Every Independent Activities Period (IAP) at MIT, undergraduate and graduate students get to explore educational opportunities outside of the normal semester-length classes. This is a chance to take classes or seminars on subjects that don’t fit into the required curriculum but are useful for professional development or simply stimulate one’s curiosity. We have compiled a list of opportunities that may help improve your communication, give you situation-specific skills, or just interest you.
Quite a few of these events require an advanced RSVP, so check out the provided links if you’re interested. We’d love to get your feedback on these events, as well as suggestions on other IAP (or beyond) events that are relevant to the communication needs in NSE. Email Comm Lab Manager Marina Dang to share your thoughts and ideas.
| Category | Name | Organizer | Date | Time | Place | Notes |
| Career | Infinite Careers Alumni Speaker Series: NSE Grad Sarah Laderman | CAPD | Mon, Jan 13 | 3-4:30PM | 14N-132 | Free lunch! |
| Career | Business Resources for Engineers and Scientists | Libraries | Tue, Jan 14 | 12-1PM | E17-290X | |
| Career | Creating a Successful Career–Strategies, Techniques, and the Big Mistakes You’re Going to Make | CAPD | Wed, Jan 29 | 7-8:30PM | 32-155 | |
| Career | PhD & Postdoc Career Planning Group | CAPD | Thu, Jan 30 | 12:30-4:30PM | E19-202 | PhD students/ postdocs only |
| Career | The Academic Job Search for PhDs and Postdocs | CAPD | Wed, Jan 15 | 11AM-1:30PM | E19-202 | Open to all |
| Career | The Art of Behavioral Interviewing | CAPD | Wed, Jan 29 | 1:30-3PM | E19-202 | |
| Career | Your career journey: Navigating before you know the destination | Sloan | TWTh, Jan 14-16 | 6:30-8:30PM | E19-202 | |
| Career | What Every International Student Should Know about U.S. Employment | CAPD | Fri, Jan 17 | 10-11:30AM | 54-100 | |
| Communication | The Three Laws of Communication with Jean-luc Doumont | CAPD | Tue, Jan 21 | 1-3PM | 10-250 | |
| Communication | Turning Your Science into an Op-Ed | CAPD | Thu, Jan 16 | 10:20AM-12:00PM | 4-145 | |
| Communication | Social Media Best Practices and Building Your Brand | CAPD | Wed, Jan 29 | 2-3PM | TBD | Freshman only |
| Data management | Data Management for Postdocs and Research Scientists | Libraries | Thu, Jan 16 | 3-4:30PM | 4-231 | Open to all |
| Data management | Do Right By Your (Research) Data: 2020 Intellectual Property Speaker Series | TLO & Libraries | Tue, Jan 21 | 12:30-2PM | E25-111 | Free swag! Free lunch! |
| Data management | Quick & dirty data management: the 5 things you should absolutely be doing now! | Libraries | Wed, Jan 08 | 2:30-4PM | 2-105 | |
| Data management | Data Visualization: Introduction to Tools and Principles | Libraries | Tue, Jan 28 | 3-5PM | 4-370 | |
| Data management | Data Visualization: Making Better Figures | Libraries | Thu, Jan 30 | 3:30-5PM | 4-231 | |
| Leadership | Improv Your Leadership Skills | CAPD | Mon, Jan 13 | 2-3:30PM | 4-145 | |
| Leadership | How to Make Your Own Startup | Ryan Robinson, CEO of Conduit | WThF, Jan 8-10 | 2-3:30PM | Stratton | Three different workshops |
| Leadership | IAP Graduate Students Workshop on Engineering Leadership | GEL & GradSage | WF, Jan 15/17 | 1-3PM | 36-155 | |
| Leadership | Leadership Presence and Storytelling | MIT Leadership Center | Mon, Jan 27 | 8:30AM-5:30PM | TBD | Application required |
| Other | Patent Law Fundamentals | Sloan | MWF, Jan 13-27 | 2-4PM | E51-151 | For credit option |
| Other | Advocacy 101 | GSC | Th, Jan 9, 16, 23 | 6-8PM | 56-154 | RSVP. Free food! |
| Presentations | Effective Presentation Skills | CAPD | Thu, Jan 16 | 1:30-3PM | E19-202 | |
| Presentations | 3 Steps to Optimizing Your Presentation | CAPD | Wed, Jan 15 | 1-2PM | 4-145 | |
| Presentations | Optimize Your Presentation: A Mini-Course | CAPD | TWTh, Jan 28-30 | 1-2PM | 4-153 | Must attend all sessions |
| Presentations | Pitching 101: How to Present Your Startups and Technology Innovation to Potential Funder | Technology Licensing Office | Thu, Jan 23 | 10-11:30AM | E25-111 | Free swag! Free lunch! |
| Presentations | Public Speaking for Everyone with Toastmasters | Toastmasters | Sat, Jan 18 | 10AM-12PM | 3-133 | |
| Publications/Thesis | Author Rights Workshop: 2020 Intellectual Property Speaker Series | TLO & Libraries | Tue, Jan 21 | 10-11:30AM | E25-111 | Free swag! Free lunch! |
| Publications/Thesis | Tools and tips for thesis authors | Libraries | Mon, Jan 13 | 2-4PM | 2-105 | |
| Publications/Thesis | Writing your literature review: a hands-on workshop | Libraries | Fri, Jan 24 | 1-2:30PM | 14N-132 |