2011 NNIN REU Program

Convocation Advices, Requests and Reminders
from Melanie-Claire

PLEASE NOTE THAT TALK TIMES HAVE BEEN SHORTENED TO TEN MINUTES! We regret this necessary change.

The network-wide convocation starts soon! At the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia. Everything you need to know is at http://www.nnin.org/nnin_reuconvocation.html

When the time comes, you'll also find there the URL for the live video streaming of the presentations, in case your parents and friends want to tune in.

(Be sure to tell anyone you send this URL to, that the presentations almost always shift a little, a few minutes either way. So if someone wants to see your presentation, they should start watching at least 15 minutes before your talk's start time, just in case.)

On the convocation schedule, I especially want to call out two items:

First: YOUR PRESENTATION MUST BE ONLY SIX MINUTES LONG, SEVEN MINUTES TOPS! You have TEN minutes on the schedule, NOT ten minutes to present! That ten minutes MUST include; one full minute for getting on stage, attaching the microphone to yourself, and finding and opening your PowerPoint slides, PRESENTING FOR 6-7 MINUTES, and then 2-3 minutes for participant questions and your answers. So as you can see, if you talk for the whole ten minutes, our schedule will be thrown out of whack from the get-go! And btw, seven minutes of presentation equates to about 14 (fourteen) slides TOTAL, NOT including your title and acknowledgement slides, since those are shown relatively briefly.

Second: The photography session is on Saturday. So please dress your most bestest on Saturday!! And just so you can prepare for the photographs -- for each site, we'll take three sets of pictures; [1] a serious photo with all the site's interns, [2] a serious photo with the site's interns and participating staff, and [3] a fun/goofy photo with the site's interns (and participating staff who want to be in a goofy photo). The fun photo can be anything you think up!, but I would ask that you avoid posing as though you are punching each other. I don't know why (and perhaps I don't want to know why), but this is a recurring theme to the fun photos, and I feel it does not reflect our program well, especially in the eyes of our NSF program managers. So again, please avoid punching -- and also strangling, kick-boxing, violent themes in general -- thank you! We will also, of course, get photographs of all the interns together in one group.

And one more time -- please make sure your presentation and poster are APPROVED by your principal investigator. Follow the file naming rules on http://www.nnin.org/nnin_convocationexpectations.html AND being two copies of the presentation on two different media sources. If you have a laptop, and your presentation is on it, that counts as one source. But laptops have been known to fatally crash, so have another copy on a memory stick, or etc. (Some sites collect all the presentations on a disk and hand that over to the host. It’s an excellent idea!) Remember -- once you have turned over your presentation to your site coordinator or the host site folks, you cannot change your presentation.

ALSO! We would appreciate an electronic copy of your poster. We use them sometimes for NSF requests, NNIN presentations, and other opportunities along those lines. So when you are copying over your presentation, copy over your poster too. (Be sure to put your last name in the name of the file, thanks!)

You are welcome to take your poster with you after the Poster Session, and any left behind will be shipped to me, so they will not go to waste! Keep in mind, if you take yours with you, your school may well have a spot to put it up, or an event for you to showcase your work.

I think that's it, but below, please find the usual reminders from the intern expectations, and again, check the top URL for all the info on the convocation.

I’ll see you on Friday!

Melanie-Claire

AUGUST EXPECTATIONS REMINDERS:

* Work towards finishing up your research.

* Put the final touches on your presentation. Be sure to practice! Create and print your poster.

* Your presentation MUST be approved by your PI/Mentor before you attend the network convocation!

* For those interns finishing their program before the convocation - finish your draft FINAL REPORT and submit it to your PI/Mentor!

* Attend the NNIN REU Convocation.

* For those interns continuing their REU program after the convocation - finish your draft FINAL REPORT and submit it to your PI/Mentor!

YOU MUST SUBMIT A DRAFT REPORT TO YOUR PI BEFORE LEAVING YOUR REU SITE!

SEPTEMBER EXPECTATION REMINDERS:

* Submit a FINAL REPORT to your PI, site coordinator, AND Ms. Mallison by Friday, September 2nd.

* Your final stipend payment will be released to you as soon as Melanie-Claire has confirmed with your PI that your report is approved for publication.

NNIN REU Convocation Presentation Instructions

REPEAT: YOUR PRESENTATION MUST BE ONLY SIX MINUTES LONG, SEVEN MINUTES TOPS! You have TEN minutes on the schedule, NOT ten minutes to present! That ten minutes MUST include; one full minute for getting on stage, attaching the microphone to yourself, and finding and opening your PowerPoint slides, PRESENTING FOR 6-7 MINUTES, and then 2-3 minutes for participant questions and your answers. So as you can see, if you talk for the whole ten minutes, our schedule will be thrown out of whack from the get-go! And btw, seven minutes of presentation equates to about 14 (fourteen) slides TOTAL, NOT including your title and acknowledgement slides, since those are shown relatively briefly.

NEW ADVICE!!!

The best way to deal with this loss of presentation time is to seriously rethink your introductory slides and slides regarding your initial processes. My experience is that interns spend way to much time telling us the how and the why, and not nearly enough time on the what! I've witnessed interns who spent three minutes explaining why their research is going to change the world, seven minutes on spin speed, which resist when, etching steps, etc, and then about 30 seconds on what they actually made and whether or not it worked. 

So my advice to you is -- talk about your WHAT, what you actually accomplished, and not so much about how you got there.

(How you got there is what your final report is for... a presentation is about what worked, or didn't... as the case may be....)

As noted in the convocation expectations, you are required to dress in a professional manner every day of the convocation, whether you are presenting that day or not. On the day that you ARE presenting, be sure to wear a top to which you can easily clip a microphone. Ties, button-up shirts/dresses, and sometimes scarves are great for this, but avoid clipping the mike to your collar or shirt pocket. ALSO! Remove any lanyards and avoid bulky necklaces, as these will knock against the mike when you move. The microphone needs to be centered on your body and about four inches from your head, so that no matter which way you look as you talk to the audience, the mike will still catch your voice, and you won’t hit it when you glance around. (Low cut tops are the worst for a clip-on mike! So avoid them on your presentation day.) ALSO!  The clip on microphone is attached to a small box transmitter, which you will need to drop into a pocket or clip to a pocket, waistband or belt. So make sure you have a pocket or belt!

Even though you are wearing a microphone -- speak up! Project your voice to the audience, specifically to the very last person in the very last row. A quiet voice is still a quiet voice even with a microphone. Please speak up.

Face the audience as you speak, not the screen. Use the cursor pointer on the laptop, instead of a laser pointer. People want to see your face, not your back!

Don’t wander as you talk. Stand in front of the laptop and stay there. You are being web-cast and video-taped! Those watching the presentation online don’t want to be staring at an empty screen where a person should be. Not to mention those watching the video sometime in the future (see the final point below).

When you get to your Q&A section -- STOP!! REPEAT THE QUESTION FIRST (summarized if necessary) for the web-watching / video-watching folks. Then answer the question. An answer to an unheard question is very confusing, especially for those watching online / the video.


Keep in mind – you have just TEN minutes on the schedule, but it is forever on the web. Prospective graduate schools, prospective employers, prospective PIs -- they will all find your presentation online if and when they look, and how you represent yourself and your work may well inform their decisions regarding your future! To plan now to represent yourself very well!!

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