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Useful Resources

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If you are feeling anxious about CoViD-19 or concerned you may be infected you can find useful health resources here: https://gradschool.utah.edu/covid-19/

Graduate School is notoriously stressful. Here are some ideas and resources available to you so that your grad school experience is broadly rewarding.

  • Be part of the Community There may be a tendency for grad students to withdraw into coursework and research at the expense of other areas of life, especially if you are here without family. Fortunately our department has seen classes do activities together, in a balanced way. Also, there are opportunities to take part in the many activities in Salt Lake City. To start, try the Physics Astronomy Graduate Student Advisory Committee. They may provide excellent ideas. (You may become an active member!)
  • Health care For most of us, access to health care requires health insurance. Fortunately you can get subsidized health insurance through a program administered by the Graduate School. Another important resource is the Student Health Center, where you can receive a variety of services including vaccines, diagnostic testing/screening, and counseling.
  • Stress management counseling If you need help with stress, anxiety, depression or mood swings, or if you and your partner could benefit from talking together with a counselor, then call or visit the Counseling Center. The services are comprehensive, excellent and extremely inexpensive. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for all University students and employees.
  • Mediation Grad students in need of conflict resolution have many options including the Ombuds Committee, Graduate Committee, GSAC, Dean of Students, and EHS.
  • Substance Abuse There are many resources available to help with addiction and alcoholism. The Student Wellness Center provides some on-line links, and both the Student Health Center and Counseling Center can help more directly.
  • Departmental Committees Committees such as the Ombuds Committee are available to administer guidance and initiatives that impact students, staff, and faculty. 

Links to Campus Health Wellness Resources

BEYOND CLASSES: OTHER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

You will start off taking courses, but it is important to explore other education possibilities as well. One practical reason is that the tuition benefits program is generous, but it does limit your time here; it is best to find a research project quickly. You will want to get as much information as you can about your options. Take part in the Graduate Student Symposium, the Condensed Matter Seminars, HEAP, and especially the Department Colloquium to learn about your research possibilities. Talk with other graduate students. Do not limit yourself to the Department; there are research groups in Scientific Computing Institute and the Department of Radiology, for example, in which our students have worked.

Another avenue is that of attending conferences. Often you will participate in professional meetings with your advisor, but do not wait for an invitation. Often meeting organizers can provide some travel money for graduate students. If you are well into your research, definitely present a poster or (better) give a talk. Just for example, some good (sometimes) local meetings include:

APS Four-Corners Section Meeting
SNOWPAC (astrophyics cosmology)

HOW TO WRITE A THESIS, GET FUNDING, MORE

This section lists some websites that may contain useful information for you. However, first you must get on-line. As a graduate student, you will be given an account on our Department's computer system. We have terminals available for use in all of our campus buildings (INSCC, JFB, SP). To apply for an account, ask at the Physics & Astronomy front desk.

Graduate School University sites that you should know about

Grad School Home
Graduate Catalog
International TA program
International Center
Marriott Library
Student Resources 
Thesis Guidelines
Tuition Benefits Program/Insurance

Your Rights Responsibilities

Student Code

External Funding Opportunities For Grad School

NASA GSRP Fellowships
NSF Astronomy
NSF Physics
PhDs.org's fellowship list

 How To Write A Thesis

Grammarly
GSAC's helpful tips
Dissertation Bootcamp 
EssayToolBox (Checks completed papers for mistakes, citations, and creates a bibliography) 

Dissertation Bootcamp was started in 2010 and the demand is extraordinarily high. Check it out, and sign up. 

Teaching Resources

Center for Teaching Learning Excellence

(The CTLE is excellent in its own right.)

 Computing Resources

Utah Center for High Performance Computing 

Professional Organizations

American Astronomical Society
American Institute of Physics
American Physical Society

 Find a job in Physics or Astronomy

AAS's Job Register for astro-ph
The APS's physics careers page
High Performance Computing job bank
PhDs.org's jobs resources 

ZipRecruiter Resources
ZipRecruiter for physics
ZipRecruiter for astronomy
Physics grad salary page

Every (+/-) astronomy and astrophysics faculty member got a position here in Utah through the AAS Job Register. Every (+/-) physics faculty member found his/her position here through APS's Physics Today.

 THINGS TO DO FOR FUN

Salt Lake City, Utah, and the University of Utah in particular offer many opportunities for enjoying breaks from your studies. Word-of-mouth is a good way to find fun things to do. The University always has interesting events as well: U of U events calendar Meanwhile, for your amusement only, here is a to-do list while you are in Salt Lake City. (They do not constitute an endorsement of any kind.)

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Last Updated: 10/2/20