School of Science Learn@Lunch Series

The School of Science holds a monthly lunch series for staff members at noon on the dates below (unless stated otherwise). The topics will include informational topics, training, and research highlights. The notes and handouts from previous meetings are below.

The Learn@Lunch Spring Series will focus on presentations by faculty members in the School of Science.

If you have other topics, you'd like to hear about, please contact Heather Williams, heatherg@mit.edu or 3-8904.

If you would like to attend, please RSVP to Agnes Budnik (abudnik@mit.edu) or 3-5090.

	Upcoming Meetings:
	DATE	TOPIC
	October 4, 2012 in 2-290	“Acing your Interview” – presented by Matt Cubstead, Administrative Officer, Department of Physics
	November 1, 2012 in 46-3310	Conducting Employee Interviews: A Panel Discussion with Best Practices on Conducting Employment Interviews
	November 29, 2012 in 68-181	Performance Reviews – What’s in it for you!
	December 20, 2012 in 4-349	Learn how to set Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Timely (SMART) Goals


	Previous meeting notes:
	DATE	TOPIC
	July 11, 2012	“Acing your Interview” presented by Matt Cubstead, Administrative Officer in Physics
	June 19, 2012	Careers @ MIT a panel discussion from 4 disciplines: Human Resources, Finance, Development and Education
	May 3, 2012	Community Update presented by Dean Marc Kastner
	April 3, 2012	Vision 2030 project presented by Pam Delphenich, Dir. of Campus Planning and Design
	June 14, 2011	Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Costs (Including under-recovery) Led by Jim White. The full cost of an instructional activity or a research project is the sum of the direct cost that can be specifically identified to the project plus the associated F&A cost. Although F&A cannot be directly assigned, these costs are incurred for infrastructure and administrative support services that are essential to the operation of the Institute and its programs. This Learn @ Lunch session will discuss the development, methodology and practical application of F&A within the School of Science and at MIT.
	May 18, 2011	Communicating Upwards Led by Ronnie Haas. The course objectives are: Identify three key factors in successful communication with your supervisor; understand the role you play in successful communication; identify and understand the variable that can promote or hinder effective communication
	April 7, 2011	Positive Psychology Led by Dr. Xiaolu His. This session will cover what psychologists believe about why some people bounce back quickly from disappointments, stress, and tragedy.
	November 30, 2010	Fundamentals of Finance for SoS Administrative and Fiscal staff
	May 21, 2010	Professor Lindy Elkins Tanton from the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences will share with us her experience leading expeditions in Siberia and her work on planetary evolution.
	June 9, 2010	Dean Marc Kastner will present Physics 101 with assistance from the Department of Physics Technical Assistance Group. Dean Kastner’s presentation will cover the basic materials that students in 8.01 learn and you’ll see first-hand how the Physics Department uses an adult-sized tricycle, a Faraday Cage, and a Curious George doll.
	April 20, 2010	"The History of the Universe in 45 Minutes" Led by Prof. Max Tegmark
	December 8, 2009	Active Bystanders Led by Mary Rowe & Toni Robinson, Institute Ombudspeople.This Learn@Lunch session will focus on the Active Bystander and what you will need to know to understand your responsibility in situations. This Learn@Lunch will provide you with a good sense of how to handle situations, practice words of intervention, provide you with the ability to act, and will challenge your power of moral authority.
	November 17, 2009	Knowing Your Rights Led by Allison Romantz This Learn@Lunch session will focus on MIT's policies & procedures, employment statues, and incivility in general. In addition, this training will focus on knowing your rights and responsibilities as it pertains to MITs policies and procedures. The discussion will also include clarification on the differences between acts that violate laws or statutes, acts that violate MIT’s policies and procedures and acts that violate our own personal values.
	October 20, 2009	Financial Integrity in Nonprofit Organizations Led by Jim White, Assistant Dean for Finance in Science. This Learn @ Lunch session will focus on the importance of ensuring integrity in processing, reviewing and approving MIT financial transactions. It will include not only a review of recent high-profile fraud scenarios to emphasize the impact on financial integrity on nonprofit organizations but also include a discussion of recommended best practices for financial review and control. Handout pdfs: Part 1, Part 2
	May 28, 2009	Basics of Financial Reporting in Nonprofit Organizations A discussion of the the basics of financial reporting concepts in non-governmental nonprofit organizations
	May 8, 2009	How to Maximize the MIT Resources and Benefits Available to You At this session, you'll hear a broad overview of benefits and resources available to the MIT community.
	April 30, 2009	Basics of Non-Profit Accounting A discussion of the basic concepts of nonprofit accounting and finance in non-governmental nonprofit organizations. Handout pdfs: Part 1, Part 2
	April 23, 2009	Basics of Non-Profit Accounting A discussion of the basic concepts of nonprofit accounting and finance in non-governmental nonprofit organizations. Handout pdfs: Part 1, Part 2
	April 8, 2009	Resilience & Positive Psychology At this session, you will learn about exciting research in psychology and how you can use your own resilience to combat stress. Handout pdfs: Presentation Outline, Article 1, Article 2, References
	April 1, 2009	Business Writing 101 You'll learn how to spot and fix the most common errors in writing." Handout pdfs: Presentation Slides
	March 26, 2009	How to Get Better Sleep At this session, you’ll hear about the importance of sleep including sleep hygiene, how nutrition and exercise plays into sleep, as well as stress. Handout pdfs: Caffeine, Quick Guide, Stages of Sleep
	January 2009	Illustrator Basics course taught by Brandy Baker
	December 2008	Gretchen Poehlman presented "How To Be Better Organized"
	November 2008	Active Bystander Ttraining with Mary Rowe and Toni Robinson
	June 2008	School of Science BBQ complete with MIT, Pop Culture, and Boston Trivia. Check out the pictures!
	May 2008	Tuition Assistance presentation by specialist Shawn Spencer of MIT's Human Resources department on MIT's Tuition Assistance Benefit.
	March 2008	Ellen Cushman & Mary Noble presented an overview of retirement benefits at MIT including information on Fidelity's partnership with MIT.
	December 2007	Staff members from the MIT Medical Department, Marcia Yousik and Celene Barnes, presented strategies for managing stress.
	November 2007	Dean Marc Kastner, School of Science and Dr. Alison Alden, Vice-President for Human Resources spoke about their goals, initiatives, and answered questions.
	October 2007	Kristen Morreale, Staffing Specialist, & Wendy Silver, Human Resources Officer, SoS, presented Search and Selection Guidelines for Hiring Managers.
	September 2007	Rita Geller, Compensation Specialist, on How MIT Determines Salary Compensation

For additional information on the Learn@Lunch series, please contact Agnes Budnik (abudnik@mit.edu) or 3-8900.