MIT: Independent Activities Period: IAP

IAP 2018 Activities by Category - Academic Skills and Resources

= Add activity session to your calendar (exports in iCalendar format)
Expand All | Collapse All


Artists' Books @ MIT

Anna Boutin-Cooper

Add to Calendar Jan/25 Thu 02:30PM-04:30PM 5-232

Enrollment: Sign up here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3784597

Back by popular demand! 

Curious about what an artist’s book is exactly? Wondering what makes it different than the other books at the Libraries? Whether you’ve heard about them before or not, this session will go over current discussions on what exactly makes an artist’s book and will include an interactive, hands-on experience with some of the dynamic art objects in MIT Libraries’ own collections. Local book artist and MIT alumna Sarah Hulsey will be our special guest for the session, and will speak about her own work featured in the Rotch Library Collections.

​We'll be in room 5-232. Event image credit: L. Barry Hetherington.

Register here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3784597

Sponsor(s): Libraries
Contact: Anna Boutin-Cooper, Boutin@mit.edu


Author Rights Workshop

Katie Zimmerman

Add to Calendar Jan/22 Mon 10:00AM-11:30AM 3-370

Enrollment: Register here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3782012

When you publish in scholarly journals, you’re usually required to give up some rights in your work. In this workshop, librarians will show you what to look for in author contracts and ways to hold onto rights to share and reuse your work. We’ll also practice negotiating a publishing contract. This session is part of the Intellectual Property Lunch and Learn Series cosponsored with the Technology Licensing Office. Food will be served. 

Sign up here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3782012

Sponsor(s): Libraries, Technology Licensing Office
Contact: Katie Zimmerman, kbzimmer@mit.edu


Basics of Obtaining a Patent 2018

Anne Graham

Add to Calendar Jan/17 Wed 10:00AM-11:30AM 3-370

Enrollment: Sign up here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3784697

Come and hear Jack Turner, Associate Director of the MIT Technology Licensing Office and IP Officer Theresa Latham, discuss the ins and outs of obtaining patents. This popular session covers a bit of patent history and a lot about current practices, processes, and issues surrounding obtaining a patent; the focus is on the process used at MIT for ideas/inventions developed by the MIT community. A portion of the session is devoted to questions and answers. If you think you will ever invent something, you need to be here. This session is part of the Intellectual Property Lunch and Learn Series cosponsored with the Technology Licensing Office. Food will be served.

Sign up here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3784697

Sponsor(s): Libraries, Technology Licensing Office
Contact: Anne Graham, grahama@mit.edu


Bioscience protocols and methods: Recipes for success

Howard Silver

Add to Calendar Jan/11 Thu 01:00PM-02:00PM 14N-132

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required

A couple hours with the Libraries' protocols and methods resources can save you a couple of weeks in the lab. Need to know how to do Optogenetic manipulation of neural activity in freely moving Caenorhabditis elegans? Improve your efficiency by learning strategies for finding published research protocols and methods. This session is a hands-on practicum that introduces attendees to resources that support bioscience bench research.

Register here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3765548

Sponsor(s): Libraries
Contact: Howard Silver, hsilver@mit.edu


Business data: Finding & mapping company information

Jennie Murack, Nick Albaugh

Add to Calendar Jan/30 Tue 10:30AM-12:00PM 14N-132

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Limited to 30 participants

Did you ever wonder where grocery stores are located in a city? Or perhaps biotech firms? We will learn how to query several business directories and then take that information one step further by creating customized maps and finding detailed information for specific companies.

Bring your laptop or use a computer in the lab.

Register here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3757939

Sponsor(s): Libraries, Geographic Information Systems Lab
Contact: Jennie Murack, 7-238, 617 258-6680, MURACK@MIT.EDU


Business information for engineers and scientists

Howard Silver, MIT Libraries

Add to Calendar Jan/18 Thu 12:00PM-01:00PM 14N-132

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Limited to 30 participants

This session will introduce engineers and scientists to business information resources that will help you understand the commercial potential for your ideas, how to find partners, and sources for financial support. We will use realistic examples and hands-on exercises with key resources to demonstrate how to match your ideas and discoveries with the opportunities and realities of the marketplace.

Register here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3765558

If your interests are focused on bioscience, consider our related session on Biotech business information.

