Foundations of IP and Patent Searching
Time: 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Presenter: Katya Marc
Location: Frank Dawson Adams Building, McGill Engine Centre - Seminar room FDA 3
Campus: Downtown campus
This workshop will demystify and explain the various forms of intellectual property (IP), namely, patents, industrial designs, copyright, trademarks, and trade secrets, and when they are used. We will then do some actual patent searching with our librarian April Colosimo using the DERWENT worldwide patent database.
Learning outcomes:- Describe the various forms of IP, their protection, and use.
- Explain the patenting process.
- Use DERWENT to do your own patent searching.
Project Execution: Essential Elements
Time: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Presenter: Tina Cerulli
Location: Online
This workshop is hosted on Zoom and is accessible through your McGill Zoom account. PLEASE LOG INTO YOUR MCGILL ZOOM ACCOUNT AT https://mcgill.zoom.us/ BEFORE JOINING THE SESSION.
The role of a project manager is the single most critical and visible role on the project. Successful project managers understand that leadership is action - not position. Building upon concepts introduced in "Project Planning: Essential Elements," this seminar presents the distinguishing behaviours of "best in class" project leaders, including the ability to self-manage, build high-performing teams, and create positive stakeholder relationships across all levels.
Join us to learn simple and effective techniques to bring your project plan to life!
This online seminar will equip students with industry-proven strategies to execute their project plans on time, on budget, and with high customer satisfaction. Focusing on the execution phase of the project management life cycle, this seminar may be taken alone or following seminar “Project Planning: Essential Elements.”
Effective Presentation Visuals
Time: 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Presenter: Arav Saherwala and Candice Canonne
Location: Online
This workshop is hosted on Zoom and is accessible through your McGill Zoom account. PLEASE LOG INTO YOUR MCGILL ZOOM ACCOUNT AT https://mcgill.zoom.us/ BEFORE JOINING THE SESSION.
In this workshop, participants learn how to avoid the pitfalls of building slides that have too much information, take too long to process, and compete for audience attention. By understanding the limits of human visual and auditory language processing, participants learn how to work within them. This workshop teaches: 1) strategic PowerPoint skills that make slides easier to process and more cohesive, 2) how to control audience attention, and 3) how to best test key visuals before presenting.
Learning outcomes:
- Create complementary visuals that aid rather than compete with comprehension
- Use PowerPoint functionality to create more cohesive slides
- Use PowerPoint functionality to better control audience focus
Building Wealth for Your Future I
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Presenter: Alex Gavrilla
Location: Online
This workshop is hosted on Zoom and is accessible through your McGill Zoom account. PLEASE LOG INTO YOUR MCGILL ZOOM ACCOUNT AT https://mcgill.zoom.us/ BEFORE JOINING THE SESSION.
Are TFSAs, RRSPs, GICs, and ETFs a mystery? Does investing in the stock market feel like a gamble? In Part I of a two-part workshop, this webinar demystifies banking jargon and guides participants through the essentials of mutual funds and ETFs and discuss the benefits of Canadian versus global diversification. In addition, this workshop will assess some of the most tax-efficient investments available, looking at various examples of how to increase one’s returns by reducing feeds and legally eliminating or deferring taxes.
Learning outcomes:
- Understand the difference between saving, investing, and speculating.
- Learn about the different investment assets (stocks, bonds, ETFs, MFs) and their associated risks.
- Review different investing accounts (RRSPs, TFSAs, FHSAs) and their features.
Grad Breakfast Club
Time: 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Presenter: Rodrigo Alain Migueles Ramirez, Anastasiia Yemets
Location: Online
This workshop is hosted on Zoom and is accessible through your McGill Zoom account. PLEASE LOG INTO YOUR MCGILL ZOOM ACCOUNT AT https://mcgill.zoom.us/ BEFORE JOINING THE SESSION.
Stay on track with a 30min “plan your week” session on Monday mornings. Meet with a group of peers to set your intentions, boost motivation, troubleshoot challenges, and (most importantly) take the pressure off!
