MITACS Workshop- Essentials of Productive Teams

When: Friday, December 8, 2017
Time: 9:00am –5:00pm (Registration starts at 8:45 am)
Where: University of Lethbridge
Room: AH176 (Anderson Hall; Room 176)

Cost: This workshop, as with all Mitacs Step workshops, is free for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. However, the preauthorization of a valid credit card is required as part of the registration process. A $50 penalty will be applied to all late cancellations (cancellations that are not made 5 days or more before the workshop date), no shows, or incomplete attendance. These penalties are only charged after the completion of a workshop and no charges are ever made to those who participate in full.

Workshop Objective

Recognize and utilize the skills of others to achieve workplace goals quickly while gaining the understanding of what it takes to lead and participate in a truly effective work team that meets deadlines and sees results.

Learning Outcomes

You will learn:

  • The key steps and competencies in building effective teams
  • How to manage barriers to team success
  • The best practices of team communication

 

  • Essentials of team building
  • Creating a team action plan
  • The importance of clarifying roles
  • Understanding conflict within teams
  • Building trust and accountability
  • Identifying issues
  • Motivating teams
  • Available resources

Registration Link

Click here Registration

 

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Express Entry Eligibility for Postdoctoral fellows; towards Permanent Residency

-by Senthil Kailasam

Discalimer: Views expressed are of the author and not of ULPA. we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness or accuracy of opinions/information on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

There has been couple of changes to the eligibility and criteria set for Postdocs to be eligible for applying for PR and  recievebetter Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS)  score for skilled immigrants (Express Entry).

  1.  A full time valid job offer supported by  Labour market Impact Assessment was previously necessary to qualify under Skilled Worker Class. Postdocs used to lose  Express entry CRS points since our job offer was LMIA exempted. Now, that has changed. A Postdoc’s job contract with University is consider as a Job offer and we can obtain additional points, even though we have LMIA exempt.
  2. The word “Postdocs” got added to NOC skill Type A and our job code is
  3. We became eligible for Canadian experienced class category.

The following excerpt from CIC website answers the most common doubt raised by all Postdoctoral fellow before applying for Express Entry.

I have a PhD and am in a post-doctoral program. Do I qualify for the Canadian Experience Class?

Work experience gained while you were on a study permit will not count towards meeting the Canadian Experience Class requirements.

But, you may still be eligible if you:

already gained one year of skilled Canadian work experience while you were not on a study permit, and

meet the language threshold for that occupation .

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=672&top=29

 

 

 

 

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RKN National Journal Usage Project: Survey

Dear Colleagues,
Last week, I sent you an invitation to participate in a national survey of academic staff, doctoral students, and postdoctoral fellows from 23 Canadian universities on their usage of electronic resources. The survey contains five questions and should take less than fifteen minutes for you to complete.

To access the survey, click here. The deadline to complete the survey is Friday, February 3, 2017. For further information I invite you to visit http://www.crkn-rcdr.ca/en/journal-usage-project which provides information about this research. Please note that your participation will remain anonymous at all times. If you have concerns or questions, my direct email is nicolc@uleth.ca

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ULPA: Executive committee Election 2016-17

Update:  The newly elected Executives are listed here

Dear Fellow Postdocs,

We would like to invite nominations for the following Executive Committee positions for the University of Lethbridge Postdoctoral Association (ULPA) for 2016-17. There are 5 positions to be filled:

  1. President
  2. Vice-President Operations
  3. Vice-President Academic
  4. Vice-President Social
  5. Vice-President Finance

Please see below for a description of each position. The Executive Committee will take the charge from 1st, October 2016. Please note that you can nominate yourself, but you can only nominate for one position.

In your role as an Executive Committee member you will be steering the continued development of the ULPA and it’s support for and representation of all Post Doctoral Fellows at the University of Lethbridge. For further information about the ULPA and it’s activities in the past year please visit the ULPA website http://sites.ulethbridge.ca/ulpa/ or feel free to contact any member of the current executive committee.

Nominations are open from today until Monday, the 12th September, 2016. The nominees will be announced on the 13th and online polling will be available between 14th & 20th September, 2016. Results will be announced at the AGM on 21st September, 2016.