Sponsor(s): Libraries
Contact: Howard Silver, 14S-134, 617 253-9319, HSILVER@MIT.EDU


Data Management for Postdocs and Research Scientists

Phoebe Ayers, EECS & IDSS Librarian, Ece Turnator

Add to Calendar Jan/09 Tue 03:00PM-04:30PM 14N-132

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Limited to 30 participants

Are you creating or managing research data? This hands-on workshop will provide an overview of data management topics, including file organization and naming, data security and backups, tools for collaborating with others in the lab, and data publishing, storage and sharing. We'll also cover journal publisher requirements and writing the data management plans that are required by most funders, as well as data management issues related to closing out projects and moving between institutions. Geared towards those in postdoc or research scientist roles, but all are welcome.

Register here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3758044

Sponsor(s): Libraries
Contact: Phoebe Ayers, 10-500, 617 253-4442, PSAYERS@MIT.EDU


Data Management: Strategies for Data Sharing & Storage

Christine Malinowski, Amy Nurnberger

Add to Calendar Jan/17 Wed 04:00PM-05:00PM 14N-132

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Limited to 30 participants

Not sure how to publish and share your data? Unclear on the best formats and descriptive information for optimal data reuse? This workshop will review options for both storage and backups during your research project as well as long-term storage and strategies for sharing data with other researchers. Topics will include: active data storage, data publication and citation, persistent identifiers, versioning, data formats and metadata for reuse, repositories, cost models and management strategies.


Register here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3770422

Sponsor(s): Libraries
Contact: Christine Malinowski, cmalin@mit.edu


Data Visualization: Introduction to Tools and Principles

Christine Malinowski

Add to Calendar Jan/25 Thu 02:00PM-03:30PM 3-270

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required

This introductory session will provide an overview of concepts and tools for visualizing data. Attendees will be introduced to web-based, open-source tools that provide beginner and intermediate users with richer functionality than traditional desktop spreadsheet and graphics software. Topics will include use cases and tool selection, data processing workflows, and principles for creating effective visualizations.

Register here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3770871

Sponsor(s): Libraries
Contact: Christine Malinowski, cmalin@mit.edu


Finding gene info & more: a tour of the NCBI "omics" network

Courtney Crummett, Biosciences Librarian, MIT Libraries

Add to Calendar Jan/18 Thu 04:00PM-05:00PM 14N-132

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required

The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) family of databases are filled with information for molecular level bioscience research. Class attendees will learn about the organization and interconnectedness of NCBI databases while focusing on several NCBI specific databases. The session is a hands-on practicum and an excellent starting point for people who are new to or curious about bioinformatics research tools. 

Register here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3758522

 

Sponsor(s): Biology, Libraries
Contact: Courtney Crummett, 14S-134, 617 324-8290, CRUMMETT@MIT.EDU


Finding Images with the MIT Libraries

Anna Boutin-Cooper

Add to Calendar Jan/22 Mon 02:00PM-03:00PM 14N-132

Enrollment: Sign up here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3784230

Looking to liven up your presentations, papers, and class work with images? Join Librarian for the SA+P, Anna Boutin-Cooper, on Monday, January 22nd in the DIRC to learn more about the image resources available to you. We will explore MIT’s own image collection, in addition to Artstor and some free, online image resources. We will also briefly explore image permissions.

Sign up here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3784230

Sponsor(s): Libraries
Contact: Anna Boutin-Cooper, boutin@mit.edu


Get Up. Stand Up! History of Activism at MIT via a Glance at the Institute Archives

Alena McNamara, Ece Turnator, Anna Boutin-Cooper, Sofia Leung

Add to Calendar Jan/18 Thu 02:00PM-04:00PM 2-139

Enrollment: Sign up here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3784597

MIT students have been involved with activism for decades. While the most well-recorded protests are those of the 1960s and 1970s against the Vietnam War, MIT students have stood up for what they believe in throughout the Institute's history. In addition, students of color, LGBTQ students, Black students, and international students have all had to establish their claims to equal space in the Institute. The Institute Archives and Special Collections preserves documentation of the history of the Institute, including many activist efforts by students, faculty and staff. Join us to learn about the struggle for equity and inclusion inside and outside of MIT.

