Survival Guide

Deadlines and Timeline

A lot of the deadlines in the Graduate Regimen are “soft” deadlines meaning that these are the “preferred” times that you complete the required documents/forms/etc. Below, we’ve provided a list of the absolute latest you can submit these forms. As we are all on the struggle bus of grad school, you and I both know we will probably not be submitting that form immediately when it’s due. It will probably get submitted after processing that mid-semester mental breakdown. We take humanity and humility into consideration here.

For all the deadlines below, consider the goals as things that should be completed by the end of a given semester. For example, by the end of their first semester, a PhD student should be thinking about who they want on their committee and thinking about their research topic. But keep in mind that each advisor is going to have different expectations and this outline is just that - an outline. It provides a bit of structure for those that need it. Always check the expectations that advisor has for you because they may be very different from what is written below. 

Electives

Options for biology electives are lacking, to say the least. Fret not! There are other options! If you would like to take a course in another department, you can do that! You just need to get your committee to sign off on it. All you need to do is write up a little paragraph stating what the class is and why taking it would benefit you. Then you're set to go. Easy peasy. Biology graduate students have taken classes in the Geosciences, Anthropology, Public Health, and Education Departments. Many students also take courses at the Medical School!

External Grants

See this information from Dr. Emery.

Applying for external grants (not UofL) requires some extra paperwork that must be filed through the Grants Management Department. 

1. Itemized budget. This can be an Excel spreadsheet. It must include monetary amounts you are requesting. 

2. Budget justification. This is a paragraph or two that justifies and explains why you need the materials you outlined in your budget. 

3. Proposal narrative. This is around 1/2 - 1 page worth of information describing what you're studying, why, and when you expect to have results. This doesn't need to be super detailed. 

4. Terms of grant. This is specifically asking the facility and administrative costs and whether they are allowed to be charged to the grant. You can find this on the grant website (usually). 

5. Proposal clearance form. Also known as a PCF. This is a form that you must get from the Grants Department. The Grants people will fill it out for the most part and you just have to sign it, as well as your PI, the department chair, and any other relevant people. 

6. Assurance. This is from UofL Grants as well. This is essentially a letter stating that the university will be able to meet the grant requirements. 

Making Purchases

Terri Norris is in charge of this show. She places orders on Mondays and Tuesdays, so try to get your orders to her either on those days or on Fridays. To place an order, you'll need to fill out a Purchase Requisition Form. It's fairly straightforward. If you need a copy, either email Terri or literally anyone in the department - they will certainly have a copy. You can only use one vendor per form, so if you are placing an order with multiple vendors, you'll have to complete several forms. UofL has a list of authorized vendors. 

If you want to place an order with a company that is not on the authorized vendor list, you'll need to write up a few sentences to send to Terri stating why you chose to order through a different vendor. Usually something along the lines of "the vendors in the list didn't have what I needed" is sufficient!

Make sure you ask Terri for a receipt or confirmation email when you send the purchase requisition form!

Keys

To get keys to a room, first check with the person associated with that room. For example, you'll need to talk to Dr. Yanoviak if you need access to his lab. Once you get permission, talk to Doris in the Biology office. She will sign a key out to you. If she is out of keys, she will order one for you. You absolutely MUST return the key to her when you are finished with it or you graduate. DO NOT trade keys with other students or faculty. If you are trading keys with people, let Doris know. Just shoot her an email and say, "hey I'm giving my key to room 101 to Linda." This saves Doris from having to do extra work tracking down missing keys and frantically emailing people. 

Poster Printing

Who can print?
It is specifically for Biology Department research posters. All other prints much be approved by Dr. Michael Menze or the Biology Chair.

How much does it cost?
Poster printing is free for graduate students. 

Can I print my own poster?
No. This is to prevent misuse of the poster printer and the materials.

How do I print a poster?
A minimum notice of three full workdays is required for printing.

Send an email with the powerpoint file to Charles Elder (charles.elder@louisville.edu). It must be created in PowerPoint and saved as the current .pptx standard PowerPoint file. 

Charles will convert it into a PDF for printing. Make sure the dimensions are set to what you need in the PowerPoint file. 

You will receive an email when the printing is complete. 

What dimensions can I use?
Maximum width is 42", but there is no limit on length. 

What materials are available to print on?
Half-glass and canvas matte are available. Half-gloss brings out the color without over-shine. It is also fairly inexpensive. Cannot fold. Canvas matte will bring the best out of colors and has no shine, but it is incredibly expensive. To print on canvas, you must be going to a national conference. 

Are there restrictions on colored backgrounds or the number of images?
Generally, no. The printer is designed and set to be ink efficient.