Lauren Shepherd

lbshelby@u.washington.edu

Foege N303

REU Communications Class

Science Talks

What do you want from a talk?

Lauren’s List

learn something structure key points engaging clear distinction

between topics Appropriate number

of slides (good pace) sufficient information

Elements of a good talk

ContentConveys new information

Poses an interesting question

Conveys how people in other fields think

Describes important ideas

Novel discovery

Clarity and OrganizationUnderstandable

Avoids jargon

Well organized

Enables me to catch up if I space out

Doesn’t run over time

Style and DeliveryKeeps me awake

Varies voice

Conveys enthusiasm

Doesn’t stay in one place

Friendly and approachable

ExpertiseCredible

Inspires trust and confidence

Answers questions clearly

*Susan McConnell, Stanford University

What are the tools for an effective presentation?

Stage Presence

Talk to your audienceDo not read to your audience.Do not talk to your computer or the screen.

Be enthusiastic

Move and gesture

Speaking Voice

Emphasize key points

Enunciate and project

Normal conversation speed

Confidence

You are the expert

Sync with your data

Present your results positively

What are the goals of talk?

Goals for a Good Talk

Take home message for talk

Main point for each slide

Consistency and clarity

Convey (and support) a big idea

Tell a story!

What are some simple tricks to delivering a good talk?

Provide Roadmaps

Tell people:

What you’ll say

Say it again

Summarize what you’ve said

Titles provide punch line for each slide

Focus on Clarity

Consistent schemes and layout

1 or 2 (max) points per slide

Graphics & images vs. text & lists

Less is more

Avoid Animation Overload

programs

have many

tricks

for making

slides

flashy!

looklook

Presentation

Focus on the Essentials

Clean layout

Emphasize key points

Fit into the alloted time

15 minute presentation:

10 minute talk and 5 minute

discussion

What are some simple layout rules for a preparing a talk?

Fonts and Sizes

Styles:

sans-serif: Arial, Comic Sans, Trebuchet

serif: Times, Courier, Didot

Sizes:18 pt or larger

18 point

24 point

30 point

36 point

48 pointReferences can be in 14 point font

Fonts and Sizes

Styles:

sans-serif: Arial, Comic Sans, Trebuchet

serif: Times, Courier, Didot

Sizes:18 pt or larger

18 point

24 point

30 point

36 point

48 pointReferences can be in 14 point font

Use High Contrast Colors

Dark letters on a light background works well.

Use High Contrast Colors

Light letters on a dark background can also work.

Use High Contrast Colors

Dark backgrounds are often best for talks in a large

room.

Slide Title

Take home point

Big graphic or concept

Small card size and volume promotes cheap, portable, rapid, and sensitive detection

Why use microfluidics for diagnostics?

?

www.aip.org/tip/INPHFA/vol-9/iss-4/p14.htm

Double Check Your Slides

What is the structure of a scientific presentation?

Structure of a Talk

Introduction

Methods

Results

Discussion

Introduction

Introduce big idea or question

Define key ideas

Why important?

Methods

Be concrete

Include details

Support big idea

Results

Show details

Use graphics or tables

Method ➙ Result

Remind audience of hypothesisState key idea behind result

Discussion and Conclusions

Inform of end

Specific ➙ Broad

Summarize main points

Acknowledgments

Colleagues

FundingNSF GRFP fellowship

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Grant

Details and Catch Up

Nontechnical

General technical

Specialist

Go deep and come home

Talks are Milestones

Practice and celebrate!

Effective Presentations

1.Audience centric

2.Accomplish goals

3.Fun for audience

4.Fun for you

5 Practical Tips

1.Define clear objectives

2.Memorize first few lines

3.Don’t read your slides

4.Smile and engage audience

5.Breathe

A Little Perspective

1. Learn through practice

2. Ideal comparisons

Book:The Craft of Scientific Presentations, Michael Alley

Websites:http://io.uwinnipeg.ca/~clark/research/comm/pres.html

http://www.devpsy.org/teaching/method/give_psychology_talk.html

feed://www.engr.washington.edu/edge/bioen599rss.xml

Resources

Introduction

Methods

Two Examples

What’s wrong with this slide?

What’s the problem with Global Healthcare

Adapted from Zhang et al. JBC 2005.

Given the conditions of developing nations, how can we as researchers improve the quality of healthcare?

People in developing nations are subject to a multitude of diseases. Poverty, malnutrition, improper sanitation, dirty water, lack of basic infrastructure, and poor access to good healthcare combine to create a dire situation.

Malaria

Dengue

Rickettsia

Typhoid

HIV/AIDS

How’s this one?

12

The Problem with Global Healthcare

"Off all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane."

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Small card size and volume promotes cheap, portable, rapid, and sensitive detection

Why use microfluidics?

?www.aip.org/tip/INPHFA/vol-9/iss-4/p14.htm

Prompt, accurate diagnosis is critical for appropriate treatment

What’s wrong with this slide?

The Rosetta Methodallostericeffector

removeeffector

START

Energy

randomperturbation

repack

minimize

FINISH

SAMPLING PROTOCOLMonte Carlo minimization with combinatorial side chain optimization in torsion space

ENERGY FUNCTIONLennard Jones, Lazaridis-Karplus implicit solvation, orientation dependent hydrogen bonding, PDB derived torsional potential

1) Randomly chosen backbone deformation (fragment insertion)

2) Side chain repacking (Monte Carlo search through Dunbrack library)

3) Gradient-based minimization of energy with respect to torsion angles (DFPmin)

4) Acceptance according to standard Metropolis criterion

TargetInitial

energy

rmsd to initial

How’s this one?

energy

rmsd to start

energy

perturb

repackremoveeffector

minimize

The ROSETTA approach

Prepare a 5 minute presentation

1.Introduce your research

2.Describe your methods

Homework: Due July 15