Sign up here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3784575

Sponsor(s): Libraries
Contact: Alena McNamara, amcnamar@mit.edu


How to Read a Patent

Lucy Lubashev

Add to Calendar Jan/17 Wed 06:00PM-07:30PM 1-135, Bring your laptop.

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

Have you seen mentions of patents and inventions and tried to read a patent, only to find it unreadable gobbledygook? Are you an inventor and want to know how to proofread a patent application on your invention? Do you need to look through patents for technology valuation? Are you just curious about patent and other IP-related questions and current events? Then come to this class, and you'll learn how to read patents, depending on what your reason for reading them is (No, don't start with the Abstract!), and you'll have a chance to ask your questions to a patent attorney with more than 15 years of experience. Note: this class will not involve reviewing inventions to analyze whether they are ready for patenting.

Sponsor(s): Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Student Information Processing Board
Contact: Lucy Lubashev, lyudmila@mit.edu


How to Speak

Patrick Henry Winston, Ford Professor of Engineering/MacVicar Fellow

Add to Calendar Feb/02 Fri 11:00AM-12:00PM 10-250

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

Professor Winston offers heuristic rules that enable you to do winning job talks
and inspiring conferences presentations, and make your listeners consider your performance impressive.

Sponsor(s): Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Contact: Patrick Henry Winston, phw@mit.edu


How to succeed at MIT & beyond: developing a growth mindset

Lourdes Aleman, Associate Director for Teaching & Learning

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/08
Limited to 20 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
Prereq: None

Many students arrive at MIT riding on years of academic success and praise from teachers, parents, and colleagues. But what happens when you encounter uncertainty and failure? Have you been in a challenging class where you worry about how others will perceive you if don't sound "smart" enough? When you fail to achieve a specific goal, how do you manage and overcome discouragement and self-doubt? In this course, we will examine how our own notions of potential and ability can have a fundamental impact on how we approach our work, how much we learn, and how successful we can be in achieving our goals. The course will focus on recent, evidence-based insights regarding human performance, neuroplastictiy, motivation and on how deliberately cultivating a "growth-mindset" can improve our willingness and ability to face challenges and to innovate, despite the risk of failure.

This course is limited to 20 students and advance registration is requred. Please complete this REGISTRATION FORM. Your registration will be confirmed via a separate email from the Teaching + Learning Lab. Registration will remain open until January 8th or until all seats are filled.

Sponsor(s): Teaching and Learning Lab
Contact: Lourdes Aleman, 617-324-1776, LALEMAN@MIT.EDU


Session 1

Add to Calendar Jan/09 Tue 10:00AM-12:00PM 56-167

How people learn, neurosplasticity, struggling and how it relates to learning.

Lourdes Aleman - Associate Director for Teaching & Learning


Session 2

Add to Calendar Jan/11 Thu 10:00AM-12:00PM 56-167

The relationship between different types of mindset, learning and achievement. 

Lourdes Aleman - Associate Director for Teaching & Learning


Session 3

Add to Calendar Jan/16 Tue 10:00AM-12:00PM 56-167

Learning to embrace challenges and learning from them: cultivating a growth mindset.

Lourdes Aleman - Associate Director for Teaching & Learning


Session 4

Add to Calendar Jan/18 Thu 10:00AM-12:00PM 56-167

Using deliberate practice & evidence-based strategies to improve learning and achievement.

Lourdes Aleman - Associate Director for Teaching & Learning


Individual Consultations at the WCC (Writing and Communication Center)

Steven Strang

Add to Calendar Jan/08 Mon 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/09 Tue 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/10 Wed 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/11 Thu 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/12 Fri 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/16 Tue 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/17 Wed 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/18 Thu 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/19 Fri 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/22 Mon 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/23 Tue 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/24 Wed 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/25 Thu 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/26 Fri 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/29 Mon 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233
Add to Calendar Jan/30 Tue 10:00AM-04:00PM E18-233

Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/08
Attendance: Repeating event, participants welcome at any session
Prereq: none

