The objective of this class is to help graduate students early in their career develop their skills in scientific communication, in both written and oral forms. The course will seek to answer the question: “What makes a compelling scientific presentation?” and identify common pitfalls in scientific communication. The class, which will meet weekly, will involve discussions and group activities, including peer review by students of each other’s writing and talks.
In addition to aiming to improve students’ writing and speaking, an ancillary but important outcome of this course is to cultivate a culture of esprit de corps and teamwork among graduate students in the Atmospheric Sciences Department as they help one another throughout the course of the school term. Toward this end, I ask you to:
• Actively participate in group discussions and providing feedback for your fellow students
• Complete your assignments on-time so that you would be ready to contribute to group activities
Likewise, providing and receiving feedback require positive mindsets from both sides to make the effort worthwhile. For those providing feedback, please provide constructive criticisms. The goal is not to tear down a fellow student's work, but to identify weaknesses so that they can be properly addressed. Closely related to this is an attempt to provide suggestions to how the weaknesses can be addressed. For those receiving criticism, please maintain an open mind! Your fellow students are seeking to help you improve your writing and oral presentation; try not to take the criticism personally (unless it is indeed personal, in which case I will step in).