Dissertation Writers Support Group
Steven Strang, Besty Fox
Tue Jan 13, 20, 03-05:00pm, 12-132
No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Writing a thesis or dissertation can be daunting and frustrating if we try to "go it alone." These sessions will present an overview of the thesis-writing process, as well as tips for managing time and emotional stress. In addition, we will discuss the possibility of establishing one or more support groups for the Spring and beyond.
Contact: Steven Strang, 12-120, 253-4459, smstrang@mit.edu
Sponsor: Writing and Communication Center
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Effective Speaking
Barbara Smith
Tue Jan 13, Thu Jan 15, Tue Jan 20, Thu Jan 22, 04-06:00pm, 1-390
Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 05-Jan-2009
Limited to 50 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: None Required
Have you always wondered why some people seem at ease with public speaking? Have others told you to speak up because you speak too softly, or perhaps you are self-conscious because of your accent? Well, this class is for you! You will learn the proper techniques for projecting your voice and delivering a talk.
Contact: Barbara Smith, 5-320, x3-0137, bsmith@mit.edu
Sponsor: Mechanical Engineering
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Flirting for the Four Temperments
Master Christian Lansinger von Jaueregk
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: None.
Using the model of the four classical humours (a medical paradigm first described in ancient Greek writings, then embellished during the Renaissance), the instructor will provide flirting tips for your particular temperament; each session focuses on a different temperment. Note: this is not a class on seduction, but rather on the art of making others feel attractive.
Contact: Master Christian Lansinger von Jaueregk, flirting@mit.edu
Sponsor: Society for Creative Anachronism
Flirting for the Melancholy
Master Christian Lansinger von Jaueregk
Flirting tips for when your temperament is cool and dry.
Tue Jan 20, 07-08:00pm, 1-150
Flirting for the Phlegmatic
Master Christian Lansinger von Jaueregk
Flirting tips for when your temperament is cool and moist.
Thu Jan 22, 07-08:00pm, 1-150
Flirting for the Sanguine
Master Christian Lansinger von Jaueregk
Flirting tips for when your temperament is hot and moist.
Tue Jan 27, 07-08:00pm, 1-150
Flirting for the Choleric
Master Christian Lansinger von Jaueregk
Flirting tips for when your temperament is hot and dry.
Thu Jan 29, 07-08:00pm, 1-150
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How to Speak -- Prof. Winston's Famous Talk!!
Patrick Winston
Fri Jan 30, 02-03:00pm, 6-120
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Winning Job Talks, Successful Oral Examinations,
Stimulating Lectures, And Getting Famous
You can improve your speaking ability in critical situations by observing a few heuristic rules. Professor Winston presents his collection of rules along with some observations about of their application in job talks,
thesis defenses, oral examinations, and lectures.
Contact: Patrick Winston, phw@mit.edu
Sponsor: Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
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How to Talk to the Press
Karen Weintraub, Christopher Reddy
Wed Jan 21, 12-01:30pm, E19-623, Feel free to bring your lunch
Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Limited to 20 participants.
Single session event
Ever wonder what's going through a reporter's mind when they're grilling you about your latest research? This 90-minute class is intended to offer faculty and researchers insights into the journalistic mind to help better convey ideas. Karen Weintraub, the Boston Globe's deputy Health/Science editor and a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT this year, will walk participants through the editorial process from story idea to publication, offering suggestions on how to present research more effectively to the general public. WHOI Associate Scientist Christopher Reddy regularly talks to the news media about environmental contaminants and has lectured to numerous scientific organizations about effective communication. This activity is co-sponsored by the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship.
Contact: Karen Weintraub, E19-623, (617) 283-8476, weintrau@mit.edu
Sponsor: Science,Technology & Society
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How to Write a Successful Grant Application
Dr. Stephen Steadman
Thu Jan 29, 03-04:00pm, 26-414
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Many researchers writing grant applications make serious errors despite having outstanding ideas that are well worth support by federal agencies. These include sending the proposal to the wrong program, missing deadlines for proposal submission, and submitting incomplete or poorly written proposals. A description of the proposal process will be presented with information to help avoid these and other errors, with particular emphasis on funding in the physical sciences by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. Dr. Steadman has been a Program Director/Manager in both agencies. Please send email request by Tuesday, Jan. 29 for a copy of handout materials. Video conferencing of presentation may be arranged -- please contact S. Steadman.