Please email your nominations to ulpa@uleth.ca 

All nominations should contain the following information:

Name

Department

Email

Nominated position

By sending the nomination through email you acknowledge understanding all the ULPA regulations, terms, and conditions. Please refer to the constitution attached with this email.

Sincerely,

Laura Albrecht,

On behalf of Election Committee ULPA

– – – – – – – – – – – –  – – – – – – – – – – –

Description of the roles of each Executive Member:

President: The President shall preside over all ULPA executive committee and annual general meetings, enforce due observance of the bylaws and act as one of the two signing authorities for the ULPA. The President shall act as the public relations officer and, whenever possible, shall be the ULPA’s liaison to other PDF associations, off-campus groups and government agencies including granting agencies and the public at large. S/he shall be responsible for disseminating information of importance to PDFs; maintaining the ULPA registry and email database of current members and alumni; and presenting an annual report to the Association at the ULPA Annual General Meeting.

Vice-president Operations: The Vice-president Operations of the ULPA shall be responsible for scheduling and taking minutes of ULPA executive committee, ULPA council and ULPA annual general meetings. In the event of absence or illness of the President, the Vice-president Operations shall have the authority to perform the duties of the President. The Vice-president Operations shall be responsible for maintaining the ULPA constitution and bylaws, posting meeting information, booking of meeting rooms and working closely with the other vice-presidents to disseminate information of importance to PDFs.

Vice-president Academic: The Vice-president Academic of the ULPA shall be responsible for the organization of professional career development and ULPA events excluding ULPA meetings. The Vice-president Academic, in conjunction with the administration of the UL, will also oversee setup and maintenance of grievance procedures for PDFs.

Vice-president Social: The Vice-president Social shall plan and execute social events including at least one annual PDF general assembly and regular PDF social gatherings at least once per year. S/he shall ensure that social events follow all applicable rules and laws and ensure all events are advertised to ULPA’s members including email notification at least one week and one day prior, and physical advertisements, such as posters on message boards throughout the UL campus.

Vice-president Finance: The Vice-president of Finance shall be responsible for all financial activities of the ULPA including organizing and directing funding applications, preparation of the yearly budget, receipt of funds due to the ULPA, maintenance and custody of all books pertaining to the ULPA, making all payments, preparing all financial statements and arranging for audit of the books by an auditor. The auditor shall be approved by the ULPA executive committee and shall be a member of the Chartered Accountants of the Province of Alberta. S/he shall act as one of the two signing authorities for ULPA.

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Government of Canada Launches Review of Federal Support for Fundamental Science

June 13, 2016 – Ottawa – Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

The Government of Canada understands the role of science in maintaining a thriving, clean economy and in providing the evidence for sound policy decisions. To deliver on this role however, federal programs that support Canada’s research efforts must be aligned in such a way as to ensure they are strategic, effective and focused on meeting the needs of scientists first.

That is why the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science, today launched an independent review of federal funding for fundamental science. The review will assess the program machinery that is currently in place to support science and scientists in Canada. The scope of the review includes the three granting councils along with certain federally funded organizations such as the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

The review will be led by an independent panel of distinguished research leaders and innovators including Dr. David Naylor, former president of the University of Toronto and chair of the panel.

The panel will spend the next six months seeking input from the research community and Canadians on how to optimize support for fundamental science in Canada. The panel will also survey international best practices for funding science and examine whether emerging researchers face barriers that prevent them from achieving career goals. It will look at what must be done to address these barriers and what more can be done to encourage Canada’s scientists to take on bold new research challenges. In addition to collecting input from the research community, the panel will also invite Canadians to participate in the review through an online consultation.

 

Quick facts

  • The Advisory Panel for the Review of Federal Support for Fundamental Science is an independent and non-partisan body whose mandate is to provide advice and recommendations to the Minister of Science on how to improve federal science programs and initiatives.
  • Feedback can be submitted online at www.sciencereview.ca. A final report will be released by the end of 2016.
  • Today’s announcement reflects the Budget 2016 commitment for the Minister of Science to undertake a comprehensive review of all elements of federal support for fundamental science over the coming year to ensure that federal support for research is strategic and effective.
  • The review of fundamental science will be a core component of the Government’s Innovation Agenda as science and research are key to Canada’s innovation and economic objectives.
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Invite for the Social Event (Pot Luck)-June 2016

Hello Fellow Postdocs,

Join us on Thursday June 23 from 6 pm to 9 pm for a potluck picnic at the Indian Battle Park. This will be an excellent opportunity to have some fun and socialize with other postdocs at U of L. As always, family members and friends are welcome to join. Carpooling could be arranged if you are interested.

