Page 1 of 3 BR 194H – Data Presentation in Life Sciences- Fall 2010 Instructors: Dr. Ira Clark: Office Hours: open LS 2362 Tel: (310) 267-5679 [email protected] Dr. Rafael Romero: Office Hours: open Slichter 2871 Tel: (310) 825-8922 [email protected] General format: We will meet every Monday from 3-4:50 PM in Geology 4660. The purpose of this class is twofold: 1) to learn how to effectively present your research in oral (seminar) and poster formats; 2) to discuss your research with us and your classmates. Each student will be scheduled to moderate two classes: the first one by presenting a relevant paper on their field of research, and the second one by presenting a research seminar. For the week you are scheduled to present a paper, please choose one that will serve as background for your seminar. This paper could talk about a particular methodology that you will be using in your talk, or could elucidate experiments and results that logically lead into the research that you will present in your seminar. Please give Dr. Clark or Dr. Romero your paper at least a week in advance so that it can be posted on Blackboard for everyone to read. For the week you are scheduled to present your research, you should prepare a seminar presentation of no more than 45 minutes, allowing 15 minutes for questions. Someone from your laboratory should attend your talk, preferably your mentor or PI. Make it clear what the goals of your project are, and what you are doing to reach those goals. Of course, it’s nice to see data, but if you don’t have much data yet, at least be sure to show us what you are attempting and/or planning to do. You should meet with your mentor in advance to discuss your presentation. You should also meet with Dr. Romero or Dr. Clark in advance for pointers in putting together a clear presentation.Page 2 of 3 To help your classmates fully understand your research, we are going to ask you to prepare a 500 word synopsis of your talk (a brief summary of the goal of your project, your data, results and conclusions). After the synopsis, you should also include useful figures (e.g. signal transduction pathways) and a brief description of your methods if they are not common. You should turn this in to Dr. Clark and Dr. Romero one week before your presentation so we can post it on Blackboard for everyone to download. Grading: The class has a very informal format. There are no homework assignments (other than preparing your talk and synopsis), quizzes or exams. Your grade will be based on three components: 1) The oral presentation of your chosen introductory paper, and of your research. 2) The synopsis/background info. 3) Your active participation during other students’ presentations. Successful scientists not only orally present their data on a regular basis, but also provide constructive criticisms and helpful feedback when their colleagues present their data. Hypotheses and experiments always improve after they are openly discussed with your peers. Therefore, this class also serves as a venue for you to practice asking scientifically pertinent questions. You will be expected you to participate verbally in class, during or after each presentation. There is ample time for questions and discussion, and it is an integral part of the course format. Please note that we will be requiring your participation every week. Keep in mind that all questions are welcome, including clarification questions (asking the speaker to re-explain concepts that you did not understand). Peer evaluation: A great way to improve your oral presentation skills is to be evaluated by your audience. As such, you will all evaluate your classmates (and you will be equally evaluated) using a form that will be given out before each class. You will evaluate the presenter on a range of areas, such as presentation style and scientific content. These evaluations are completely anonymous and private, and will only be read by the presenter. They will not be used to grade the presenter (the instructors will not see these evaluations).Page 3 of 3 Course Schedule: Week Date Presenters: 1 September 27 Dr. Clark—putting together a clear seminar 2 October 4 Paper- Student presenter: __ Jason Scapa 3 October 11 Seminar- Student presenter: __ Jason Scapa 4 October 18 Paper- Student presenter: __Danica Wiredja 5 October 25 Seminar- Student presenter: __ Danica Wiredja 6 November 1 Paper- Student presenter: ___Gindy Nagabayashi 7 November 8 Seminar- Student presenter: __ Gindy Nagabayashi 8 November 15 Paper- Student presenter: ___Jason Sims 9 November 22 Seminar- Student presenter: __ Jason Sims 10 November 29