Friends,

As GradQuant’s Lead Consultant, I have had the privilege of working with many people in our graduate community over the past academic year. I want to personally thank everyone who used our services in 2021-22. It is an honor to be invited into the process of your research. With the year drawing to a close, I would like to share with you some of the upcoming programs that will be offered at GradQuant during the summer. In short, we’re offering most of our services over the summer, so please stop by with your data-related questions!

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Pictured: Ask about data!

Drop-In Hours

GradQuant will continue to offer two consecutive drop-in hours per week via Zoom. Students do not need an appointment to visit Drop-In Hours. I encourage my readers to stop by with any questions they have regarding statistical methodology, computing, or data analytics. This is a great option if (a) you have a quick question and aren’t sure you need a full 20-minute consultation; (b) you want to see whether I can help you with a problem before you go to the trouble of scheduling a consultation; or (c) you want to work through a short project while having GradQuant easily accessible in case you have questions. Drop-In Hours are first-come, first-served. For privacy reasons, I typically admit one student at a time to the Zoom meeting, so you may spend some time in the Waiting Room if you catch us on a busy day. If you catch us on a slow day, however, you may not have to wait at all! Keep an eye on the GradQuant website for the summer Drop-In Hours schedule. We will have that updated before the end of the quarter.

Consultations

We will continue to offer consulting services for UCR graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. Registration will operate as usual via WC Online. Students may schedule up to two appointments per week, and each appointment can be either 20 minutes or 50 minutes in length. Upon commencement of our summer programming, I will be available approximately three days per week, Monday through Thursday, to take appointments. If you have not used WC Online before, we have an Appointment System Tutorial which you may find useful. We will continue to offer our consultations using Skype, so please ensure you have a Skype account, and include your Skype ID when creating appointments in WC Online.

Workshops

We will offer at least two workshops over the summer. I will be hosting the summer workshops, except for those offered through the GradEdge Summer Bootcamp that is discussed below, but the topics are TBD. Each workshop will be conducted over Zoom and will be approximately two hours in length. The workshops will be recorded. However, I usually recommend that participants attend synchronously, if possible, to ask questions and take advantage of the hands-on learning environment. I encourage any of my readers who have suggestions for workshop content to email me at: gradquant@ucr.edu. My exhortation extends beyond summer as well. We want to offer workshops that will best serve the graduate community at UCR, so please let us know if there is anything you would like to see in a workshop next year. We will do our best to accommodate all such requests.

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Pictured: Keep me posted about workshop preferences!

GradEdge Summer Bootcamp

Each summer, GradQuant offers a programming bootcamp course geared towards beginners. This 8-week course runs from 7/11/2022 through 9/2/2022 and is designed for those new to programming and statistics. The summer bootcamp is offered as part of our GradEdge/Jumpstart Program for incoming students in STEM fields, but current UCR graduate students may also attend. More information can be found on the GradQuant Website.

Mode of Delivery & Reaching Matt with Questions

Most of our GradQuant programming will continue to be offered virtually during the summer. The decision to retain our virtual programming is mainly based upon positive feedback from you, our clients, who appreciate the arrangement’s flexibility. Drop-In Hours, consultations, and workshops will be offered via Skype, Skype, and Zoom, respectively. The GradEdge Summer Bootcamp will also be held online. Because our outreach remains almost exclusively virtual, we would like to make an extra effort this summer to be approachable to the students whom we serve. I am always reachable via email, and I am happy to answer any questions you may have regarding GradQuant’s services. For specific questions about statistical methodology, coding, or data analysis, you can attend Drop-In Hours or schedule a consultation with me using WC Online.

GradSuccess will continue to offer GSRC Coffee Socials throughout the summer. These socials are a great way to meet new people, connect with fellow graduate students, and take a break from research or teaching. I’m often “around” during the coffee socials—helping with set-up, mingling with other grad students, and/or grabbing some coffee for myself. Please feel free to say hi. I’m always happy to discuss our services at GradQuant or make recommendations about how to best utilize our services to meet your unique needs.

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Pictured: Coffee Time

I hope to see some of you this summer during our workshops, Drop-In Hours, consultations, or coffee socials! I wish you all a great end to your academic year and a productive summer ahead.

Cheers,

Matt