Please RSVP by June 17 by emailing to ulpa@uleth.ca, and let us know what food you are planning to bring with you.

Event: Potluck Picnic

Day: Thursday June 23, 2016

Time: 6 pm — 9 pm

Location: Indian Battle Park

Looking forward to hear from you,

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First call for nominations for CAPS executives

Dear Postdoctoral Scholars,
This is a call for nominations for the executive roles of the Canadian Association of Postdoctoral Scholars (CAPS), from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2015. Please circulate this call widely – any Canadian postdoc can run for these positions.
The available positions are:
Chair
Vice-Chair External
Vice-Chair Operations
Vice-Chair Communications
Vice-Chair Finance
Vice-Chair International
Descriptions of these positions (as approved by the CAPS executive – to be ratified by the membership) are included below.
If you wish to run for any of these positions, please respond by email to operations@caps-acsp.ca indicating:
Your name
Your email address
The institution where you work as a postdoc
The position you wish to run for
A short (< 250 words) candidate statement that will be distributed to voters
The deadline for nominations is May 17, 5pm Pacific Time.
Voting will take place during a two week period after nominations close. If you have any questions about this process please contact me at operations@caps-acsp.ca.

Eligibility

any postdocs who is a) a Canadian citizen, or b) associated with a Canadian institution is considered to be a Canadian postdocs, and may run for CAPS executive positions.

—-
Position Descriptions
Chair
The Chair has responsibility to ensure the continuity of the organization, that the mission and vision are acted on and that the constitution is upheld. The Chair shall serve as the official spokesperson for CAPS-ACSP and as such shall represent CAPS-ACSP to the media and to the federal and provincial governments and agencies. CAPS-ACSP representation to specific organizations or in specific contexts may be delegated to the Vice-Chair External or to a committee chair at the discretion of Chair with the support of the Executive Council. The Chair shall be an ex-officio member of all Working Committees and, in consultation with the Executive, is responsible for ensuring delegation of correspondence and issues to the appropriate Vice-Chair or committee chairs. The Chair shall not vote in regular meetings unless a tie needs to be broken.
Vice-Chair External 
The Vice-Chair External is responsible to work closely with the Chair to support and fulfil the mission and vision of CAPS-ACSP by advocating on postdoctoral issues. This includes initiating and leading projects such as the national postdoctoral survey, promoting national postdoctoral awareness week, and liaising with and supporting postdoctoral associations.
Vice-Chair Operations 
The Vice-Chair Operations ensures that all Executive Council meetings and the annual general and other special general meetings are recorded as minutes of the organization, maintains minutes and other internal documents, and ensures that these are available as needed to CAPS-ACSP executives and members. The Vice-Chair Operations is also responsible for managing upcoming CAPS-ASCP Executive Council meetings as per Article VI: Meetings and Quorum, elections as per Article VII: Elections, referenda and member initiatives as per Article VIII: Consultation of CAPS-ACSP Members, and constitutional amendments as per Article IX: Amendments to the Constitution.
Vice-Chair Communications 
The Vice-Chair Communications shall be responsible for updating and maintaining external communications including the CAPS-ACSP social media and online presence. The Vice-Chair Communications has primary responsibility for updating/renewing membership lists and for liaising with and responding with individual postdocs. The Vice-Chair  Communications acts with the Chair as a first point of contact to ensure appropriate and timely responses to inquiry to CAPS-ACSP.
Vice-Chair Finance
The Vice-Chair Finance shall be responsible for all financial activities of CAPS-ACSP including preparation of the annual budget proposal, receipt of monies due CAPS-ACSP, arranging payments to external vendors or contractors, maintenance and custody of all financial records pertaining to CAPS-ACSP, and preparation of an end-of-the-year annual budget report. This individual shall also be responsible for generating invoices and expense claim forms, and will play a role in the negotiation and writing up of service contracts for projects performed by CAPS or for CAPS by outside agencies. This individual shall also seek funding support for CAPS-ACSP’s operations and activities by initiating annual applications to granting agencies and other potential sources of funds.
Vice Chair International
The role of the Vice Chair International is to represent the interests of non-Canadian citizen postdocs in Canada and Canadian citizen postdocs in postdoc positions outside of Canada. The Vice-Chair International liaises between Canadian postdocs at non-Canadian institutions, who are not represented by Canadian postdoctoral associations, and CAPS-ACSP. Other duties may include: (a) to serve as a voice for international post-docs; (b) to locate resources for international post-docs; (c) support networking for international post-docs within and outside of Canada; (d) identify and liaise with extra-national post-doc associations; (e) identify challenges, particularly related to immigration and residency issues, of international post-docs; (f) promote research on international post-doctoral issues, and; (g) ensure continuity of awareness and information for incoming Executive Councils. The Vice Chair International shall preferably be a person who is a CAPS-ACSP member who is a Canadian in a post-doc position outside of Canada or a non-Canadian citizen within a Canadian postdoc position.
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Call for Nomination

