GSO 2020-2021 Q&A

As we approach the end of the academic year and the current GSO administration, a few officers reflect on their experience(s) and what motivated them to join the GSO in the first place.

Q1. Why did you decide to join the GSO?

Wei-Lee (President (current), First Year Rep (previous)): Getting to know the department better and giving back to the ChemE department.

Kurt (Social Director): I thought it would be a good way to get to know more people in the department and would give me an excuse to do activities with friends beyond just research. I have always enjoyed planning events, and felt that the PhD program could be improved by offering a greater diversity of extracurricular activities, and felt that I would enjoy coordinating these activities for everyone in the department.

Daniel G (Sustainability Director): I was nominated by my peers.

David (Safety Director): I wanted to give back to the department, especially during the tough times presented by Covid-19.

Apurva (Outreach Director): I wanted to help ensure that graduate students had the opportunity to work with students in the local community to help inspire young students to pursue fields in STEM .

Daniel H (First Year Rep): I wanted to be more involved in the department and I wanted to be able to help orient the new class of students to Purdue both as a grad student and just to life in the Lafayette/West Lafayette area. Helping others out by using any prior knowledge and experiences that I have is a passion of mine, and being 1st-year rep was a great fit for me.

Sydney (Co-Curricular Director): I decided to join GSO so I could help contribute to the department and learn a bit more about the opportunities it provides.

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Aidan (Student Advocacy (current), Outreach (previous)): Service has always been a priority of mine. Getting a chance to add something to other graduate’s experiences through the GSO was a natural move for me. Furthermore, I was encouraged by several older graduate students that told me about how much they enjoyed their time serving on the GSO.

Gaurav (Communications Director): I enjoyed participating in GSO events very much in my first year, so I wanted to play some role in the organization, to help provide the same experience to other students. The communications role seemed like a good fit since I like creative writing and have some cursory interest in web design.

Q2. What did you enjoy the most about your role in the GSO?

Wei-Lee: The process of taking an idea/event and carrying it through completion by working with a team, collaboration, and interacting with different people.

Kurt: I enjoy how quickly and flexibly GSO can impact the PhD community. One week, somebody can have an idea of an activity that they want to try out, and virtually immediately after GSO finds out, they are happy to coordinate it for the PhD students. I also like how flexible GSO’s budget is, and how willing they are to fund any type of activity.

Daniel G: Positive responses towards the events I planned

David: I enjoy advocating for graduate students and the safety issues they encounter in their day-to-day work.

Apurva: I get to teach students about concepts in science and engineering and see them get excited about science. Doing Solar Rollers Every Year where we invite students to campus to build solar cars was always an exciting way to get middle schoolers to do some real world engineering using team work.

Daniel H: I really enjoyed being able to connect during various social activities (whether virtual or in-person) and help new students in whatever area they needed assistance with such as general tips for the first semester or how to best go about choosing a research group and advisor.

Sydney: I really enjoyed getting to know some of the other grad students and to be able to help put on events that help the grad students to network and show off their research.

Aidan: I initially was elected as the Outreach Chair, following Claire Nimlos’ wonderful expansion of the position. As Outreach Chair it was great to run events that allowed for students to take a break from the stresses of graduate work and spend some time helping out others. A particular highlight of my role as Outreach Chair was organizing/running the Solar Rollers Day and seeing middle schoolers get interested about engineering concepts and implementation. In addition to all of this, these events provided a great outlet to spend time with people in the department you don’t see all that frequently.

I returned later to be elected to the Student Advocacy Chair where my main role was being the student liaison between graduate students and faculty while also being one of the representatives on the Graduate Student Advisory Council which is a collection of people from other engineering department’s GSO’s. I thoroughly enjoyed bringing up issues from graduate students to faculty and also hearing about how different departments run their GSO’s.

Gaurav: I enjoyed working with everyone as a team to conduct the annual GSO Symposium and it was really satisfying to see everything come together in the end, especially since this was the first time we were conducting a virtual symposium. I also had fun tinkering with a new design for the GSO website and implementing it successfully.

Q3. What have your learned from your experience as a GSO officer?

Wei-Lee: Every GSO event/seminar takes a lot of time and effort from the officers’ to make it successful and run smoothly. I’ve learn to appreciate and enjoy these opportunities a lot more.

Kurt: I have gotten to know a lot of students that I would not otherwise have met, and I have gotten to see a little about how the administration acts and interacts with PhD students, as well as what they value. I have also improved my event planning skills, and have gotten a much better idea of the diversity of activities that Indiana has to offer.

Daniel G: Some insight into dynamics between grad students and the department, and grad students and each other.

David: I’m always amazed that the most insightful safety concerns presented to the Department Safety Committee often come from the students. I hope that people continue to use this channel of communication.

Apurva: As a GSO officer, I learned how to organize graduate students and other activities in the department ranging from Solar Rollers and Murdock Volunteering to Symposium and Colloquium

Daniel H: Even with circumstances being different this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, I was still able to learn how to effectively connect with students, faculty, and other Purdue staff. My duties for last year’s annual symposium was also a great opportunity for a more professional academic experience to better connect with faculty and industrial representatives.

Sydney: I have learned more about some of the problems facing grad students and how important it is to be able to provide a bridge through GSO that allows students to voice their concerns and connect with other students.

Aidan: Through my GSO roles I’ve been able to hone my teaching and leadership abilities, understand how the department works better, and made amazing friends and connections along the way.

Gaurav: I’ve learnt a lot about the effort and teamwork that goes behind conducting events. Additionally, I’ve interacted with a lot of friends and colleagues regarding GSO events, upgrading the website, and so forth, and that has been very fulfilling, especially during the pandemic when it has been difficult to connect with other students in the department.

Q4. Any other comments for those looking to join the GSO this year?

David: Being the GSO Safety officer has been very rewarding. From participating in the Department Safety Committee to putting together ChESS webinars for the Department to talking to students about their safety concerns, I think this position has a lot of opportunity to make a large positive impact on the safety culture of the ChE Department.

Daniel H: I would definitely recommend running for a GSO officer position! It’s a fantastic avenue for professional development and for staying better connected with the department while gaining different skills and experiences that you wouldn’t normally be able to do otherwise.

Aidan: GSO’s great! Have an impact on your department!