GUIDELINES FOR ORAL PRESENTATIONS

The MiniSymposium will be divided into 4 sessions, with 7 or 8 speakers in each session. Students in each session will work together to decide how to organize their talks, and choose a chair who will introduce each speaker and keep the session on schedule. Groups may decide to provide an overview and/or summary.

Individual Presentations

Introduction: What is the gene's function? What is the gene's role in human disease? Is the gene essential? Is it related in sequence or function to other repair/recombination genes? Does it work together with other gene products within a pathway?

Results of the paper you have selected: Briefly state the question that the paper asks, and the significance of that question in the larger context of genomic stability and cancer. Describe the two or three most important experiments in the paper, showing the figures containing those results. If you have any criticisms of the paper's hypotheses, results or conclusions, discuss them.

Summary and the next step: Talk about how this paper advances our understanding, and state briefly what you think a critical next step in research in this area will be.

Maximum time for each presentation is 10 minutes. Prepare a presentation that is about 8 minutes in length, leaving time for questions.

Media: You may use Powerpoint or transparencies. Whichever method of presentation you choose, be sure all figures are legible to your audience.

Evaluation: Evaluation will be based on the clarity and thoughtfulness of the presentation.

GUIDELINES FOR THE AUDIENCE

When one gives a seminar or journal club, one measure of success is whether the presentation generates questions. For some people, asking questions is easy, but for others it takes practice. As you listen to each talk, think of at least one question you would like to ask the speaker or the group presenting. We will ask that stduents who are not presenting in a given session write down and turn in a question about each talk.

GUIDELINES FOR STUDENT PAPERS

Papers are to be 6-8 pages in length; font size 12; double-spaced. The papers are not meant to review the literature. Instead, the emphasis should be on identifying an appropriate next question for research, and outlining an experimental goal that could be accomplished by a reasonably talented and hard-working individual during a 4 month laboratory rotation. The question addressed should be sufficiently significant that it could become a thesis project, but detailed experiments for the project should not be outlined in the paper.

Papers should be turned in at the Immunology Department Office (H560) by 4 pm, Monday, February 9.

Papers will be evaluated on the basis of the significance and originality of the question identified (40%); clarity (30%); and presentation of material and use of figures (30%).