Physics Oral Presentations 101

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Physics Oral Presentations101

• Physics 695
• Adapted from presentation by
• Dr. Jaroslav Fabian (University of Maryland at
  College Park),

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CONTENTS

• 1. Types of presentations
• 2. Abstract preparation
• 3. Talk preparation software
• 4. Talk preparation format
• 5. Talk presentation

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1. TYPES of PRESENTATIONS

• Oral student presentation at a seminar (30-60
  minutes)
• Contributed talk at a conference (10-30)
• Invited seminar (45-60 min)
• Invited talk at a conference (30, 60)
• Plenary talk/lecture at a conference (60)
• Presentation to Management
• Presentation to Sponsors
• Presentation to Class

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2. ABSTRACT PREPARATION

• http//abstracts.aps.org/
• Both html and MS Word possible
• For LaTex, need apsab.sty
• In UNIX put apsab.sty in the same directory as
  the file abstract.tex that you create
• Compile by typing latex abstract.tex
• Convert to postscript dvips abstract.tex
• View your abstract by typing gv abstract.ps
• Example follows

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Abstract Example

• Session M14 -Glasses Collective Behavior and
  Vibrational Dynamics.
• MIXED session, Wednesday morning, March 18
• 405, Los Angeles Convention Center
• M14.05 Vibrations in Glasses and Random Matrix
  Theory
• Jaroslav Fabian (University of Maryland at
  College Park), Joseph L. Feldman (Naval Research
  Laboratory, Washington D.C.)
• Vibrations in amorphous silicon are
  analyzed from the perspective of random matrix
  theory. We use the combination of the
  Wooten-Winer-Weaire random network and
  Stillinger-Weber inter-atomic potential to model
  the vibrational dynamics of amorphous silicon. By
  calculating the level-spacing distributions and
  spectral correlation functions for the vibrations
  of this model we find that the majority of the
  vibrations (diffusons--extended non-propagating
  modes) can be described in terms of random
  matrices (the corresponding level-spacing
  distribution corresponds to the Wigner surmise).
  On the other hand, localized modes, which in our
  model exist only at the highest frequencies, show
  no sign of spectral correlation and their
  level-spacing distribution is a Poisson one.

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• \documentstyle11pt,apsabarticle
• \nofiles
• \MeetingIDTEST98
• \DateSubmitted20040315
• \SubmittingMemberSurnameFabian
• \SubmittingMemberGivenNameJaroslav
  \SubmittingMemberID12345 \SubmittingMemberEmail
  jaroslav.fabian_at_uni-graz.at \SubmittingMemberAff
  ilUniversity of Graz
• \PresentationTypeoral
• \SortCategoryA
• \SpecialInstructions a live cat is required.
• \begindocument
• \TitleWhat happens to a cat with jelly spread on
  its back \AuthorSurnameFabian
• \AuthorGivenNameJaroslav
• \AuthorEmailjaroslav.fabian_at_uni-graz.at
• \AuthorAffilUniversity Graz
• \beginabstract Cats thrown up always fall on
  their feet. Toast spread with jelly always ends
  on the jelly side.......
• \endabstract
• \enddocument

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(No Transcript)
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After submitting an abstract

• Dear...,
• Thank you for your abstract submission. Your
  abstract will be reviewed by the program
  committee, and you should receive its decision on
  or by 1 April 2010.
• Wait to be notified if the abstract is accepted
  (sometimes one gets assigned to a poster
  presentationwhat is a poster?)

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3. TALK PREPARATION - Software

• MS PowerPoint
• Flexible, portable, easy to share
• Insertion of portable graphics (png, jpg, gif,
  eps)
• Great resolution, easy to do math (TexPoint, ...)
  
• Templates available
• Latex or Lyx with Beamer class

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4. Talk preparation Format

• GRAND RULE Slides are no more and no less than
  an accompaniment to the oral presentation.
• They should not be a reading board, nor a
• decoration to your speech.
• At any rate, they should be readable.
• Dress analogy
• Conceal your weaknesses and expose your strengths

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Structure

• Title
• Contents (outline)
• Introduction
• Body
• Conclusions (summary)

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Title page(unless you are well known to the
audience)

• 1.Title of the talk
• 2. Name, Institution
• 3. Collaborators
• 4. Acknowledgements (Grants, etc. )
• 5. An informal picture helps to catch attention
  from the start

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SPIN RELAXATION SPIN TRANSPORT IN ELECTRONIC
MATERIALS

• Jaroslav Fabian
• Institute for Theoretical Physics Karl-Franzens
  University, Graz
• Collaborators Igor Žutic1,2 and Sankar Das
  Sarma1
• 1Condensed Matter Theory Center, Univ. of
  Maryland, College Park
• 2Naval Research Laboratory, Washington DC
• Supported by US ONR

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Contents Page

• Say what you want to talk about
• Not recommended for 10 minute talks !!!
• OUTLINE
• 1. SPINTRONICS
• 2. SPIN RELAXATION
• 3. BIPOLAR SPINTRONICS
• MAGNETICBIPOLAR DIODE
• MAGNETIC BIPOLAR TRANSISTOR
• 4. SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK

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Introduction

• Put your talk in a broader context
• Why should the audience listen?
• Why is your work interesting?

