Stinky Flower, Glass Blower, Students in the Spotlight, and More: The GradPost's Top 13 Stories of 2013

On this last day of the year, we thought we’d take a look back at our readership numbers to determine which of our articles were the most read in 2013. What we found is that you, our loyal GradPost readers, enjoy reading about the lives and accomplishments of your fellow students and alumni, such as Chicana and Chicano Studies Ph.D. student Ester Trujillo and Physics Ph.D. alum Kohl Gill. You want to find out how you can improve your career and professional development skills, such as establishing a digital reputation and dressing your best for a job interview. Of course, you also just like to read a good human interest story, whether it’s the blooming of a rare, stinky “corpse flower” at the campus greenhouse or the skills involved in scientific glass blowing.

Here now are the GradPost’s top 13 most-read stories originally published in 2013, followed by a list of six other noteworthy articles that just missed the list.

1. Using Body Language to Your Advantage During a Job Interview

http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/career/2013/2/26/using-body-language-to-your-advantage-during-a-job-interview.html

As Academic Peer Advisor Torrey Trust points out, body language reflects what you are really thinking, whether consciously or subconsciously. It can affect you negatively if you’re unaware you are using your body in an unprofessional or threatening manner. Torrey offers some sources for more information about body language.

2. How to Dress Your Best for Job Interviews and Beyond

http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2013/1/19/how-to-dress-your-best-for-job-interviews-and-beyond.html

Wardrobe Wisdom founder and owner Lori Cooper presents the basics for making a positive first impression during job interviews and in the work environment. In her “Dress Your Best for Job Interviews and Beyond” workshop, offered through UCSB’s Career Services, Cooper gives advice for proper professional clothing and where to buy it; suggestions for good grooming; and the importance of doing a dry run before the interview, among other valuable tips.

Visitors react to the pungent aroma of the corpse flower. Credit: George Foulsham

3. Rare Corpse Flower to Bloom at UCSB Biology Greenhouse

http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/events/2013/7/25/rare-corpse-flower-to-bloom-at-ucsb-biology-greenhouse.html

Chanel, the rare flowering plant known as Titan Arum, caused quite a stink around campus this year. Also called a “corpse flower,” this plant attracted media coverage from all over the globe as everyone waited for it to bloom, a rare occurrence. Once it bloomed, hundreds of visitors swarmed the campus, waiting in long lines at the greenhouse to witness and be photographed with the smelly plant.

Flames are reflected in scientific glass blower Richard Bock's protective glasses as he works. Credit: Patricia Marroquin

4. Glass Blower Richard Bock Has Created Lab Instruments for UCSB Grad Students for a Decade

http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/tools/2013/5/16/glass-blower-richard-bock-has-created-lab-instruments-for-uc.html

Working behind the scenes to help students with their research is Richard Bock, a scientific glass blower in UCSB’s Chemistry and Biochemistry Department. Grad students and professors working in labs on campus come to him for repairs of their laboratory glass apparatus or for custom glasswork that can’t be ordered from a catalogue. Read about the interesting work this third-generation glass blower does for grad students and postdocs.

Materials Ph.D. student Peter Mage is the inaugural winner of the Grad Slam. Credit: Patricia Marroquin

5. Graduate Student in the Spotlight: Grad Slam Winner Peter Mage

http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2013/8/9/graduate-student-in-the-spotlight-grad-slam-winner-peter-mag.html

Materials Ph.D. student Peter Mage was the winner of the Graduate Division’s inaugural Grad Slam competition this year. Grad Slam participants presented their best three-minute research talks, and Peter spoke about the use of new technologies to detect and treat diseases. Peter discusses what it was like to participate in the Grad Slam and what graduate student life has been like for him.

6. Graduate Student in the Spotlight: Renuka Shenoy

http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2013/2/6/graduate-student-in-the-spotlight-renuka-shenoy.html

Renuka Shenoy, a third-year Ph.D. student in Electrical Engineering, spends her free time as a D.J. for the India Show on KCSB and performs in several musical groups. She talks about her research topic, Pattern Recognition in Bio-Image Informatics, and what it’s like to be a radio disc jockey and sing in a capella and choir groups.

