Meetings on "How to ... "

Materials and Surface Theory group

The idea...

I would like to take some time out in January and February to discuss and train issues that are important for researchers in general. What will certainly be included is to train how to explain your work when you are caught off guard and only have limited time available, how to write (or rewrite) your CV, etc.

Preliminary plan

Thursday January 23, 2003, at 13.00: The elevator talk

Tuesday January 28, 2003, at 15.00: The curriculum vitae

Thursday January 30, 2003, at 13.00: The curriculum vitae (cont'd), the hallway talk

Tuesday February 4, 2003, at 15.00: The hallway talk

Thursday February 6, 2003: No meeting (meeting about the increasing prices of journals)

Tuesday February 11, 2003, at 15.00: Homepage of the professional physicist

Thursday February 13, 2003, at 13.00: The office talk/Start of: writing a paper

Tuesday February 18, 2003, at 15.00: The seminar talk/Writing a paper

Thursday February 20, 2003: No meeting (Bengt's birthday)

Tuesday February 25, 2003, at 15.00: Writing a paper

Thursday February 27, 2003, at 13.00: Copyright issues

The elevator talk (hallway, office,...)

We'll concentrate on training short descriptions of what you are working on (and why should anybody care?). Please as a starting point read the article "Making Science Understandable to a Broad Audience" by R. M. Reis, which appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education, July 23, 1999. I have put a copy in the mailbox of those I know will participate, but you can also get the article from the web at the address http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/1999/07/1999072301c.htm or get a copy from me.

The Curriculum Vitae (CV)

I handed out two examples with guidelines: John Wilkins' "one-pager" on writing a vita and an example of a research-oriented CV from "The Chronicle of Higher Education". Please prepare, if you don't yet have one, a CV, and give it to me not later than Monday 27/1 at 3 pm. You might want to revise your present CV after reading the guidelines. We will read each others CVs and comment on how to improve the document.

The homepage of the professional physicist

You should have one with at least a minimum of information about your professional life. And it sure shouldn't look like the school kid's first attempt at communicating on the Web ("Hi, mom, see what I can do with a Web editor!"...).
What goes in, and what does not?

Useful links

John Wilkins' "one-pager" collection
Past mailings of the "Tomorrows Professor" mailing list
What is the difference between a CV and a résumé? See what M. Newhouse writes in The Chronicle of Higher Education: "From C.V. to Résumé"
Science Magazine's Next Wave Postdoctoral network, in particular the essay A Career-Development Plan for Postdocs by Laure Haak (also interesting reading for graduate students).
A list of postdoc offices and associations (mostly U.S. based).
Writing a paper. John Wilkins' and Tom Barrett's Ohio-State University-based Writing course, in particular the Sentence outline page (not all links work, though).
Next Wave's Your First "First-Author" Paper, part I -- The Writing, and Your First "First-Author" Paper, part II -- The Act of Submission and Peering at the Review Process, by Phil Dee.
How to Give Successful Oral and Poster Presentations, by J.W. Niemantsverdriet.

Back to:

Elsebeth Schröder's homepage	The Materials and Surface Theory Group	Chalmers University of Technology	Göteborg University

Revised February 12, 2003, by Elsebeth Schröder, schroder (at) fy.chalmers.se

Thursday January 23, 2003, at 13.00:	The elevator talk
Tuesday January 28, 2003, at 15.00:	The curriculum vitae
Thursday January 30, 2003, at 13.00:	The curriculum vitae (cont'd), the hallway talk
Tuesday February 4, 2003, at 15.00:	The hallway talk
Thursday February 6, 2003:	No meeting (meeting about the increasing prices of journals)
Tuesday February 11, 2003, at 15.00:	Homepage of the professional physicist
Thursday February 13, 2003, at 13.00:	The office talk/Start of: writing a paper
Tuesday February 18, 2003, at 15.00:	The seminar talk/Writing a paper
Thursday February 20, 2003:	No meeting (Bengt's birthday)
Tuesday February 25, 2003, at 15.00:	Writing a paper
Thursday February 27, 2003, at 13.00:	Copyright issues