Prepare a short presentation of five to seven minutes about your studies (undergraduate and postgraduate) and research. Follow the plan below

1. Where and when did you get your bachelor degree?
2. Why did you decide to enroll into a master program?
3. What are you majoring in?
4. What research are you doing now?
5. Does the present research have any connection with your undergraduate studies? What was the theme of your graduation (diploma) paper?
6. How did you arrive at the idea of your research subject?/ Who encouraged your interest in the problem?
7. What problems are you particularly interested in?
8. Who is your scientific adviser? Is he/she a distinguished scientist?
9. Have you already made a detailed study of these problems?
10. Have you already made a literature review/ collected and arranged the necessary data?
11. Do you take part in scientific conferences?
12. Have you already got any articles published?
13. What other activities are you engaged while in MA program?
14. When did you start your research and when are you planning to finish it?
15. What degree are you going to obtain?

 

UNIT 8

International Professional Associations

STARTING UP

Ex. 1  Look at these sayings. What do they mean? Which of the ideas do you agree with?

• The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.

Epictetus (55 – 135 AD), Greek philosopher

• Competition is the whetstone of talent.

                                                            (popular saying)

• You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do.

Henry Ford (1863 – 1947), American industrialist

 

Ex. 2 What is a professional association? Which of the definitions below expresses your idea of professional association?

a nonprofit organization seeking to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals engaged in that profession, and the public interest (Wikipedia)

"a group of people in a learned occupation who are entrusted with maintaining control or oversight of the legitimate practice of the occupation" (Harvey 2004-2013)

a body acting "to safeguard the public interest" (Harvey 1995)

a trade union (Harvey 1995)

an organization which “represents the interest of the professional practitioners” and “acts to maintain their own privileged and powerful position as a controlling body” (Harvey 1995)

Ex. 3. Have you already become a member of a professional organization? If not yet, think about the benefits of joining a professional organization. Discuss your ideas with your neighbor. Make together a list of possible advantages. Compare your list with the opinion of an expert [37].

REASONS TO JOIN A PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION:

· Meet great like-minded people

· Opportunity to showcase your experience through peer to peer discussions or public speaking.

· Bullet item on your resume

· See what opportunities and challenges are in the industry[ies]

· Access to experts in the field – speakers, other members, sponsors

· Discounts or free books, magazines, access to webinars, e-learning, certification exam vouchers

· References fromother than your sister’s husband

· Free or almost free training - most of the organizations have meetings focused on educational content

· Meet your competition

· Exclusive or early notification of job opportunities

 

VOCABULARY

IDIOMS

Ex. 2. Read the entries from McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs [38] and complete the sentences below. Translate them into Russian:

think outside the box also think out of the box

Fig. to think freely, not bound by old, nonfunctional, or limiting structures, rules, or practices. (As if thinking or creativity were confined in or limited by a figurative box. Compare this with think inside the box.)

Etymology: based on the idea that limiting your thoughts is like thinking inside a box which can contain only a certain number of ideas

 

think inside the box

Fig. to think in traditional fashion, bound by old, nonfunctional, or limiting structures, rules, or practices.

 

1. You won't come up with good ideas until you think ……………………
2. You won't come up with good ideas if you think only ………………
3. These guys are incredibly creative - they really know how to ……………..
4. You, guys, only think ……….. and will never find a better solution.
5. Let's think ……………. for a minute and try to find a better solution.

 

Ex. 3. Translate from Russian into English. Pay attention to the expressions in bold:

1. Мы ориентируем наших научных сотрудников на поиск нетривиальных решений.
2. Среди вас есть студенты, которые могут мыслить нестандартно?
3. Если мы хотим справиться с этой проблемой (cope with), то должны подойти к ней по-новому.
4. Если ты хочешь заниматься исследовательской работой, старайся мыслить нестереотипно.
5. Все говорят «надо мыслить нестандартно», а как этому научиться?

 

Ex. 4. Read and translate the abstract from the article 11 Ways to Think Outside the Box by Dustin Wax [39]. Pay attention to the ways the author plays with the word box.

We’re told to “think outside the box” all the time, but how exactly do we do that? How do we cultivate the ability to look at things differently from the way we typically look at things? Thinking outside the box starts well before we’re “boxed in” – that is, well before we confront a unique situation and start forcing it into a familiar “box” that we already know how to deal with. If you would  like to develop your out-of-the-box thinking skills, make an effort to push your thinking up to and beyond its limit every now and again – the talents you develop may come in handy the next time you face a situation that “everybody knows” how to solve.

READING

Value of Professional Organizations

By Laura Raines [40]

When employment goes down, membership in industry associations and professional organizations generally goes up. Job seekers come to meetings to meet new contacts and possible employers and market their skills.

“Some people wait until they get a [termination] notice to reach out and build a network. Then it’s almost too late,” said Elizabeth Wysong, director of human resources technology for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. “People shouldn’t wait for a career crisis to join”, she said. “You want to get involved and start building your network all along, because there are so many benefits from it. Membership is an investment in yourself and your career.”

When Wysong started her career in human resources at St. Thomas University in Miami, a colleague suggested she join the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) as a way to network and build knowledge about her profession. “I found it to be a tremendous opportunity to meet people who were similarly focused and wanted to learn the same things I did,” Wysong said. “I have not found a better vehicle [than associations] to build up my body of knowledge and establish great relationships in the community,” she said. “When I had challenges at work, I knew people who had done that and who could give me a different perspective and advice.”

She has also found it a great way to hone and display her skills. “I’ve only worked for three employers, and my last two career moves came from my direct involvement with local SHRM chapters,” said Wysong, who has worked in human resources in education, banking and health care. “I never had to market myself to find a job. Opportunities came to me,” she said. “Because they came from people I trusted, it was easier to leap into a new organization and industry. An association is a great place to be mentored in whatever skills you need to learn,” she said.

Career development

A lot of people join an association the way they do a church, said Paul Terlemezian, president of iFive Alliances LLC, an Atlanta firm that helps companies make strategic alliances. “They go to a service and notice that other people seem to know each other and be getting more out of it,” Terlemezian said. “People tell me that they are waiting for their career to get better and I say, ‘Why are you waiting?’ Be proactive. If you want to grow and increase your value, join an association and get involved.” “It’s a great place to get to know people and be known. You can sell your product or your skills, find a job and make friends. Associations often offer low-cost ways to sharpen your skills, stay abreast of industry trends, and earn certifications needed to advance in your career,” Terlemezian said.

Terlemezian joined the American Society of Training and Development because it gave him a chance to learn about emerging technologies, to gain leadership experiences, and take that knowledge back to his company. “When the 6,000-member Technology Association of Georgia speaks, it is representing industry interests. People listen,” Terlemezian said.