New leadership, support programs to help graduate students thrive, develop critical skills

LEADing the Way 

Two years after she received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia, Rachael Hart Earls, a current Neuroscience PhD student, was excited to return to her alma mater to begin her doctoral studies. But as she prepared for life in a laboratory as a neuroscientist, she worried that she would feel isolated and wondered if there was a way to create synergies between her academic

goals and her desire to work with people outside of the lab.

She found the answer in Graduate Scholars LEAD (Leadership, Engagement and Development), a program launched this summer by the Graduate School. Funded by a $495,000 Innovations in Graduate Education grant from the National Science Foundation, the program fosters the development of critical thinking skills, teamwork, communication and leadership.

For more information, please visit: LEADing the Way