INQ 251 / Honors 251 : A Scientific Look at Art: Oral Presentations

Communicate Science Papers, Presentations, and Posters Effectively is a guidebook on science writing and communication that professors, students, and professionals in the STEM fields can use in a practical way. This book advocates a clear and concise writing and presenting style, enabling users to concentrate on content. The text is useful to both native and non-native English speakers. The book includes chapters on the publishing industry (discussing bibliometrics, h-indexes, and citations), plagiarism, and how to report data properly. It also offers practical guidance for writing equations and provides the reader with extensive practice material consisting of both exercises and solutions.

The Craft of Scientific Presentations, 2nd edition aims to strengthen you as a presenter of science and engineering. The book does so by identifying what makes excellent presenters such as Brian Cox, Jane Goodall, Richard Feynman, and Jill Bolte Taylor so strong. In addition, the book explains what causes so many scientific presentations to flounder. One of the most valuable contributions of this text is that it teaches the assertion-evidence approach to scientific presentations. Instead of building presentations, as most engineers and scientists do, on the weak foundation of topic phrases and bulleted lists, this assertion-evidence approach calls for building presentations on succinct message assertions supported by visual evidence. Unlike the commonly followed topic-subtopic approach that PowerPoint leads presenters to use, the assertion-evidence approach is solidly grounded in research. By showing the differences between strong and weak presentations, by identifying the errors that scientific presenters typically make, and by teaching a much more powerful approach for scientific presentations than what is commonly practiced, this book places you in a position to elevate your presentations to a high level. In essence, this book aims to have you not just succeed in your scientific presentations, but excel. About the Author Michael Alley has taught workshops on presentations to engineers and scientists on five continents, and has recently been invited to speak at the European Space Organization, Harvard Medical School, MIT, Sandia National Labs, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Simula Research Laboratory, and United Technologies. An Associate Professor of engineering communication at Pennsylvania State University, Alley is a leading researcher on the effectiveness of different designs for presentation slides.

Designing Science Presentations guides researchers and graduate students of virtually any discipline in the creation of compelling science communication. Most scientists never receive formal training in the creation, delivery, and evaluation of such material, yet it is essential for publishing in high-quality journals, soliciting funding, attracting lab personnel, and advancing a career. This clear, readable volume fills that gap and provides visually intensive guidance at every step--from the construction of original figures to the presentation and delivery of those figures in papers, slideshows, posters, and websites. It provides pragmatic advice on the preparation and delivery of exceptional scientific presentations; demonstrates hundreds of visually striking presentation techniques, giving readers inspiration for creating their own; and is structured so that readers can easily find answers to particular questions. Clear heading for each section indicates its message, highlighted with graphic illustrations Two summary paragraphs that complement the visual images and clearly discuss the main point Numerous examples of high-quality figures, page layouts, slides, posters, and web pages to help stimulate readers' ideas for their own presentations Numerous "before and after" examples to illustrate the contrast between poor and outstanding presentations

Ask a scientist about Hollywood, and you'll probably get eye rolls. But ask someone in Hollywood about science, and they'll see dollar signs: moviemakers know that science can be the source of great stories, with all the drama and action that blockbusters require.   That's a huge mistake, says Randy Olson: Hollywood has a lot to teach scientists about how to tell a story--and, ultimately, how to do science better. With Houston, We Have a Narrative, he lays out a stunningly simple method for turning the dull into the dramatic. Drawing on his unique background, which saw him leave his job as a working scientist to launch a career as a filmmaker, Olson first diagnoses the problem: When scientists tell us about their work, they pile one moment and one detail atop another moment and another detail--a stultifying procession of "and, and, and." What we need instead is an understanding of the basic elements of story, the narrative structures that our brains are all but hardwired to look for--which Olson boils down, brilliantly, to "And, But, Therefore," or ABT. At a stroke, the ABT approach introduces momentum ("And"), conflict ("But"), and resolution ("Therefore")--the fundamental building blocks of story. As Olson has shown by leading countless workshops worldwide, when scientists' eyes are opened to ABT, the effect is staggering: suddenly, they're not just talking about their work--they're telling stories about it. And audiences are captivated.   Written with an uncommon verve and enthusiasm, and built on principles that are applicable to fields far beyond science, Houston, We Have a Narrative has the power to transform the way science is understood and appreciated, and ultimately how it's done.

