The MSU Graduate School is pleased to announce a new professional development program for doctoral students.

The Sharing Expertise and Exploring Knowledge (SEEK) program is designed for students who wish to discover ways to communicate knowledge to broader audiences.

This is unique opportunity for doctoral students to:

• Share their expertise and passion for their discipline with audiences outside academia

• Relate the work they do to larger community contexts

• Connect with professionals working in different domains

• Consider venues for public engagement with disciplinary knowledge

• Develop a public presence to complement scholarly presence

• Approach their research from a new/different perspective

The SEEK program staff will connect with campus and local organizations that are interested in enhancing their capacity and impact by working with an MSU doctoral students. Opportunities will be posted on the TGS web site throughout the year and will be shared widely as they arise. Fellowship and project support varies, depending on the length of the experience, the time commitment, and the scope of the projects.

The Graduate School has been developing opportunities like this through a variety of previous offerings. Examples include:

MSU/LSJ Partnership: In this innovative program, MSU students worked directly with a Lansing State Journal mentor/editor to develop, pitch, write, and publish articles in the LSJ and other mainstream publications that translate the student’s research or expertise into a story for a general public audience.

Re-Imagining the Museum: A group of doctoral students from a variety of disciplines were selected for a special institute to reimagine the MSU Museum, with attention to the dynamics of landscape through scientific and humanistic lenses.  The students worked with museum leaders to develop creative interventions, engaging visitors of all ages in new directions for the Museum and its environs.

BEST Externships: Graduate students from biomedical science and engineering have engaged in externships: flexible opportunities to do meaningful, project-based, work in different environments. Examples range from partnering to serve as a science consultant to government agencies, working with science-based non-profit political or religious organizations, science journalism and communication, and other opportunities to bring deep science and engineering knowledge to partnering organizations.

The SEEK Fellowship:

Students will work closely with a campus or local organization to develop a project that works from a disciplinary base to enhance the capacity and impact of the partner’s efforts.

• The scope of work and expectations will be negotiated by the student and community partner.

• Benefit from professional development support available through the Office of PhD Career Development in the MSU Graduate School via workshops, small group activities and engagement, and other trainings.

Current Opportunities

MSU Broad Art Museum - Project: Shouldn’t You Be Working? 100 Years of Working from Home

MSU Broad Art Museum - Project: Collection Education and Research Center

MSU Broad Art Museum - Project: Resistance Training: Arts, Sports, and Civil Rights

Program Coordinator: The PILOT Program at MSU Graduate School and MDARD

To learn more about SEEK Fellowships and the impact they have, watch this video featuring two former fellows