New UCSB grad students got acquainted through a speed-dating type of icebreaker activity. Credit: Torrey Trust

7. Who’s New in UCSB Grad School: We Break Down the Stats and Interview Incoming Students

http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2013/9/19/whos-new-in-ucsb-grad-school-we-break-down-the-stats-and-int.html

The more than 800 new graduate students to UCSB this year are an interesting and diverse group. They were born in 42 states or District of Columbia, and internationally, they came from 29 countries. Men outnumber the women, but not by much. Some are in their teens and others are in their mid-60s. We present interesting statistics about this incoming class and interview six new students, hailing from Illinois and Massachusetts to Washington, D.C., and India.

8. Graduate Student in the Spotlight: Bryce Boe

http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2013/5/23/graduate-student-in-the-spotlight-bryce-boe.html

Bryce Boe, a fourth-year Ph.D. student in Computer Science, discusses his research on the development of automated computer science tools for use by students and instructors in classrooms. He also talks about his involvement in starting a UCSB subreddit.

Ester Trujillo with her parents and siblings at Graduate Division Commencement in 2012, where she received her master's degree in Chicana and Chicano Studies.

9. Graduate Student in the Spotlight: Ester Trujillo

http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2013/8/16/graduate-student-in-the-spotlight-ester-trujillo.html

Chicana and Chicano Studies doctoral student Ester Trujillo wants to bring out of the shadows a population she calls largely invisible: U.S. residents of Salvadoran descent. Her research focuses on this group. She discusses this important research; who motivates her; her goals and proudest accomplishments; and more.

10. Physics Ph.D. Alum Kohl Gill: How His Career Path Took Him From Science Labs to Labor Rights

http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2013/2/13/physics-phd-alum-kohl-gill-how-his-career-path-took-him-from.html

UCSB Physics Ph.D. alum Dr. Kohl Gill addresses students in a Career Day Colloquium in January. Photo credit: Patricia Marroquin

Dr. Kohl Gill earned his master’s degree and Ph.D. in Physics from UCSB. After several years of doing government work involving “the science of science policy,” Dr. Gill took a new path to pursue his passion, founding the labor rights nonprofit LaborVoices. Dr. Gill discusses how his career trajectory led him from science labs to labor rights.

11. Building a Digital Reputation: Part I (Defensive Strategies)

http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/tools/2013/2/6/building-a-digital-reputation-part-i-defensive-strategies.html

What shows up in a Google search of your name can affect your job opportunities, your ability to build a network of contacts, and can even affect how other people interact with you, Academic Peer Advisor Torrey Trust writes. She explains what a digital reputation is and how to build one; and offers defensive strategies to improve your online presence.

12. Graduate Student in the Spotlight: Mario Galicia Jr.

http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2013/1/7/graduate-student-in-the-spotlight-mario-galicia-jr.html

Mario Galicia Jr. and his wife, Maria.For Mario Galicia Jr., a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, the journey through graduate education has involved creating a family and career while becoming acculturated to a world outside of the environment he grew up knowing. Living in a gang-dominated area as a child, he could not have envisioned attending graduate school. Mario talks about how the help and support he received from others led him to pursue four college degrees. He also shares his accomplishments, heroes, and hobbies.

13. Excellence in Teaching Award Winners Recognized at GSA Assembly Meeting

http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2013/6/6/excellence-in-teaching-award-winners-recognized-at-gsa-assem.html

The GSA Excellence in Teaching Award honors graduate students who are dedicated to designing effective learning environments, building relationships with students, and working tirelessly to improve student learning. There were more than 500 nominations for 150 teaching assistants and associates. The GradPost presents the awardees: two winners and one honorable mention in four categories (Social Science, Humanities and Fine Arts, STEM, and Teaching Associates).

We’d also like to acknowledge six other noteworthy stories that just missed this list:

Associate Dean Don Lubach's bicycle was recovered by UCSB police.