Trainee Leadership in MCDB

One of MCDB’s earliest trainee-initiated service activities is the work done by our graduate student council (GSC). This began with a small number of students organizing about one event a year, leading up to the official registration of GSC as a campus organization in 2015.

“Our grad council expanded greatly a decade ago when we had a surge of both funding and faculty support on new initiatives. With this came the start of programs like the Grad Gab mentoring program, additional student reps on faculty committees, and the predecessor to the current community engagement committee. These advances were built on mutually respectful relationships between faculty and trainees, which make up one of MCDB’s greatest strengths. This level of student leadership and engagement is unusual, and I’m glad to see it being carried forward by current trainees,” Shyama Nandakumar, PhD, Postdoc, Previous Buttitta Lab PhD Student and Previous GSC President.

Since its official founding, GSC has grown substantially in both the number of involved students, the amount and scope of its events and activities, and the financial support provided by the MCDB department. From the Grad Gab mentoring program to the yearly Plant Swap, GSC provides infrastructure for student leadership, support, and community.

“In the upcoming year, GSC is committed to building community! We’ve planned multiple low-key events that will help trainees have fun, unwind and network with other graduate students in the department. Our hope is to create more opportunities for everyone to share their stories, get involved and feel more at home here!” Aravintha Siva, PhD Student, DeSantis Lab, Current GSC Co-President.

“GSC aims to act as a conduit between students, trainees and the administration. Like Aravintha mentioned, we strongly believe in fostering a good work-place environment by building community. This has become more important in recent years and GSC is constantly evolving to help our graduate students in any way we can.” Pavithra Mahadevan, PhD Student, Jakob Lab, Current GSC Co-President.

Other organizations, such as Queer ScientisTs (QueST) and its partner postdoc circle Centerspace, are also led by MCDB trainees and focus on community building within and without the department. QueST’s current events and discord server can be found here: https://linktr.ee/quest_uofm. Additionally, there are many groups that extend across campus (or beyond) that have had large participation by MCDB members over the years. One such organization is the UofM chapter of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS).

Another aspect of campus-wide trainee leadership are our unions, which have expanded in number following recent local and nationwide efforts. The first of these is the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO), which being founded in 1974 makes it not only the oldest trainee union on campus, but the oldest graduate student union in the country.

“The University of Michigan would be nothing without its students, particularly its graduate student workers. GEO is an activist, democratic, and volunteer-run organization committed to representing, advocating for, and organizing graduate student workers at UofM. Our union is committed to fighting for social justice, academic freedom, and workers rights, and has significantly improved my personal experience as a graduate student. Our union has earned us major salary increases, top tier health insurance benefits, workplace harassment protections, and more. We are currently fighting to get graduate student research assistants (GSRAs) and research fellows union protections as well, allowing every grad student equal rights and protections. Because our union is made up of graduate student members, it is important to get involved by becoming a member, joining a working group/caucus, and attending regular general membership meetings.” Kate McDonald, PhD Student, Aton Lab, GEO Steward.

UM-PRO is increasing the connection between postdocs across campus, something that can often be difficult for new hires. Postdocs tend to be hired individually, rather than in cohorts, and do not have as many opportunities to network as students who may take classes together. Internally, MCDB postdocs have also expanded their organization and activities with the formation of the MCDB Postdoc Network, a group begun in 2024.

“Our motivation for starting the Postdoc Network was simple: to make life as a postdoc in MCDB easier to navigate. Practical knowledge about teaching, funding, mentoring, or service opportunities available within and beyond University of Michigan was often shared informally and could be hard to find. For new postdocs, guidance on topics like life in Ann Arbor, beginning a mentorship relationship, and accessing campus resources can make a big difference in settling into the role with confidence. The Postdoc Guidebook is our first project to bring all of this information together, providing every postdoc with a clear starting point and a resource to return to throughout their time here,” Vanessa Puñal, PhD, Postdoc, Clowney Lab, Postdoc Network Co-Founder.

While many trainee groups exist as smaller student groups, chapters of national organizations, or departmental committees, some are more directly connected to university leadership and offer trainees both input and opportunities with our university. One such group is Graduate Rackham International (GRIN), a student organization sponsored by the Rackham Graduate School.

“The Rackham Student Government has primarily two missions. On one hand, we strive to create community across different graduate programs, mainly through social events and by funding student organizations. On the other hand, we advocate on behalf of graduate students with administration, by serving on several university-wide committees and by direct collaboration with different administrators. Some advocacy topics of interest on which we made tangible progress are mental health, student parents and caregivers-specific needs, healthy mentor-mentee relationships, and affordability. With respect to initiatives, one of the most popular programs that RSG runs is the Basic Needs Microgrant, providing direct student financial support. My reason for joining RSG was due to interest in carrying out specific policy changes, which I have been extremely lucky to witness. However, I am also profoundly appreciative for all the opportunities that RSG has given me, from overseeing a 100k+ yearly budget, to organizing events with 600+ attendance, to advocating for graduate students at the federal level, to the ability to share the graduate student perspective, which culminated in being invited to serve on the Presidential Search Advisory Committee, and so much more. It is an honor, a privilege, and an immense responsibility to represent and advocate for graduate students at the highest university level, and I am grateful for everything I am learning along the way.” Angelica Previero, PhD Student, Csankovszki Lab, RSG President.

Students and researchers considering careers with a focus on communication or education may find our Biology Outreach Team (BOT) valuable. This group began in 2019 to connect our graduate student outreach activities with the Museum of Natural History, and provides outreach opportunities and mentoring to interested undergraduates.

“I really enjoyed my time organizing outreach experiences in coordination with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Washtenaw and the UMich Natural History Museum. It provided an opportunity for me to get out of the lab, learn how to communicate science to younger audiences, and get children excited about science and express their creativity in the mini experiments we did. It provided the children a very hands-on and hopefully exciting learning experience!” Jennie Hibma, PhD Student, Simmons Lab, Past BOT Organizer.