BADGRS@Penn: Building Agency During Graduate Research Studies

BADGRS is a trainee space that provides supportive community and skill building to promote wellness from an intersectional perspective. We meet monthly to explore, acknowledge and address challenges that arise during graduate studies that exist beyond experiments. A typical workshop begins with a realistic case study to frame each challenge, which we use to get the conversation going. We then introduce general discussion questions to dig deeper, brainstorm ways to tackle the problem, and end by outlining tangible resources.  BADGRS is meant to be a place where you can raise questions you might be afraid to ask elsewhere and seek advice and support from your peers as you navigate graduate school.
 

We host two series of workshops: (1) Ages and Stages of Grad School and (2) Skills to build resiliency and communication skills during graduate school. The “Ages and Stages” series focuses on topics that pertain to challenges that arise at specific times during graduate studies. Although discussion is focused on specific training phases, participation is encouraged by all stages. Past topics include “Surviving Prelims” and “Surviving the Third Year Slump”. Skill building workshops focus on soft skills that are elemental to graduate studies, with a particular focus on communication, building strong mentor-mentee relationships, and navigating personal and challenges that affect mental health and wellness. Past topics include “Learning to say no,” “Navigating conflict in the Lab,” and “Belonging in Graduate School.”
 

History

BADGRS originated in 2018 when Dr. Katherine Mueller, Kat, was a PhD student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She developed the program in collaboration with several other graduate trainees who wanted to demystify the “hidden curriculum” that can make it challenging to navigate academia. Today, Kat, Dr. Kellie Jurado, and the Office of Research Trainee Affairs Fellows have expanded the program to support trainees at Penn, and to provide a space for Fontaine Fellows in BGS to build community.
 

We are always open to new topics, if you have ideas for future topics please email: Research_Trainee_Affairs@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.