 The professional communication experts at the WCC@MIT (the Writing and Communication Center) will continue to offer free consultations and advice about writing course papers, theses and dissertations; oral presentations (e.g., conference talks); slide design; poster presentations, English as Second Language, and about any writing issue, including but not limited to writing strategically, creating effective arguments, finding a topic, generating ideas, turning data into a story, understanding a particular genre, overcoming writer's block, improving grammar, crafting effective sentences and paragraphs, organizing ideas, using evidence, and analyzing audiences. We can help with all of the following: all types of technical writing; grant proposals; theses and dissertations in all departments; job, graduate and med school application essays and personal statments; research and teaching statements; resumes and CVs; conference talks; articles for publication; book proposals and chapters; papers for any course; and creative writing. We also offer help on pronunciation and oral communication. The WCC is open throughout IAP. You must be registered with our online scheduler. Go to https://mit.mywconline.com to register and to schedule appointments. Open to MIT undergraduate students, graduate students, post-docs, faculty, staff, spouses and partners, visiting scientists and scholars.The WCC@MIT is now located in building E18-233 at 50 Ames Street.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Writing and Communication Center
Contact: Steven Strang, E18-233 B, 617 253-4459, SMSTRANG@MIT.EDU


LaTeX/BibTeX & citation management tools

Christine Malinowski, Research Data Librarian

Add to Calendar Jan/23 Tue 03:00PM-04:00PM 4-231, Bring your laptop with your LaTeX setup

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Prereq: a working knowledge of LaTeX

Are you using LaTeX to create your documents? Are you looking for more guidance on integrating Zotero or Mendeley into your workflow? Do you keep running into issues with your citations or your .bib files? If you have a working knowledge of LaTeX and are looking to optimize how you manage citations and integrate your favorite citation management tools like Zotero, Mendeley or JabRef, this is the workshop for you!

Note, this is not an introduction to LaTeX or BibTeX – a working knowledge of LaTeX is assumed. Bring your laptop with your LaTeX setup to follow along. 

Register here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3770622

Sponsor(s): Libraries
Contact: Christine Malinowski, E53-100, 617 324-6394, CMALIN@MIT.EDU


Law & Technology: Know Your Rights -- A Legal Teach-in from the BU/MIT Technology and CyberLaw Clinic

Andrew Sellars, Director, BU/MIT Technology & Cyberlaw Clinic

Add to Calendar Jan/25 Thu 02:00PM-06:00PM TBD
Add to Calendar Jan/26 Fri 02:00PM-06:00PM TBD

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: None


Help us estimate our head count by signing up at
http://sites.bu.edu/tclc/iap2017

The Technology & Cyberlaw Clinic represents MIT and BU students who run
into legal issues with their academic and innovative work. Since the
clinic launched in September we’ve worked with dozens of students at MIT
with their legal issues, and in this class we’ll go over some common
legal issues that we see, and how you can navigate them to effectively
research, experiment, publish, and share your work.

Some of the issues we’ll go over include:

* intellectual property
* hacking laws
* data privacy
* FOIA and public records
* academic freedom and the law

We’ll also solicit other topics from the group. Discussions and
presentations will be lead by the student attorneys in the Technology &
Cyberlaw Clinic, as well as the clinic’s director, Andy Sellars, who
previously co-taught IAP classes on reverse engineering and coders' rights.

Sponsor(s): Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Contact: Andrew Sellars, sellars@bu.edu


Manage your PDFs and Citations: Zotero & Mendeley

Jennie Murack

Add to Calendar Jan/17 Wed 11:00AM-12:00PM 4-231, Bring a laptop if you want to follow along

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/25
Limited to 60 participants

Using citation management software to create and maintain a collection of references or PDFs is common and important in today’s academic world. These tools will help you to save citations from your favorite databases and websites, store related PDFs or attachments, and quickly build a bibliography for your papers and publications. We’ll review Zotero and Mendeley and show how to use them together to help your manage your PDF’s and citations.


Register here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3757944

Sponsor(s): Libraries
Contact: Jennie Murack, 7-238, 617 258-6680, MURACK@MIT.EDU


Manage Your PDFs and Citations: Zotero and Mendeley (online)

Stacey Snyder, Christine Malinowski

Add to Calendar Jan/10 Wed 03:00PM-04:00PM WebEx

Enrollment: https://mit.webex.com/mit/k2/j.php?MTID=t027680f7e5bb8cf9286feef25e5c763a

Using citation management software to create and maintain a collection of references or PDFs is common and important in today’s academic world. These tools will help you to save citations from your favorite databases and websites, store related PDFs or attachments, and quickly build a bibliography for your papers and publications. We’ll review Zotero and Mendeley and show how to use them together to help your manage your PDFs and citations.

