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Extraordinary ability and national interest waiver similarities and differences
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Two common obstacles for foreign nationals seeking permanent residence in the U.S. are the need for an employer sponsor and the labor certification requirement. There are two distinct immigration classifications which allow an alien to self-sponsor and thereby avoid both
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National Interest Waiver
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The national interest waiver (NIW) is a provision of the second preference employment-based category which allows a beneficiary to bypass the labor certification process and self-petition for permanent residence based on professional achievements he established in his field of endeavor. This waiver is available if the applicant's work is in the national interest and he has a good record of achievements in his field. The NIW is typically utilized by postdoctoral researchers, but can also be used by professors, industry researchers, artists, and business people.
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Extending H-1B status beyond six years as it relates to timely filing for permanent residence
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An H-1B visa petition is normally approved for three years, and is renewable for another three. However, the status may be extended beyond the sixth year in one-year increments under certain conditions - all of them in cases where qualifying documentation has been pending 365 days or more as of the date of the filing of the H-1B extension request
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Alternatives to H-1B Visas: J-1 Trainee Visa and H-3 Trainee Visa
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An overview of the J-1 and H-3 visas.
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Student update: STEM degree holders
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On April 4, 2008, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released an interim final rule, extending the period of Optional Practical Training (OPT) from 12 to 29 months for qualified F-1 non-immigrant students. The extension is available to F-1 students with a degree in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) who are employed by businesses enrolled in the E-Verify program. This update explains benefits this interim final rule provides to qualified foreign students as well as restrictions it imposes on such as type of employment, period of unemployment, and field of employment.
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CESTAGI - Connecting Engineering, Sciences & Technology in Academia, Government & Industry
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"Cestagi is a free software that you can use to create and maintain a biographical sketch site. The focus of the Cestagi project is to provide educators and young scholars innovative tools to manage and promote their unique credentials, enabling interdisciplinary communicative and collaborative efforts."
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Memo from Kafka's Castle and What Employers Want to See on Your Resume
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Interesting resume advice from the CEO of Redfin
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AGU Resume Guide
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Resume advice from Peter Fiske
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GradShare Graduate Student Community
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"Where graduate students help each other succeed"
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The NIW and the Post-doc: Recent Trends
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Immigration Law Associates, "An appealing avenue to permanent residence for many postdocs is the EB-2 Advanced Degree Professional category, accompanied by a waiver of the labor certification requirement in the national interest, or 'national interest waiver' (NIW). This waiver has the advantage of allowing self-sponsorship, and the eligibility requirements for an NIW may be met by a researcher still early in his or her career. But there are also disadvantages."
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Innovative Strategies In Achieving H-1B Cap Exempt Status
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Immigration Law Associates, "This article will describe some alternative options for the "for profit" employer who seeks to sponsor professional foreign nationals for H-1B status."
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PLoS Computational Biology: Ten Simple Rules for Getting Grants
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"At the present time, US funding is frequently below 10% for a given grant program. Today, more than ever, we need all the help we can get in writing successful grant proposals. We hope you find these rules useful in reaching your research career goals."
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PLoS Computational Biology: Ten Simple Rules for Making Good Oral Presentations
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"Continuing our Ten Simple Rules series [15], we consider here what it takes to make a good oral presentation. While the rules apply broadly across disciplines, they are certainly important from the perspective of this readership. Clear and logical delivery of your ideas and scientific results is an important component of a successful scientific career. Presentations encourage broader dissemination of your work and highlight work that may not receive attention in written form."
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PLoS Computational Biology: Ten Simple Rules for a Good Poster Presentation
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"Posters are a key component of communicating your science and an important element in a successful scientific career. Posters, while delivering the same high-quality science, offer a different medium from either oral presentations [1] or published papers [2], and should be treated accordingly. Posters should be considered a snapshot of your work intended to engage colleagues in a dialog about the work, or, if you are not present, to be a summary that will encourage the reader to want to learn more. Many a lifelong collaboration [3] has begun in front of a poster board. Here are ten simple rules for maximizing the return on the time-consuming process of preparing and presenting an effective poster."