Studying Well in Grad School
Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Presenter: Carrie Hanson and Lucia Dikaczova
Location: Online
This workshop is hosted on Zoom and is accessible through your McGill Zoom account. PLEASE LOG INTO YOUR MCGILL ZOOM ACCOUNT AT https://mcgill.zoom.us/ BEFORE JOINING THE SESSION.
Graduate school demands strong study habits and effective learning strategies. Throughout your degree, your reasons for studying will change (courses to comps to defense), which will require different strategies and approaches. This workshop will help you adapt relevant study techniques for different contexts, improve focus, and develop critical thinking skills. We will also cover practical tips for making the most of study sessions while taking care of yourself. Designed for all disciplines, the workshop will help you develop your skills to navigate academic challenges with confidence and clarity.
By attending this workshop, you will be able to:
- Identify effective study strategies for specific contexts
- Create a personalized study plan
- Support your own wellbeing while learning in an intense academic environment
Exploring Your Professional Path After Grad School
Time: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Presenter: April Babey, Agata Rybalkiewicz, and Chantelle Thauvette
Location: Online
This workshop is hosted on Zoom and is accessible through your McGill Zoom account. PLEASE LOG INTO YOUR MCGILL ZOOM ACCOUNT AT https://mcgill.zoom.us/ BEFORE JOINING THE SESSION.
What’s your next step? This interactive workshop for graduate students will teach you the skills to review position types and work environments within the context of your career. Together, we will help you reflect on your professional identity and preferences, practice deciphering job postings, and identify next steps in your career exploration.
In this workshop you will have the opportunity to…
- Define your personal values, skills, and/or interests
- Practice deciphering job postings
- Identify the next step in your professional development
- Combine the above strategies to make impactful career choices efficiently
Project Planning: Essential Elements
Time: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Presenter: Tina Cerulli
Location: Online
This workshop is hosted on Zoom and is accessible through your McGill Zoom account. PLEASE LOG INTO YOUR MCGILL ZOOM ACCOUNT AT https://mcgill.zoom.us/ BEFORE JOINING THE SESSION.
If you are interested in becoming a great project manager, then this seminar is for you. Learn the essential elements to successful project execution, through the step-by-step creation of a winning project charter and project plan. Be prepared with a high-performing strategy to achieve your project goals! You may be surprised at your findings! Come and join the conversation!
What is Project Management? More specifically, what is a project? The Project Management Institute defines a project as a temporary group activity designed to produce a unique product, service or result. A project is temporary in that it has a defined beginning and end in time, and therefore defined scope and resources. And a project is unique in that it is not a routine operation, but a specific set of operations designed to accomplish a singular goal. So a project team often includes people who don’t usually work together – sometimes from different organizations and across multiple geographies. For example, the development of software for an improved business process, the construction of a building or bridge, the relief effort after a natural disaster, the expansion of sales into a new geographic market, a graduate degree — all are projects.
And all must be expertly managed to deliver the on-time, on-budget results, learning, and integration that organizations need.
Connected Academics—Failing to Succeed: Rethinking the Value of Failure in Academia
Time: 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Location: Arts Building, room 150
Campus: Downtown campus
Academic culture promotes ideas of success that are often toxic—yet failure is an essential part of the academic journey. In this session, we will talk about the need to rethink the value of failure and how it relates to success in academia with Prof. Maïka Sondarjee, who specializes on how gender, race and class mediate academic success and recognition. Prof. Sondarjee’s talk will be followed by a Q&A and refreshments.
No-Show Fee Alert: There are no fees associated with SKILLSETS workshops; however, registering for an event is a commitment to attend. If you can no longer attend, make sure to cancel your registration at least 48 hours before the workshop. Otherwise, a $25 No-Show Fee will be charged to your McGill student account. For more information on our policy, please go to www.mcgill.ca/skillsets/policies
Building Your Next Presentation
Time: 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Presenter: Fathima Asfal and Hadi Hojjati
Location: Online
This workshop is hosted on Zoom and is accessible through your McGill Zoom account. PLEASE LOG INTO YOUR MCGILL ZOOM ACCOUNT AT https://mcgill.zoom.us/ BEFORE JOINING THE SESSION.