Register here: https://mit.webex.com/mit/k2/j.php?MTID=t027680f7e5bb8cf9286feef25e5c763a

Sponsor(s): Libraries
Contact: Stacey Snyder, 10-500, 617 324-6024, SSNYDER@MIT.EDU


Mathematics of Big Data & Machine Learning

Jeremy Kepner, Fellow & Head MIT Supercomputing Center

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 12/22
Limited to 20 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
Prereq: Linear Algebra

Big Data describes a new era in the digital age where the volume, velocity, and variety of data created across a wide range of fields (e.g., internet search, healthcare, finance, social media, defense, ...)  is increasing at a rate well beyond our ability to analyze the data.  Machine Learning has emerged as a powerful tool for transforming this data into usable information.  Many technologies (e.g., spreadsheets, databases, graphs, linear algebra, deep neural networks, ...) have been developed to address these challenges.  The common theme amongst these technologies is the need to store and operate on data as whole collections instead of as individual data elements.  This class describes the common mathematical foundation of these data collections (associative arrays) that apply across a wide range of applications and technologies.  Associative arrays unify and simplify Big Data and Machine Learning.  Understanding these mathematical foundations allows the student to see past the differences that lie on the surface of Big Data and Machine Learning applications and technologies and leverage their core mathematical similarities to solve the hardest Big Data and Machine Learning challenges.

 

Sponsor(s): Mathematics
Contact: Jeremy Kepner, 2nd Floor, 300 Tech Sq, 781 981-3108, KEPNER@LL.MIT.EDU


Manipulation Big Data

Add to Calendar Jan/09 Tue 11:00AM-01:00PM 300 Tech Sq Floor 2

Chapters 1 and 2 of "Mathematics of Big Data" text.

Jeremy Kepner - Fellow & Head MIT Supercomputing Center


D4M: A New Tool for Big Data

Add to Calendar Jan/16 Tue 11:00AM-01:00PM 300 Tech Sq Floor 2

Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 of "Mathematics of Big Data" text.

Introduction to D4M (http://d4m.mit.edu).

Jeremy Kepner - Fellow & Head MIT Supercomputing Center


Four Perspectives on Data

Add to Calendar Jan/23 Tue 11:00AM-01:00PM 300 Tech Sq Floor 2

Chapter 5 and 6 of "Mathematics of Big Data" text.

Jeremy Kepner - Fellow & Head MIT Supercomputing Center


Mathematical Foundations of Big Data

Add to Calendar Jan/30 Tue 11:00AM-01:00PM 300 Tech Sq Floor 2

Chapters 7 and 8 of "Mathematics of Big Data".

Jeremy Kepner - Fellow & Head MIT Supercomputing Center


Open Access Clinic: How to make your publications open

Katie Zimmerman

Add to Calendar Jan/22 Mon 12:30PM-02:00PM 3-370

Enrollment: Sign up here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3782039

Take advantage of your rights! Bring your CV or list of publications to this drop-in clinic where we’ll help you determine how to make your already-published papers open and accessible. We’ll show you how to: check author rights and determine what is allowed by journals you’ve published in, upload your papers to open repositories, and make an open profile so your work is discoverable. Drop in anytime during the session to work one-on-one with copyright librarians and experts in open research. This session is part of the Intellectual Property Lunch and Learn Series cosponsored with the Technology Licensing Office. Food will be served.

Sign up here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3782039

Sponsor(s): Libraries, Technology Licensing Office
Contact: Katie Zimmerman, kbzimmer@mit.edu


Patent Searching Fundamentals

Courtney Crummett, Nick Albaugh

Add to Calendar Jan/24 Wed 04:00PM-05:00PM 14N-132

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required

Demystify the patent literature and learn resources for finding patents. Learn about and search for patents from all over the world. This hands-on session will help demystify the patent literature and show key resources for finding patents.

Register here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3761222

Sponsor(s): Libraries
Contact: Courtney Crummett, crummett@mit.edu


PATSTAT

Anne Graham

Add to Calendar Feb/01 Thu 03:00PM-05:00PM 14N-132

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required

PATSTAT contains bibliographical and legal status patent data from leading industrialized and developing countries. This is extracted from the European Patent Office’s databases and is either provided as raw data or can be consulted online. Learn how to access and use this data purchased by the MIT Libraries.

