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ITM PhD Student Conference

Last Wednesday and Thursday (on April 10-11) we had the annual ITM PhD student conference at Skogshem and Wijk on Lindingö. The theme this year was equality (JML) and sustainability. Alice Marshall gave an introduction to “one KTH” followed by several group exercises/discussions. In one of them we were all supposed to stand in different corners divided in how equal we think our working environment is on a scale between 1 and 10, 10 being perfect in terms of gender equality. The choice of “environment” could be the closest group or even the whole of KTH. It was interesting to see that we were spread out between 8-9 to 2-3.

Sara Linderson shortly presented the new platform, Industrial Transformation, a platform that will coordinate all KTH researchers that in different ways support the transformation to a sustainable CO2-neutral industry. The manager of the platform is Monica Bellgran, KTH Södertälje.

In the evening, beforea very nice dinner, there was a poster session with the goal to bridge the gap between different research fields i.e. find a PhD student colleague in another area where there is some overlap of interest.

In the morning of the second day Ulf Sandström gave a lecture about the Vancouver Rules on Publishing. The rules discuss “Who Is an Author?” and the following four criteria must be fulfilled for any author:

  1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
  2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
  3. Final approval of the version to be published; AND
  4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

This is something for the students to discuss in their respective research environments and with their supervisors. It think that it is important not to be too interested in the ranking lists but to make sure that authorship and citations are treated in a correct way.

After a coffee break Hélène Hermansson gave a talk about sustainability and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG:s) and asked the participants to think and discuss how these goals can connect to their own research, both in a positive and negative ways.

The SDG:s can be found here.

Thank you all lecturers, DAs and participants!

ITM PhD student conference

A Wednesday and Thursday in April we had the annual ITM PhD student conference at Skogshem and Wijk on Lindingö. The theme this year was Research skills from different perspectives. Linda Söderlindh gave a very inspiring combined lecture/workshop on Presentation skills (see picture). Greta Quesada Richardson & Margareta Fathli informed us about Open Access publishing. In the evening before a very nice dinner, there was a poster session with the goal to bridge the gap between different research fields i.e. find a PhD student colleague in another area where there is some overlap in interest. This year Linda gave feedback on the posters to as many students as she could.

The second day started with an open-air quiz led by Andrea de Giorgio from the THS PhD Chapter. On the picture below the participants try to form a square of a string that they all hold on to. Not so easy since they have to keep their eyes shut and only orally communicate how the problem should be solved.

After the outdoor activity Mats Magnusson (PA for the Machine Design Doctoral Program) gave a short presentation about the recent survey, the result was quite similar to last year´s. We will now look into the result in more detail. The last lecture was given by Sven Ove Hansson, Ethics in research, a subject that is always highly relevant and interesting.

Thank you all lecturers, PAs and participants!

/ Malin Selleby, FA

ITM PhD student conference

The invitation and agenda for the annual ITM PhD student conference has just been sent out to all PhD students. The topic of this year’s conference is Research skills from different perspectives and includes a lecture/workshop on Presentation skills by Linda Söderlindh. We will also hear about Open Access publishing, get information from THS, and a lecture on Ethics in research – a subject that is always highly relevant. In the evening there is a poster session with the goal to bridge the gap between different research fields i.e. find a PhD student colleague in another area where there is some overlap in interest. The conference takes place April 18-19 at Skogshem and Wijk in Lindingö.

If you are a PhD student and didn’t receive the invitation – please contact Gülten Baysal.

/ Malin Selleby, FA

To admit doctoral students

Many supervisors find it hard to know how to admit PhD student and especially if the student comes from a country outside Europe. It can be difficult to find ones way through the governing documents of KTH and the school. It may also be difficult to know how to best advise the student regarding residence permits, housing, etc.

I have just employed a PhD student and have during the process noted what is important to think about in each step, what documents need to be in place and in what order etc. I intend to write a short description of this and post on the ITM website. Hopefully soon 🙂

It is almost time for the annual ITM doctoral conference, it takes place April 18-19, and will again be held at Skogshem and Wijk in Lindingö. This year’s theme is not yet fixed so ideas and suggestions are welcome.

/ Malin Selleby, FA

Brief information from FA

The doctoral student survey that was published during the spring has been analyzed and the results were presented at the PhD student conference. It was very satisfactory to note that overall results were positive. Now we analyze the results at the level of detail for our five doctoral programs. The result will also be available for presentation at our departments.

About half of the e-ISPs that have been started are now established. I know there have been some problems due to bugs in the software and that it is unflexible, but overall, I think the system is a big improvement compared to the paper version. Hopefully, we will soon see some updates of the software.

/Malin Selleby, FA