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PLoS Computational Biology: Ten Simple Rules for Graduate Students
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"Choosing to go to graduate school is a major life decision. Whether you have already made that decision or are about to, now it is time to consider how best to be a successful graduate student. Here are some thoughts from someone who holds these memories fresh in her mind (JG) and from someone who has had a whole career to reflect back on the decisions made in graduate school, both good and bad (PEB). These thoughts taken together, from former student and mentor, represent experiences spanning some 25 or more years."
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PLoS Computational Biology: Ten Simple Rules for Selecting a Postdoctoral Position
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"You are a PhD candidate and your thesis defense is already in sight. You have decided you would like to continue with a postdoctoral position rather than moving into industry as the next step in your career (that decision should be the subject of another Ten Simple Rules). Further, you already have ideas for the type of research you wish to pursue and perhaps some ideas for specific projects. Here are ten simple rules to help you make the best decisions on a research project and the laboratory in which to carry it out."
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Sloan Foundation Grants for Research on the US Science and Engineering Workforce - Second
Round
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The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is pleased to announce the second round of its small grants program to support creative research on the U.S. workforce and labor markets in science and engineering (S ). The due date for submissions will be November 17, 2008.
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Campus visits can help you make a better grad-school choice
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ScienceCareers, May 30, 2008.
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Into the Eye of the Storm: Assessing the Evidence on Science and Engineering Education,
Quality, and Workforce Demand
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"Recent policy reports claim the United States is falling behind other nations in science and math education and graduating insufficient numbers of scientists and engineers. Review of the evidence and analysis of actual graduation rates and workforce needs does not find support for these claims. U.S. student performance rankings are comparable to other leading nations and colleges graduate far more scientists and engineers than are hired each year. Instead, the evidence suggests targeted education improvements are needed for the lowest performers and demand-side factors may be insufficient to attract qualified college graduates."
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Survival Blog for Scientists
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New blog of professional natural scientists (senior and junior) discussing all aspects of becoming a world-class scientist (so no science content). The initiator (Ad Lagendijk) has written a book "Survival Guide for Scientists" that will be published by Amsterdam University Press and Chicago University Press on May 13, 2008. The survival guides can be obtained freely as e-books from www.stringcat.com
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Sloan Foundation Grants for Research on the US Science and Engineering Workforce
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The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is pleased to announce a new small grants program to support creative research on the U.S. workforce and labor markets in science and engineering. Depending on the number and quality of proposals received, this grant program will provide up to 10 research grants, selected on the basis of a peer review process. Grant budgets requested cannot exceed a total of $45,000, though we expect that most will be smaller than this ceiling. The first grant application deadline is April 7, 2008.
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Exploring Ways to Shorten the Ascent to a Ph.D.
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"For those who attempt it, the doctoral dissertation can loom on the horizon like Everest, gleaming invitingly as a challenge but often turning into a masochistic exercise once the ascent is begun. The average student takes 8.2 years to get a Ph.D.; in education, that figure surpasses 13 years. Fifty percent of students drop out along the way, with dissertations the major stumbling block. At commencement, the typical doctoral holder is 33, an age when peers are well along in their professions, and 12 percent of graduates are saddled with more than $50,000 in debt."
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Decline of the Tenure Track Raises Concerns
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NY Times, Nov 20, 2007. "Professors with tenure or who are on a tenure track are now a distinct minority on the countrys campuses, as the ranks of part-time instructors and professors hired on a contract have swelled, according to federal figures analyzed by the American Association of University Professors."
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New Database Reveals State Variations in the U.S. Science and Engineering Labor Force -
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A new database created by the Population Reference Bureau reveals geographic differences in characteristics of people working in the science and engineering (S ) labor force. The data, from the Census Bureau's 2005 American Community Survey, highlight state-level variations in earnings, education, and the participation of minorities, women, and foreign-born workers in the high-tech economy.
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Google Policy Fellowship
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"As lawmakers around the world become more engaged on Internet policy, ensuring a robust and intelligent public debate around these issues becomes increasingly important. Thats why were launching the Google Policy Fellowship Programto support students and organizations working on policy issues fundamental to the future of the Internet and its users. Think of it as the public policy version of Google's Summer of Code. The Google Policy Fellowship program offers undergraduate, graduate, and law students interested in Internet and technology policy the opportunity to spend the summer contributing to the public dialogue on these issues, and exploring future academic and professional interests."