Welcome to the February 2025 edition of GradNews for the 2024-2025 academic year!  This monthly newsletter will include key information and resources to support your success as a graduate student at SIUE.  Each month we will bring you news about upcoming events, campus resources, research funding, professional development, campus engagement, and graduate student success stories.  Watch for GradNews coming to your email inbox each month!

Have feedback for the Graduate School? Fill out the Feedback Form to let us know!

Present Your Research at the Spring Research Symposium

Register soon to present your work at the annual Graduate School Research Symposium on Tuesday, April 8th, 2025! Graduate students of all disciplines are invited to present their research or creative activity. Student presentations will take place in-person from 11:30 am-1:00 pm. Deadline to register is Sunday, March 23rd, 2025! 

For more information and to register to present, visit the Symposium Student Presentations website.

Cougar Cupboard Spring Hours

The Cougar Cupboard is open the following days and times during the Spring 2025 semester (No appointment necessary):

        Monday:     1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
       Tuesday:     9:00 am – 11:00 am
Wednesday:     3:30 pm – 5:30 pm
     Thursday:    CLOSED
           Friday:     1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Visit the Cougar Cupboard website for more information. 

Free Nutrition Counseling at the Student Fitness Center 

Campus Recreation is excited to announce the return of Nutrition Counseling! Nutrition Counseling is in the Student Fitness Center Wellness Center. Services will be provided by Theresa Porter, a second-year graduate student in the Nutrition and Dietetics Master’s Degree Program. 
  
Appointment times are Monday through Thursday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Appointments outside of these hours may be possible. Please email the Student Intern, Theresa, at [email protected] if you have any questions or would like to schedule outside of normal hours. Be sure to fill out the assessment forms in the description box at least 48 hours in advance. 

Free Nutrition Counseling 
Mondays-Thursdays 
10 a.m.-2 p.m. 
SFC: Wellness Center 
Students, faculty and staff may sign up. 

I Heart SIUE x 1000th Day of School Celebration 

Thursday, February 13 2025 at 10:00 AM, Goshen Lounge

Join CAB and New Student and Family Programming for a fun filled afternoon celebrating The 100th Day of School and all the things we love about SIUE right before Valentine's Day! There will be DIY opportunities, treats, social activities, and tabling with different offices around campus. 

For individuals needing auxiliary aids for communication or physical access accommodations, contact ACCESS at 618-650-3726 or email [email protected] in advance of your participation. This material will be made available in alternative formats upon request.

Department of Anthropology Survey on Food Waste 

The Department of Anthropology and Susan Kooiman, PhD, invite you to participate in taking a survey created as part of an Anthropology senior internship with the Good Dirt Composting Collective focused on understanding the food waste habits on the SIUE campus. To ensure the creation of a meaningful food waste diversion plan, the Department would greatly appreciate your input by participating in a short survey. 
 
The survey should take no more than five minutes to complete, and responses will remain confidential. Your feedback will help them better understand campus food waste habits and guide the next steps of this initiative. 
  
Thank you for considering sharing your valuable insights, which are valuable to this internship project. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the project, feel free to contact Susan Kooiman at [email protected]. 
 
Take the survey on Qualtrics. 

Modules to Enhance SIUE Graduate Student Writing

The below online modules contain critical information to address graduate student basic writing skills, research-focused writing, the management of large writing projects, and challenges specific to non-native English speakers. The modules were created specifically for SIUE graduate students by SIUE faculty and staff. This project was developed and overseen by the Graduate School and supported by the Innovation and Excellence in Graduate Education foundation funds.

Module 1: Graduate-Level Writing Core Competencies

Module 2: Research Writing

Module 3: Managing Large Writing Projects

Module 4: Overcoming Challenges for Non-Native English Speakers

Research & Creative Activities

Be inspired by the incredible research and scholarly activities happening at SIUE by both faculty and students chronicled in the Fall 2024 edition of the Research & Creative Activities magazine published online.  From sculpture and science to economics and engineering, take a moment to read about the high-caliber scholarship happening all around you at SIUE!

Looking for external research funding?  

