Professional and Scientific Council Seminar Series

The Professional and Scientific Council hosts presentations, seminars, and workshops on topics of relevance to P&S employees through our Council Seminar Series. The Seminar Series events are led by our Professional Development Committee (pands-pd@iastate.edu), and announcements for upcoming events are made via the Council Newsletter. All P&S employees and guests are welcome to attend. Please join us and bring questions for the speaker(s)!

Beginning in Spring 2023, you can pre-register for all events and attend virtual events in Workday Learning.  If you are not familiar with Workday Learning, you can find instructions here or through this Knowledge Base Article

2023-24 Seminar Series Events

Topic

Date

Time

Location

Exploring Applications and Ethics of Generative AI in Educational and Professional Settings

Abram Anders, Interim Associate Director of the Student Innovation Center & Associate Professor of English

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT provide intriguing opportunities to enhance learning and productivity. Yet they also raise complex ethical questions. This presentation will explore emerging use cases and issues regarding AI generation technologies.

Mar. 19, 20242:00-3:00 PM

Virtual

Register Now in Workday Learning

Registration closes the day before the event

Classification & Compensation

More information coming soon!

Feb. 13, 20242:00-3:00 PMTBD

Don't Let Surprises Spoil Your Retirement

Barb Wollan, Human Sciences Extension Specialist

Retirement finances involve lots of moving parts, and some unknowns. None-the-less, there are some aspects of retirement finances that should not catch us by surprise. This session will help you be prepared.

Jan. 9, 20242:00-3:00 PM

Virtual

Register Now in 

Workday Learning

Registration closes the day before the event

Beyond the Basics: Intermediate Excel Tips & Tricks

Lucas Oerter, Associate Director Athletic Compliance

Scrolling endlessly to find data? Want a competitive edge? Intermediate Excel knowledge is the step beyond simply inputting data into a spreadsheet. That means knowing how to format properly, use VLookup formulas, and create pivot tables.  Participants will gain knowledge to produce reliable and easily accessible results from your data.

Dec. 12, 20232:00-3:00 PM

Virtual

Register Now in Workday Learning

Registration closes the day before the event

Connecting to Your Passions and Vision

Kelly Pistilli, Academic Advisor College of Business

What drives you? How do you use your passion in your career? How are your values incorporated into your daily work habits? In this interactive session we will explore hands on activities that allow you to delve into a series of thoughtful questions that can help you to identify your passions, values, and intentions. Attendees will work through exercises, questions, and learn how they could incorporate these tools into their lives, both personally and professionally.

Nov. 14, 20232:00-3:00 PM

In Person

Question. Persuade. Refer

Barb Wollan, Human Sciences Extension Specialist

Say "Yes" to saving the life of a friend, colleague, sibling, or neighbor. People trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help.

This session will be offered in person AND virtually concurrently.  Each will require a separate registration in Workday (see details in Location column).  Each session is limited to 40 participants each so enrollment is necessary via Workday Learning.  

Oct. 10, 20232:00-3:00 PM

In Person -

Review handouts from the presentation

(1) Generation Rx -Take Action

(2) Mobile Crisis Response

Constructive Conversations in Difficult Situations

Laura Smythe, University Ombuds

All of us have people with whom we interact and work who just don't make sense to us.  They do something, or they say something, or they don't do something that we wish they would do and we feel frustrated, appalled and/or hurt.  Sometimes, we just need to discuss something that makes us uncomfortable.  In this conversation, we will discuss some approaches to handling these challenging dynamics.

Sept. 12, 20232:00-3:00 PM

In Person -

Cardinal Room,
Memorial Union

On-Demand Previous Sessions

August is a busy time of month on campus as we welcome a new cohort of Cyclones!  In August we would encourage you to take a break from onboarding new students for yourself and your professional development.

Check our our previously recorded Seminar Series in Workday Learning at your convenience.  You can find step-by-step instructions here for navigating to the Professional & Scientific Council's recordings in Workday. 

Your Choice in 

Workday Learning

Engaging Youth & Families Living in Poverty in Educational Experiences

Jennie Hargrove, 4-H Positive Youth Development Specialist

Understanding the barriers faced by families along with recognizing some myths about those living in poverty will allow professionals to develop a thoughtful plan for providing inclusive experiences. In this session, participants will learn strategies for educational experiences that are accessible for youth and families regardless of their ability to pay and to create welcoming environments. Resources will be presented to strengthen work in providing welcoming environments for all, regardless of financial resources. Attendees will develop a basic understanding of the intersectionality of poverty with other social, racial, ethnic, environmental, cultural, etc. experiences, and how that can create further challenges of engaging with potential program participants.

Join us virtually on Tuesday, July 11 from 10-11 a.m.

July 11, 202310:00-11:00 AMView slides in Workday Learning


Seminar Series Archive