EES Graduate SeminarFall 2008

Geoc/Geol/Geop/Hydr 592

Rick Asteraster@ees.nmt.edu

MSEC 356-5924

Course Web Sitehttp://ees.nmt.edu/Geop/Classes/Geop592

Objectives• To gain experience with presentations and

get candid feedback from your peers!• To communicate the range of work going on

in this department (and maybe learn some new science).

• To promote greater interaction among EES programs

• To gain experience in critically and collegially evaluating presentations.

Participation Requirement

• Master’s students– Attend seminar for two semesters– Make one presentation, normally in

your second year

• Doctoral students– Attend for three semesters– Make two presentations, normally in

your second and third year

Requirements• Speakers

– Attendance– Professional web page (make one if you don’t have one already!).– Title and abstract to me by email at least one week before your

seminar day (file formats: pdf, doc, rtf, txt)– Be ready to go 10 minutes before seminar time (check AV and

computer systems)– Look at your video! Let us know what surprised you (or if you

think you looked even better than you thought you would, for that matter).

Requirements• Introducers

– Get introduction information from speaker before seminar time

– Be prepared to time the speaker, prompting them as time runs out

– Manage question period• Reviewers

– Provide constructive feedback to speakers immediately after the talk (and private comments within 24 hours at the latest)

PRACTICE!!Giving a Good Talk

• Check out equipment in advance– Run through all the slides– Do movies, etc. run?– Have you practiced it as a show, e.g., so you

expect your animations when they come?– Know how to use the pointer, etc.

• Speak slowly, clearly, and project your voice• “Speak” from the slide – do not read.• Be natural; Don’t fidget; Make eye contact.

• Make the talk content appropriate to the audience.

• Don’t be afraid to be (appropriately) humorous.• Be gracious to your collaborators and audience• Have an Introduction and a Conclusion

– Why should we care what you do?– What do you think is important about what you’ve

done?• Define terms, remind people of simple concepts

so they stay up with you• Keep slides relatively simple

– Don’t be tempted to put too many graphics onto one slide

– Make text and figures big enough to read easily

• Make the talk content appropriate to the audience (know your audience!)

• Have an Introduction and a Conclusion– Why should we care what you do?– What do you think is important about what you’ve done?

• Define terms, remind people of simple concepts so they stay up with you

• Keep slides relatively simple– Don’t be tempted to put too many graphics onto one slide

or extraneous material.– Make text and figures big enough to read easily

• Consider the consequences of background and background color

More TipsMore TipsConsider the consequences of Consider the consequences of background and background colorbackground and background color

Busy Slide?Busy Slide?

Oregon Frontal Thrust: Pore pressure and Oregon Frontal Thrust: Pore pressure and stress from seismic velocitystress from seismic velocity

ODP Leg 146ODP Leg 146 (Tobin et al., 1994) (Tobin et al., 1994)

Seismic dataSeismic data

Lab core dataLab core data

Graphics• Keep it simple• Show only what you need

– watch out for stuff you don’t understand on your own slides!

• Axes? Orient the audience• Movies can be captivating and

illuminating• No tables full of fine print!

AVOID GARISH FONT AVOID GARISH FONT EFFECTSEFFECTS

Avoid distracting animations

Dates: (I will be out of town on April 8)

January: 28

February: 4, 11,18, 25

March: 4, 18, 25

April 1, 15, 22 (Aster at NMMNHS), 29

May 6