SIUE subscribes to GrantForward, a database to accommodate faculty and student searches for external funding sources. Users have access to over 8,000 federal opportunities and 6,000 foundation opportunities in the arts, medical sciences, education, humanities, social sciences, business, technology, physical sciences, law, and more. Saving searches makes it simple to return to and revise your search terms. In addition, researcher profiles allow one to search the extensive database for qualified collaborators.

STEM Research Hour

Library and Information Services (LIS) offers a weekly drop-in Zoom session for researchers at any level to ask questions about searching for articles and resources. LIS will offer help conducting literature reviews and citing sources to avoid plagiarism. Shelly McDavid, LIS STEM librarian, will provide one-on-one assistance to answer questions for anyone who joins.

1-2 p.m.

Every Wednesday throughout the spring semester

Zoom link for the Drop-In Class

Financial Planning & Resources for Graduate Students

Starting graduate school with prior student loan debt?  Sacrificing a full-time salary to attend school full-time?  Worried about budgeting while you pursue your graduate degree?

GradSense.org can provide you with the resources you need to make informed decisions about your financial future. Graduate students are in a unique situation when it comes to making wise financial decisions, and GradSense is a comprehensive financial resource, developed by the Council of Graduate Schools, tailored specifically to the needs of graduate students.  Explore the earning power of your graduate degree, uncover tips for managing and paying off student loans, find advice on how to transition out of graduate school financially, access budget calculators and more!

Access Your 2024 W-2 & 1095-C

All SIUE Employees, Retirees, Student Workers and Graduate Assistants can view and print their 2024 W-2 and 1095-C via CougarNet if electronic consent has been provided and once the forms become available. To access your W-2 and 1095-C, log into CougarNet and provide electronic consent. If you have separated employment from the University and are not a retiree, you will not be able to receive your forms electronically. 
 
By giving consent, you agree to print your W-2 and 1095-C from this site and will receive them sooner than if they were mailed to you. Once the forms are available, you can view and print your 2024 W-2 and 1095-C as many times as needed. If you do not consent to obtain your W-2 and 1095-C electronically, your W-2 and 1095-C will be mailed to you by the federal deadlines (W-2 Friday, Jan. 31, 1095-C Friday, Feb. 28). Please verify that your mailing address is correct in CougarNet to ensure you receive your mailed W-2 and 1095-C promptly. 
 
If you have previously provided consent and have not separated employment, it is unnecessary to provide consent again. A separate email notification will be sent once the 2024 W-2s and 1095-Cs are available. 
 
Additional information is available under FAQ's on the HR webpage. 
If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at [email protected]. 
 
The Office of Human Resources is committed to improving our services to the campus community and we encourage you to take time and visit CougarNet. 

Meet Iqbal Singh, MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering

Iqbal Singh is a dedicated Graduate student and Research Assistant who's academic journey began at Punjab Technical University in Punjab, India, where he earned his B.Tech in Electrical and Electronics Engineering.  Iqbal's decision to join SIUE was driven by the university's strong emphasis on research, exceptional faculty, and advanced facilities. He is particularly eager to further his studies and research in the field of power and energy. 

Iqbal has already made significant strides in his research career. He presented a research paper at the IEEE-ICPEICES-2024 conference in New Delhi, India, and at the SPIE Optics + Photonics 2024 conference in San Diego, California. His active participation in campus life includes his tenure as a former Cougar Village resident, showcasing his commitment to the university community. 

Dr. Amardeep Kaur, Iqbal's supervisor, speaks highly of him, describing him as a motivated and hard-working student with humble beginnings but a great skillset and drive to be an outstanding academic in the future. Dr. Kaur highlights Iqbal's professionalism, work ethic, and time management skills. She notes that he is always open to learning new things and absorbing more information. "It is rare to come across students who motivate their mentors to learn new tools and work harder, but Iqbal is certainly that student." said Dr. Kaur. 

Upon completing his program at SIUE, Iqbal plans to enter the workforce to apply his knowledge in real-world settings. He is also open to pursuing further research through a PhD program, with a focus on energy storage. Iqbal Singh's journey is a testament to his dedication, hard work, and passion for innovation and sustainability. His contributions to the field of renewable energy technologies and storage solutions are poised to make a significant impact, and his story serves as an inspiration to his peers and future generations of students.