Research Experiences for Undergraduates
Guidelines for Final Talk
Before the end of the REU summer program, each participant is expected to make an oral presentation of research activities carried out during the program. The following guidelines should be followed when preparing these talks. If you have any questions, please contact Selman Hershfield or Kevin Ingersent.
Timetable
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Mon Jul 20 1:30–3:30 pm | Oral communications workshop, led by Dr. Stephanie Webster, Dial Center for Written and Oral Communication (2165 NPB). The first session will provide general guidance for preparing and delivering a talk. |
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Mon Jul 27 1:30–3:30 pm | Oral communications workshop, led by Dr. Stephanie Webster (2165 NPB). During this second session, you will present the introduction to your talk, plus the first few points of the objectives and methods section. You'll receive constructive feedback to help you refine your talk. |
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Wed Jul 29 1–4 pm | Final presentations: first session of talks (2165 NPB). |
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Thu Jul 30 10 am–noon | Final presentations: second session of talks (2165 NPB). |
Talk Format
 | Your talk should be addressed primarily to the other REU students and should assume no background beyond (say) the second year of undergraduate physics. Your research advisor and other members of your research group are welcome to attend the talks, but please target your presentation to the least expert members of the audience. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| | The talk should describe the background to your project, the specific objectives of your work and the method you used to try to achieve these objectives, the results you obtained, and the directions in which the project might be continued. Unlike your written report, in which you can refer the reader to published literature, your talk must be self-contained. You should make sure to define all but the most common terms and explain all concepts beyond the most elementary level. (Again, to be on the safe side, it would be wise to assume little beyond second-year physics.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| | Please aim to make your talk run between 10 and 12 minutes, and in no case longer than 15 minutes. (You should practice repeatedly—speaking out loud—to make sure that you don't exceed the upper limit.) After the talk, please be prepared to answer questions from the audience. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| | You are encouraged to use whatever media you need to get your message across. A standard scientific presentation employs text and stationary graphics (data plots, photographs, etc). It may also be appropriate to include sound, animated graphics, video, audio, real-time demonstrations, or exhibits that you pass around the audience. However, excessive reliance on technical fireworks can interfere with the main aim of the talk, which should be effective communication of content. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The following are links to PowerPoint presentations given by participants
in the 2000 summer program:
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| | The seminar room where you will speak (2165 NPB) will be equipped with an overhead projector for displaying transparencies, a PC with projector for PowerPoint presentations, and several chalkboards. If you need any other equipment (such as a VCR), please contact Kevin Ingersent (ingersent@phys.ufl.edu) no later than Monday, July 28. |
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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants DMR-9820518, DMR-0139579, and DMR-0552726. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. |