Contact: Stephen Steadman, 26-505, x8-8678, steadman@mit.edu
Sponsor: Lab for Nuclear Science
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Individual Consultations at the Writing and Communication Center
Steven Strang
Mon-Fri, Jan 5-9, 12-16, 20-23, 26-30, 10am-03:00pm, 12-120
No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Repeating event. Participants welcome at any session
Prereq: none
The Writing Center's professional staff will offer free consultations on any writing issue, including finding topics, generating ideas, improving grammar and stye, organizing documents, and using evidence. We can help with theses from any department, application essays, resumes, articles for publication, proposals,course papers, and oral presentations.Go to our online scheduler to schedule an appointment.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/writing
Contact: Steven Strang, 12-120, 253-4459, smstrang@mit.edu
Sponsor: Writing and Communication Center
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Journalism 101
Michael McGraw-Herdeg, Jeff Guo, Natasha Plotkin
Sun Jan 11, 18, 25, Feb 1, 03-06:00pm, W20-483
Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Limited to 20 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
You don't have to be famous to make the news.
This IAP, find out how to craft a news story from pitch to publication. You'll learn to interview sources, dig for facts, find narrative, and structure a story. Along the way, we'll pull back the veil and show you the day-to-day operations of MIT's independent student newspaper, The Tech, and expose journalism triumphs (and blunders).
Participants will each write a news story for workshop and receive one-on-one feedback from Tech editors. Participants may be invited to publish their article in an issue of The Tech.
These are practical communications skills that will help you in your academic and professional career, not just as a volunteer at a student newspaper!
Contact: Michael McGraw-Herdeg, W20-483, (617) 253-1541, mherdeg@mit.edu
Sponsor: The Tech
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Making the Most of Your Presentation
Dr. Jean-luc Doumont, Communication Consultant
Wed Jan 28, 02-04:00pm, 6-120
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Effective presentations skills are a major asset for engineers, scientists, and other professionals. Professional presentations hold a persuasive power not found in print documents or electronic messages. In this seminar you will hear about a five-step method for an effective presentation: how to plan it, design it, create the visual aids, deliver it, and answer questions. Handling nervousness will also be discussed.
Contact: Leann Dobranski, 5-122, x3-3371, leann@mit.edu
Sponsor: Teaching and Learning Lab
Cosponsor: Dean for Graduate Education (ODGE)
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Powerpoint Karaoke
Ruth Levitsky
Schedule: TBD
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Powerpoint Karaoke
Practice your presentation skills without the pressure of having to know what you are talking about. You’ll deliver someone else’s Powerpoint presentation in front of an audience, and get feedback on how you did from the audience.
Members of the MIT Toastmasters public speaking clubs will also be in attendance.
to offer feedback and presentation tips.
This session is for anyone in the MIT community who wants to gain confidence in their presentation skills-undergrads, grads and staff. To see an example of Powerpoint Karaoke:
http://www.heathervescent.com/heathervescent/2007/04/powerpoint_kara.html
Contact: Ruth Levitsky, E52-252, x3-3399, levitsky@mit.edu
Sponsor: Toastmasters@MIT
Cosponsor: Economics
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Public Speaking at Toastmasters-Tuesday Group
Ruth Levitsky
Tue Jan 6, 13, 20, 27, 06-07:30pm, E51-057
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Learn how Toastmasters can help you overcome nervousness when you present and develop your skills in public speaking.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/personnel/toastmasters
Contact: Ruth Levitsky, E52-252, x3-3399, levitsky@mit.edu
Sponsor: Toastmasters@MIT
Cosponsor: Economics
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Structuring Your Scientific Paper
Dr. Jean-luc Doumont, Communication Consultant
Thu Jan 29, 02-04:00pm, 6-120
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Written documents are a typical outcome, if not the sole tangible deliverable, of the work of engineers, scientists, and other professionals. Well-designed, they efficiently allow each reader to learn only what he or she needs to. Poorly designed, by contrast, they confuse readers, fail to encourage decisions, or simply remain unread. This seminar will propose an effective structure applicable to documents in general, and to scientific papers and technical reports in particular.
Web: http://www.principiae.be
Contact: Leann Dobranski, x3-3371, leann@mit.edu
Sponsor: Teaching and Learning Lab
Cosponsor: Dean for Graduate Education (ODGE)
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Technical, Scientific, and Professional Communication
Leslie Perelman
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Series of lectures and a workshop on Communication. See individual sessions for limitations on attendance. Co-sponsored by Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies; the Teaching and Learning Laboratory; School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences; Office of the Dean of Graduate Education, School of Engineering; Sloan School of Management.
