The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) is proud to once again celebrate the rich contributions of the CU Boulder postdoctoral community during National Postdoc Appreciation Week (NPAW) from September 17-21.
NPAW, sponsored by the National Postdoc Association, is an annual celebration of postdoc contributions in research and teaching. In 2017, 115 institutions in the United States, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom, and Asia participated in NPAW and organized events to recognize postdoctoral scholars.
2018 marks the ninth annual NPAW, and the Research & Innovation Office (RIO) and OPA are sponsoring two Outstanding Postdoc Awards and one Outstanding Mentor Award. These awards recognize postdoctoral excellence in research and leadership, and exceptional faculty mentorship and guidance. Nominations will be accepted through September 3.
In addition to the awards, OPA is spearheading a series of events to acknowledge the significant contributions of CU Boulder’s approximately 300 postdoctoral scholars, including:
- Monday, Sept 17: Pizza Town Hall
- The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs is excited to kickoff National Postdoc Appreciation Week (NPAW) with presentations and Q&A from the Postdoctoral Association of Colorado Boulder (PAC Boulder) and Office of Institutional Research (IR). Ben Nault will highlight the PAC Boulder and how the volunteer organization run by postdocs for postdocs serves the CU postdoc community. Sarah Banchefsky of IR will present key findings from the first ever postdoc climate survey on campus, which was administered by OPA and IR. OPA will also present the two Oustanding Postdoc Awards and one Outstanding Mentor Award during the town hall. Lunch will be provided. RSVP is required via the CU Events Calendar.
- Tuesday, Sept 18: Professional Postdoc Portraits
- The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs is pleased to offer postdocs complimentary professional portraits as part of National Postdoc Appreciation Week (NPAW). Strategic Relations will provide postdocs with a professional photo for your campus unit website, your LinkedIn profile, or any other sort of professional page.
- Wednesday, Sept 19: Learning Leadership Skills
- As part of National Postdoc Appreciation Week (NPAW), the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and the Graduate School welcome all postdocs and graduate students to a workshop luncheon on leadership skills. Lauren Harris with Human Resources will provide a high level overview of leadership qualities and how to build leadership skills. RSVP is required via the CU Events Calendar. Lunch will be provided.
- Thursday, Sept 20: Building Your Network of Mentors
- The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) and the Graduate School invite postdocs and graduate students to a brown bag presentation on Building Your Network of Mentors. This will be the final workshop of National Postdoc Appreciation Week (NPAW). Christine Wiedinmyer, Associate Director of Science for CIRES, will discuss how to go about building a pool of mentors to help you succeed. Mentors are critical to your training and professional development. Bring your own brown bag lunch. RSVP required via the CU Events Calendar.
- Friday, Sept 21: Rayback Collective – Postdoc Social
- Organized by the Postdoctoral Association of Colorado Boulder (PAC Boulder), the social starting at 5pm will be at the Rayback Collective, a popular Boulder spot for food, drink, and music. For more details, please contact the PAC at pacboulder@gmail.com.