The Elsevier Tropical Connections Post-Doctoral Fellowship program hosted a one-day Professional Development Workshop on September 8, 2016. About two dozen post-doctoral fellows and graduate students participated on-site in Gainesville and via videoconference from the Escuela Politécnica del Litoral in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

The workshop was designed to provide support to Tropical Connections Fellows in the overall effort to nurture socially-responsible careers in sustainable management of agricultural and water resources. The training focused on developing skill sets necessary for success in academic, research and education settings; building an achievement portfolio through developing grant proposals/business plans, outreach and assessment portfolios; and fostering leadership, mentoring and communication skills.

Workshop sessions were presented and facilitated by Dr. Alexa Lamm, an Associate Director of the UF Center for Public Issues Education; Caitlin Bletscher, a co-founder of WeMAP (Women’s Mentoring and Advocacy Program) of the Challenge2050 Project; Dr. Max Teplitski, a professor at the University of Florida and Fulbright Specialist in Agriculture; Dr. Faith Oi, a founder and a director of the Pest Management University and Florida Statewide School IPM program; Dr. Brian Myers, Professor and Chair of the UF Agricultural Education and Communication Department; and Dr. Sebastian Galindo, a Research Associate Professor and expert in programmatic assessment.

Recordings of the presentations can be viewed at the following links:

Alexa Lamm: Problem Solving in Teams

Caitlin Bletscher: Conflict Resolution

Max Teplitski: Strategy and Tactics in Developing Academic Programs

Faith Oi: What is a Modern Extension Program?

Brian Myers: Writing the “Teaching Philosophy” Statement

Sebastian Galindo: Evaluating the Broader Impacts of Research Projects

For more information on the Elsevier Tropical Connections Post-Doctoral Fellowship program, see About Tropical Connections.

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