Contact: Chelsey Norman, 12-117, x3-0650, chelseyn@mit.edu
Sponsor: Writing and Humanistic Studies
Doctor Shapiro's Cheesecake Recipe: The Critical Role of Clear Communication in Scientific Research
Stuart Z. Shapiro, M.D., Ph.D. Chief NIAID Progr Officer, Ctr for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunolo
Using examples from his article in Vaccine on preparing US FDA applications for investigational new drugs, Dr. Shapiro will discuss the importance of clear communication in medical and scientific research, and then outline some common pitfalls and best practices in writing scientific documents.
Fri Jan 23, 03:30-05:00pm, 56-114
Invention and Arrangement: How Science and Engineering Students Learn to Write across the Curriculum
Dr. Suzanne T. Lane (MIT '85) Associate Director, Writing Across the Curriculum, MIT
Dr. Lane will map the landscape of writing development for students in science and engineering fields. The talk will address such questions as why students succeed in some writing assignments and not others, what they must know in order to write effectively in different subjects, and how they learn to negotiate the different methods of inventing and arranging arguments in many fields.
Mon Jan 26, 03:30-05:00pm, 56-114
Making the Most of your Presentations
Dr. Jean-Luc Doumont, Communication Consultant
Effective presentation skills are a major asset for engineers, scientists, and other professionals. Professional presentations hold a persuasive power not found in print documents or electronic messages. In this seminar you will hear about a five-step method for an effective presentation: how to plan it, design it, create the visual aids, deliver it, and answer questions. Handling nervousness will also be discussed.
Wed Jan 28, 02-04:00pm, 6-120
Structuring Your Scientific Paper
Dr. Jean-Luc Doumont, Communication Consutant
Written docs are a typical outcome, if not sole tangible deliverable, of the work of engineers, scientists, and other professionals. Well-designed, they allow reader to learn only what he or she needs. Poorly designed, they confuse readers, fail to encourage decisions, or remain unread. Will propose an effective structure applicable to documents in general, and to scientific papers and technical reports in particular.
Thu Jan 29, 02-04:00pm, 6-120
Making Presentation Slides More Effective
Michael P. Alley Assoc. Professor, College of Engineering, Penn State Univ
In a number of teaching situations, projecting PowerPoint slides is an appropriate way to help students conprehend and remember course information. This workshop aims to help engineering and sicence instructors improve their slides for those occasions. In the workshop, participants will learn: inherent assertion-evidence structure, and tested strategies for adopting the assertion-evidence structure.
Fri Jan 30, 10am-12:00pm, 56-114
WORKSHOP: Making Presentation Slides More Effective
Michael P. Alley Assoc. Professor, College of Engineering, Penn State Univers
This session is limited to 20 participants. To register contact Chelsey Norman, 3-0650, chelseyn@mit.edu. Participants are to prepare slides for critique at the workshop.
Fri Jan 30, 01:30pm-03:30am, 56-114
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Telling Your Story Workshop
Dr. Natalie Kuldell
Fri Jan 16, 10am-03:00pm, 56-614, optional 3-5:30pm follow on
No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Single session event
Please join this workshop if you are a scientist or engineer who would like to develop your communication skills. Find satisfying ways of engaging a wider, less technically-savvy audience. Discuss the benefits of becoming a "Visiting Scientist" in classrooms or public education settings and learn how to make the most out of these outreach opportunities.
Contact: Dr. Natalie Kuldell, 16-325, x4-0085, nkuldell@mit.edu
Sponsor: Biological Engineering
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Toastmaster Clubs at MIT
Ruth Levitsky
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
The Toastmaster's Organization is committed to making effective oral communication a worldwide reality. MIT has several Toastmaster's groups on campus, meeting on different days of the week. Meeting details for the individual groups are below. Come join us.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/personnel/toastmasters
Contact: Ruth Levitsky, E52-252, x3-3399, levitsky@mit.edu
Sponsor: Toastmasters@MIT
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Writers' Group
Steven Strang
Wed Jan 7, 14, 21, 28, 12-01:00pm, 12-134
Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 07-Jan-2009
Limited to 20 participants.
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: none
Want to write but need some motivation or support? Join other writers to get advice about your own writing, to help other writers, or to get inspiration to write something to share with the group-any kind of writing is possible (e.g, fiction, poetry, literary nonfiction, course-specific assignments, theses, and professional projects).
Contact: Steven Strang, 12-120, 253-4459, smstrang@mit.edu
Sponsor: Writing and Communication Center
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