Originally posted on: 9th Oct, 2015

Dear Fellow-postdocs,

We would like to invite nominations for the following positions to form the very first University of Lethbridge Postdoctoral Association (ULPA) Executive Committee. There are 5 positions

1.       President

2.       Vice-President Operations

3.       Vice-President Academic

4.       Vice-President Social

5.       Vice-President Finance

Refer to the attached document for the roles and responsibilities for each of these positions. The executive Committee will take the charge from the end of this month.

Please note that you can nominate yourself, but you can only nominate for one position.

Nominations are open from today till Wednesday, the 14th October, 2015. The nominees will be announced on the 15th and online polling will be available between 16th October & 22nd October. Results will be announced on 23rd October, 2015.

Please email your nominations to lethbridgepostdocs@gmail.com.

All the nominations should contain the following information

Name:

Department:

Email:

Nominating position:

By sending the nomination through email you agree to acknowledge of understanding all the ULPA regulations, terms, and conditions. Please refer to the constitution attached with this email.

Thanks,

Rajashekhar Kamalampeta

On behalf of Acting Committee

ULPA

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Renewing your work permit

Renewing your work permit

  • Beginning February 21, 2015 Citizenship and Immigration Canada has implemented a new process for employers hiring foreign nationals who are exempt from the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). This includes postdoctoral fellows renewing their work permits. Employers must submit an offer of employment online through the Employer Portal and pay a fee before the work permit application is submitted. Ensure that that the offer and payment have been submitted electronically by your academic unit before you submit your work permit application. You will need a copy of the completed form for inclusion with your work permit application.
  • International postdoctoral fellows must ensure that they hold a valid work permit at all times. It is very important that you file your application for a renewed work permit with the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Case Processing Centre within a sufficient timeline (at least 90 days if you apply online and at least 120 days if you send your application by regular mail) before the expiry date on your current work permit, and that you pay the appropriate fees and keep your receipt. This also applies to accompanying spouses/dependents.
  • If the delay in processing and issuing your new work permit is attributable to CIC, you will be presumed as having “implied status”, provided that you do not leave Canada during the time you are waiting to receive your new work permit.

Temporarily leaving Canada during work permit processing

  • If you leave Canada temporarily before your application for a work permit (renewed or initial) is finalized by CIC Case Processing Centre (i.e. before your work permit has been issued or re-issued and has physically reached you), you put yourself at risk of losing your “implied status”.
  • When you seek re-entry into Canada without being in possession of a valid work permit, your application will be automatically cancelled. You will have to re-apply for a work permit (either at the port of entry if you have the right to do so, or at a visa office outside Canada) and pay another processing fee.
  • Such a situation may have a negative impact on your eligibility for Quebec Medicare benefits, and on that of family members whose legal status in Canada is linked to your work permit.
  • It is advisable that you inform yourself of CIC regulations and Medicare benefits for holders of work permits.

SOURCE: MCGILL UNIVERSITY

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