Register here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3808229

Sponsor(s): Libraries
Contact: Anne Graham, grahama@mit.edu


Presenting with Skill and Confidence

Juergen Schoenstein, Lecturer: Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication, Anna Kohler, Senior Lecturer in Music and Theater Arts at MIT

Add to Calendar Jan/17 Wed 09:30AM-12:30PM 2-147
Add to Calendar Jan/18 Thu 09:30AM-12:30PM 1-273 and 1-277
Add to Calendar Jan/18 Thu 02:00PM-04:00PM 4-364

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/16
Limited to 18 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions

As engineers and academics, we love to talk about our work – unless it is in front of an audience. For many, public speaking is one of the biggest fears they have to face; even experienced presenters often agonize over the prospect of facing an audience. This workshop will address not only the tasks of crafting a talk and designing the slides, but also how to become confident and comfortable as a speaker. This workshop is intended for graduate students and faculty members who want to improve their oral presentation skills, but undergraduates are welcome, too.

The first part will be a half-day workshop in crafting an audience-specific narrative, and designing professional slides; the next morning, we will do a “clinic” where participants get an opportunity to give a 5 to 10-minute presentation (about their thesis, current research, or any other topic they choose) to a friendly audience of peers, get feedback and practice how to handle the Q and A. In the afternoon, things will become more physical: Anna Kohler, Senior Lecturer for Theater at MIT, will lead a workshop on “Speaking with confidence”. In this workshop, you will do exercises that will enable you to find and fill both the space within you and the space immediately around you, so that you can confidently be yourself in front of a large audience. This workshop is not about oral performance and theatrical speech, but about physical presence and comfort on stage - wear loose clothing conducive for physical movement.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication
Contact: Juergen Schoenstein, juergen@mit.edu


Prior art searching of the patent literature

Anne Graham

Add to Calendar Jan/26 Fri 10:00AM-11:30AM 3-370

Enrollment: Sign up here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3784751

Patents are unique documents that provide detailed information about inventions. This session will introduce you to the types of information you can find in patents, and where and how to search for them. This session is part of the Intellectual Property Lunch and Learn Series cosponsored with the Technology Licensing Office. Food will be served.

Sign up here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3784751

Sponsor(s): Libraries, Technology Licensing Office
Contact: Anne Graham, grahama@mit.edu


Public Speaking: How to Loosen Up

Brindha Muniappan, Director of Programs, MIT Museum, Jennifery Novotney, Public Programs Coordinator, MIT Museum

Add to Calendar Feb/02 Fri 02:00PM-04:00PM N51, MIT Museum

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 02/01
Limited to 30 participants

Take part in a series of 6 independent IAP workshop sessions on public speaking during the last week of IAP. The sessions are meant to be practical and interactive, and are open to all members of the MIT community. Each session is limited to 30 participants. Pre-registration is encouraged but drop-ins are welcome if space is available.

In this workshop participants will explore how to loosen their minds and bodies though a series of improv games and activities. Please wear clothing you feel comfortable moving in. This session will be led by Dr. Jennifer Novotney, the American Chemical Society's 2014 Chemistry Champion.

Register to attend this session: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/iap-workshop-loosening-up-mit-can-talk-tickets-41243599717

* Participants of this session are encouraged to take part in the “MIT Can Talk” oratory competition on Friday, February 2 and Saturday, February 3 at the MIT Museum (see IAP listing for more details).

Sponsor(s): MIT Museum
Contact: Jennifer Novotney, x4-7313, novotney@MIT.EDU


Quick & dirty data management: the 5 things you should absolutely be doing with your data now

Christine Malinowski, Amy Nurnberger

Add to Calendar Jan/08 Mon 03:00PM-04:00PM 14N-132

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required

Do you have data? (Who doesn't?!?) Learn about the five basic things you can do now to manage your data for future happiness. These tools and techniques support practical data management and you can start using them immediately. Work with your personal data or research data, but start working now to ensure a future you who is secure in the existence, understandability, and reusability of your data!