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Body of the Presentation

• Reasonably organized
• Easy to follow---accompany speech
• Colorful
• Plenty of illustrations
• Equations to a minimum
• Main physical points stressed
• Do not overcrowd the slides audiences tend to
  read everything on the screen

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SPIN RELAXATION IN METALS ELLIOTT-YAFET THEORY
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Conclusions Page

• Longer Talks See next slide
• Conclusions for 10 minute talks?
• At most, a punchline
• If you feel you need to formally conclude a 10
  min. talk, you likely failed to deliver the main
  point. The audience should remember what you said
  within the last 10 minutes.

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Example SUMMARY

• Novel spintronic device schemes proposed and
  modeled numerically and analytically
• magnetic bipolar diode
• magnetic bipolar transistor
• New spin and charge transport phenomena in
  semiconductor junctions predicted
• spin injection through diode and transistor
• spin-voltaic effects
• giant-magnetoresistance
• spin capacitance
• spatial spin amplification
• spin control over current amplification

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4. Presentation of Talk

• Rule1 (Planck) KNOW THE AUDIENCE
• What is the level?
• general public
• undergrads
• grads
• experts
• Your Response
• Imagine yourself in their shoes and adjust your
  talk (especially the length of the introduction)
  to be comprehensible to an average person at that
  level.
• Then make your talk one level simpler!

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Rule 2 TIME THE TALK

• 10 min. talks
• 1 min. title
• 9 min. body
• 2 min. questions
• 30-60 min. talks
• 1 min. title
• 5-20 min. introduction (20-30 of talk)
• fill in body
• 2-4 min. conclusions
• 5-10 min. questions

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Rule 3 BE QUALITATIVE

• Physics is an exact science whose pleasure
  derives from qualitative understanding.
• It will turn out, as we go to more and more
  advanced physics, that many simple things can be
  deduced mathematically more rapidly than they can
  be really understood in a fundamental or simple
  sense. -- Richard Feynman, discussing spinning
  tops in his Lecture notes
• Give simple physical pictures and graphs.
• Keep formulae simple, without unnecessary
  indices, essentially giving the main trends
  (energy goes as 1/L2)
• Give tables only when necessary (comparison of
  theory and experiment) use graphs instead

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Rule 4 ENGAGE THE AUDIENCE

• Or, How to Keep Them Awake
• The sheer fact that the topic of your talk is
  interesting does not guarantee your talk will be
  interesting
• Do not be afraid to make gestures
• Move (though jumping may be considered too
  theatrical by some)
• Make eye contact do not stare at the floor
• Make a joke
• Make them think, not just listen ask a question,
• pause, then give an answer (do not ask random
  people for answersthis tends to be embarrassing)

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Rule 5 (Koch) Keep PANDORAS box closed

• Do not talk about things you have only a faint
  idea about. You may think you will look educated,
  but you can bet there will be someone in the
  audience asking a question about it and you will
  be embarrassed and say Oops, I am actually not
  an expert on that sorry.
• You should be in full command over your slides.
• I first heard it from Prof. Peter Koch when I
  was a grad student at SUNY Stony Brook

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Rule 6 GIVE PROPER CREDIT

• Display acknowledgments to your coworkers
• and to your funding agencies
• Give credit to relevant previous work and
  mention concurrent efforts by others.
• Cite the sources of the pictures that you borrow
• or you are inspired by
• Neglecting the above opens Pandoras box (Rule5).

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Rule 7 ANTICIPATE QUESTIONS

• You appear competent when you know how to answer
  questions.
• Be honest if you do not know the answer
• This is an interesting question, but I would need
  more time to think about an answer.
• A very good question. We are currently working on
  a related problem, so if you come to my next talk
  in 2020, I will let you know.
• I should have thought about that a very good
  question.
• I do not know the answer. But you appear to know
  more than I do on this issue, so I would be
  interested in talking to you after the session
• I am not familiar with that work of Prof.
  Einstein, so I cannot comment on it

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Rule 8 PRACTICE

• Even experienced speakers do practice
• Talk at your group meeting or alone at home
• Pay attention to timing, smoothness of the
  transitions between slides

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Rule 9 ENJOY THE TALK

• You should be excited that your research is in a
  stage that your results can be communicated and
  disseminated
• You should be excited that you have an
  opportunity to present your ideas to a broader
  audience
• You should be excited that people actually listen
  to you (of their free will or not)
• Try to relax. It is natural to be a little
  stressed, especially at the start

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Random Rules 10-13

• If appropriate, begin by thanking the organizers
• for invitation or opportunity to present your
  recent work
• End with Thank you for your attention, which to
  some is a clear-cut way to say that the talk is
  really over
• Reading from a slide occasionally is OK,
  especially when citing (Little Prince, Alice in
  Wonderland, Einstein, Feynman, ...)
• Dress appropriately (since physicists do not
  appear to be fashion fans, this rule is not
  strict just be comfortable while socially
  acceptable).

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Random Rules 14 -...

• If asked a question, repeat it if you feel some
  may not have heard it (especially if you have a
  microphone)
• Prepare technical aspects of the talk (notebook
  computer connection, booting) a few minutes
  before the talk
• Make sure that all can see the whole screen, and
  that you are no obstacle to their view. Stand at
  the side, not in front.
• Point to the screen, not to the projector!