This workshop focuses on the steps participants need to develop content for their next research presentation. From STEM based quantitative research, to social science exploration, this workshop will explore worksheets designed to help participants develop better content.
Learning outcomes:
- Articulate the core message clearly and accessibly to maximize audience understanding
- Brainstorm ways to start presentations that increase engagement
- Learn patterns to structure presentations that create curiosity to learn more
- Develop specific strategies to maximize credibility without getting bogged down
Market Research and Analysis of Competition
Time: 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Presenter: Katya Marc and Amanda Wheatley
Location: Frank Dawson Adams Building, McGill Engine Centre - Seminar room FDA 3
Campus: Downtown campus
This workshop will provide an overview of the different types of market research, how to analyze the competition, and the resources available at McGill to perform market research. Our market research librarian Amanda Wheatley will walk us through some of those resources using a market research canvas tool.
Learning outcomes:- Describe at least two of the benefits of market research.
- Formulate the strategy to identify customer segments and market size.
- Formulate the strategy to perform a competitive analysis.
- Use the market research databases available via McGill Library.
Planning with Purpose
Time: 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Presenter: Anastasiia Yemets and Fathima Asfal
Location: Online
This workshop is hosted on Zoom and is accessible through your McGill Zoom account. PLEASE LOG INTO YOUR MCGILL ZOOM ACCOUNT AT https://mcgill.zoom.us/ BEFORE JOINING THE SESSION.
The Planning with Purpose information session is an introduction to the Individual Development Plan (IDP) at McGill. This session covers the process and building blocks of creating a meaningful IDP and setting goals in grad school. We also explore the resources, supports, and programming available from the myPath team to help you to forge your own learning path.
In this workshop you will have an opportunity to:
• Understand what an IDP is and how to use one to support your grad school experience
• Discover the resources and support available to help you create your IDP
• Familiarize yourself with Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies' mandatory IDP reporting requirements for graduate students
• Complete 1 of your 3 IDP reporting requirements!
Grad Breakfast Club
Time: 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Presenter: Rodrigo Alain Migueles Ramirez, Anastasiia Yemets
Location: Online
This workshop is hosted on Zoom and is accessible through your McGill Zoom account. PLEASE LOG INTO YOUR MCGILL ZOOM ACCOUNT AT https://mcgill.zoom.us/ BEFORE JOINING THE SESSION.
Stay on track with a 30min “plan your week” session on Monday mornings. Meet with a group of peers to set your intentions, boost motivation, troubleshoot challenges, and (most importantly) take the pressure off!
Goal Setting with Your Supervisor
Time: 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Presenter: Fathima Asfal and Rodrigo Alain Migueles Ramirez
Location: Online
This workshop is hosted on Zoom and is accessible through your McGill Zoom account. PLEASE LOG INTO YOUR MCGILL ZOOM ACCOUNT AT https://mcgill.zoom.us/ BEFORE JOINING THE SESSION.
How can a grad student talk about what they really want in life with their supervisor?
Graduate experiences are individual, centred on growth, achievement, and identity. Supervisors play an essential role as a guide, helping orient and propel students. A successful student/supervisor relationship depends on good communication to make sure students are moving in the right direction and that goals are aligned.
This discussion and reflection-based workshop addresses how to have conversations with participants’ supervisors about goals and future plans. This 1.5 hour workshop is designed and led by graduate students.
Learning outcomes:
• Reflect and establish goals and motivations to discuss with participants’ supervisors
• Determine the type of support participants need from their supervisors
• Practice communicating these goals and requests for support with peers.
Presentations 101: Rethinking Research Presentations
Time: 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Presenter: Candice Canonne and Arav Saherwala
Location: Online
This workshop is hosted on Zoom and is accessible through your McGill Zoom account. PLEASE LOG INTO YOUR MCGILL ZOOM ACCOUNT AT https://mcgill.zoom.us/ BEFORE JOINING THE SESSION.
Get started with this intro to SKILLSETS’ Presentation Skills series. This workshop teaches participants how to create clear, accessible and engaging research presentations that are fit for a variety of academic and non-academic audiences. An overview of key presentation components, this workshop touches on content, visuals, and stage presence to give participants a solid foundation in presentation.