Register here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3760733

Sponsor(s): Libraries
Contact: Christine Malinowski, cmalin@mit.edu


Reasoning and Argumentation

Suzanne Lane, Director, Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication

Add to Calendar Jan/23 Tue 01:00PM-03:30PM E17-136

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/23
Limited to 30 participants

The free exchange of ideas is central to democracy and to academic work.  Yet often this exchange can be fraught with misunderstanding, anxiety about how our ideas or positions will be received, and unnecessary conflict.  This workshop will teach participants central concepts of rhetoric and argumentation that can aid in generating useful debate that fosters open dialogue towards understanding and problem solving.  Open to the entire MIT community, but space is limited to 30. 

 

For more information, or to reserve a space, pleace contact the Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication program (WRAP)

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication
Contact: WRAP, E18-228a, 617-253-3039, wrap@mit.edu


Rotch Library Limited Access Open House

Anna Boutin-Cooper, Alena McNamara

Add to Calendar Jan/09 Tue 01:00PM-04:00PM Rotch Library 7-238

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

Heard of the Rotch Limited collection? Curious to know what lives behind those glass walls in Rotch Library? Stop by to take a look at a sampling of the rare and historic materials within the collection - including books on art, architecture, and urban planning! This session is a companion to the Artists’ Books @ MIT session, where we will be exploring these contemporary art forms hands-on.

No advanced sign up is required - please just drop by anytime during the event hours! Exact location is to be announced, stay tuned! More info here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3784394

Sponsor(s): Libraries
Contact: Anna Boutin-Cooper, boutin@mit.edu


Social networking sites & article sharing

Katharine Dunn, Scholarly Communications Librarian, Courtney Crummett, Biosciences Librarian

Add to Calendar Jan/29 Mon 10:00AM-11:30AM 3-370

Enrollment: Register here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3783447
Sign-up by 01/29
Limited to 30 participants

Many researchers promote and share their publications on sites like ResearchGate and Academia.edu. Come to this IAP session to learn about how sharing on these sites relates to copyright and open access, as well as how the sites compare to institutional and subject repositories like DSpace@MIT or arXiv. We'll also discuss recent ResearchGate controversies and lawsuits. This session is part of the Intellectual Property Lunch and Learn Series cosponsored with the Technology Licensing Office. Food will be served. 

Sign up here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3783447

Sponsor(s): Libraries, Technology Licensing Office
Contact: Katharine Dunn, 14E-210, 617 253-9879, KHDUNN@MIT.EDU


Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Understanding How to Reason with Sources

Suzanne Lane, Director, Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication

Add to Calendar Jan/25 Thu 01:00PM-03:00PM E17-136

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/24
Limited to 30 participants

Whenever we do research—whether in the library, the lab, or the field, or just reading the assigned texts for a class—we hope to develop new ideas: to form and test hypotheses, develop new and better methods, produce richer evidence, and refine existing theories.  Our research is often collaborative, and always builds on work by previous researchers and writers.  But how do we develop new ideas from these sources?  How do we document where others’ ideas contribute to our thinking, and where our ideas build on theories and evidence that’s already published?  And why do the practices of incorporating and citing sources vary so much from one discipline or journal to another?  This workshop will help you learn how to write with sources—published, online, or live—in ways that will help both you and your readers understand how your ideas build on, and move beyond, those of your sources.

Space is limited to 30.

For more information, and to reserve a space, please contact the Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication program (WRAP)

 

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication
Contact: WRAP, E18-228a, 617-253-3039, wrap@mit.edu


The Matter of Facts

Karen Boiko

Add to Calendar Jan/24 Wed 10:00AM-12:00PM 1-242

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/23
Limited to 30 participants

In this troubling time of truthiness, alternative facts and “fake news,” how might we as instructors steer the conversation in a direction more congruent with our training and values? Do facts look the same in Biology and History? In Electrical Engineering, Economics and Women’s Studies? How do we, as instructors value facts? How do we, or might we, make this valuing explicit in our teaching? Do we talk about truth or limit ourselves to “data,” as so many students seem to want to do?

Participants in this workshop will start by considering Jill Lepore’s New Yorker essay “After the Fact,” which historicizes the concept of the fact, and relates it to the concepts of truth and data. Discussion will then move into the questions of how we recognize facts in our disciplines, and what their value is. We will end by considering how we might engage students more explicitly on this topic as well as identifying ways we already do so.

