives : Current Initiatives 7. Networking: Create a dynamic student community. Looking for partnerships with other student mathematics organizations (like CMS). Keeping in touch with the Alumni: "MITACS student for life"

Future… : Future… How could we promote mathematics at the undergraduate and graduate levels? How could we improve our support to student research? How could we facilitate student collaboration between universities? How could we create relations with the industry? How could we help students find employment in academia or in industry?