Scientific Writing and Communication: Papers, Proposals, and Presentations covers all the areas of scientific communication that a scientist needs to know and to master to successfully promote his or her research and career. This unique "all-in-one" handbook begins with a discussion of thebasics of scientific writing style and composition and then applies these principles to writing research papers, review articles, grant proposals, research statements, and resumes as well as to preparing academic presentations and posters.

Having the ability to speak confidently; engage the audience; make a clear, well-argued case; and handle any tricky situations, is rarely a natural talent, but it can be learned through application and practice. Scientists Must Speak: Bringing Presentations to Life helps readers do just that. At some point in their careers, the majority of scientists have to stand up in front of an inquisitive audience or board and present information. This can be a stressful experience for many. For scientists, the experience may be further complicated by the specialist nature of the data and the fact that most self-help books are aimed at business or social situations. Scientists Must Speak includes sections on: * targeting your talk - knowing your audience and how to pitch to them * organizing your presentation - aligning your points logically around a central key theme * using visual aids effectively - how to avoid a random slide show *'practice, practice, practice' - it's a rare orator that does not need to practice * taking control - preparing the room, using eye contact, and checking the audience is with you * voice and language - developing a good speaking style, and help for those for whom English is a second language * body language - the messages your posture, mannerisms and facial expressions convey to the audience * handling question and answer sessions - taking the fear out of these * expecting the unexpected - how to cope with unforeseen mishaps * adapting material for different situations - how to avoid reinventing the wheel * organizing a session with several speakers - how to organize or chair sessions Written by authors with many years' experience of teaching presentation techniques, this engaging text will help readers make the best of their presentations and remove some of the fear that makes them a daunting prospect.

A practical manual aimed at graduate students, junior researchers, nervous professionals, or clinicians who are preparing to present talks at meetings and academic conferences. This is an important career skill for anyone in the sciences, and the book features step-by-step instruction for creating clear and compelling presentations - from structuring a talk and developing effective Powerpoint slides, through delivery before an audience. Includes color examples of slides and posters from actual presentations, and field-tested methods for success behind the podium. Also contains tips on answering questions and strategies for handling media and job interviews. The authors are professional public speakers who teach presentation skills to scientists and medical researchers at the National Institutes of Health and in the private sector.

This book is designed with the belie that the key to good speaking is an awareness of audience and context and knowledge of the techniques of argumentation or rhetoric.

With the spectacular developments in technology accompanying and aiding scientific research over the past few decades, postgraduate students are often encouraged to focus more on generating data than to utilize their most sophisticated piece of equipment: their mind. Stop Working & Start Thinking, Second Edition aims to encourage young researchers to think more clearly about their experiments, from experimental design to data interpretation. This new edition builds on the success of the first edition, with new material throughout and a new chapter on measurement interpretation, including an examination of cryptic assumptions. This book is essential reading for postgraduates who wish to put the mastery back into their M.Sc. and the philosophy back into their PhDs.

Study and Communication Skills for the Chemical Sciences has been carefully designed to help students transition seamlessly from school to university, make the most of their education, and ultimately use their degree to enhance their employability.The accessible and friendly writing style helps to engage students with the subject while frequent chemical examples highlight the relevance of the skills being learned. A comprehensive range of skills are covered - from making the most of practicals, lectures and group work, through to writing andpresentation skills, and effective revision for exams. An expanded chapter on employability offers invaluable advice for getting a job in today's competitive market.Written by leading experts in science education, this text is essential reading for any undergraduate chemistry student wishing to succeed at university get the most out of their degree after graduation.Online Resource Centre:The Online Resource Centre to accompany Study and Communication Skills for the Chemical Sciences features:For lecturers:* Figures from the book in electronic format, ready to downloadFor students:* Examples of good and bad practice when using Powerpoint presentations* Examples of good and bad practice when producing posters