This workshop is intended for faculty, instructors, and TAs in all disciplines.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication
Contact: Karen Boiko, boiko@mit.edu


Theses@MIT: Thesis Specifications and Copyright Issues

Katie Zimmerman, Scholarly Communications and Licensing Librarian, Mikki Simon Macdonald, Collections Strategist for Institute Publications

Add to Calendar Jan/19 Fri 12:30PM-02:00PM 3-370

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required

This session will cover the required specifications for submitting your thesis, and review some common copyright questions related to theses, including whether you need permission to use certain figures in your thesis, and what is involved when you want to publish parts of your thesis before or after the thesis is submitted. This session is part of the "Intellectual property lunch and learn series" cosponsored with the Technology Licensing Office.

Register here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3777568

Sponsor(s): Libraries, Technology Licensing Office
Contact: Katie Zimmerman, kbzimmer@mit.edu


Thesis Boot Camp: Exercises and Strategies for Writing a Major Technical Report

Amy Carleton, Lecturer: Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication, Jane Kokernak, Lecturer: Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication

Add to Calendar Jan/31 Wed 10:00AM-01:00PM 4-231
Add to Calendar Feb/01 Thu 10:00AM-01:00PM 4-231

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Limited to 60 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions

Embarking on any research-based writing project, like the undergraduate thesis or a technical report, can often seem daunting. How does one choose a suitable topic or focus? What is an approach for conducting and cataloguing a literature search? What are strategies for outlining and drafting your final document? What are the qualities of effective technical prose?

This IAP workshop will offer students a strategic and intense opportunity to prepare for their upcoming thesis or other large writing project by

 - conducting genre analysis of sample theses and reports,
 - formulating a viable research question,
 - generating a preliminary research bibliography,
 - examining the features of effective prose, and
 - designing a realistic timeline keyed to the chief writing tasks.

Day one will focus on the components of thesis and report writing, the research question, and background research with help from an MIT research Librarian.  On day two, we will isolate features of technical prose and their application to your writing, design a project timeline and get quick feedback, and address questions specific to your project.  Participants are asked to bring laptops and any project guidelines to the meetings. Note: while the emphasis is on undergraduate research in MechE, anyone is welcome to attend.

Attendance capped at 60.

To register, fill out the Google form here: http://bit.ly/2ijWgXK

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Mechanical Engineering, Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication
Contact: Amy Carleton, amymarie@mit.edu


UROP Open House

Add to Calendar Jan/30 Tue 03:30PM-04:30PM 6-104, Chipman Room

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

Come enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and some cookies while speaking with current UROP supervisors and students about participating in undergraduate research at MIT.

Sponsor(s): Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program -UROP, Office of Undergrad. Advising/Academic Programming
Contact: J Alex Hoyt, 7-104, 617 324-6700, JAHOYT@MIT.EDU


UROP Student Panel

Add to Calendar Feb/01 Thu 11:00AM-12:00PM 5-134

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

Come hear from current UROP students about their experiences conducting research at MIT.  UROP staff will also be available to answer questions.

Sponsor(s): Office of Undergrad. Advising/Academic Programming, Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program -UROP
Contact: J Alex Hoyt, 7-104, 617 324-6700, JAHOYT@MIT.EDU


Workshop on Academic Argument

Nora Jackson, Karen Pepper, Janis Melvold, Jo-Ann Graziano

Add to Calendar Feb/01 Thu 03:00PM-05:00PM 4-253

Enrollment: Limited: First come, first served (no advance sign-up)
Limited to 18 participants

In one 2-hour workshop addressed to the MIT community (faculty, TAs and grad students especially welcome) we propose to explore written argument across several academic disciplines. As instructors in Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication (WRAP), we will present a comparison of written argument in various disciplines. We will consider structure, claims, evidence, and reasoning with an eye toward understanding what we are (or should be) trying to convey to students, designing assignments to help students acquire skill in argumentation, and structuring our teaching over the four undergraduate years to ensure that there is reinforcement and development without needless repetition.

We invite you to bring ideas for an assignment, an assignment you have used in the past, or notes on challenges you face for our discussion of teaching the foundational rhetorical skill of written argument.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication
Contact: Nora Jackson, norajack@mit.edu