Physics Seminar - resources from past semesters

There are a number of ways in which Rutgers students may access books:

There are also a number of ways in which Rutgers students may access articles:

Data management is essential for helping you work more efficiently.  In this course, you will be gathering sources for your oral presentation from a variety of indexes and databases.  How can you keep track of and organize all these references?  How do you manage all data for your oral presentation project?  Data management will only be touched upon lightly here, but will be discussed in greater depth later this semester.  For now, as you work on your course project, remember to ask yourself:

1. What information should I include in file names?
2. How will I handle versions?
3. Where and how am I backing up my data?

If you are interested in learning more about data management on your own, take a look at some of the Data Management Training Resources on the Dana Library's Data Support site (link is below).

If you would like to schedule an individual consultation with Dana Library's Data Services Librarian, Minglu Wang, to discuss the management of your laboratory research data, her e-mail address is minglu@rutgers.edu and her phone number (973) 353-3810.

Part I.

Reflect on presentations you’ve sat in on before – not only the Physics department’s seminar series this semester, but student presentations and class lectures, as well.

1. Which talks did you enjoy the most? Which talks did you enjoy the least? Why?
2. Now think specifically about any visual aids used. Which did you like best? Which did you like least? Why?

Part II.

Spend a few minutes taking a look at these links for suggestions on how to give a great presentation:

• Techniques for Giving a Great Seminar
• Rethinking Presentations In Science and Engineering

Part III.

Consider the “best practices” for visuals… [Best Practices for PowerPoint Presentations]

  1. Colors used:

• Text vs. Background
• For emphasis / focus

  2. Font style

• Simple vs. complicated
• Size of text

  3. Headings vs. body

• Minimum(s)?

  4. Balance of…

• Content vs. empty space
• Text vs. images

  5. Graphs vs. charts vs. tables

Part IV.

Consider the purpose behind the oral presentation you will be presenting this semester:

• Who is your audience?
• What kind of content should you include?
• What sections might you include in your presentation?
• How much time should you allot for each section / slide?
• Do you need to reserve time for Q&A?