A Scientist's Career: Jonathan S. Weissman
Mondays 17:45-19:45 in room C00.013 (unless noted otherwise); in English; 9 participants
The seminar aims for several goals. On the science side, we will follow the scientific work of Jonathan S. Weissman over a period of more than 20 years. The Weissman lab has made important contributions in a wide variety of biological topics. Each seminar day is centered on the discussion of a specific publication and the respectice general topic. This will also provide a good introduction into various methods used in molecular biology. In addition to this, the seminar offers the opportunity to improve your presentation as well as your discussion skills, both of which are crucial abilities in research.
Each seminar consists of two parts:
1. Introduction into the topic of the seminar day
In the beginning of each seminar day the speaker introduces the topic of the day's publication. For this, the speaker familiarizes her/himself with the publication and asks her/himself the important questions: "What is interesting about this?" "What could I present that will help and interest my fellow participants?" From the (very individual) answers to these questions the speaker compiles a list of "Take-Home-Messages" (max. 5) which she/he hands in at least 2 weeks before the seminar day for review. At least 1 week before the seminar date the speaker hands in the final presentation (max. 12 min) for feedback on content and design. Remember: the presentation should benefit all members of the group! A handout with the central Take-Home-Messages and important background information is handed out to each participant.
After this presentation there is time for questions and also evaluation and feedback on the performance, using our seminar talk evaluation sheet.
2. The original publication
All participants have read the publication of the day and hand in a list of the main messages of the paper at the beginning of the seminar day. The speaker has prepared a PowerPoint presentation containing all the figures and tables (including supplementary data) in locigal order and in sufficient quality. Using this presentation a randomly chosen moderator first compiles the consensus of main messages. She/he afterwords moderates the figure-by-figure discussion within the group.
IMPORTANT: In order to enable a fruitful discussion, thorough reading of the original publications is mandatory for all participants. Articles under the heading 'background information' are for further reading and as a starting point for the speaker of that day. It is essential to contact the lecturer during preparation of your presentation for help and support. At least 2 weeks before the seminar date every speaker has to hand in the list of "Take-Home-Messages" (ca. 5) that will be covered in the talk. At least 1 week before the seminar date every speaker has to hand in the presentation for feedback on content and design.