University Resources

• The WVU Office of Graduate Education and Life serves as your go-to resource as a graduate student at West Virginia University. They are available to support you every step of the way on your journey toward  academic success,  financial well-being,  professional development,  self care, and more. 
• The Eberly Career Development Center  specialists are ready to assist you with resume reviews, practice interviews, and job search coaching. Located in 217 Hodges Hall, you can meet one-on-one with a trained and experienced career development specialist for career planning, preparing for interviews, writing resumes and cover letters, and more.
• The Eberly Writing Studio offers assistance to any Master's or doctoral student in the development of the professional skills necessary to complete their graduate programs successfully and prepare for future positions within and beyond the university. Instructions are also available from WVU Libraries to prepare your Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD). 
• WVU Shared Research Facilities allows students to request access to for the purpose of conducting research. Learn more about the facilities available and how to become a user.
• WVU Libraries offers support to students for research, study room reservations, and teaching and learning. Instructions are also available from WVU Libraries to  prepare your Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD). 

External Resources

• The American Physical Society offers several programs for careers and resources for students pursuing study in physics. Visit their website to access a webinar library, information about the Forum on Graduate Student Affairs, and more.
• The American Astronomical Society has a variety of resources available to graduate students. Graduate student guides, professional development programs,  and more can be found on their website.
• The MIT Broad Research Communication Lab created guides for slideshow design and figure design that may be helpful in creating materials for talks, presentations, assignments, and more.

Further Reading

• Flagg's Meta-skills for Graduate Students, created by Prof. Ned Flagg, assembles resources, tips, and best practices for graduate students. It includes subsections on Setting Goals, Best Practices, and the Stages of a Research Project.
• Low Stakes Networking and Engagement for Science Students, a presentation given by Prof. Micky Holcomb, offers strategies for making connections with colleagues and potential collaborators and employers. It explores parallels between small businesses and scientific research groups to provide actionable methods for engagement.
• How to Make and Deliver a Presentation, a presentation given by Prof. Ned Flagg, addresses best practices for research communication, presentation visualizations, and the contexts in which science is communicated.
• "Presentation Counts—Just Ask Galileo" by Matthew C. Thompson describes how physics graduates can become more successful in job interviews and at acquiring funding if they master the craft of speaking to non-specialists. 
• How Funding Works: An Introduction for Students, a presentation given by Prof. Micky Holcomb, describes how research funding is obtained and managed.
• A PhD is Not Enough!: A Guide to Survival in Science by Peter J. Feibelman is the classic pocket guide to making a life in academia. This book is essential reading, explaining what stands between the average science student and a fulfilling long-term research career. It is available for free to students via WVU Libraries.