Fall 2026 New Graduate Student Virtual Orientation
Welcome to the Biological Sciences Department, everyone!
We’re looking forward to welcoming you all to the university. The Biological Sciences new graduate student orientation will be held virtually on August 25th, and we will discuss the Biological Sciences program and answer any questions you may have! Some other new student/employee orientations and trainings will be virtual as well (with in-person social events), and we’ve included links to each of these below.
The Graduate Organization of Biological Sciences is also holding an informal in-person social event/picnic on Thursday, August 27th, and we are looking forward to seeing you all there!
Dr. Gerlinde Höbel (Bio Sci Graduate Program Representative)
Rhianna Driebel (Bio Sci Graduate Program Coordinator)
Brooks Angell
Myles Bernat
Kristen Feller
Sohasi Gangani
Emma Irle
Carrie Jessop
Saja Kahla
Ella Oestreicher
Ruchi Patel
Maddy Schaider
Mia Slawikowski
Parnian Vakili
Gillianne Wagner
1:20-1:30 PM Overview of Bio Sci Facilities from our Facilities Manager, Jordan Gonnering
1:30 – 1:45 PM Program Overview & Guidelines
1:45 – 2:00 PM Discussion with GOBS (Graduate Organization of Biological Sciences)
2:00 – 2:30 PM Q&A and Closing Statements
Fall 2026 Orientation & Training Schedule
Monday, August 24th
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm CST – New Graduate Student Orientation, presented by the UWM Graduate School (Virtual – Please Register Online) strongly recommended for all students
This virtual orientation will be followed by an in-person Meet-and-Greet & Resource Fair from 4:30-6:00 pm in the Student Union Ballroom.
Tuesday, August 25th
10:00 am – 12:00 pm CST – Chemical Hygiene and Safety Training, presented by University Safety and Assurances (Virtual – invite sent via Teams, if you need to complete this) required for all new Teaching/Research Assistants
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm CST – Graduate Organization of Biological Sciences Picnic (In person – outdoors on campus, on the Enderis Hall Lawn – outlined in the photo below) there will be food, drinks and games provided – we can’t wait to meet you all there!
Friday, August 28th
New International Students Only: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm CST – International Student Orientation (Part 1 Online, Part 2 On Campusin the Chemistry building – registration is required, watch your email for registration details)
Monday, August 31st
9:00 am – 12:00 pm CST – New Teaching Assistant Orientation, presented by the UWM Center for Advancing Student Learning (CASL) (Part 1 Online to be completed between 8/24-8/31, Part 2 In Person – Please Register Online) required for new Teaching Assistants only
Followed by required trainings throughout the semester (10/2, 11/6, 12/4)
Wednesday, September 2nd
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm CST – Benefits Review Session (Virtual – Please Register Online) – not required, but strongly recommended for all new employees. As a reminder, all new employees need to apply for benefits within 30 days of August 24th (the start of your contract)
If you aren’t able to make it to this review session, the benefit review presentation is available online.
Please sign up here to have your student photo taken on 8/27, 8/28 or 8/31
Online Asynchronous Trainings and Orientations
Between 8/24 and 8/31, all TAs should complete the two hour long, self-paced online TA orientation, presented by the UWM Center for Advancing Student Learning (CASL) (please monitor CASL’s TA training webpage for online training access)
Complete I-9 employment authorization and other hire documents.
The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee has a centralized on-boarding process with campus Human Resources, and the required forms and instructions for this process and additional next steps can be found on the HR Onboarding webpage (please note that you will need to provide documents to establish your identity and employment eligibility for your I-9). You will need to set up an appointment to submit your hire paperwork closer to the start of the semester – you will receive instructions in Workday for this soon, if you haven’t already (you will meet in in Engelmann Hall, Room 125). It’s very important to complete this by August 24th at the latest, to ensure you are hired and paid on time.