Learning outcomes:
- Understand why less is more in presentations
- Learn the importance of narrative structures and storytelling
- Rethink when and how to use visuals
- Decrease anxiety and increase engagement by channeling authenticity
Budgeting and Expense Planning
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Presenter: Alex Gavrilla
Location: Online
This workshop is hosted on Zoom and is accessible through your McGill Zoom account. PLEASE LOG INTO YOUR MCGILL ZOOM ACCOUNT AT https://mcgill.zoom.us/ BEFORE JOINING THE SESSION.
This webinar will show you how to create a budget given your income level. It covers the main pitfalls of not budgeting and will show you ways to stay on track. Learn how to effectively monitor and cut costs using various free online tools and apps, and how to automate your savings. Join us for this engaging webinar to learn how small changes in your daily spending can lead to major savings down the line.
Note: This webinar is also relevant for international students & newcomers to Canada as it covers many of the basics about the different types of bank accounts available to you.
Learning Outcomes:
- Learn how to create a budget and stick to it.
- Learn about various ways to cut costs of essentials (groceries, housing, and services).
- Familiarize yourself with various apps & tools that can save you money.
Grad Breakfast Club
Time: 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Presenter: Rodrigo Alain Migueles Ramirez, Anastasiia Yemets
Location: Online
This workshop is hosted on Zoom and is accessible through your McGill Zoom account. PLEASE LOG INTO YOUR MCGILL ZOOM ACCOUNT AT https://mcgill.zoom.us/ BEFORE JOINING THE SESSION.
Stay on track with a 30min “plan your week” session on Monday mornings. Meet with a group of peers to set your intentions, boost motivation, troubleshoot challenges, and (most importantly) take the pressure off!
Setting Expectations with the LOU
Time: 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Presenter: Hadi Hojjati and Rodrigo Alain Migueles Ramirez
Location: Online
This workshop is hosted on Zoom and is accessible through your McGill Zoom account. PLEASE LOG INTO YOUR MCGILL ZOOM ACCOUNT AT https://mcgill.zoom.us/ BEFORE JOINING THE SESSION.
This 90-minute interactive webinar introduces graduate students to the Letter of Understanding (LOU) as a tool for building effective, supportive relationships with their supervisors. Through guided discussions and case studies, participants will explore how to navigate implicit and explicit expectations, initiate conversations about communication, workload, and work-life balance, and adapt the LOU as their academic journey evolves. Participants will leave with greater clarity on how to use the LOU to advocate for themselves and sustain a productive supervisory relationship.
Learning outcomes:
• Understand the role and value of the LOU in clarifying expectations with a supervisor
• Identify strategies to initiate and revisit expectation-setting conversations
• Reflect on how communication, workload, and work-life balance can be addressed in an LOU
• Recognize how to adapt the LOU over time to reflect changes in goals, roles, or responsibilities
Introduction to Industry Analysis
Time: 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Presenter: Derrick Wong
Location: Frank Dawson Adams Building, McGill Engine Centre - Seminar room FDA 3
Campus: Downtown campus
This workshop will introduce the fundamental tool of Industry Analysis which companies use for strategy development. For startups, understanding the industry is a critical step in determining market entry and market positioning. The Five Forces Framework will be presented and applied during an exercise.
Learning outcomes:- Explain the impact of an industry from a startup’s perspective.
- Apply the Five Forces Model.
- Develop strategies to perform your industry analysis.
Grad Breakfast Club
Time: 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Presenter: Rodrigo Alain Migueles Ramirez, Anastasiia Yemets
Location: Online
This workshop is hosted on Zoom and is accessible through your McGill Zoom account. PLEASE LOG INTO YOUR MCGILL ZOOM ACCOUNT AT https://mcgill.zoom.us/ BEFORE JOINING THE SESSION.
Stay on track with a 30min “plan your week” session on Monday mornings. Meet with a group of peers to set your intentions, boost motivation, troubleshoot challenges, and (most importantly) take the pressure off!