| GENERAL INFORMATION | |
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| The goal of the Research Seminar is first to introduce you to the research in the department to help guide your choice of research field; second to develop some professional skills associated with hosting a seminar; and third to discuss some issues associated with the conduct of research. The seminar is graded P/N based on attendance and completion of the host duties. You are expected to attend ALL seminars. One EXCUSED absence will be permitted. If you are unable to attend a seminar, you must notify me ahead of time, explaining why you cannot attend. If there is an energency and you cannot notify me beforehand, please do so asap afterwards. My coordinates are: Janet Tate; office: WGR 485, email: tate_at_physics.oregonstate.edu; phone: 737-1700. |
| SEMINAR HOST | ||
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| Each week, one person will host the seminar. Your duties are (i) to send the speaker a timely reminder & prompt thank-you note, (ii) to provide the projector, (iii) to introduce the speaker, (iv) keep the session on time, and take questions afterwards, and (v) take attendance. | ||
| (i) The reminder should be a timely (Wednesday for Friday), polite, brief email that reminds the speaker of the event, date, time, and place. You should end with enthusiastic anticipation. "We look forward to hearing your talk", for example. Address the speaker formally unless you have established a first-name basis with her/him. Your signature line should have your particulars, so the reader knows who you are and how to contact you: Fred Fredson, Graduate Student, Department of Physics, Oregon State University, Tel: xxx-xxxx, emaii: fredf@onid.orst.edu. Send an email afterwards thanking the speaker. Please copy me on the reminder and the thank-you note . (ii) The projector is in room 405. A faculty member can let you into the room, or you can ask the office staff to let you in. Sign out the projector prior to the talk and return it asap afterwards. Please be careful with the Epson projector - it has a very expensive bulb and should be allowed to cool before it is unplugged. You should move it very carefully if the bulb is on. The In-Focus projectors are more forvgiving but should also be treated carefully. (iii) Introduce the speaker by giving his or her name (including title), affliation, and brief biography that usually includes the names of the graduate and post-doctoral institutions, the speaker's employment history since the PhD, the research field and perhaps an important achievement. You end by giving the floor to the speaker. It is essential that this introduction be professional and brief (less than 1 minute). Practice beforehand until you can fit your introduction into 1 minute. If the information is not available on the speaker's website, you must ask the speaker to supply you with a short biography. (iv) It is absolutely imperative that you keep the speaker on time. Question time is important. Also, the room is used for another purpose at 2pm sharp. We must vacate the room by 1:50pm. Warn the speaker beforehand that you will indicate when it is 5 minutes before time, and that there will be 10 minutes for questions after that. Sit where you you can easily get the speaker's attention. At 15 minutes before time, move in your chair, look at the clock, and in some way subtly get the speaker's attention. If you gave a reminder beforehand, the speaker will be tuned into you, waiting for the cue. When you have the speaker's attention, raise your fingers to indicate "five" or "four" or however many minutes left to question time. As the time runs down, stand up if the speaker goes over time. All the while, you are paying attention to the talk, and you are friendly, not irritated. Once the speaker is finished, do not allow applause, but immediately take questions from the floor, calling on those who indicate they wish to speak. Scan the room, including the back of the room while the speaker is answering. Do not allow one person to monopolize the discussion. Stay strictly on time. If there is no time, smile politely and say that you are sure that Dr. X will take questions privately afterwards. Begin to clap so that the audience will follow suit to acknowledge the speaker. (v) You must take attendance. I have a an overlapping teaching assignment, so I will be at only the first 3 seminars. Please slip the signed attendance sheet that I will give you under the door of my office after the seminar (or have the office staff place it in my mail box in WGR 301) | ||
