Graduate Student Physics Seminar, PHYS 6/8020 -- Spring 2010

Course Information

Instructor: Randy Ellingson

Syllabus
Physics Seminar develops the skills and practices essential to preparing and delivering excellent scientific presentations.

Class Schedule
Wednesdays from 4-5 pm in MH 4009. There will be 15 classes, beginning with Jan. 13, 2010. There will be no class March 10, thanks to Spring Break. The last class is scheduled for April 28, 2010.

--> Speakers and Topics Schedule

Please see this linked email for important additional information; it was originally sent prior to the Fall 2009 semester:  20090824_initial_email_message.html

Course Objectives – Learning to…

1. research a topic for a specific scientific presentation, and to choose and organize content to deliver an effective and engaging talk;
2. prepare a suitable introduction and include additional information necessary to bring your audience as close as possible to your level of understanding;
3. use PowerPoint or equivalent software to prepare effective and coherent presentation material to convey the information on your topic;
4. deliver excellent scientific presentations, based on a solid understanding of the material covered, knowledge of your audience, and inclusion of any sources referenced;
5. handle questions from the audience after the presentation; preparation is essential to performing well and to handling questions effectively.

Deadlines:

• At least two weeks before your talk, inform the instructor by email of your your proposed topic.  Meeting this deadline will simplify the planning for both you and the instructor be greatly appreciated.
• At least one week, and ideally two weeks, in advance of your presentation: email the instructor a title and abstract;  you may use all text (~150 words) or text plus a graphic (as a .pdf file).  Please ensure that the abstract has been carefully written and proofread, because these will highlight your talk on the Physics and Astronomy Dept. Events Calendar.

General information, guidelines, and requirements:

• The excused absence policy will follow the University guidelines (http://www.utoledo.edu/facsenate/missed_class_policy.html ). The grading scheme for this class is S/U. Attendance is required for at least 11 of the classes; failing the attendance requirement results in a grade of ‘U’.
• All Physics and Astronomy graduate students not enrolled in either the Medical Physics seminar or Astronomy seminar course must enroll in this course.
• Students will present at least once during the 2009-2010 academic year. Students new to UT's P&A program will not be asked to speak during their first semester here (however, they can certainly request to speak the first semester).  Therefore, students with more experience/seniority, please do step up with confidence and enthusiasm to fill the available dates with interesting topics.
• If an initial presentation fails to meet the quality standard for an effective presentation, a repeat presentation demonstrating competence will be required.
• Most presentations will be ~40 mins. long;  the format will be semi-formal in the sense that clarifying questions can be asked during the talk.  The speaker will be notified when she/he has reached the ~35 minutes mark.  Following the presentation, there will be questions and discussion.
• Some talks will be combined in pairs to accommodate all remaining speakers -- i.e., to ensure that each student speaks at least once in this course during the academic year.
• When preparing your talk, please present numbers in both SI units as well as the most common units of measure for the specific measure; include important conversion factors. Explain any uncommon units.

Additional considerations:

1. In order to avoid disrupting the presentation or discussion, please turn off sound on any electronic devices while in class; in general, maintain an environment conducive to learning in the classroom, and participate enthusiastically in questions and comments;
2. Please, no food or drinks inside the classroom;
3. If you have any disabilities hindering your ability to follow any of these rules and/or request any special considerations, bring them to the attention of the instructor immediately.